May we present to you the most creamy vegan cilantro lime dressing that will knock you off your feet. In under 10 minutes, you'll have a sauce to put on literally everything. And you will.
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📖 About
We always seem to have some type of sauce (or three, or four) in our fridge. But, if we could choose only one, it would be this creamy cilantro lime sauce. Okay, maybe a zesty cheese sauce too. And a ranch. Just these three for now.
We've had many variations of this plant-based sauce over the years. All versions have been a hit, but we always wanted to make it even creamier. Why not make a good thing better, right?
Enter cashews.
We are obsessed with cashews. They are the perfect base to make any sauce creamier.
🍲 Key ingredients
- Lime: this adds tang to the sauce, and pairs perfectly with cilantro. Has there ever been a fresher combo?
- Cashews: as we mentioned above, cashew nuts make the sauce creamy without having to use any dairy.
- Cilantro: the star flavor profile of the dish. Some people think it tastes like soap. But, since you came to this page, we'll assume you think it rocks (just like us).
- Jalapeño: gives this recipe a little kick. It's not too spicy, it's just letting you know it's there.
- Garlic: we opt for fresh garlic in pretty much all of the sauces we make. It packs a punch of flavor, and it's extremely healthy for you. It would be silly not to go for fresh garlic if it's available to you.
🔪 Instructions
To start with, you'll want to pre-soak the cashews. It's best to let them sit in water overnight, but if you are wanting to shorten the length of this recipe, you can soak them in boiling water for about 1-2 hours.
It's still completely possible to make this sauce without soaking the cashews, it might just have a more grainy texture. But, it definitely doesn't affect the taste.
Now for the hard part. Throw all of the ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender and mix until smooth. The blending time may vary depending on how strong your mixer is, but just keep scraping the sides and you'll get there!
🌡️ Storage
If it lasts this long, it will keep for 7-10 days in the fridge. But, good luck.
💭 Budget tips
We think everyone should be able to eat better for less, so here are a few tricks to make this recipe even more affordable:
- Purchase your cashews at bulk food stores or Costco if you live near one
- Use a cheaper neutral oil, like canola, instead of the avocado oil
- Use cane sugar in place of the coconut sugar
🍴 Tasting notes
We know this will be your next go-to sauce. It's:
- Tangy
- Fresh
- Creamy
- Balanced
If you try this sauce, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
Equipment
- High-speed blender
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped ($0.14)
- 2 tbsp lime, juiced ($0.24)
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked ($0.86)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar ($0.11)
- ½ tbsp avocado oil ($0.10)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.04)
- 1 tsp coconut or cane sugar ($0.02)
- ½-1 tbsp jalapeño, seeded and diced ($0.05)
- ¼ cup water ($0.00)
- Sea salt to taste ($0.02)
Instructions
- To begin, soak the cashews overnight in room temperature water, or for 1-2 hours in boiling water. You can omit this step, but the consistency of the sauce will be more grainy.
- Next, drain the cashews if you soaked them. place all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend until creamy, about 2-4 minutes.
- Serve this sauce over salads, buddha bowls, enchiladas, wraps, or anything you can think of! Transfer it to a mason jar to store in your fridge.
Notes
- For the creamiest results, use a high-speed blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec. It's completely worth the investment.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For some meals to enjoy this sauce on, check out our:
- Sweet potato & bean enchiladas for a flavorful and protein-packed recipe.
- Tofu Buddha bowl if you need a dish that's ideal for meal-prepping.
- Coconut crusted cauliflower tacos because everything tastes better in taco form!
💬 FAQ
You don't have to use cashews. Other nuts or seeds will work, but the taste may differ slightly. Sunflower seeds are the closest alternative to cashews.
You can make this dressing nut-free by using avocado in place of the cashews, but it will not store quite as long in the fridge.
If you don't like cilantro, you could try using dill and switch out the lime for a lemon!
leave a comment and rating!