Creamy, delicious Cilantro Lime Dressing with avocado! An amazing pairing with Southwestern-style salads. (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free option)
I've wanted to make my own creamy cilantro dressing ever since we tried the one from Trader Joe's last year. Store-bought dressings are convenient, but making your own brings a whole new level of flavor and freshness that's hard to beat. Plus you can control the ingredients and adjust the flavors exactly how you want.
This dressing is great on salads, wraps, drizzled on tacos for an extra flavor boost, and as a fun veggie dip. My favorite? Tossing it with this Southwestern Chopped Salad - delicious!
Ingredients for Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Fresh cilantro
- Avocado (or plain vegan yogurt)
- Fresh lime juice
- Garlic
- Olive oil (or water to thin)
- White wine vinegar
- Salt
- Optional agave and/or cumin (recommended!)
This only takes about 10 minutes to whip up and you can either serve it right away, or chill in the fridge so it's ready to go for later.
Customize Your Dressing
This recipe is super customizable. Here are a few ideas:
- A dash of cayenne pepper or jalapeno (for spiciness)
- Cumin or more garlic
- More lime juice or zest
- Agave to sweeten (and help balance/tone down the tartness)
Creamy Cilantro-Lime Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro (stems removed and roughly chopped)
- 1/2 avocado (or 1/2 cup plain vegan yogurt)
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1 lime or more to taste)
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil (can omit or replace with water as needed)
- 1 1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Optional but recommended:
- Agave to sweeten
- Cumin to taste
Instructions
- Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
If you're enjoying this cilantro lime dressing, also check out:
Come join The Garden Grazer on Instagram and then share a photo if you make or adapt this! (Also please leave a review & star rating below if you give it a try. Your feedback is greatly appreciated - thank you!)
Felicity Knight
Just a quick tip - the stems have the strongest flavour but need to be well blended 👍🇿🇦
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thanks for sharing!
Chacha Perdu
Hi Kaitlin! I just made this dressing today and we were in paradise while eating our salad. I used regular yogurt because that's what I had at home and it came out a little on the liquid-y side. I'm trying with avocado next time but do you know any other natural thickening ingredient I could use? or maybe I let it in the blender for too long? Thank you so much for sharing your recipes!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Great to hear you enjoyed it with your salad! 🙂 Honestly I feel like this recipe comes out slightly different every time I make it. I always have so much fun playing around with it and tweaking it to our taste and desired consistency. To thicken a bit next time, I'd add avocado rather than yogurt (or you could start with less oil and add more as necessary to blend). Hope you have fun experimenting with it!
Sheila
I made a version of this tonight. Omitted a couple things though as I didn't have them on hand, but it still came out amazing. Its kinda thick, but really creamy. I will definitely be making this again. Even my four year old loves it.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hey Sheila! Glad you were able to adapt it 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Unknown
I just made this, and it was amazing. Don't think I can have a burrito without it again. Thank you!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great to hear! Thank you for sharing 🙂
mizzbett
Hi, had a question about using avocado in the dressing...would it turn that unappetizing brown color that avocado gets after air hits it? I don't expect it to last more than 3 days or so using it for lunches anyway! Thanks it looks great.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi! I've never had an issue with it turning brown (the lime juice helps keep its color). I always eat it within 2-3 days too 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
mizzbett
Thanks...you are right on these comments! 🙂
SuzyB
Can you supply me with the calorie count in this dressing?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Suzy! The estimated nutritional content is now provided on the site! (You can find it below each recipe in the post.) Hope you find it useful!
Twirly McSwirl
I'm allergic to citrus, do you think it would be better to increase the vinegar to compensate, or just leave the lime out entirely and not worry about it?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi! I'd start by leaving it out and see how it is - then adjust as necessary. Hope you can make this one work for you!
birdandflower - paper doll maker
lemon grass is a herb with a limey flavor if you're not sensitive to it.
Sheila
I didn't use lime juice at all and it still tasted really good. I did add some garlic cloves in it though to give it more flavour with the lack of lime.
