Whether you need a cool and creamy sauce for a homemade meal or an easy sauce for adding to a cooked-from-frozen meal, this cilantro lime yogurt sauce takes just a few minutes to make.
Serve this cilantro lime Greek yogurt condiment as a side with your favorite nachos, tacos, spicy curries, grilled steak, smashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and so much more!
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About This Recipe
This is basically a dressed up version of my easy lemon Greek yogurt sauce. Lime and cilantro pair really well with a wide variety of dishes — from curries to tacos to roasted vegetables — and this lime cilantro sauce is one of my go-to condiments for them.
Variations on yogurt or sour cream sauces have long been staples in so many different cultures and cuisines. It takes inspiration from raita (Indian yogurt sauce) and crema (a Mexican sauce with the consistency of a thin sour cream).
Lime and cilantro are used often in both Indian and Mexican cooking, which makes this sauce a great addition to many recipes from both cuisines. The cool yogurt, sweet-tart lime flavor, and citrus-y cilantro really help balance out those warm, spicy flavors!
Cilantro (which is called coriander in most parts of the world) is a bit of a divisive flavor. Some people have a gene which makes cilantro taste like soap — if that's you, you can skip the cilantro here and still enjoy this lime yogurt sauce without it.
Ingredient Notes
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this super simple cilantro lime yogurt sauce. Keep scrolling for suggested substitutions and variations, and see recipe card for quantities!
- Whole Milk, Plain Greek Yogurt - Whole milk, whole fat plain Greek yogurt has the best flavor and consistency for making this sauce. Greek yogurt is plain yogurt that has had any excess whey or liquid drained out. This means it's thicker and more concentrated. If you can't find whole fat (10%+) Greek yogurt, just get the highest percentage of fat you can find. However, low or no-fat Greek yogurts won't help as much with cutting back on heat from spicy foods — you need the fat for that!
- Fresh Lime Juice - Lime juice adds a slightly bitter, fruity, acidic flavor. It also helps thin out the yogurt into a smoother sauce.
- Fresh Lime Zest - Lime zest is what really brings the lime flavor to the table. You don't have to include it, but I do recommend it for maximum lime vibes.
- Salt - I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt which has larger, airy crystals and is half as salty as other brands. If you're using a different brand of salt, even a different brand of kosher salt, cut the amount of salt in half and adjust to taste.
- Pepper - I like freshly cracked black pepper, but you can use pre-ground black pepper too.
- Fresh Cilantro - Use a sharp knife to mince fresh cilantro quite finely. You don't want huge chunks of cilantro leaves in your yogurt sauce! Don't worry about removing the leaves from the stems, it's totally fine if some stems get in there too.
Easy Instructions
It only takes about 5 minutes to make this simple lime cilantro yogurt sauce. You're basically mixing a bunch of stuff together in a bowl.
You can also use an immersion blender, mini blender, hand mixer, or mini food processor if you have wrist or joint issues.
Tip: Always zest the lime BEFORE you juice it. I like using a fine zester for quickly shaving off the outer lemon peel. Don't zest too deep into the skin; the pith (the white part of the peel under the skin) is very bitter!
Zest half of the lime into the bowl of Greek yogurt. Then squeeze the lime juice into the bowl. Start with half the lime. You can always add more later to adjust.
Add salt and pepper, then whisk well until smooth and creamy. The greek yogurt is quite thick. Start whisking in small circles to incorporate, slowly adding more from the side as you go.
Add the cilantro to the bowl last and whisk it well until it's evenly distributed. So easy!
Now the best part: Taste it! You can add more salt or pepper, more cilantro or lime juice, etc. It's really up to you!
Adjusting Flavor & Consistency
Here's how to think about the different ingredients in this lime yogurt sauce so you can adjust the flavor and consistency until it's just right.
- Greek Yogurt: This will thicken your yogurt sauce. Add more if you prefer to dollop your lime cilantro sauce and have it hold its shape.
- Lime Juice: This will thin out your yogurt sauce. Add more if you prefer a runnier, more drizzle-friendly yogurt sauce.
- Lime Zest: This will add more lime flavor. Add more for a stronger lime flavor.
