CILANTRO LIME DRESSING TAKES JUST 5 MINUTES IN YOUR BLENDER AND IS ABOUT TO BECOME YOUR GO-TO INTOXICATING DRESSING!
Cilantro Lime Dressing makes everything better from salads to tacos, to burritos to bowls to grilled chicken or fish. It also makes a fabulous dip for veggies, quesadillas, empanadas, etc. Itโs spiked with tomatillos, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro, lime and smoked paprika to create a luscious dressing packed with irresistible tangy, punchy flavor.
So hereโs the deal. You NEED this creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing recipe in your back pocket โ or better yet โ your front pocket โ because you will want to shovel everything it touches into your mouth. It simply makes everything 1000X better.
I have actually lost track of how many people have begged me for this creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing recipe. I have made it oodles of times without photographing it, so I finally thought it was time to share this deliciousness with you!
This Cilantro Lime Dressing Recipe will have everyone begging for more
If you arenโt familiar with this Cafรฉ Rio Cilantro Lime Dressing (also Called Cilantro Lime Ranch, Tomatillo Ranch, Cilantro Ranch), itโs creamy, tangy zippy, sassy, and of course, cilantro-y, lime-y, ranch-y. Does it get any better? There are thousands of copycat recipes out there because it is beloved by thousands.
Most recently, I 12X this this copycat Cafรฉ Rio Cilantro Lime Dressing for a service auction fundraiser for our church youth in which I was in charge of the menu. We served Cafรฉ Rio Pork, Cilantro Lime Rice, with tortillas and all the fixings, including this crowning, intoxicating dressing, which makes the meal and marries all the flavors and textures together.
I thought I had made oodles of dressing and was anticipating leftovers – but it ran out well before the night was over with everyone begging for the recipe and insisting it was by far the best copy cat recipe theyโve ever had โ their words โ not mine 😉.
Lime Cilantro Dressing Ingredients
The main ingredients of Cilantro Lime Dressing are:
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt. I prefer sour cream in this Cilantro Lime Dressing recipe but Greek yogurt works well because we are making a tangy dressing. If the dressing is too tangy by using Greek yogurt, add a teaspoon or so of honey. Fat-free sour cream or yogurt both work great as well, just donโt use regular yogurt because it is not nearly as thick as Greek yogurt.
- Mayonnaise. Provides the creamy base of the dressing and binds all of the ingredients together.
- Tomatillos. Tomatillos look like green, unripe tomatoes with a dry, leafy husk that wraps around the outside. You will remove the outer husks, wash and dry the tomatillos then roughly chop the tomatillos before adding to your blender. I f you arenโt sure where the tomatillos are at your grocery store, ask someone! They are super easy to use and sooo good infusing the dressing with their bright tanginess.
- Jalapeno. Use 1-2 jalapenos. Remove the seeds but do not discard them. I like to taste the dressing after Iโve made it and add additional seeds for more heat. If you donโt have jalapenos on hand you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Fresh Cilantro: You can use the leaves and the stems because the stems contain a lot of flavor and are going to get blended anyway.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is fantastic but you can substitute with ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Lime Juice. You can use fresh or bottled lime juice and use more or less to taste.
- Seasonings. You can use dry ranch seasoning mix or a DIY ranch made from: dried parsley, dried chives, dried dill, onion powder, salt and pepper.
This combo of ingredients is creamy, fresh and vibrant magic. The dressing is loaded with flavor, but not spice but you can of course add more kick to the dressing with hot sauce or by leaving the seeds in the jalapeno.
DIY Cilantro Lime Ranch Seasoning
I use a Hidden Valley Ranch packet for a shortcut but you are welcome to use your own DIY ranch seasoning like I did in my Avocado Tomatillo Ranch. You will want to replace the ranch seasoning mix with:
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoons dried chives
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
How to make Cilantro Lime Dressing
Homemade dressings might sound intimidating, but they usually just take 5 minutes! I am a huge fan of dump and blend dressings because they require little chopping but boast tons of flavor.
To make our Cilantro Lime dressing:
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender then chop then puree until smooth, scraping sides down as needed. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency.
- Chill before serving. Dressing will thicken in the refrigerator so you may need to whisk in some milk before serving. Thatโs it!
Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing Recipe tips and tricks
- Dry cilantro. Wash then dry cilantro very well otherwise the leftover water will thin the dressing and make it less flavorful.
- You can use some stem. You will use the top part of the cilantro bunch with the leaves and stems – no need to pick off individual cilantro leaves.
