Lately, we can’t get enough of this cilantro lime vinaigrette recipe. It’s a light dressing with champagne vinegar that comes together in 5 minutes. Drizzle on cilantro lime dressing for salads, to marinate grilled chicken or shrimp, or to slather on crusty bread.
So grab some garlic, cilantro, lime, and a whisk — let’s make this easy dressing recipe happen!
Spoiler alert: even if you’ve never made a salad dressing before, you can handle this recipe.
Ingredients to make this tasty green dressing
In addition to making this dressing with Champagne vinegar (which is so lovely, but you can also substitute white wine vinegar), there are only a few ingredients.
Big flavors come from roasted garlic and fresh cilantro.
There’s also a hint of heat from chili powder, chipotle powder, salt, and pepper. You can use as much or as little of the spices as you want.
How to make a simple cilantro lime dressing
Whip this up for salads and pasta salad dressings in just a few minutes.
Step 1. Add olive oil and minced garlic to a small pan on the stove on medium heat.
Cook, stirring regularly for 1-2 minutes.
When garlic is translucent, and before it browns, take the garlic off the heat and set it aside to cool.
Step 2. In a bowl, add the garlic olive oil, lime juice, champagne vinegar, chili powder, chipotle powder, salt, pepper, to a bowl.
Whisk together to blend completely, add fresh chopped cilantro, then whisk together one last time.
What to use cilantro lime dressing on
This dressing has been featured in this recipe for Mexican tortellini pasta salad, but there are so many other ways to use it. Make a big batch of cilantro lime dressing to enjoy on…
- Vegetable salads served with a side of sous vide chicken breast
- Roasted veggies
- To marinate grilled chicken or drizzle on cooked sous vide whole chicken
- Add tons of flavor to sous vide shrimp
You can also substitute it for the ranch in this veggie-packed make-ahead Mexican salad that was featured on the local Portland news.
See how to make this Mexican tortellini pasta salad.
Things to have on hand for salads
- I like to use a knife like this 8″ Shun chef’s knife and a cutting board like these bamboo cutting boards or my beautiful Acadia wood cutting board.
- Pyrex glass mixing bowls with lids are great because you can mix, serve, and store these type of champagne vinegar dressings in one bowl. Having a matching lid means it’s easy to store in the fridge.
- Beautiful wood serving spoons are my favorite to serve salads and pasta salads.
- Mini tongs can be handy for serving sides and salads, too.
My gorgeous cilantro from this recipe is from my own container garden.
Learn more about herbs that thrive inside.
Important tips for making this cilantro dressing
- Garlic – My preference as you’ll see in the cilantro lime dressing recipe is to roast the garlic. Roasted garlic is more mellow and is so quick to make. Raw garlic can be overpowering.
- Garlic powder – Substitute ¼ tsp – ½ tsp garlic powder instead of roasted garlic.
- Usually, I’ll leave this dressing on the counter for a couple of days. If it’s stored in the fridge, the olive oil will probably harden so you’ll need to take it out of the fridge about 30-60 minutes before dressing your food.
Well if you’re a fan of the Costco cilantro lime dressing as much as I am, this recipe will definitely hit the spot. If you love prepping ahead – see these tips for shopping for groceries once a month.
Want an easy side dish? Love pesto? Try this tomato pesto pasta salad. It’s packed with tomatoes, basil, parmesan cheese and rigatoni. I love it for events and for weeknight dinners.
Add big flavor with DIY condiments
- Creamy peppercorn sauce
- Amp up Alfredo sauce from a jar
- Jalapeno ranch dressing
- Tomato sauce from crushed tomatoes
- Cilantro lime dressing
- Marinate chicken breasts in balsamic dressing
- Sous vide steak marinade
- Sous vide chicken breast marinade
Are you a foodie, too?
Find me on Instagram @sipbitego. I love seeing photos of delicious food and am so curious about how you like this dressing.
5 Minute Cilantro Lime Dressing [Sip Bite Go]
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 tbsp Champagne vinegar (substitute white winevinegar)
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp chipotle powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tbsp cilantro fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Add olive oil and minced garlic to a small pan on the stove on medium heat. Cook, stirring regularly for 1-2 minutes. When garlic is translucent, and before it browns, take the garlic off the heat and set it aside to cool.
- In a bowl, add the garlic olive oil, lime juice, champagne vinegar, chili powder, chipotle powder, salt, pepper, to a bowl. Whisk together to blend completely, add fresh chopped cilantro, then whisk together one last time.
Video
Notes
● Garlic powder – Substitute ¼ tsp – ½ tsp garlic powder instead of roasted garlic.
● Usually, I’ll leave this dressing on the counter for a couple of days. If it’s stored in the fridge, the olive oil will probably harden so you’ll need to take it out of the fridge about 30-60 minutes before dressing your food. See the cilantro lime dressing video https://sipbitego.com/cilantro-lime-dressing
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