Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Published May 25, 2020•Updated Jun 20, 2024
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Made with fresh lime and cilantro, Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette is tangy, tart, and has a hint of sweetness. It has a bright green color and is great over taco salads.
Happy Memorial Day! We’re scheduling this post ahead of time so that we can spend the day relaxing with our girls outside, but I’ve been so excited about summer recipes that I couldn’t wait to kick things off.
Since spring has been strange for everyone, the transition to summer feels very welcome. It won’t be the kind of summer we had originally planned, but I believe the kids of the world will remind us what summer is all about. There may not be summer camps or public pools, but there will surely be running through sprinklers, lemonade stands, drippy popsicles on the deck, chasing fireflies at dusk, fire pits for s’mores, and eating cherry tomatoes right off the vine. Even a worldwide pandemic won’t keep my summer-loving self down.
And if you have a summer herb garden planted, hopefully it’s starting to fill out like mine! We’ve got basil (Thai and Italian!), cilantro, mint, and rosemary coming in fast in all their fragrant, green glory. I’m already looking ways to make use of all those herbs! Vinaigrettes and salad dressings are always a good option. Blended until smooth, this Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette is a beautiful bright green and is great over salads or for dipping vegetables.
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Ingredients
- Cilantro Leaves – You’ll need ¾ of a cup of cilantro leaves for this dressing. It’s the only part of making this vinaigrette that takes any time at all, and you don’t have to worry about being super precise. Just tear the leaves off with your hands (don’t worry if a few pieces of stem get included in the mix.)
- Fresh Lime Juice – This is the key flavor of the vinaigrette and it’s important to use the fresh stuff. You’ll need 2 to 4 limes for this, depending on their size.
- Garlic – If you love the flavor of garlic, feel free to increase the amount.
- Honey, Ground Cumin, Salt – These pantry staples round out the vinaigrette with some sweet and savory flavors. If your limes are extra tart, you may want to add a bit more honey after tasting the finished vinaigrette.
- Cooking Oil – Use a neutral flavor oil for this. I use avocado or grapeseed oil for almost everything, including this vinaigrette. Olive oil would work well here too, but will have a different flavor.
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Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Immersion Blender
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Cilantro Leaves
- 1 clove Garlic, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon Honey
- 1/4 cup Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 pinch Ground Cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 cup Cooking Oil
Instructions
- Combine cilantro leaves, garlic clove, honey, lime juice, cumin, and salt in a narrow jar or bowl. (Note: instructions are for using an immersion / stick blender, but see notes below if using a regular blender or chopping by hand.)
- Use an immersion blender to roughly chop all of the ingredients, ~2 minutes.
- With the blades of the immersion blender running, slowly add cooking oil by pouring it down the sides of the jar or bowl. Continue blending until smooth.
- Taste vinaigrette and add some more salt if you’d like it more salty or some more honey if you’d like it more sweet. If you like spice, you can also add a tiny pinch of cayenne.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. (Give the vinaigrette a good stir before using.)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