- Donโt be afraid of tomatillos. If you arenโt sure where the tomatillos are at your grocery store, ask someone! They are super easy to use and sooo good! You will remove the outer husks then roughly chop the tomatillos before adding to your blender.
- Customize heat. As written, the dressing is not spicy at all, just flavorful because we are removing the seeds and membrane which contain most of the heat. I would suggest reserving the jalapeno seeds until after the dressing is made then you can taste the dressing and add some/all of the seeds for some heat or just spice it up with some dashes of hot sauce.
- Greek yogurt substitute. I still prefer sour cream in this Cilantro Lime Dressing recipe but Greek yogurt works well because we are making a tangy dressing. If the dressing is too tangy, add a teaspoon or so of honey.
- Customize tang. The cilantro, tomatillo and ranch mix all add tang to this dressing, so the best way to customize the tanginess is with the lime juice. This recipe only calls for 1 ยฝ teaspoons but you will be surprised at how much that enlivens the rest of the ingredients. Feel free to add more or less to taste.
- DIY ranch seasoning. As previously discussed, you can use the specified seasonings instead of the ranch seasoning mix.
- Control consistency. This dressing is wonderfully creamy. I find my blender works so well it thins dressings and sauces out more than others so you might need to add additional milk to reach desired consistency and the beauty is the consistency is 100% up to you!
- CHILL! This is the biggest tip I can give you! Once you first make your dressing you are going to taste it at room temperature and wonder what all the hype is about. The fresh, vibrant tanginess only emerges after the dressing is cool, and the flavors melded.
- Chill in freezer. If you are short on time, place the dressing in the freezer! You can chill in the freezer for up to 30 minutes to speed up the process then the Cilantro Lime Dressing in the refrigerator.
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing substitutions
If you arenโt familiar with tomatillos, they should easily be found at every grocery store; chances are, youโve passed them every time youโve been there! Tomatillos means, โlittle tomatoโ in Spanish and are known as the Mexican husk tomatoes but are not technically tomatoes. They look like green, unripe tomatoes with a dry, leafy green husk. Once you peel off the husk, the tomatillo is a bright green which puts the green in green salsa/salsa verde.
You could theoretically substitute the tomatillos in the recipe for about ยผ cup salsa verde but I honestly have not tried this because the real thing is easy, bright and beautiful. If you do choose to substitute the tomatillos for salsa verde, make sure you use a mild salsa verde and you might want to omit the jalapeno.
Other ways to use Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing
As I previously mentioned, this Cilantro Lime Dressing makes EVERYTHING better โ NOT just salads!
- Salads!Try swapping out the dressings in these salads for this creamilicous Cilantro Lime Dressing!
- Bowls or skillets (I looooove this dressing with any type of rice!)
- Chipotle Shrimp Burrito Bowls (coming soon!)
- Mexican Chicken and Rice Skillet
- Barbacoa Beef Taco Bowls
- Cajun Chicken Black Bean Bowls
- Burritos
- Tacos
- Fajitas (remember you can make any of these fajitas into fajita bowls or salads! mmmmmm)
- Mexican staples (made into tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, nachos! etc)
How to store Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
This Cilantro Lime Dressing stores fabulously well for about 5-7 days, but honestly, it never lasts that long at our house!
- Take care to store in a sealable, airtight container.
- It will thicken as it chills so you may need to whisk in additional milk before using.
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Ingredients
- 1/3 cup packed cilantro
- 2 tomatillos husks removed and roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno deveined, seeded, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 cup real mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream may sub Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice use less if using Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix (1 oz. packet) – see DIY NOTES
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika optional
- Milk as needed
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender puree until smooth, scraping sides down as needed. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency.
Notes
DIY ranch seasoning
You can useย Hidden Valley Ranch packet for a shortcut or you’re welcome to use your own DIY ranch seasoning:- 2ย teaspoonsย dried parsley
- 1ย teaspoonsย dried chives
- 1/2ย teaspoon salt
- 1/2ย teaspoon pepper
- 1/2ย teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Tips and Tricks
- Half recipe.ย This recipe makes a generous amount of dressing so you can easily cut it in half if you prefer – but we always use it all!
- Dry cilantro. Wash then dry cilantro very well otherwise the leftover water will thin the dressing and make it less flavorful.
- You can use some stem. You will use the top part of the cilantro bunch with the leaves and stems – no need to pick off individual cilantro leaves.
- Donโt be afraid of tomatillos. If you arenโt sure where the tomatillos are at your grocery store, ask someone!ย They are super easy to use and sooo good!ย You will remove the outer husks then roughly chop the tomatillos before adding to your blender.
