Vegan Cilantro Lime Dressing
This recipe is naturally oil-free as well. All of my salad dressing recipes are oil-free, and I actually have very few recipes in general, no matter the type of dish, that contain oil. I find that when I consume foods that contain oil, or that are deep fried, greasy, anything along those lines, it’s as if I can feel it through my skin! With my oil-free dressings, you can enjoy the flavorful additions to your entrees and salads (even in excess a bit if you really like condiments, like I do!) and not feel guilty about it!
I love getting creative with all types of recipes for salad dressings, dips and sauces. They’re so fun to make; a lot of the time you just start throwing things in a blender to see what tastes good together, and before you know it you have a whole new creation that you love! I really hate to waste food as well, so when I’m making a new condiment in the blender, it’s great to be able to salvage it nine times out of ten by adding more of a certain ingredient, or even new, different ingredients altogether. It’s a rare occasion that I don’t have jars of various, brightly colored cashew creams, hummus dips, or tofu-based pasta sauces in my refrigerator, waiting to be incorporated into some type of leftover dish on a day when I don’t have the time or energy to cook a brand new meal.
But back to the Cilantro Lime Dressing—I’ve shared it with friends and family and everyone who’s tried it has absolutely loved it! It’s made with fresh, whole food plant based ingredients and keeps its unique and refreshing taste for several days in the refrigerator. Although, it’ll probably be devoured long before then!
Enjoy this incredible Cilantro Lime Dressing, there’s no turning back now!
Cashews: You’ll want raw, unsalted cashews. These can be bought in bulk at most “mainstream” grocery stores, or more commonly at health food and specialty grocery stores. If you’re having a difficult time finding the raw, unsalted variety in stores you can always find them online. I always buy my cashews in bulk on Amazon, they’re delivered to my house in a day or two and they’re much cheaper this way, too!
Water: The amount may need to be adjusted depending on your consistency preference. I’ve made this both as more of a drizzle for nachos and tacos, and as a heavier addition to bowls with rice, lots of veggies and sometimes grilled tofu, think of it like a sour cream replacement.
Cilantro: I strongly recommend using fresh cilantro for this recipe. Dried cilantro doesn’t have nearly the same kind of flavor, or even the same amount of flavor that fresh cilantro lends for this dressing, seemingly no matter how much dried cilantro you pour in! Fresh cilantro also gives the dressing that gorgeous, clean-eating light green hue. Feel free to grab some extra cilantro at the store so you can chop it up as garnish for your burrito bowls, tacos, nachos, or any other creations you’re using your Cilantro Lime Dressing for.
White Vinegar: Vinegar is a great ingredient for salad dressings in general, and this recipe is no exception. It adds a bit of a tangy taste and truly enhances the entire flavor profile.
Maple Syrup: Adds a very necessary subtle sweetness, sometimes I get carried away and add a little too much! Just a hint of sweetness is perfect, and compliments the lime juice beautifully.
Salt: None of your other ingredients in this recipe have any salt at all, so you’ll want to make sure not to skip the sea salt! You can taste the recipe once everything has been blended and add more salt if necessary.
Garlic Cloves: Just peel and add to the blender, you don’t need to bother with chopping them since they’re going to be blended well. If you don’t have garlic cloves you can use garlic powder; ¼ tsp for each clove, so for one batch of this recipe you would want to use ½ tsp of garlic powder. However, I have found that this alters the taste a bit. If you can use garlic cloves, that is what I recommend for a more complex, pleasantly pungent taste.
Juice of one lime: Of course the amount of juice yielded can vary greatly depending on the size of lime you have, but honestly, I have yet to overdo it on the lime juice for this recipe! Start with a conservative amount of lime juice if you would like, and feel free to add more once you’ve blended all of the ingredients together and taste tested it.
Vegan Cilantro Lime Dressing
Equipment
- High-speed blender *I use a Vitamix
Ingredients
- 1½ C cashews
- ¾ C water
- ½ C fresh cilantro
- ⅛ C white vinegar
- ⅛ C maple syrup
- 1½ tsp sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in warm water for at least 30 minutes, depending on the type of blender you have. If you have a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix, soaking is not necessary.
- Combine all ingredients in your blender and blend until very smooth.
- Taste the dressing and adjust the ratio of ingredients if you prefer, or you can also add a bit more water and blend more if the dressing is too thick.
- Transfer to a jar, glass bottle or other container with a lid and keep in the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.