A zesty, herby cilantro lime dressing that’s perfect for drizzling on salads, grilled veggies, chicken and fish or as a marinade!

This cilantro lime dressing is on repeat all summer long. It’s tangy, bursting with fresh cilantro and so delicious drizzled over your taco salad, grilled veggies or your favorite protein.
Whenever possible, I ALWAYS make my own dressings and marinades. So many bottled products start with a base of canola oil and have ingredients that I can’t even pronounce. Not really something I want to douse my farmers’ market veggies in!
When you make your own dressings, you control the ingredients making it a much healthier option. Not to mention, you can always taste the difference! With just eight simple ingredients and a food processor, you can have this delicious dressing ready to go in less time it takes you to read the labels in the grocery store. Let’s get into it!

Ingredients
The ingredients are simple and fresh. Not too many substitutions
- Fresh Cilantro – The whole bunch! I just cut off the bottom half of the stems and throw it all in. No need to pick the leaves off. That’s tedious and it’s all going in the food processor. The stems are packed with flavor! I LOVE cilantro. If you don’t like it, this recipe probably isn’t for you.
- Fresh Limes – Zest and juice!
- Garlic – fresh only.
- Shallot – onion’s delicate cousin. I would only recommend using shallot and not substituting onion.
- Honey – just a touch of sweetness to balance the acid from the limes and vinegar.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – just a touch adds the right amount of tang and balances the sourness from the limes.
- Olive Oil – I always say use the good stuff in your dressings. You will taste the difference! My favorite is The Furies.
- Salt & Pepper – a pinch or two of salt and I love to add a dash of cayenne pepper for a bit of heat.

Method
Making this dressing could not be easier. It’s a dump and blend kind of method. I like to use the food processor to emulsify the dressing and chop up the cilantro into fine bits. If you do do not have a food processor, a blender will also get the job done!
Peel the shallot and garlic and trim off the root and tough end. Cut the shallot into a few chunks so it breaks down easily in the food processor. Cut off the bottom half of the stems of the bunch of cilantro. Don’t worry about picking off the leaves, the food processor will break down the stems and add so much flavor!
Add cilantro, garlic, shallot, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, lime juice and zest to the food processor bowl. With it running, stream the olive oil into the top until everything is well combined and emulsified and the cilantro is in small flecks. That’s it!


How to enjoy this Cilantro Lime Dressing
The possibilities are ENDLESS. Taco salads, burrito bowls, simple grilled chicken, fish or shrimp, roasted potatoes. Do it up!
Keep this homemade cilantro lime dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
My favorite recipe for this dressing is my Fiesta Salad.
If you’re into making your own dressings and marinades, you’ll love these recipes:
Simple Homemade Italian Dressing
Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing
Massaged Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing
Greek Yogurt Caesar Salad with Parmesan Panko Crunch


Cilantro Lime Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 2 limes zest of one, juice of two
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ of a shallot
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- dash of cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Peel shallot and garlic clove. Cut off the root ends and cut into a few chunks.
- Trim bottom half of stems off of cilantro bunch.
- Add cilantro, garlic, shallot, apple cider vinegar, salt, honey, lime juice and zest to the bowl of a food processor.
- With the food processor running, stream in olive oil and blend until dressing is emulsified and cilantro is in small flecks.
- Check for seasoning and add more salt or a pinch or two of cayenne pepper for heat.
Siobhan Isaacs
Absolutely love this dressing.Made it for the Fiesta salad to go with fish tacos.Going to add leftovers to couscous to have for lunch this week.Definitely going in our rotation
Jessica
I’m so happy you loved it!
Mich
Hi! This looks wonderful and will make it this July 4th to go on your Fiesta Salad. I doubled the recipe to print it, but I noticed that whether I select 1x, 2x, or 3x, the “Zest of 1 + lime juice of 2” remains the same – am I supposed to double this quantity if doubling the recipe? Thank you!
Jessica
Hi there! Thank you so much for letting me know. I tweaked the input in the recipe card so now the ingredients should double or triple with the multiplier. Please do come back and let me know how you enjoyed the recipe! – Jessica