- Customize heat. As written, the dressing is not spicy at all, just flavorful because we are removing the seeds and membrane which contain most of the heat. I would suggest reserving the jalapeno seeds until after the dressing is made then you can taste the dressing and add some/all of the seeds for some heat or just spice it up with some dashes of hot sauce.
- Greek yogurt substitute. I still prefer sour cream in this Cilantro Lime Dressing recipe but Greek yogurt works well in because we are making a tangy dressing.ย If the dressing is too tangy, add a teaspoon or so of honey.
- Customize tang. The cilantro, tomatillo and ranch mix all add tang to this dressing, so the best way to customize the tanginess is with the lime juice.ย This recipe only calls for 1 ยฝ teaspoons but you will be surprised at how much that enlivens the rest of the ingredients.ย Feel free to add more or less to taste.
- DIY ranch seasoning. As previously discussed, you can use the specified seasonings instead of the ranch seasoning mix in the post.
- Control consistency. This dressing is wonderfully creamy.ย I find my blender works so well it thins dressings and sauces out more than others so you might need to add additional milk to reach desired consistency and the beauty is the consistency is 100% up to you!
- CHILL! This is the biggest tip I can give you! Once you first make your dressing you are going to taste it at room temperature and wonder what all the hype is about.ย The fresh, vibrant tanginess only emerges after the dressing is cool, and the flavors melded.
- Chill in freezer. If you are short on time, place the dressing in the freezer! You can chill in the freezer for up to 30 minutes to speed up the process then the Cilantro Lime Dressing in the refrigerator.
- More than a salad dressing! See in the post for the long list of ideas to use this recipe for/on!
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Allie says
Hi Jenn,
Thanks for the recipe. Another winner. I’m just wondering about the Smoke Paprika mentioned in recipe description.
I didn’t see paprika in the ingredients. I’m not sure about how much Smoked Paprika to use.
Thanks so much and I hope you are dong well.
Jen says
Hi Allie, I’m so excited for you to make this dressing! And great catch on the smoked paprika! It is 1/4 teaspoon, I’ve added it to the recipe. Enjoy!
Allie says
Ok, thanks! I saw that this dressing is recommended for today’s posting, Chipotle Shrimp Burrito Bowls. Yes! Gotta make these and especially glad you mentioned chicken as an option instead of shrimp. I really like your details and explanations. Little tips and tricks to make things simple!
Jen says
Thank you so much Allie – I try! Can’t wait to hear about what you think about both the bowls and the dressing!
Allyson Robertson says
I used some of this dressing with leftover egg noodles. I added bacon, peas and parmigiana and WOW!!
Thank you for this recipe. It is a keeper!
Jen says
I LOVE that idea Allyson, thanks for sharing! I need to make more recipes featuring this dressing!
deb says
Everything you make looks SOOOO good!!! You are amazing!! And the photography!! I just love your site so much. : )
Jen says
What an awesome comment to wake up to, thank you so much Deb!!! Happy cooking!
Sophia Del Gigante says
Can you substitute Greek Yogurt for Mayo too? I am on Weight Watchers and Mayo just has too much fat.
Jen says
Hi Sophia, I think it all comes down to personal taste – some people might like that, some might not, but I think it would still be good – just a different type of good, ya know? It will definitely be more tangy so I would omit the lime juice and add the lime juice to taste. Hope that helps!
Cynthia Bennett says
Delicious recipe, thank you so much for sharing.
Jen says
You are so welcome, Cynthia, I am so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Kylie says
I gotta say, this is the ONLY online recipe that I’ve followed to a T that I absolutely LOVED!!! I drizzled it over a fajita bowl for dinner tonight and wanted to lick the bowl. Sensational!!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Jen says
YAY! You are so welcome! Thank YOU for taking the time to comment and make my day!
Scarlet says
It’s so delicious. How long can you store leftovers?
Jen says
I’m so happy you liked it! It’s good for 5-7 days.
Rachel says
I made this in preparation for your recently posted taco salad. OMG! I am in love with this dressing. I don’t usually make ranch dressing since it never seemed like it was worth the effort. Until this one! I like a thinner dressing so I added a lot of milk, but the mix of flavors is fantastic. Plus it looks really good. I’m now a homemade ranch convert thanks to this recipe. For all of you wondering if its worth the time, absolutely. You will wonder why you haven’t been making this longer!
Jen says
Sorry for the delay Rachel as I’ve been in Italy for weeks and playing catch up, but thank you so much for taking the time to comment! I’m thrilled you loved this Cilantro Lime Dressing so much and that it’s made you into a homemade dressing convert. Now the question is what not to put it on ;)!
