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cilantro lime fish taco sauce in a jar on a table with a houseplant and a lime blurred out in the background.

Creamy Garlic Lime Cilantro Sauce

This beautiful green sauce is creamy, spicy and bright. You'll want to put it on everything from pizza to burgers, tacos to eggs, and everything between.
5 from 6 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Condiment
Cuisine Keto, Paleo, Peruvian, Whole30
Servings 12 oz
Calories 48 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bunch Cilantro stems and all
  • 1-2 Limes juiced
  • 1-2 Jalapeño stem removed
  • 5-10 cloves Garlic
  • 2 C Mayonnaise Hellman's or Duke's preferred

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to high speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour into squeeze bottle and prepare to put this on everything. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Optional Variations:
  • Vegan Cilantro Sauce - Use your favorite vegan mayonnaise to keep it entirely plant-based!
  • Pollo Tropical Copycat Recipe - Use half mayo and half sour cream or Greek yogurt.
  • Paleo/Whole30-Friendly - Use avocado oil mayonnaise.
  • Adjust the Heat. If you're not a fan of spicy things, you can easily adjust the Scoville level by removing the ribs and seeds of the jalapeño before blending. Prefer tongue-tingling tastes? Add extra jalapeños and/or experiment with adding spicier peppers to the mix (e.g. serrano, scotch bonnet, or habanero).
Expert Tips
  • This Peruvian green sauce will look different if you make it in a high-speed blender vs. a regular blender or food processor. I have a Vitamix, so it emulsifies entirely and becomes a uniform shade of green. If you don’t have a Vitamix/Blend-Tec, yours will look more like Chuy’s creamy jalapeno sauce — whiteish with some green flecks. It’s delicious either way.
  • Scrape down the sides as needed. In the video, you can see me using the blender plunger to get all the good stuff down into the blades. If you’re using a food processor, stop and scrape the bowl at least once to make sure all the chunks of jalapeños and garlic are blended out.
  • Sauce too thick? Add more fresh lime juice.
  • Can’t get fresh limes? Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice is the next best thing. You can also use it to make my favorite ginger coconut key lime bars!
Big-Batch Recipe
Joe and I don't mess around with this stuff — it's literally our favorite condiment. To make a big batch, use:
  • 1 30-oz jar mayo 
  • 2 large bunches cilantro, stems and all (rinsed well)
  • 10-20 cloves garlic (depending on how garlicky you like it)
  • juice of 3-4 limes
  • 3-4 jalapeños

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5ozCalories: 48kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 140mgPotassium: 20mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 71IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Easy, Fast, Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!