Made with simple ingredients and blended in minutes, this cilantro lime sauce adds fresh flavor to tacos, bowls, salads, grilled meats, and more.
Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce for Tacos
This cilantro-lime sauce first appeared in my best-selling cookbook, the Taco Tuesday Cookbook, and it quickly became one of those sauces we (my loyal fans and I) started putting on everything. Really! It's creamy, bright from the lime juice, and packed with fresh cilantro flavor without being overpowering. You’re going to love it!
Ingredients
The creamy base for this sauce is sour cream (regular or light), and fresh lime juice brightens everything up. Garlic powder or (a garlic clove), salt, and black pepper add simple flavor, and plenty of fresh cilantro gives the sauce its vibrant color and fresh taste. In the recipe, I share how much jalapeño to add for a spicy version.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Sauce
- Add everything to a blender or food processor.
No need to finely chop the cilantro, just a few coarse chops of ½ of the bunch, that’s about the ½ cup needed. - Blend until smooth and creamy.
Blend until it’s mostly smooth, leaving a few cilantro specks if you like. - Serve or refrigerate.
Keep it in a jar or dressing bottle in the fridge for up to a week, then stir before drizzling it over salads, tacos, or grilled nuggets.
How to Use It
Shake it up, or stir it, if you’re the gentle type, then drizzle it over some blackened fish tacos, a Santa Fe chicken salad, or over sheet pan shrimp fajitas.
Cilantro Lime Sauce (Easy Blender Recipe)
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream, regular or light
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 small garlic clove, or ½ teaspoon garlic of powder
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
- ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro, about ½ bunch
Instructions
Make the sauce:
- Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until it's mostly smooth. I like to leave a few cilantro specks in my sauce.
Storage:
- Transfer the cilantro lime sauce to a jar or dressing bottle, then refrigerate it until you're ready to serve it over your favorite tacos, salads, and more.
- This sauce keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days. Stir or shake before using.
Notes
- Want to make it spicy? Add ¼ to ½ jalapeño and blend with the other ingredients.
- Adjusting the thickness: for a thinner sauce, or to reach a dressing-like consistency, add a bit more (1 tablespoon) lime juice.
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Nayna Kanabar says
OMG this sounds absolutely divine. I am going to make this right away. It sounds so tasty and refreshing and with minimal ingredients.
Lisa says
OMG, yessssssss this creamy cilantro lime sauce sounds absolutely delicious! I love anything with cilantro and lime together, and I can already imagine how good this would taste on tacos and grilled chicken. The fact that it comes together so quickly in the blender makes it even better. Definitely saving this recipe to try soon!
Mow De says
This sounds really good! I love simple recipes like this & the combo of lime and fresh cilantro sounds super fresh & flavorful.
Amber Myers says
I am so making this sauce to put on burgers. We have a ton of burgers over the summer, so it’s perfect.
jerry godinho says
This cilantro lime sauce looked like the kind of magic drizzle that instantly upgrades anything on the plate. I loved how fresh and versatile it felt, perfect for tacos and bowls.