Home > Dressings, Dips, & Sauces > Healthy Cilantro-Lime Sauce Healthy Cilantro-Lime Sauce August 26, 2022 | No Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. This Healthy Cilantro-Lime Sauce is thick, creamy, and ridiculously flavorful! It’s hard to believe this is a naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan sauce, but it is! Healthy Cilantro Sauce My original Cilantro Lime Sauce is a go-to on so many recipes. I almost always have a batch of it in the fridge. Whether we’re drenching Shrimp Tacos, Baked Chicken Tacos, or Air Fryer Chickpeas, everyone goes crazy for it! But through the years of sharing recipes using this sauce, I’ve received countless emails or comments asking how to make it a bit healthier or how to make it without the mayo. Well, I finally rose to the challenge and after a few weeks of testing, I am so thrilled with the result — I can’t wait for you all to try it! QUICK TIP The ingredients in this Healthy Cilantro-Lime Sauce are naturally gluten free, but make sure to check all your ingredient labels to be sure they weren’t processed in a facility with gluten. Ingredients Here’s a quick breakdown of the ingredients in this Healthy Cilantro-Lime Sauce: Fresh limes: We love zesting the lime with a microplane and then juicing with this citrus juicer. When zesting, avoid the white pith of the limes–it can be quite bitter. Minced garlic: Use jarred, frozen, or fresh — whatever you prefer. Fresh cilantro: Take a fresh bunch and loosely pack it in the measuring cup for the perfect measurement. Jalapeño: Remove the seeds and ribs to control the heat in this sauce or leave in ’em for a spicier sauce! Cashews: We use these raw cashews. Olive oil: We recommend extra-virgin olive oil for the best possible flavor. Water: We thin the sauce with water, but don’t worry– it doesn’t make it bland! With so many intense flavors, the water balances everything nicely and ensures it can blend into a nice smooth sauce. Salt and pepper. No sauce is complete without salt and pepper, and this creamy sauce is no exception. Add to your taste preference, remembering that an extra pinch can be the difference between a good and a stellar sauce! How To Make This Healthy Cilantro-Lime Sauce This sauce is as simple as adding everything to a blender or food processor and giving it a whirl! Taste, adjust, and enjoy! Below are a few tips: Which to use—a high-powered blender or a food processor? Either works just fine, but to get an ultra-smooth sauce, use a powerful blender. In the food processor, you’ll have a slightly chunkier sauce (the cashews won’t break down as well). For the smoothest possible healthy cilantro-lime sauce, soak the cashews to ensure they’re softened. Chill the sauce: This is a great sauce to make ahead of time as it gets more flavorful as it sits. It also tastes better cold! If you’d like a slightly sweeter sauce, add a drizzle of honey. Depending on the cilantro used, you may want to add a touch — there can be some flavor variation from bunch to bunch. How To Use Homemade Cilantro-Lime Sauce Drizzle this sauce on all kinds of tacos, quesadillas, or burritos — think steak tacos, fish tacos, black bean quesadillas, healthy burrito, or chicken tacos! Add to a bowl: Use on these Cilantro Lime Shrimp bowls, Honey-Lime Chicken, or Taco Bowls. Drizzle on grilled protein: Boost flavor by adding on some grilled chicken, our favorite Grilled Fajita Chicken, or over grilled flank steak. Get a rotisserie chicken to serve over this tasty Mexican rice and drizzle everything with Healthy Cilantro-Lime Sauce. Vegetarian uses: We love drizzling this sauce over these Mexican Chickpeas, over these Vegetarian Fajitas, or on these Vegetarian Tacos. More Homemade Dressing Recipes: Lemon Vinaigrette with dried herbs Balsamic Vinaigrette the best I’ve ever had! Greek Salad Dressing with fresh lemon juice Vinaigrette our go-to basic vinaigrette Green Goddess Dressing with fresh herbs FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Healthy Cilantro-Lime Sauce 5 from 1 vote - Review this recipe This Healthy Cilantro-Lime Sauce is thick, creamy, and ridiculously flavorful! It's hard to believe this is a naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan sauce! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Healthy Cilantro-Lime Sauce 5 from 1 vote - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe This Healthy Cilantro-Lime Sauce is thick, creamy, and ridiculously flavorful! It's hard to believe this is a naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan sauce! Course Salad, sauce, Side Dish Cuisine American, Healthy, Vegan, Vegetarian Keyword Healthy Cilantro-Lime Dressing, healthy cilantro-lime sauce Prep Time 15 minutes Soaking Cashews 10 minutes Total Time 25 minutes Servings 1 cup Calories 765kcal Author Chelsea Lords EquipmentHigh powered blender (We love this mini “Twister” jar for all sauces and dressing!) Ingredients▢ 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro▢ 2 tablespoons jalapeño (seeded & coarsely chopped to measure out)▢ 1/2 cup raw cashews▢ 1 large lime zest & juice (2 tbsp juice; 1 tsp zest)▢ 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic▢ 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil▢ 1/3 cup water▢ Fine sea salt & pepper▢ Optional: honey (Note 1) InstructionsSOAK CASHEWS: Place cashews in a heatproof bowl and pour about 1 cup of boiling water over them. Let stand for at least 10 minutes up to an hour and then thoroughly drain and let dry.BLEND: Add drained & dry cashews and remaining ingredients to a small powerful blender or food processor (Note 2). Season to taste with salt & pepper (I add 1/2 tsp fine sea salt & 1/4 tsp pepper). Blend until completely smooth. STORE: Place in the fridge to chill and for the flavors to intensify and meld. The sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated; simply stir before serving. This sauce/dressing gets thick as it's stored, so if you'd like to thin it after storing, add in a touch more lime juice. Recipe NotesNote 1: Honey: If you’d like a slightly sweeter sauce, add a drizzle of honey. Depending on the cilantro used, you may want to add a touch — there can be some flavor variation in cilantro. Note 2: Which to use — a high-powered blender or a food processor? Either works just fine, but to get an ultra-smooth sauce, use a high-powered blender. In the food processor, you’ll have a slightly chunkier sauce since the cashews don't always break down as nicely. Nutrition information is based on the whole batch of sauce. Nutrition FactsCalories: 765kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 71g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 46g | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 629mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 897IU | Vitamin C: 59mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 5mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
