Give your salad a kick with this easy and delicious Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette recipe! This Cilantro Lime Dressing is the perfect Southwest Taco Salad Dressing. It is made with fresh cilantro, olive oil, and jalapeno and easily blended in the food processor.
Add it to simple mixed greens, wraps, burrito bowls, as a marinade for chicken, and more!
For what seems like ages, I have searched across Mexican restaurants in St. Louis to get my salad with a kick fix! I’ve enjoyed a lot of great salads and my family has enjoyed a lot of great Mexican, but even the most promising “jalapeño lime vinaigrette” fell flat.
Some people love cilantro and others not so much, but it is a family favorite around here and we enjoy the flavor it gives to this dressing.
Just a few miles from our old home, there was a little restaurant, Salty Iguana, that I religiously ordered a side salad with cilantro lime vinaigrette along with chips and guacamole.
It was unlike any other salad I’ve had. The “kick” made it feel like I was indulging on something much less diet-friendly and never left me wanting more.
After all that searching, I realized I could hardly subject my family to another Mexican outing. I decided it was time to create a Salty Iguana Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette recipe right here at home.
I NAILED it! Yes, I’m bragging.
You have no idea how incredibly happy it made me as I continue my quest to lose a little weight and still enjoy every bite I take. There’s nothing better than finding a solution to a craving and knowing that it’s healthy, too!
Are you like me, looking to add just a little spice to your life? You’ll love my Jalapeno Margaritas, Pico de Gallo, and this incredible Enchilada Sauce, too!
I love a classic, light and healthy vinaigrette dressing. That’s why I’ve written Every Vinaigrette Recipe You’ll Ever Need – it’s a round-up of all my best vinaigrette recipes you’ll love!
If your family is anything like ours, we can eat Mexican-inspired meals every day of the week. What I love about this dressing is the flexibility – we can all enjoy it in a variety of ways!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Cilantro Lime Dressing is low in calories – just 88 per serving, yet so full of flavor!
- It’s bursting with flavor and has a way of making you feel like you’re eating something much more exciting than a salad.
- Just 5 minutes in a blender or food processor yields 3/4 cup of salad dressing that remains fresh up to five days sealed and refrigerated.
- Why buy your dressing at the store when you can whip this zesty dressing up in just minutes?
- Like I said, this vinaigrette can be used for so much more than salads! The possibilities are endless, and since it keeps for a few days you can get creative – I’ll show you a whole list of ideas for where to use it!
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Ingredients
This salad dressing has a few more ingredients than most of my vinaigrette recipes. However, that’s what makes it so satisfying!
- Cilantro – fresh, cleaned, de-stemmed and chopped.
- Lime – fresh juiced is best but store bought works in a pinch, too.
- Garlic – clove, cleaned and peeled.
- Jalapeño – remove seeds
- Red wine vinegar – You can switch this out for apple cider vinegar, champagne vinegar, etc, as noted below.
- Sea salt – A few cracks is all you need!
- Spicy mustard – Perfect to give this dressing more of a tangy kick.
- Olive oil – I like Extra Virgin Olive Oil but you can use whatever you have on hand.
Variations
- Some like it hot! If you want even more kick, just add a hint of red pepper!
- To add a creamy touch, just add a little plain greek yogurt or sour cream. Now you’ve got a creamy cilantro lime dressing!
- You can also sub fresh cilantro for dried if you’re in a pinch.
- You can substitute with white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Dressing
- In a food processor, blender, or jar combine cilantro leaves, lime juice, jalapeño, garlic, and vinegar. Blend or whisk ingredients together well.
- Add salt and pepper, mustard and olive oil. Blend until smooth.
- Toss into mixed greens, or add to wraps, baked cilantro lime chicken, or make a fiesta pasta salad.
Check out this step by step for the process!
Tips for the Best Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Remember to rinse the cilantro leaves and either air dry or blot them dry with a towel before using.
- Don’t forget to remove jalapeño seeds, unless you like fire!
- Quality olive oil and fresh lime juice are key!
How to Serve this Zesty Lime Vinaigrette
To use this dressing, Consider the following ideas!
- Toss it into mixed greens
- Add to wraps
- Baked cilantro lime chicken
- Fiesta pasta salad
- Add it to my Taco Salad.
- Drizzle it over my Fajita Rice Bowls
- Marinate your Carne Asada
Shortcuts
- No need to pre-chop any ingredients- just throw them in the food processor and let it do all the work!
- You can also make this dressing ahead of time and save yourself at crunch time.
I generally reach for Extra Virgin Olive Oil for all my vinaigrette recipes. However, you can also use canola oil or safflower oil – any vegetable oil will work.
Cilantro is very simply the coriander plant – you’re looking at the leaves and stems when you purchase cilantro at the grocery store. Cilantro translates simply as the Spanish word for coriander.
How to Store
- Room temperature – While some vinaigrette dressings store well on your kitchen counter, this one is NOT shelf stable.
- Refrigerate – This fresh cilantro lime dressing will store in the refrigerator for up to five days. Use a container with a tight seal to seal in fresh flavor!
- Freeze – You can freeze vinaigrette dressings with mixed results, but I’ve never tried this one. If you do, be sure to report back! If you’re freezing vinaigrette be sure to use an airtight container and leave some room at the top to allow for expansion. Don’t store in the freezer for more than six months.
What to Do with Leftovers
- See “how to serve” above!
Dietary Considerations
- Gluten Free
- Dairy Free
- Nut Free
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
Love that cilantro and lime flavor combo? Don’t skip my Cilantro Lime Crema and Cilantro Aioli!
