An easy, creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing made with Greek yogurt! So good you’ll want to eat it with a spoon. Guaranteed to brighten up any salad!
This is one of those salad dressings previously reserved for dine-in and take-out situations only.
The fresh, vibrant colors and flavors previously reserved for Tex-Mex entree salads at your favorite restaurant are about to take over you kitchen, and it couldn’t be easier. Or more delicious.
How do you make Cilantro Lime Dressing?
Blend cilantro leaves (stems removed and discarded, or fed to your cat) in a food processor with Greek yogurt, lime juice, and minced garlic.
- Pro Tip: Even though you’re making this in a food process or blender, you should still mince the garlic so you don’t accidentally end up with a random large piece of raw garlic.
Next, with the motor running, drizzle in olive oil. Season to taste with s&p!
Besides the pretty green color, you can look forward to a protein boost from the Greek yogurt and extra vitamins from all the fresh herbs from this fabulous Cilantro Lime Dressing. Delicious!
How do you make a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (instead of a creamy version)?
In a food processor or blender combine:
- ½ bunch cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup lime juice, 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 clove of garlic (minced)
- ¾ teaspoon spicy brown mustard
- ¾ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cilantro leaves, stems removed
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup lime juice (from 2 limes)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine cilantro, yogurt, garlic, lime juice, and salt. Blend until smooth.
- With the motor running, slowly add olive oil through the feed-tube. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper). Chill at least 10 minutes to blend flavors.
Notes
- Be sure to mince the garlic before adding to the food processor. Otherwise, you may have large chunks of garlic in the salad dressing.
Nutrition
Delicious!!!!
Our family loves this dressing. We use it to make a cole slaw to go with shrimp tacos. Our latest use was for a chicken salad wrap. We loaded a tortilla with avocados and diced chicken tossed in the dressing. Thanks for a great recipe.
That sounds fantastic to make a cole slaw! Heading out now to get ingredients.
I agree, Caitlin, sounds like a great dressing for cole slaw. I’d probably throw extra cilantro in the slaw, too. Sounds perfect! Thanks for sharing!
I realize I’m late to the party but I wanted to chime in on how the dressing might have been bitter. When using fresh garlic be sure the garlic hasn’t sprouted. Not that you can’t use sprouted garlic but you will want to remove the sprouting portion or you will have marked bitter garlic flavor. Slice the clove long wise and remove the sprout from the center. The sprout should be easy to remove. If it’s difficult to remove then your garlic is beyond saving and you’re better off planting it than to use it in cooking. Hope this helps someone and thanks for the recipe. Also, I’m not a big fan of the tangy flavor of yogurt in dressings so I’m substituting this ingredient with sour cream. Thanks again!
I appreciate all the comments! I will have to experiment with this dressing more to try to offset the bitterness. I’m not sure if my palette is just wacky or why that never bothered me. But, thank you for your tips, especially on the garlic!!! And I agree, sour cream is positively heavenly. Great choice.
I’ve tried this recipe several times & found it a little bitter so i added a little honey to take the bitterness out – turned out great!
Hi Jenn, I am so glad you found a way to make it to your liking! I am definitely going to add honey next time, just to see how the flavor changes. Sounds perfect. :) Thank you!
I haven’t done this yet but I’m thinking about adding some Mexican seasonings, I absolutely love cilantro.
I’ve been making a similar recipe for years that I obtained from a world renowned chef that had the pleasure of vacationing with. The only difference was it had more cilantro and more lime juice although we added what was needed while making it.
This was something that he whipped up for a fish, black beans and rice dish, not a salad dressing. The meal was a little more Caribbean and I believe he used some Caribbean seasonings on baked fish. We used the leftover as a dip with some corn chips. Since then I have used it as more of an all-purpose sauce but mainly on fish. It’s also important that you use fresh cilantro and a ripe lime. It’s also important to make sure it is well blended and would not recommend trying to mix by hand
The meal you are describing sounds positively mouth-watering! I can see how this could easily be used a sauce rather than a dressing as you have described. You have me dreaming of the possibilities. Thanks for your ideas!
Sorry for not approving this comment yesterday, I see you were kind enough to leave it twice. Thanks again for your story and the remarkable new ways to try this recipe!
I added some avocado and some seeded jalapeño for a little kick… ahmazing!
That sounds PERFECT!!! I’m going to try that myself. :D
I just made this and it is delicious and so easy! Thank you! By the way the yield was about 1 cup for me.
Yum! So tangy, and a great colour! Thanks
Hi! I just tried this recipe tonight and the yogurt seemed to over-power a little (and I use Greek yogurt all the time!) The final product, even after chilling for 10 minutes, had sort of a sour/bitter taste for a salad dressing. Do you have any recommendations? I also doubled the recipe, do you think that had something to do with it? Any help or suggestions are welcome!
Hi Katelyn! Hmmm, I am so sorry to hear that. I really don’t see how doubling the recipe would have made a difference. None of the ingredients are bitter, per se, so that is an odd flavor to show up (unless it was just more sour than bitter, in which case I’d look at the lime juice). How was the saltiness? I guess if I tried it and it seemed bitter, I’d probably add more salt. Obviously that wouldn’t work for everyone though. Which brand of yogurt did you use? I know I used Fage… but I really feel like all plain Greek yogurts taste the same. Short of making it again in your kitchen with you, I’m sort of at a loss… other than wondering about the ingredients and whether more salt would have helped. :-/ I am really sorry.
Just wondering, did you use fresh lime juice? Sometimes the bottled juice can cause things to taste a little bitter. Also, were your limes fresh?
Hi Fay, yes, my limes were absolutely fresh. I do not buy the bottled juice no matter what. I also don’t buy the pre-chopped garlic in a jar even though everyone keeps telling me how good and convenient it is! I feel like with the bottle lemon and lime juices, it’s just not even in the ballpark of tasting right. In this application it might not taste BAD, but it wouldn’t taste the same for sure. And yes I could see bitterness being a side effect.
I’ve discovered if I run garlic through my processor or blender it tends to make things bigger. I put it through my garlic press and then add it at the very last minute only blending enough to mix it in. That has solved my bitter problem
That’s excellent, Cindy! Thanks for sharing that tip. I’m so glad, hopefully you can enjoy the dressing more. Good detective work. :)
I think your problem was actually the olive oil — did you use extra virgin? It gets bitter when you put it in a blender or food processor. Use regular olive oil or a different kind of oil and it’ll be fine :)
Great! Yes! That completely makes sense. I rarely cook with extra virgin olive oil so I never would have thought of that. Genius. :)