This creamy cilantro dressing tastes incredible! It takes just 5 minutes and you’ll want to use it on everything: salads, tacos, fries, and more. Vegan option included.
Here’s one of the tastiest green sauces we know: creamy cilantro dressing! You’re going to want to bathe in this one (really). It’s creamy, savory, fresh, and tangy all at once. You can drizzle it on salads like our Mexican side salad, or on tacos or enchiladas. Or a burrito bowl! Or even use it as a dip for fries. It’s multi-purpose and it takes only 5 minutes to blend up. Alex and I exclaimed “Wow!” the first time we tasted it, and we knew we’d be making it for years. (We like it even a little more than our Green Goddess dressing…if that’s possible!) Let’s get to the specifics.
Want a vegan option? Try our Creamy Cilantro Sauce or Cilantro Lime Dressing.
What’s in this creamy cilantro dressing?
You’ll need a handful of ingredients for this creamy cilantro dressing. Outside of the cilantro and lime, many of them are likely already in your pantry and fridge! Here’s what you’ll need to whip up this tasty green sauce:
- Lime juice
- Fresh cilantro
- Greek yogurt
- Mayo
- Garlic powder & onion powder
- Maple syrup
- Olive oil
Love cilantro? Here are our Top Cilantro Recipes.
How to make it & storage info
All you’ve got to do for this healthy creamy cilantro dressing is one thing: blend it up! Here are a few notes on how to make it:
- Use a standard blender, or an immersion or small blender works even better. Since this dressing only makes ¾ cup, it’s very easy to blend in a small blender. But it works very well in a standard-sized blender as well since there’s a lot of liquid! You’ll still have to stop and scrape a bit to get everything to whiz nicely.
- Stores 1 week refrigerated. Pour your creamy cilantro dressing into a mason jar or container and it keeps for 1 week refrigerated. It gets a little thinner as it warms, so if it’s rather thick wait for it to come to room temp.
A few variations (vegan, healthy)
Here are a few variations on this creamy cilantro dressing if you’d like to change it up!
- Vegan / plant based variation. Go to our Cilantro Sauce! Blended cashews make it creamy, and it’s seriously delicious. Or you could try Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Dressing or Lime Vinaigrette if you’re looking a more of a salad dressing.
- Healthier version. If you don’t like using mayonnaise, you can substitute Greek yogurt for the mayo!
10 best ways to use creamy cilantro dressing
There are so many uses for this Mexican style creamy cilantro dressing! Not only does it work on salads, it works as a dip for roasted veggies or on Mexican recipes like tacos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. Here are our top 10 favorite ways to serve it:
- Mexican Chopped Salad: This tasty refreshing salad is a simple side that goes perfectly with tacos and enchiladas.
- Crispy Sweet Potato Fries These crispy baked fries would be fantastic with this green sauce! Or try it with a baked sweet potato.
- Cauliflower Tacos or Shrimp Tacos: Sub out the sauces in these tasty tacos for creamy cilantro sauce: you’ll be glad you did!
- Chipotle Quesadilla with Avocado Opt for cilantro sauce instead of spicy chipotle sauce!
- Quinoa Tacos or 5 Minute Tacos What taco wouldn’t be tasty with a green drizzle?
- Mango Quinoa Bowl Swap out the citrus drizzle here for a seriously tasty healthy quinoa bowl.
- Mexican Sweet Potatoes Top these delicious potatoes with black bean salsa and green dressing.
- Best Roasted Vegetables Make these best roasted veggies even BETTER with dipping sauce.
- Vegetarian Burrito Bowl Drizzle this tasty burrito bowl with a little green.
- Sheet Pan Nachos Nachos love creamy cilantro dressing!
This creamy cilantro dressing is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free.
Print
BEST Creamy Cilantro Dressing (5 minutes!)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: ¾ cup 1x
Description
This creamy cilantro dressing tastes incredible! It takes just 5 minutes and you’ll want to use it on everything: salads, tacos, fries, and more.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, lightly packed
- ½ cup Greek yogurt*
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- ½ teaspoon each garlic powder and onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a standard, small or immersion blender and blend for several minutes until pureed and creamy, stopping and scraping down the bowl as needed. (If using a standard blender, you’ll need to stop and scrape often.) Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature prior to serving.
Notes
*For vegan, use our Creamy Cilantro Sauce or Cilantro Lime Dressing instead.
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Creamy Cilantro Dressing
Best salads and salad dressings
The best salads and salad dressings are homemade! Here are our favorites:
- The BEST Kale Salad The best way to eat kale: hands down! With lemony, garlicky dressing.
- Easy Arugula Salad The easiest salad you’ll make! You don’t even need to add dressing.
- Best Tossed Salad Works with lots of dressings and topped with homemade croutons.
- How to Make Healthy Salad Dressing This creamy pesto and raspberry vinaigrette both taste AMAZING.
- Greek Salad Dressing A simple oil and vinegar dressing that comes together in 5 minutes.
- Black Bean Salad Full of a confetti of healthy ingredients!
- Classic Vegan Potato Salad A plant-based take on the classic American style potato salad: creamy, tangy, mixed with celery, green onion, and dill pickles.
Delicious. Added a bit more water