Kristen says
Hi! Made the batch and itโs chilling now for this evening. Question – could you freeze some of the leftover or would it separate and not be as good?
Jen says
Hi Kristin, I wouldn’t freeze this dressing as it will break as it thaws. Sorry!
KAREN CHENOWTH says
Making this today for taco salad (with shell bowls) — very excited as it sounds amazing. All of your recipes are great and I’m sure this one will be as well!
Jen says
Thank you so much Karen, I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying my recipes. I hope this dressing becomes a new favorite!
KAREN CHENOWTH says
Yep it did! AMAZING. Also found using it as a dip for jicama was fabulous as well.
Jen says
YAY! I’m excited to try it with jicama, thank you!
Corri says
Would this dressing be considered Keto friendly? It sounds amazing!
Jen says
Hi Corri, sorry I don’t follow a keto diet so I can’t advise.
Amy Emerson says
In case anyone else finds they are short on Mayo, I subbed Ken’s Ranch for mayo, sour cream and ranch seasoning mix. It turned out wonderful and saved me a few minutes.
Jen says
Thanks so much for the useful substitutions Amy!
Cindy Aube says
OMG!!! This recipe is TO DIE FOR!!! I may never buy bottled dressing again!!! This could not be easier either!! I threw the quartered tomatillos, and the rest of the ingredients into my PC Cooking Blender and pulsed. Literally seconds later I had the best dressing I have ever tasted!! This would be great on a lot of things!! And I had NEVER Tried a tomatillo before – this is a keeper!!! And the Chipotle Shrimp Burrito Bowl is also a keeper!! Thanks for sharing!
Jen says
Thank you so much for your awesome comment Cindy! I am thrilled you love the dressing as much as us and are new convert to tomatillos! I’m so happy you loved the burrito bowls as well!
Laura B says
I donโt generally leave reviews but this recipe is so simple yet so flavorful!! I may have just eaten half a bag of tortilla chips dipped in the little that was left in my blender. Really so yummy can hardly wait to try it on top of the Sheet Pan Shrimp fajitas I am trying tonight!! Thanks for sharing.
Jen says
Thanks Laura, you have great taste ;)! I can down this dressing so fast too! I’m so happy you love it and I hope you love the shrimp fajitas too!
Jillian says
I’ve searched HIGH and LOW for a Cafe Rio tomatillo ranch dressing copycat recipe. THIS IS IT. FINALLY a dressing that is just perfect. It makes a lot, tastes delicious and is absolutely perfect with your taco salad. THANK YOU
Jen says
You’re so welcome Jillian, thanks for making my day! I’m thrilled your search stops here!
Laura says
Could I use all mayo instead of sour cream? I have a son that’s dairy free so I’m trying to make this adaptable for him. Everything else I can substitute except for the sour cream so I’m hoping you have some suggestions. Thanks!
Jen says
Absolutely!
judy says
Can fresh parsley be substituted for the cilantro in this recipe? I have the enzyme that makes it taste as if your washed your mouth out with soap when I eat cilantro! Thanks.
Jen says
Absolutely! It will obviously change the flavor significantly but for you that’s a good thing!
Rochele says
This dressing is absolutely delicious. Mine stayed white and never turned green though. Could I have done something wrong?
Jen says
Thanks Rochele! If you used all of the ingredients then I’m not sure why it was so white? As long as it tasted good, that’s all that matters!
Toshiko says
My husband sent me this recipe to try because I love salads. .
I made substitutions because I am trying to eat lower in fat. But I still took the chance and made the full 2 cups worth even if it might not taste good.
I only used 1/4th cup light mayo and 1+1/2 cups Lebnah (a middle eastern strained yogurt. It is even more strained than Greek yogurt so it is thicker and is much less sour as well) I then added 2TBS extra virgin olive oil to add a healthy fat in to make up for the less mayo.
Finding fresh jalapeรฑos is inconsistent here (in the middle east) so I used jalapeรฑo powder. I happened to find a Mexican foods online store where I was able to get fresh tomatillos which I thought I wasn’t going to be able to find.
I made my own ranch mix but instead of dried dill I used fresh because I already had it here.
I blended it up and it’s such a beautiful green color like green goddess dressing. I didn’t add any milk and it was very thin and I was worried that maybe it needs more mayo to properly thicken.
But I tasted it and oh wow is it amazing!! I put it in an airtight container hoping it will thicken over the next few hours.
