Simple Avocado Cilantro Dressing with creamy avocado, fresh cilantro, zesty lime and savory garlic will be one of your new favorite healthy salad dressings.
I love to drizzle this avocado lime dressing on my chicken quinoa bowl and Mexican kale salad.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This creamy avocado cilantro dressing is perfect for guacamole lovers everywhere!
- Delicious: Avocado dressing recipe is super fresh, bright, and creamy.
- Simple ingredients: It contains just 5 simple ingredients.
- Quick: Ready in just 5 minutes, this avocado salad dressing is perfect for a last-minute salad.
- Easy: All you need is just a blender or food processor and a knife.
- Versatile: Swap out the herbs, add some heat, adjust the consistency whether you want a dipping sauce or a dressing.
Ingredients for Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing
To make this creamy avocado cilantro dressing, you will need just 5 simple ingredients plus salt and pepper.
- Avocado: Use one large ripe avocado. Avocado is ripe when its skin is brown and it gives in to the touch.
- Olive oil: Use high quality extra virgin olive oil for the best results. For a more subtle flavor, use light olive oil.
- Cilantro: I recommend using just the cilantro leaves as stems tend to make the salad dressing more bitter.
- Lime: Fresh lime juice is the best. Lemon juice will also work. You can even try orange juice for slightly sweeter results.
- Garlic: Feel free to adjust the amount based on how garlicky you like your food. If you don’t have fresh garlic, use 1-2 teaspoons of garlic powder instead.
- Water: To thin creamy avocado cilantro lime dressing to the desired consistency based on whether you want a dip or avocado salad dressing.
- Salt and Pepper: Adjust to personal taste.
How to Make Avocado Cilantro Dressing
Here is a quick overview how to make avocado cilantro dressing recipe. Full recipe card is located below.
- Blend the ingredients: In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients and process until smooth.
- Add water if needed: Depending on how thick you want the avocado cilantro dressing to be, you may need to drizzle in a little extra water and blend in-between until it reaches your desired consistency.
Recipe Tip
Make sure to give the dressing a taste and adjust any of the ingredients as desired before serving. Lime for tang, salt and pepper for extra seasoning, cilantro for a punch of flavor, or garlic.
Variations
Here are a few swaps you can do for this avocado cilantro dressing depending what you have on hand.
- For avocado ranch dressing: Substitute the olive oil for yogurt instead.
- Creamier avocado dressing: Instead of omitting the oil entirely, you can make slightly more creamy, rich avocado cilantro lime dressing with the addition of just a few spoonfuls of yogurt or sour cream.
- Add spice: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for spice. Alternatively, you can add a little bit of diced jalapeno (remove seeds for less heat).
- Cumin: A little cumin helps to add depth of flavor to this creamy avocado dressing.
- Sweetness: I’ve never found the need to add any additional sugar to this dressing recipe. However, if you want to slightly balance the sharp flavors, I recommend to add a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
- Apple cider vinegar: This dressing is already tangy, thanks to the lime juice. However, combining the lime juice with apple cider vinegar can help to add more depth of flavor to the dressing.
Serving Recommendations
The ways you can enjoy this avocado cilantro dressing depends on whether you’re serving it as a dipping sauce or a salad dressing.
Drizzle on a salad, flavor load your favorite tacos or just scoop with tortilla chips or veggies.
- Salads: The classic choice is to use this salad dressing with salads.
- Dip: Serve creamy avocado cilantro sauce alongside veggie quesadillas, chicken burritos or drizzle on air fryer nachos. Dip grilled shrimp skewers or falafel in it.
- Meat: Drizzle on carne asada steak or grilled chicken breast.
- Seafood: Avocado pairs amazingly with fish and prawns. Drizzle it over grilled salmon.
- Grains: Drizzle over grain bowls like chicken quinoa bowl. You can even mix it into pasta similarly to this pesto pasta.
- With sweet potato: Avocado and sweet potato is a great match. Serve with air fryer sweet potato fries.
How to Store It
Store the prepared avocado cilantro dressing in an airtight glass container for up to 5 days, this way it shouldn’t brown. Make sure to stir it before use.
If you notice sauce begins to brown, add a little additional lemon juice or lime juice. You can also refrigerate it with a bit of water or olive oil on top to help keep from oxidizing.
FAQs
If you want to substitute the cilantro, I recommend to use fresh parsley or fresh basil.
I don’t recommend freezing any avocado dressing because the fresh herbs and avocado consistency will be affected in the freezing and thawing process. However, you can use previously frozen avocado to make this creamy dressing.
Yes. You can make the dressing for up to 5 days in advance.
Add a bit more water.
More Avocado Recipes to Try
- Avocado corn salad
- Avocado salad
- Shrimp avocado salad
- Chickpea avocado salad
- Cucumber tomato avocado salad
More Salad Dressing Recipes to Try
- Raspberry vinaigrette
- Poppy seed dressing
- Healthy Caesar dressing
- Healthy ranch dressing
- Asian salad dressing
- Spinach salad dressing
- Balsamic vinaigrette
You might also enjoy browsing through my favorite collection of healthy salads and healthy salad dressing recipes!
Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large avocado pitted and scooped
- 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 lime juice of
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a food processor or high speed blender, add avocado, olive oil, water, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Process until smooth, adjusting consistency with more water if necessary.
- Serve with your favorite salad, with Mexican kale salad, Greek chicken kabobs, falafel, chicken quinoa bowl or as a veggie dip. So many options!
Notes
- Store: Dressing doesn’t turn brown if kept refrigerated in a glass airtight container for up 5 days. Stir before use.
- Cilantro stems make dressing more bitter, so I recommend using only the leaves.
- Avocado ranch: Substitute 1/4 cup olive oil with yogurt.
- Cumin or a heat kick: Add a pinch of cumin or red pepper flakes, to spice things up.
Absolutely delicious 😋 Creamy smooth and delicious 😋
Thank you for sharing! 💜
I’m so happy to read this! Thanks for your positive feedback!
So good and so easy to make.
So glad you loved it!
This is delicious! Love the flavors blended together. I added some cumin and white pepper.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Can you freeze this?
Hmm, no…
So good!! I’ve tried for years I tried to get my son to eat salad and with all his allergies it is is not easy! I like how this salad dressing does not have milk thank you so much!! He likes this salad which is a big deal. He loves guacamole and your Mexican bean salad which has the same cumin flavor. Great job!!
Stephanie! I am so pleased that you have found some winning recipes for your son!
your food recipe are so delicious I cant wait to make some of your recipe. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!
Thank you, Melinda. Enjoy!