Cilantro Lime Yogurt sauce is the sauce you need in your life! A simple combo of herbs, garlic and creamy yogurt delivers taste, texture and pure yum. This yogurt lime cilantro sauce can be paired with chicken, fish, nachos, as well as practically anything and everything!
Recipes like my Herbed Yogurt Sauce and Basil Yogurt Sauce allow us to use fresh herbs to enjoy their ability to enhance other ingredients.
Pair with the Air Fryer Jerk Chicken, Air Fryer Salmon with Skin or Teriyaki Salmon Air Fryer for a match made in heaven!
Jump to:
Can you put lime juice in yogurt?
Adding lime juice to yogurt is a delightful combination. The freshness of the citrus pairs well with the creamy texture of the yogurt and ticks a lot of 'zesty fresh' boxes.
We also take the taste to the next level by using the skin of the lime (zested) for true zing!
What goes with tangy yogurt?
Chicken, fish, grilled meats and BBQ's are all options to serve a tangy yogurt with.
Store bought sauces (whilst we all still have them and use them) can be 'too sweet' because of the high sugar content.
Combining lime and yogurt for a sauce allows us to experience the taste of a sauce that delivers the same texture (a dollop on a sausage like in the Air Fryer Sausages on the side of a plate of the Air Fryer Onion Rings) or drizzled over the Tater Tot Cups in place of sour cream.
🥗 Ingredients
Everything you need for this recipe is shown in the photo below. If you grow your own cilantro, feel free to use that instead of store bought!
As you can see, the recipe calls for:
- Lime (zest and juice of).
- Salt and pepper: we use salt and a little black pepper to season the sauce.
- Garlic (peeled and end cut off).
- Greek Yogurt (can use low fat).
- Cilantro (coriander), we use the leaves and stems
I have intentionally been specific about the photo above to convey to you how we use both the zest and the juice (½) of the lime.
I haven't tried this recipe with store bought lime juice and I recommend you don't either. Some recipes it matters, some it doesn't.
For this one, a fresh lime is best!
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make this sauce.
You will need a food processor with a sharp blade (not the shred but the dice blade).
- Use a grater to zest the lime skin (Photo 1)
- Add cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper to the food processor (Photo 2)
- Blitz the ingredients for 4-5 seconds (Photo 3)
- Add Greek Yogurt and give it a whizz to combine (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How To Make Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce
We start by zesting the lime.
You will see from the 1st image, I use a hand held box like (flat version) grater. This is to get the maximum skin from the lime we can. Or you can use a microplane zester.
The texture of the lime mellows whilst the taste of the lime delivers the tang!
- Add the grated lime skin to the food processor (Photo 5)
- Blitz to combine (Photo 6)
- Squeeze in one half of the lime (Photo 7)
- Blitz again to combine (Photo 8)
Whilst we use the full lime skin (zested) for the recipe, we only need ½ the lime juice.
Taste it before you add the lime juice and again after you have added it. To me the perfect combo is delivered through that one half.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Pair this tangy yogurt with the following recipes:
- Air Fryer Roast Chicken
- Crumbed Mushrooms
- Mexican Fries (Mexican Loaded Fries)
- Crumbed Lamb Cutlets
- Marinated Chicken Thighs
- Mexican Lime Chicken Thighs
Alternative uses for it are as a replacement for sour cream, with tacos, drizzled over salmon, as a dip for crudités or a burger sauce.
In the photo below you can see the pairing of this sauce with some Air Fryer Chicken Wings. It is a match made in heaven!
Dip, eat, repeat!
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
- This recipe is quick and easy.
- It takes less than 5 mins to bring it together.
- Cilantro is the American name for 'coriander' (in Australia).
- I recommend using Greek yogurt.
- You can't get the fine texture of the lime skin without grating it (I tried in the food processor, but it is too thick, grating is best).
- The recipe makes one cup of sauce.
- The sauce will last in the fridge for at least 7 days.
- This recipe is not suitable to freeze.
😍 More Easy Homemade sauces
If you love making homemade sauces, you might like to try the following flavour combinations:
- Lime Yogurt Sauce
- Apple Sauce For Pork Belly
- Basil Yogurt Sauce
- Lemon Yogurt Sauce
- Gorgonzola Sauce
- Horseradish Yogurt Sauce
- Herbed Yogurt Sauce
- Mustard Yogurt Sauce
- Parsley Yogurt Sauce
Or check out all Homemade Sauce recipes on the blog. It is getting seriously saucy around here my friends and you are going to love it.
Adrianne
PIN and save the recipe for later
Hunger still got you? You can SUBSCRIBE to receive the latest recipes, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.
📖 Recipe
Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 lime zest of, Note 1
- 2 cups cilantro (coriander) leaves and stems
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup Greek Yogurt
- ½ lime juice of, Note 2
Instructions
- Zest lime: use a grater and chopping board to zest the lime, Note 4
- Blitz: add cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper to the food processor and blitz for 4-5 seconds.
- Combine: add Greek yogurt to garlic herb mix and blitz for 2-3 seconds to combine. Then add lime zest and blitz. Squeeze ½ lime into sauce and blitz for 2-3 seconds.
- Additional information: store in the fridge in an air tight container for 7 days.
Notes
- Note 1 - Lime zest: you can use a microplane zester to zest the lime. We zest the whole lime and add that to the sauce. But we only use ½ of the lime juice. Taste as you go, but the whole lime would be too tart in flavor.
- Note 2: Salt and pepper: we only need to smallest amount of salt and pepper. This seasons the recipe, but allows the other ingredients to shine.
Nathan says
Cilantro and lime is such a perfect flavor pairing. Can't wait to try this out the next time I make tacos!
Adrianne says
Great to hear, thanks Nathan!
Erica says
This looks so good, and I'm drooling over the thought of those chicken wings dipped in it. Thank you!
Adrianne says
No worries, thanks for your feedback Erica!!
Jenny Barnes says
This sauce is amazing. We served it with salmon tacos. Thanks.
Adrianne says
That sounds like a delicious combination, thanks Jenny!