My go-to cilantro lime sauce recipe for any Mexican-inspired meal! We put this on taco salads, use it as a marinade for chicken breast and drizzle it on basically any protein. Use it as a dipping sauce for veggies for extra flavor! It’s made with 4 ingredients and mixes quickly and to perfection in the blender. Keep a batch of this delicious sauce on hand all week long to add something special to your next meal!
Simple cilantro lime sauce recipe
This sauce couldn’t be easier to make but adds SO much to meals. It makes a great salad dressing, dip, or spread for fish tacos, sandwiches, and wraps.
Can it add flavor to everything? Pretty much! At least for savory dishes.
The lime juice keeps it fresh tasting.
The cilantro leaves add an herby element and brighten it up.
The mixture of mayo and kefir makes it a creamy sauce, while also offering up some beneficial probiotic goodness (thanks kefir!).
You could totally use greek yogurt here too!
Can you prep this perfect sauce in advance?
Yes! In fact, making it in advance is the best way to ensure that it’s ready and waiting for you when you need it. Or want it.
The fresh ingredients can be blended together in a blender or food processor until smooth. Then store leftover cilantro lime sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
It’s the perfect complement to shrimp tacos, added to burrito bowls, the dressing for taco salad, and a lot of Mexican food. If you love tacos like me, you’ll want to be sure to keep this on hand.
Even chicken wings paired with hot sauce would be a great compliment to this sauce!
You can also make a big batch and freeze it!
I’d suggest freezing smaller portions of the cilantro-lime sauce and then pulling them out individually to defrost as needed. It’s a great recipe to double or triple, and then freeze amounts that you would use within a week.
I love freezing sauces in silicone molds because they come out really easily. If you’ve ever had sauce stuck in a plastic ice cube tray, you’ll appreciate the ease that silicone products offer.
Once your sauce is frozen in a silicone mold, you can pop them out, place it in a freezer bag, label it, and then remove the frozen sauce when you need it.
It will defrost quickly on the counter. Depending on the amount, it should defrost in under 1 hour. You can also warm the sauce slightly in the microwave but do not overheat it.
What you need for this easy cilantro lime sauce
- avocado oil mayonnaise
- plain kefir
- lime juice
- cilantro
- sea salt
- pepper
How to make this next level sauce
Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions.
- Into a blender add the mayo, kefir, lime juice, cilantro, sea salt, and pepper. Blend for 10-20 seconds to fully combine the sauce together.
- Pour the sauce into a bowl for serving, or a jar for storing.
Watch me make this creamy cilantro lime dressing recipe
The full how to video can be watched below or on my YouTube channel!
This cilantro sauce drizzled on my healthy classic taco salad recipe is a delicious combo I hope you get to try!
What should you pair this sauce with?
As I mentioned above, it goes so well with any type of taco recipe and Mexican flavors.
Here are some favorite Mexican inspired recipes to try with:
- Healthy classic taco salad recipe
- Mexican buddha bowls
- Baja shrimp tacos
- Salmon tacos with slaw
- Crockpot pot carnitas
- Crockpot chile colorado burritos
- Sheet pan steak fajitas
- Chili potato skins
Also, try it with the best grilled southwest chicken salad or my lamb meatball bowls!
We have drizzled it on pizza in place of using ranch, and used it as a fry dip sauce! It’s the kind of sauce you can add to almost any meal, and it just works.
Substitutions
Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this cilantro lime crema recipe.
If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!
Avocado oil mayo – To not use mayo in this recipe, swap it with greek yogurt. You can also use sour cream, just know that both of those options will leave you with a more tangy cilantro lime sauce. If you are looking for an egg-free mayo, use vegan mayo. It will work perfectly in this recipe!
Plain kefir – Plain yogurt or greek yogurt are good substitutes here. Buttermilk will work as well. If you need to keep this sauce dairy-free, omit the kefir and increase the total amount to 3/4 cup mayonnaise. In a pinch, try olive oil as an alternative.
Fresh lime juice – If you don’t have fresh limes on hand, bottled lime juice will work great too. Try lemon juice for a different flavor profile that would work and taste really good.
Fresh cilantro – If the bright flavor of cilantro is not your thing, try this recipe with green onion or other fresh herbs like basil or parsley. Fresh garlic would be a tasty addition too! Want a more bold onion flavor in place of the cilantro? Try blending in red onion and a little jalapeno for a twist!
More homemade sauces and dressing recipes you’ll love
- Ranch kefir salad dressing
- Pineapple teriyaki sauce
- Sunbutter satay sauce
- Healthy special sauce recipe
- High protein caesar salad dressing
Cilantro Lime Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup kefir
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Into a blender add the mayo, kefir, lime juice, cilantro, sea salt, and pepper. Blend for 10-20 seconds to fully combine the sauce together.
- Pour the sauce into a bowl for serving, or a jar for storing.
Nutrition
If you try this creamy cilantro lime sauce recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!
XO
Heather