Altaira Zeratsky
I love this recipe.... I used whole avocado no yogurt than added some spinach and 4oz of sundried tomatoes ....poured over roasted asparagus broccoli threw in some spinach artichokes and shrimp.....yummmmmmmmmm thank you for sharing!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Altaira! Wonderful - thanks for sharing your adaptions!
Rosa Beaty
Made the recipe with the Southwestern chopped salad & grilled chicken. The whole family loved it! Thanks for adding to my recipe box.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Rosa! Thanks for sharing!
Micaella Lopez
This looks delicious! I love cilantro dressing, and this one sounds great.
Lisa C
My husband will literally flip over this dressing. Thanks!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Great to hear!
Anonymous
Just made this today with vanilla Greek yogurt and it turned out delicious !!!! Both on salad and on grilled salmon !!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thank you for sharing!
Erika Layne
I made this twice now and both times it got an amazing response. My sister loved it and I did not at all think she would. I never use a recipe to its entirety, I always modify it like crazy. With this one, I added more cilantro (about 1 1/4 cup), cumin, paprika, honey, a couple shakes cayenne pepper sauce, juice & zest of 1/2 lime and 1 oz of tequila. The paprika and cayenne pepper sauce added a subtle kick at the end and the tequila added a unique flavor. Still stuck with the 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, 2 cloves garlic, and 1/4 (ish) EVOO. I omitted the vinegar because I didn't have any and I am not a huge fan anyway.
Thank you for sharing this! Sorry for all the mods! 😀
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hey Erika! I absolutely love that you made this your own! Thanks so much for sharing your helpful feedback!
Jo Georges
made this, very delicious!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Great to hear Jo! Glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Linda
I made this today, and thought it needed a little something extra so I added 1/2 teaspoon each cumin, red pepper flakes and Vegeta seasoning, so yummy!!! Gave it a spicy kick!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Linda! So great! Thank you for sharing your wonderful adaptions 🙂
Anonymous
Any suggestions for a cilantro substitute?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Fresh parsley or basil could work if you like either of those. Or you can try my creamy avocado lemon-basil dressing instead! 🙂
Anonymous
I cant wait to make this for fish tacos this weekend!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hope you enjoy!
jamileena
I got a great deal on cilantro the other day, 4 bunches for $1. I was actually looking for a cilantro pesto recipe, but found this first and Im glad I did! I made it last night, totally inspired by your southwest salad and it turned out great. Here are my tweaks according to what my pantry and fridge had: I used Meyer lemon (just squeezed about 2 quarts last weekend) added about one Tablespoon of oil to help emulsify, apple cider vinegar and.. this is the best part - as well as 1 cloved of garlic, I added 1 teaspoon of GARLIC JELLY. Yes, Garlic Jelly! It added some sweetness to the acidic lemon/vinegar and more garlic flavor. I got the jelly as a travel gift to myself while driving thru Gilroy, CA (the Garlic Capitol) To give this gift to anyone else, I would include a recipe card or two - this recipe being one of them. Thanks for being here and posting this great, totally tweakable recipe! Have a great day 🙂
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
4 for $1 is amazing! I loved reading your message and am so happy you enjoyed this recipe. Your version sounds incredible! Thanks for sharing!
Deuce
Just made this tonight and it was so easy but with big bite. I may have put in too much garlic for my hubby's liking but I LOVED it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Great to hear, thank you for the feedback!
Anonymous
This looks delicious! Any idea how long it keeps? I have some cilantro that is about to go bad, and I am wondering if I might be able to preserve its life by turning it into salad dressing... thoughts?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi! We've kept this in the fridge for about 4-5 days before it gets eaten up (so anything past that I'm not sure.)
Anonymous
I made this (with half an avocado thrown in as well) and it was such a nice change from regular salad dressings. Thanks for the inspiration!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Wonderful!
Anonymous
I don't like cilantro - what can I substitute?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi! You could use parsley or basil if you like either of those!
