Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce (and How to Use It!)

Quick, no-cook sauces are one of the easiest ways to elevate simple meals, and this versatile cilantro yogurt sauce is one of my favorites. It gets creaminess from Greek yogurt, a hint of heat from jalapeño and brightness from cilantro and lime. A touch of honey balances all the flavors.

Greek yogurt cilantro lime sauce

The sauce gets blitzed up in minutes right in a food processor (or you can use a Vitamix). There’s no need to even chop the garlic, jalapeño or cilantro—the food processor will do all the work for you! 

Cilantro yogurt sauce ingredients:

• Greek Yogurt: For the best flavor, use a Greek yogurt with a 2% fat content or higher. Nonfat yogurt tends to taste chalky, but it will still work if that’s what you have (if needed, drizzle in a touch of olive oil to balance the flavors). 
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro gives this sauce flavor and color. If you don’t like cilantro, use a mix of half parsley and half mint. 
• Garlic: A garlic clove lends depth of flavor. If you’re sensitive to raw garlic, soak a lightly smashed clove in the lime juice for 5-10 minutes (or longer!). Discard the garlic then use the juice. 
• Jalapeño: Half of a jalapeño gives the sauce a subtle kick. For a mild sauce, remove the jalapeño ribs and seeds (for a spicy sauce, leave them in!). 
• Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice brightens the sauce. 
• Honey: A touch of honey rounds out the sauce and balances the flavors. 

How to make a 5 minute cilantro yogurt sauce:

• In a food processor with the blade running, drop a garlic clove and half a jalapeño through the feed tube and chop (or you can pop them into a Vitamix and blend until chopped). 

• Pile in the cilantro and process until chopped. 

• Add Greek yogurt, lime juice and honey, and season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. For a thinner sauce, blend in a few splashes of water. 

How to serve cilantro lime yogurt sauce:

• On fish (like this slow cooker salmon)
• On grain bowls or veggie bowls
• On tacos
• With chicken
• With lamb kebabs and on lamb burgers
• As a dressing for salads
• As a dip for sweet potato fries

Cilantro yogurt sauce for salmon

The sauce is AMAZING with slow cooker salmon, either in bowls or tacos! 

Yogurt lime dressing

The sauce also works as a fantastic salad dressing. If needed, thin it with a splash of water. 

For more easy, no-cook sauce recipes, check out my book, Build-a-Bowl! 

FAQ

Other sauces and dressings to try:

• Mojo Sauce (with Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos)
• Cilantro Lime Dressing (with Healthy Taco Salad)
• Green Tahini Sauce (with Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls)
• Cilantro Lime Pesto (with Shrimp Tacos)
• Sweet Pea & Mint Pesto (with Maple Roasted Salmon)
• Clean-Out-the-Fridge Green Sauce

Healthy desserts you might like:

• Blender Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
• Paleo Shortcakes
• Pear & Ginger Crumble
• Lightened Up Apple Crisp
• Almond Coconut Cake

Get the recipe!

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Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

This versatile sauce is creamy and bright, with a touch of heat from jalapeño and brightness from lime and cilantro. A smidge of honey balances all the flavors. Serve the sauce over fish (it’s awesome on this slow cooker salmon), on grain or veggie bowls, over tacos, with chicken and lamb, as a salad dressing, or as a dip for sweet potato fries. I prefer to use Greek yogurt with a 2% fat content or higher, as non-fat yogurt is rather chalky (however, it’s a personal preference!). If you don’t have a large food processor, you can make the sauce in a mini food processor or a Vitamix.

Prep Time10 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cilantro lime yogurt sauce, cilantro yogurt dressing, Cilantro yogurt sauce

Servings: 1 1/2 cups

Author: Nicki Sizemore

Equipment

• Food processor

Ingredients

• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/2 medium jalapeño, seeds and inner stems removed
• 1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt (2% fat content or higher)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• In a food processor with the blade running, drop the garlic clove and jalapeño through the feed tube to finely chop. Add the cilantro and process until chopped.
• Scrape the sides, and add the Greek yogurt, lime juice and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Process until smooth, stopping and scraping the sides as needed. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed. If the sauce is quite thick (depending on the brand of yogurt you used) feel free to thin it with a splash of water.

Notes

Do Ahead: The cilantro yogurt sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Tips:

• You’ll need a food processor or Vitamix for this recipe.
• You can swap out the cilantro for a mix of half parsley and half mint.
• If you prefer a thinner, more pourable sauce, simply blend in a few tablespoons of water until you get the consistency you like.
• The sauce is fantastic with this slow cooker salmon!
• For more no-cook, easy sauces, check out my book, Build-a-Bowl.

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