Cilantro Lime Sauce
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It only takes 5 minutes to whip up THE BEST Cilantro Lime Sauce, perfect for steak, chicken, shrimp or fish tacos! This creamy Mexican sauce is literally good on everything. Immediately bookmark this recipe because you’re going to want to make it over and over again!
“This recipe had the most wonderful flavor! It was rich and creamy and best of all, it was super easy to make.”
-Donna
I’m a saucy girl that truly believes any meal can be elevated with the right sauce. This Cilantro Lime Sauce is the right sauce for so many meals! Once I made it for the first time, I literally put it on everything.
I put it on eggs for breakfast, turkey wraps for lunch, and steak tacos for dinner. The fresh, tangy flavor and light, creamy texture of the sauce will make you fall in love at first bite!
The best part is, this sauce only requires two steps, add and blend. Add all of the ingredients to a blender, then blend it up until it’s smooth and creamy! In 5 minutes or less, you’ll have a delicious sauce to add to all of your meals throughout the week.
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this cilantro lime sauce recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Fresh cilantro – since this is the main ingredient, you want to make sure that you have fresh cilantro with bright green leaves. You’ll need 3 packed cups of cilantro, so you might need to buy two bundles at the grocery store, depending on how large each bundle is. For this recipe, feel free to use the cilantro leaves and stems, as they’ll all get blended together into the sauce.
- Jalapeno
- Lime juice – fresh squeezed is always preferred for the best flavor!
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Crema or sour cream – Mexican crema is found in most major grocery stores near the sour cream. The texture is somewhere between heavy cream and sour cream. If you can’t find crema, feel free to use sour cream or plain greek yogurt instead. It will make the texture of the sauce slightly thicker, but you can always add 1-2 tablespoons water to make the sauce thinner, if you’d like.
- Salt
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor. I used a Nutribullet to make this sauce, but any high-powered blender or food processor will work.
- Blend until smooth and creamy. Store it in the fridge for up to a week.
Ways to use it
I literally want to put this cilantro lime sauce on everything! It’s so creamy and flavorful, you can’t go wrong eating it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Drizzle it over grilled steak or chicken
- Use it as a salad dressing and toss it with your favorite Mexican-style salad
- Spread it on a sandwich or wrap
- Drizzle it over nachos or fajitas
- Use it as a dipping sauce for raw or roasted veggies
- Drizzle it on top of burrito bowls
- Spoon it over eggs for breakfast
- Drizzle it over steak, chicken, shrimp or fish tacos
Pair it with any of these recipes for a winning combination!
- Beef Tacos: Steak Tacos (pictured above), Chipotle Lime Carne Asada Tacos, Flat Iron Steak Tacos
- Pork or Chicken Tacos: Pork Tacos or Chicken Birria Tacos
- Seafood Tacos: Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos, Grilled Shrimp Tacos, Chipotle Honey Glazed Salmon Tacos, Lobster Tacos
- Bowls and Salads: Carne Asada Bowl, Vegetarian Burrito Bowl, Taco Salad
- Breakfast: Breakfast Burritos, Chilaquiles, Migas
- Nachos: Crock Pot Chicken Nachos or Pulled Pork Nachos
More sauce recipes
Try these other delicious sauce recipes to add tons of flavor to your next meal!
Cilantro Lime Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh cilantro, leaves and stems
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 4 tablespoons lime juice, fresh-squeezed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup Mexican crema, or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
Notes
- The nutritional information provided is for one ounce of sauce, which equals 2 tablespoons.
- The sauce has a mild kick of spice from the jalapeno, but I definitely wouldn’t call it spicy. If you’re extremely sensitive to spice, you can always leave the jalapeno out of the sauce. If you want more spice, feel free to add another jalapeno or a serrano pepper.
- The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- I do not recommend freezing the sauce, as the dairy will separate and the texture of the sauce will not be the same after it’s been frozen.
- The recipe is naturally gluten free and keto-friendly.
- To make the sauce vegan, use plant-based sour cream, or canned coconut cream, instead of the Mexican crema.
Nutrition Facts
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One Comment on “Cilantro Lime Sauce”
This recipe had the most wonderful flavor! It was rich and creamy and best of all; it was super easy to make.