Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Recipe - Chisel & Fork (2024)

With fresh cilantro and lime, this cilantro lime vinaigrette is simple to make but a great addition to any salad. You could also use this as a marinade.

I love homemade salad dressings - from a creamy balsamic dressing to a basil lime vinaigrette to a lime Caesar dressing.

I realize most people don't bother making a homemade salad dressing as it's just easier to buy from the grocery store, but if you've never made your own, you're missing out.

While I've had cilantro vinaigrette multiple times at my favorite fast casual salad restaurant in Baltimore, Nalley Fresh, I never made it from scratch.

So today I decided to make my own and share with everyone here reading. It's so easy to make something like this. You might be able to tell just by the one line of directions!

But as I said, something fresh makes all the difference. And now that I think about it, I've never seen cilantro lime vinaigrette at the grocery store, but maybe I'm just looking in the wrong spot! I'm sure it is, but I'm choosing to believe it doesn't exist.

If you're feeling like a fresh summer salad, then I would give this cilantro vinaigrette a try. I decided to just use some kale, peppers, mango, corn and fresh avocado and it tasted great. You will not be disappointed.

Ingredient Notes

• Cilantro, garlic, lime - where most of the flavors come from.
• Olive oil - helps emulsify the vinaigrette.
• Honey - gives some sweetness.
• White vinegar - adds some necessary acid.
• Salt - enhances the flavor.

Ingredient Swaps

Like any recipe, you can mix up some of the ingredients. Some variations include:

• While it is called a cilantro lime vinaigrette for a reason, you can sub the cilantro for Italian parsley or basil.
• I like olive oil for the added flavor, but any oil will work - from canola to vegetable to avocado oil.
• Honey complements the cilantro well from a sweetness perspective, but sugar or maple syrup are good substitutes.

How to Make

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth and emulsified. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time if you need to thin it out.

FAQs

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

• Use quality olive oil as part of the taste comes from it.
• While store-bought bottles can be quite convenient, they lack in flavor compared to the real thing. It really isn’t that much extra work to freshly squeeze the lime and you’ll notice a difference in flavor.
• Puree just until the cilantro starts to break up and the vinaigrette emulsifies. You wants bits of cilantro throughout it.
• If the cilantro vinaigrette is too thick, just add water 1 tbsp at a time.

Salad Recipes to Use this Vinaigrette With

If you’ve tried this cilantro lime vinaigrette recipeor any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow meonFacebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.