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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Appetizer

    Cilantro Lime Sauce

    Published: Nov 15, 2021 ยท Modified: Feb 4, 2025 by Ipsa Faujdar ยท This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclaimer.

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    Cilantro lime sauce is also popular asย cilantro lime dressingย orย cilantro lime crema,ย and itย is an easy salad dressing. This is a quick 5 minutes dip.

    Cilantro lime dressing

    This is one of the easiest condiments you can make in 5 minutes. And no fancy ingredients. It's versatile, too. It's a simple recipe. Add the ingredients to the food processor and blend into a smooth sauce. And a yummy sauce is ready in less than 5 minutes.

    Moreover, this cilantro lime crema is perfect for tacos and slaw. Pair this creamy cilantro sauce with any appetizers and serve as a dip. Try them on tofu fajitas or my cauliflower tacos.

    This cilantro lime crema or cilantro lime sauce is -

    • easy to make
    • loaded with flavors
    • versatile to use
    • quick 5 minutes (or less)
    • ridiculously delicious
    • can be veganized easily
    Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

    Cilantro lime dressing:-

    Ingredients you need

    Cilantro leaves:- This is the hero ingredient in this recipe. Take a bunch of fresh, vibrant cilantro leaves.

    Lime - Lime juice. Or you can substitute this with lemon juice.

    Garlic - Garlic adds a strong, fresh flavor to the creamy cilantro lime sauce. You can substitute this with some garlic powder, too. But I would recommend fresh garlic for a stronger flavor.

    Sour cream or Greek yogurt - take either or a mix of both.

    Salt - to taste.

    Water to dilute. This may be 2 - 4 tbsp water while blending the ingredients. You can also add olive oil in place of water.

    Love spicy sauce?? Add jalapeno or any green chilies to taste.

    You can also add any other herbs of your choice. But I prefer only fresh cilantro leaves.

    How to make the Cilantro Lime Sauce?

    This is an easy task indeed. Put all the ingredients into the blender or food processor and blend until the ingredients are mixed well. I would suggest stopping a little before they turn entirely to a fine paste for a better feel of cilantro in the sauce.

    cilantro lime sauce
    Cilantro Lime Crema

    Uses of cilantro lime crema-

    Like I said earlier, it's versatile indeed, with endless use. You can use your creativity to pair up with anything you like, and I'm sure you will not be disappointed with this yummy flavor-packed green crema. Though it will go for both meat and meatless dishes, a few meatless ways I recommend are -

    As a dip - one of the quickest appetizers, serve this with any snacks. Heavenly combination. Try with fries, potato wedges, buffalo cauliflower bites, cauliflower tots, baked sweet potatoes, and vegetable fritters.

    With tacos and fajitas - Serve it with tacos like cauliflower tacos, potato tacos, jackfruit tacos, tofu fajitas, breaded tofu tacos, vegetable fajitas, etc.

    As a dressing - serve it with burrito bowls, quinoa salad, potato salads, roasted vegetable salad, slaw, buddha bowls, etc. Drizzle over some Spanish rice.

    cilantro lime crema in a glass

    Recipe:

    cilantro lime crema in a glass

    Cilantro Lime Sauce

    Ipsa Faujdar
    Cilantro lime sauce or cilantro lime crema or cilantro lime dressing is a 5 minute quick recipe. Versatile to serve as a dipping sauce, or spread, or salad dressings. Can be veganized easily.
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 5 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Sauces
    Cuisine American, Mexican
    Servings 4
    Calories 92 kcal

    Equipment

    • Food Processor

    Ingredients
      

    • ยพ cup sour cream or Mexican crema or Greek yogurt
    • ยผ cup mayonnaise or 2 tbsp heaped
    • 2 garlic cloves peeled
    • 1 cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped
    • 1 lime juice + zest; substitute - lemon
    • salt to taste
    • 4 tbsp water to blend
    • ยฝ jalapeno or any green chili chopped

    Instructions
     

    • Assemble all ingredients and place in the blender or food processor.
    • Blend it well till the ingredients are mixed.
    • Season with salt to taste.
    • Transfer to the jar and serve immediately or refrigerate.

    Video

    Notes

    To make this Cilantro crema vegan, use vegan yogurt or vegan sour cream, vegan mayonnaise.ย 
    Add jalapeno or any green chilies as spicy as you need.
    Fresh garlic adds a distinct freshness and taste in the crema. However you can substitute 4 garlic pods with 1 tsp garlic powder. For more garlic flavor add ยฝ tsp more.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 92kcal
    Keyword cilantro lime crema, cilantro lime dressing, cilantro lime sauce
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    Hi, I'm Ipsa! Welcome to My Dainty Kitchen. I'm the recipe developer, cook, author, and photographer of this blog. I love to cook delicious food and share recipes with my amazing readers. Thank you for stopping by. Explore more yummy recipes on the blog.

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