This Cilantro Lime Sauce is fresh, creamy, tangy and makes the perfect dip, sauce, or dressing. Serve it with french fries, in tacos, on fish, and more!
Drizzle this cilantro lime sauce on fish, chicken, salmon, pork, fries, roasted veggies, nachos, tacos, or simply drink it with a straw — it’s THAT good my friends.
Ingredients
The cilantro lime sauce is loaded with bright, fresh, tangy, spicy flavors and is made with the simplest ingredients!
- Jalapeños – I left the seeds in one jalapeño and took the seeds out of the other for a mild spice level. If you don’t like spice, remove the seeds from both. If you really like spice, leave them in!
- Garlic – provides a slight nuttiness.
- Green Onions – adds a fresh, earthy flavor.
- Cilantro – adds a bright, fresh, lemony flavor.
- Mayonnaise and Sour Cream – a creamy base for the sauce. Sour cream adds a tangy flavor and mayonnaise adds richness to offset the tang.
- Lime Juice and Zest – give the sauce delicious citrusy tang that heightens the flavor of the cilantro.
- Salt – brings out other flavors.
How to make
Just a few ingredients, a food processor, and 10 minutes and you’ve got an absolutely delicious sauce that pairs so well with a number of different foods!
- Place jalapeños, garlic, green onions, and cilantro into a high powered food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- Add in mayo, sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, and salt and process until smooth.
Why is my cilantro lime sauce runny?
If your sauce is too thin it may just be too warm. Place it in the fridge for a bit so the sauce can chill and thicken up! If it’s still too runny, you may have added too much lime juice. Stir in an additional scoop of mayo to thicken, then taste and re-season!
Variations
- Make it creamier. This sauce is already creamy from the sour cream and mayonnaise, but feel free to blend in some fresh avocado for an even creamier texture and some healthy fat.
- Lighten it up. Swap the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt for a lower calorie option.
- Make it vegan. Swap the sour cream and mayo for dairy free versions of each.
- Use a different herb. I love the bright flavor of cilantro but if it’s not your thing, feel free to swap it out for basil or parsley.
- Make it spicier. Swap one or both of the jalapenos with serrano peppers.
How to serve cilantro lime sauce
Cilantro lime sauce is so flavorful and versatile! Here are a few ways you can use it:
- Sauce. Serve it on fish tacos, chicken fajitas, tilapia, or carne asada.
- Dressing. Drizzle it over burrito bowls or a simple green salad.
- Topping. Serve it over loaded chicken nachos, Mexican sweet potato cheese fries, or tater tot nachos.
- Dip. Use it as a dipping sauce for french fries, crab cakes, salmon patties, potato wedges, fish sticks, carrots, celery, etc.
How to store
Leftover cilantro lime sauce will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze cilantro lime sauce?
I don’t recommend freezing the sauce because the mayonnaise and sour cream will separate and become watery when thawed.
– Jennifer
Cilantro Lime Sauce
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
- 2 jalapeños roughly chopped*
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 lime zested
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Place jalapeños, garlic, green onions, and cilantro into a high powered food processor, then pulse until finely chopped.
- Add in mayo, sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, and salt.
- Process until well combined and smooth.
- Taste and re-season, if necessary.
- Serve with salmon, chicken, fish, on tacos, with chips, etc. and enjoy!
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Notes
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.