Right after, I made a Turkish-Mexican hybrid of Migas (Mexican scrambled eggs with onions, peppers crunchy tortilla strips (that I made crispy in a pan with spray oil) and Sujuk (the Turkish version of chorizo). It only took 15 minutes and I decided to try a drizzle of your dressing on the Migas and guess what? It already thickened in that 15 minutes! It’s so delicious!
I can’t wait to try it on a salad later on. ๐
Jen says
Hi! I have been working my way through a backlog of comments and see yours somehow got lost in the mix! I am glad you took the risk and it turned out so well! I hope your salad was delicious:)
Sara says
Do you think it would work to use ranch dressing instead of the mayonnaise?
Jen says
Hi Sara, yes I think that could work but I would omit the ranch seasoning mix in the recipe. Good luck!
sherry hernandez says
Hello Jen your recipes are fabulous I made your chicken salad with the chicken marinaded in chipotle paste? and other spices I can’t remember it right now but it was so delicious ! aI want to make the lime dressing and veganise it can you tell me how? I will be making the salad with shrimp and another one using tofu what if anything can you suggest I may use to marinade the tofu? Thank you so much keep those tangy spicy recipes coming!
Jen says
Thank you so much for making my recipes Sherry! You can marinate the tofu in any of my marinades – so many to choose from: https://carlsbadcravings.com/category/marinade/
To veganise the dressing, use your favorite vegan mayonnaise and sour cream. The brand Vegenaise has great products for both. Good luck!
Cindi says
Made this today, it is incredibly good. Thank you for sharing!
Jen says
You’re so welcome, so pleased you enjoyed it!
Aimee says
Made this for taco salads and loved it! Tangy, a little spicy – a perfect match. Subbed the mayo for a just-past-its-prime avocado.
Jen says
I’m so pleased you loved it Aimee, and great swap with the avocado!
Debbie says
That dressing the BOMB! I just made it for the salad I will make tomorrow for dinner. Can’t wait to eat it all together!!!
Jen says
Thank you, Debbie! I am so pleased you loved the dressing! I hope you have a wonderful week and find more recipes to enjoy!
Rae says
I live in Bali island, we dont have tomatillosโฆ.can I use green tomato instead?
Jen says
Hi Rae! Yes, green tomatoes will work as a sub for the tomatillos!
Melody says
Highly recommend! It so versatile I used it for my ground chicken lettuce wraps-then for ur salad, then as a marinade for grilled shrimp served with cilantro rice & red beans FANTASTIC restaurant quality!!
Jen says
Thank you for the glowing review Melody! I love that you’ve tried it so many different ways!
Cheryl ann says
Hello. So the first time I made this it was a hit at work for our luncheon. So now every time we have salads I am instructed to make this dressing. So here I go again. I love this salad dressing and not just for salads. Love your recipes and make a lot and use work as the taste testers and of course they donโt mind. So thank you for them.
Jen says
You are so welcome, Cheryl! Thank you so much for making and sharing my recipes! I am so glad that this dressing is such a hit!
Joan says
I made this for a chicken taco salad one night. Love love love it! Then took it work for chicken burrito bowls. Everyone loved it! Asking for the recipe. Also good on a Mexican pizza I made. Multi use must have My employee said it was JUST like cafe Rio dressing lol His favorite.
Jen says
Thank you so much, Joan! I am so glad you love this and that it was such a hit with everyone! Yay!
Abby says
This recipe is so good! Love it on tacos and burritos and I’ve even put in on my egg scrambles in the morning. I add cumin instead of paprika and its perfect!
Jen says
Yay! Thank you so much, Abby! I’m so glad you love it!
Tammy says
Your Creamy Cilantro recipe looks yummy. Do you know the nutritional value? I will try the greek yogurt to keep calories low but curious if you had that information. thank you
Jen says
Hi Tammy! I donโt have nutritional info but you can calculate it here: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator I hope you enjoy!
Brenda says
This dressing is so delicious. Just wondering how much dressing I would need to make for 50 people putting it on their tortillas with all the fixings.
Jen says
Thank you! I think a double batch would be perfect. One batch makes about 2 cups.
Valerie says
This salad dressing is amazing! I used plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream and added a bit of honey like the recipe said and it turned out awesome!
Jen says
Hi Valerie! I am thrilled that you love it as much as I do!
Petra says
You are my go to for new recipes to try and I am never disappointed. With this one, I am having a hard time sometimes finding tomatillos is there a good substitute for the times they are not available?
Jen says
Hi Petra! Thank you so much for that amazing compliment! If you are in a bind and can’t find fresh tomatillos, there are canned tomatillos or you could even use a 1/4 c of a mild Salsa Verde. I hope that helps!