Cameospot
I cook weekly dinners at church, and this is my most frequently requested recipe. Everyone loves it! I always add some honey, though, the tartness is just too much without it. Excellent recipe.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great to hear! And how sweet of you to cook dinners for people at church! Thanks for the message - take care 🙂
Melissa
This is like the fourth or fifth recipe of yours...amazing. Can I come live with you? lol
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Haha, c'mon over! 🙂 So awesome to hear you're loving the recipes!
kgh9283
I made this dressing last night. We were going to have the Southwestern Chop Salad with it but my back crapped out. The dressing was WAY too tart for both of us and I added some honey to even the flavors out. Worked great! It's really thick but I'm guessing it will get thinned out a little by the juices/wetness of the ingredients. It's now going to be dinner for today.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Glad you were able to work out the flavors to suit your palette - thanks for sharing!
Lgb
Very good!!! I added some honey. Will definitely make again!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great to hear!
Anonymous
Hi there!! I was looking for a good salad to make with cilantro dressing. Glad that I found this recipe on Pinterest. Thank you for sharing this!!!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
My pleasure. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Anonymous
I used Vegenaise (a vegan mayo) in place of the yogurt and it turned out really well. Thanks for this dressing recipe -- I poured it over a "southwestern quinoa" dish and it's yummy!!!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Such a great idea! Thank you for sharing!
Suzanne
Has anyone compared this recipe with the awesome Cilantro Dressing from The Cheesecake Factory Restaurant? I know theirs is dairy free and I believe was told has a little orange juice in it in addition to Lime and maybe even a little pineapple juice. It has no preservatives. I purchased a bottle at a rest. recently and it had to be refrigerated on the way home from out of town. It did last over a week.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Suzanne! Thanks for the message. I've never tried The Cheesecake Factory's cilantro dressing - that sounds amazing. I love the addition of other citrus flavors and pineapple juice!
Anonymous
Has anybody tried freezing this? I can't go through it all before it goes bad. thanks!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi! I haven't tried freezing this, so unfortunately I'm not sure how well it would hold up. You could definitely cut the recipe in half if you don't want to waste any though! Hope you enjoy!
Anonymous
the southwest chopped salad with cilantro lime dressing was DELICIOUS - thank you for sharing it!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
My pleasure! Glad you gave it a try and enjoyed!
Mairi Campbell
Was really really good. I added a bit too much salt so to save it I blended in half an avocado and it was fine. I also added a dash of ground cumin. Will definitely make this often!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Mairi! Wonderful to hear - thank you for sharing!
Anonymous
I have made it twice already and I love it. I love the tart flavor, the freshness the cilantro gives and the creamy texture.
The first time I made it, I might have added a little bit less garlic and followed the rest of ingredient list. The second time I made it, I omitted the salt, added more cilantro and lime and added a spoonful of cream cheese. It is SO yummy, I also love how it is so simple to make.l
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi there! I love that played around with it and did your own customizing 🙂 So great! Thanks for the message.
marilynprestonn
Will be trying this tonight. Thank you.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Marilyn! Hope you enjoyed!
Anonymous
EXCELLENT salad! Very light and refreshing for summer, but the beans give it some substance.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thanks! So glad you're enjoying the salad!
Daisysix
This is so good on tacos and fajitas.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Glad you like it. I totally agree! It adds a little something unexpected but so delicious!
Jessica
I made this salad dressing last night and really liked it! Everything blended up nicely, and between the cilantro and garlic there was a nice kick. Next time I'll add some more kick with pepper/cayenne. I really enjoyed having a creamy salad dressing while still being healthy.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Jessica! Great to hear!
Anonymous
Found this recipe on Pinterest and I'm going to make it for the 4th party at my house. I'm going to use sour cream and buttermilk in place of the yogurt. I'm sure it will be delicious even though it may not be as low in fat as it could be. 😉
Anonymous
Oh, and I'm going to add a little fresh garlic too. Thanks for the recipe!
-jennifer
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hey Jennifer! Hope you and your guests love it at the party! Fresh garlic is great in the dressing. 🙂
Anonymous
So this was awesome! A little too tart for my kids, though. So I added 2 TBS of honey to it and they ate it right up!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great!
Nicole
Just made this and it is so delicious!! Will definitely make this often for my salad dressing 🙂 Thanks for posting!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Nicole! Glad you liked it - thanks for coming back and letting me know!