“Life without Mexican food is like no life at all”
(unknown)
Are you as excited about this delicious dressing as I am? I hope you’ll give it a try! Now we just need to whip up a fresh skinny margarita, and we’ll be all set for a fiesta.
To see just how easy this Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette recipe is, watch the video in this post.
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Do you have a restaurant favorite you wish you could make at home? I'd love any suggestions for future copycat recipes!
More Salad Dressings
- Chipotle Dressing
- Champagne Vinaigrette
- Pasta Salad Dressing
- Sherry Vinaigrette
- Italian Dressing
- Easy Herb Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe
- Light Ranch Dressing Recipe
- Poppy Seed Dressing
- Lemon Vinaigrette
- Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
- White Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette
Cilantro Lime Dressing (Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette)
Ingredients
- ½ bunch cilantro destemmed
- 2 limes juiced or 1/4 c lime juice
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ jalapeño remove seeds
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar {*see substitutions}
- 8 cracks of salt
- ¾ teaspoon spicy mustard
- ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, combine cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño, garlic, and vinegar. Blend well.
- Add salt, mustard and olive oil. Blend.
- Toss with mixed greens.
Video
Notes
Variations
- If you want even more kick, just add a hint of red pepper!
- To add a creamy touch, just add a little plain greek yogurt or sour cream.
- You can also sub fresh cilantro for dried if you're in a pinch.
- You can substitute with white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar.
To Store
- Refrigerate - This fresh cilantro lime dressing will store in the refrigerator for up to five days. Use a container with a tight seal to seal in fresh flavor!
Love this dressing. I just changed spicy mustard to Dijon mustard as that was what I had in hand. I will make this again and again.
Absolutely perfect! Thanks for sharing…I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
My new favorite dressing. I use this on everything. Where did you find the spout for the mason jar?
Thank you, Leslie! It was from Williams Sonoma, I’m not sure if they still sell it but I love it!
What is he serving size? How many Tablespoons?
Approximately 2 Tbsp
This looks like a great dressing. Can’t wait to try it.
Very tasty – great recipe thank you!
I love cilantro! This sounds really good!
This is one of those dressings you’ll want to keep on hand at all times. It adds so much flavor! Love it!
the flavor is so good! Love how easy it was to make too!
I really loved it! So easy to make and tastes really amazing!
Vinaigrette is always a good idea!
Wow, this was simply amazing! So easy and packed with flavor! I used it instead of my ordinary balsamic vinaigrette and just loved every bite of my salad.
Such a perfect dressing for any salad!
This was really amazing!! My new favorite dressing!
This is the best dressing and I LOVE cilantro!!
What a savory dressing! This looks hands-down delicious; can’t wait to give this a try tonight with dinner!
Thank you, enjoy!
I am one of those people that absolutely LOVES cilantro! Thank you for a delicious recipe!
So this is literally the best. I adore it and I just want to keep using it and making it!
This is great! It will be my new go-to salad dressing.
This dressing sounds like it could be my new favorite dressing!!! Everything about it makes me happy.
Yummy dressing!
Wow, I will definitely give this one a try! I love cilantro!!!!
I love homemade dressings, they are SO much better than store bought. This one is so fresh and tasty!
I absolutely love cilantro! This is such a great recipe!
I love the Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette they have on the salad bar of Ruby Tuesdays. I have been searching different recipes without any success (I hate to purchase ingredients only to dislike the results & toss). Would you say this would be the “one” or close to it?
I haven’t had Ruby Tuesday’s, but if you try it please do let me know!
Wondering what type of spicy mustard you use.
I use French’s or Grey Poupon, but any brand will work, enjoy!
I love this dressing. Didn’t have fresh cilantro so I substituted dried. I used 1/3 c. dried, as a half bunch fresh would be twice as much or more. Looks a little different in appearance but tastes great. What I’d like to know is where you got the tip adapter for the half pint canning jar you used for the dressing. Nice!
Thanks for sharing, Glo! You can find it here.
That should say “spout” rather than “spot”
Julie, Where can I purchase a spot for the mason jars like the one in your photo. What a great idea. I am looking forward to making that cilantro lime salad dressing. It looks like the one served at Cafe Rio.
You can find it here.
Julie,
LOVE this recipe! Do you have any idea of an estimate on the calories?
k
Just 90 per serving!
I’m a huge fan of all things cilantro and/or jalapeno. I’m planning on making a huge salad for our 4th of July meal this weekend and I’ve spent days searching the internet for a great recipe for dressing “with a kick”.
I think you nailed it indeed! Can’t wait to make the dressing this weekend.
I LOVE Cilantro! I could eat this vinaigrette on just about anything!
Thanks, Nicole! Have a gorgeous day!
This dressing looks perfect! Love it!
This must be delicious 🙂
Can’t wait to try this Julie! Sounds delicious!
I made this last night for mothers day, and used it on top of a southwestern themed chopped salad. My mom LOVED it and said it was the best salad she had ever had. Clearly it was due to the great flavor of this dressing. Wonderful work 🙂
Yay Ellie! Thanks for sharing. I’m glad you all enjoyed it as much as we do!
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I was wondering what cilantro was but then I looked at the photos & the light bulb came on! I am English & we call it coriander like they do in India – where some of our cuisine (& some language) comes from.
The dressing looks really tasty, I will be making some myself.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! I’m actually making it again for lunch today!
That looks delicious . . . but my husband can’t STAND cilantro lol!! Maybe I could make that just for myself, and let him stick with that old fattening ranch dressing! Hope you are enjoying our beautiful Missouri weather!! Excited to see more pics of your new home! Blessings!
You shouldn’t have to suffer 🙂 Let me know how you like it! I can’t get enough!