Anonymous
Loved it!!! Tried it last night for our Ensenada style tacos. I eliminated the oil and added low fat mayo, paprika, Haas avocado and some green onions....yummy!!! Thanks!!!!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Awesome!! I'll have to try paprika in mine next time - sounds great! 🙂
Anonymous
I added about 1/4 tsp. cumin and 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, a whole lime and about 1/2 the cilantro (didn't have enough on hand)...it was DELISH!!! Thanks for the GREAT dressing!!!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing - so glad you enjoyed it!
Beeker
I just made your dressing. I added some hot sauce, a bit more garlic, used rice wine vinegar and added a teaspoon of sugar. It tastes amazing and I can't wait to add it to the salad tonight. It reminded me a bit of a chip dip we used to get in Austin but that had an additional ranch flavor. I think this would be great over fish tacos as well!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Beeker! Love your adaptions and glad you enjoyed - thanks for sharing!
Kate
Wow! I found this recipe via Pinterest and just made this dressing tonight. It is so delicious! I had to stop myself from eating it all with a spoon before it made it's way to the salad. I used avocado and I added a dash of coconut milk to achieve the desired consistency. Really really good! So excited to add it to my arsenal 🙂
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hey Kate! So great to hear - thank you for sharing your feedback!
Frida Sörensson
Hi! I just made this and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I'm gonna eat it all summer! Thanks!
Pst! I also love the internet and pinterest, how else could I sit here in Sweden and make your recipe!?!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Frida! So great to hear - thank you for sharing!
Anonymous
Do you think sour cream would work n place of the yogurt?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
I haven't tried that, but I bet I'm guessing it'd work beautifully 🙂
Anonymous
I just made this. I like the concept, but it needs some tweaking. i'd ditch the oil altogether- unnecessary. I found it overpowering, like it left an oilyness in my mouth. and add more lemon and salt, but that's just personal preference. I like a lot of flavor.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thank you for your feedback!
Anonymous
Making this tonight!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hope you enjoyed!
Kali
Thanks for the recipe! I used it tonight for some Mexican salad. I was a little nervous when I tasted it in my finger because it seemed a little strong, but on the salad it added the prefect amount of kick.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hey Kali! Happy to hear it worked out for you!
BrendaS78
this is such a great little recipe. had a half of a lime and some left over cilantro and greek yogurt so decided to give this one a try. only had apple cider vinegar, so used that instead. garlic bunch i was working with had three cloves left, so i decided to throw in the extra one. might have gone a wee bit strong on the garlic as a result, however still very good. color is beautiful too! i'm thinking this could be good on chicken or even in replace of sour cream on tacos. thanks so much for sharing!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Brenda! Wonderful, thank you for sharing!
Anonymous
Made this to go along with the southwest salad, it was great! I added about a 1/4 cup of greek yogurt and 1/2 an avocado. It was still quite thick so I added some coconut water. Also added a jalapeno. I will be making this again, thanks!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Awesome adaptions! Coconut water is a great idea to thin it out a bit!
Jordan Nichole
Hi Garden Grazer,
Just posted this recipes as one of my Friday Favorites! Thanks for sharing!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Jordan! So glad you enjoyed it - thanks for sharing 🙂
Anonymous
So glad to find this! Always wonder why folks not happy with a recipe feel they must add their negative opinion, quite sad. Beyond that, loved the dressing. Had to add some almond milk to get it to blend in my blender. I think it was because the greek yogurt I used was quite thick. Just delicious. Like the idea of adding more garlic and perhaps some chili or peppers. Poured it over my egg-white omelet - perfect!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Mother of the Brides and Groom!
I made this with plain greek yogurt, and wish I hadn't. I also added some solid coconut milk to "tone down" the tartness of the GY - next time I will eliminate the GY altogether & sub with the coconut milk.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Anonymous
I wonder hot it would turnout if a ripe avocado was substituted for the yogurt?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi! Avocado or yogurt works well for the base 🙂
Tiffany
I just did! it worked out great, however it's not pourable creamy. it's thick. (i did half the oil, i may add the other half, lol)
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Tiffany! Great to hear - thanks! 🙂
Robin
I love this and eat a lot salad so I just made it for the second time. Sometimes I sprinkle some Cholulu pepper sauce over it and it gives it punch while still being healthy. I'm sure any of the bottled hot sauces would work well. Thanks!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hey Robin! Wonderful, thanks for sharing!
amy
Can't wait to try this one, it looks so good. I love cilantro! Thank you!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Amy! Thanks for stopping by - hope you enjoy!
KelleIAm
Amazing dressing! I made it tonight and am in love. Thank you!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Yay! So glad you liked it 🙂
Susan
found you on Pinterest-made the salad and dressing for company(why do I always have company when I try new stuff??)and it was amazing! I love that it is pretty much guilt-free eating. I did add a smidge of Stevia to the dressing but it probably would have been fine,made a southwest ranch dressing for another option, and added chicken to the chopped salad. Now I have lots of ready-made salads in the fridge for lunches this week. love it! Thanks for the recipe.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Susan! So great to hear - thank you for sharing!
Brenda
Sounds yummy. Sara Guerndt how about us trying it?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hope you enjoy, Brenda!
Anonymous
I can smell the cilantro through the monitor!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So good! 🙂
Anonymous
Made it! So good. Love that I had all the ingredients sitting around.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great when that happens - no grocery trip required 🙂 Thanks for sharing your feedback!
Anonymous
It was truly a delight. Made the dressing with the Southwestern Chopped Salad, and together it was amazing. I really enjoyed it and will definitely be making it again, maybe adding chicken next time. Super healthy, and Super Delicious! Thanks!! 🙂
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great to hear!
Sara
Just made this dressing! Working on the Southwest salad to go along with it! I am thinking the salad and dressing combo would work well as a salad in a jar if I layered the ingredients instead of mixing. Thanks for the recipes!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Sara! Great idea - I bet this would be awesome in a salad jar! Hope you enjoyed it 🙂
Tifanie Ferch
Is there anything I can substitute the vinegar with? I have every other type but white 🙁
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Tifanie! If you have apple cider vinegar, that could work too. Let me know how it turns out if you get the chance 🙂
Tifanie Ferch
The cider vinegar turned out well. This dressing was awesome and the whole salad a big hit at our bbq. THanks!!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Glad it was a success at your BBQ! Thanks for coming back and letting me know!
Lexi
I thought this was delicious! I used 1 avocado, buttermilk instead of the oil (to desired consistency), and added 2 jalapenos and 1/2 of a small onion. Thanks for the great idea!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great to hear! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Anonymous
I give you 5 stars Kaitlin, I made this last night and came up so good, you can also add a garlic glove in the dressing.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thanks so much! 🙂 Thrilled to hear you enjoyed. Great call with the garlic!
Anonymous
Anything to substitute the yogurt?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi! There are non-dairy yogurts available (soy, coconut, and almond-based varieties - just be sure to use plain & unsweetened). Or you may want to try silken tofu.
Anonymous
Sour cream.
Anonymous
I used avocado. Very good
Laura
My favorite creamy cilantro lime dressing comes from ourbestbites.com. ill try this one too!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Laura! I'll have to check that out - thanks for sharing!
Anonymous
How long does this dressing stay "good" for in the fridge? Thanks!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
In our house, it's always eaten within a few days, so anything past that I'm not sure.
Crystal
I made a similar avocado dressing that still tasted okay 2 weeks later. I think the oil and citrus will help it stay fresh for a while, but probably not as long as a store bought one.
Anonymous
Sounds amazing have to try this soon
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hope you enjoy 🙂
Anonymous
This looks so delish. I am a happy new follower.
Elle
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thanks, Elle!
Courtney
Oh goodness....this sounds amazing! Cilantro and lime are two of the yummiest thing ever 🙂
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thanks Courtney. Agreed!
Carolyn
Love it. But I would recommend using less olive oil. It was very bitter. Thinned it out a bit and it’s amazing. Thank you for the recipe.
LittleMonsterx14
mmm this sounds amazing! i'll have to try it!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Becca
This sounds delicious! Love the beautiful green colour too 🙂
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thanks, Becca!