- Salt and Pepper: If your cilantro lime yogurt sauce still tastes a bit too much like yogurt, adding a pinch more salt and pepper will help tip it over into a decidedly "savory" sauce territory.
Using Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce
- Dollop onto your favorite tacos, spoon it into burritos, spread it on tostadas, or drizzle over nachos.
- Serve as a dipping sauce for roasted or raw veggies (it's great on a crudité platter!)
- Serve as a dipping sauce or finishing sauce for grilled meat or fish — the bright lime flavor is great with chicken, beef, and pork.
- Dollop it over a slice of samosa pot pie. The cool, creamy yogurt and slightly fruity lime flavors are a great contrast to the lightly spiced potato filling.
- Serve it as a dipping sauce for tikka masala pierogi or dal pierogi. Both of these are made with creamy mashed potatoes and warm Indian flavors and pair really well with the cool yogurt dipping sauce! It might not be a traditional raita, but these aren't traditional pierogi either.
- In a similar vein, I often make this lime yogurt sauce as a side to go with tikka masala or samosas when I order Indian takeout.
- Jazz up your favorite frozen Trader Joe's foods: This lime cilantro yogurt sauce is so good with Trader Joe's frozen tikka masala meals, vegetable masala burgers, and chicken cilantro wontons.
- Try drizzling it over a simple tomato curry chicken. You'll want a thinner version of the lime yogurt sauce for this.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Greek Yogurt - Instead of plain whole fat greek yogurt, use sour cream. Low or non-fat plain yogurts will also work, but they're not as thick as whole fat Greek yogurt.
- Vegan/Dairy Free - I don't have experience with lactose-free or plant based greek yogurts, but there's no reason a lactose-free or plant based or plain Greek style yogurt wouldn't work here too if you're vegan or dairy-free.
- Fresh Lime Zest - Use ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon crystalized lime or dried lime zest instead. This is harder to find than dried lemon zest, but it does exist!
- Fresh Lime Juice - Use 1½ to 3 tablespoons of bottled lime juice.
- Black Pepper - White pepper, pink peppercorns, tricolored peppercorns, etc. You could also skip the pepper entirely if it's just not your thing.
- Fresh Cilantro - Use 1 tablespoon dried cilantro instead. A good rule of thumb when subbing in dried herbs instead of fresh is to use ¼ to ⅓ of the amount the recipe calls for.
Variations & Other Flavors to Include
Giving the visitor ideas on how they can change this recipe to better suit their dinner guests, or their cultural cuisine, is a great way to increase the chances they make the recipe
- Spicy - Add a pinch (⅛ teaspoon) cayenne pepper, ancho chili powder, hot smoky paprika, or any other hot pepper powder or spicy seasoning blends. You could even grate a fresh hot pepper like a jalapeño, poblano, fresno, or serrano into the sauce to add fresh pepper flavor.
- Avocado - Blend half a ripe avocado into the lime yogurt sauce in a mini food processor or blender. This gives a nice avocado crema vibe. Add more avocado for a thicker avocado sauce. This is great with spicy chicken or fish tacos!
- Garlic - Grate or paste a garlic clove and stir it in for a garlicky lime sauce.
- Ginger - Grate ½ teaspoon fresh ginger into the lime cilantro yogurt sauce.
I also have a quick 5-minute lemon Greek yogurt sauce on my site!
Storage
Store lime cilantro yogurt sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. Some separation will naturally occur, stir to combine before serving. It is best used within 2-3 days.
The more lime juice juice you use in your lime yogurt sauce, the quicker the mixture will curdle and separate. A very thin, drizzle-able lime yogurt sauce with lots of lime juice in it is best used same-day.
Practical Tips and Recipe Notes
- You hardly need measurements to make this recipe — what I've provided here are guidelines at best. You should absolutely adjust the flavors and consistency to suit your needs. This is an easy, low-lift, low-effort, simple condiment to round out your meal. Don't stress out about it. When it tastes good to you, it's done!
- Look for the single-serving cups of Greek yogurt at the grocery store. There's usually enough room at the top of the container that you can mix everything in it without having to wash another bowl.
- Start with a lesser amount of salt when mixing. You can always add more salt, but you can't take salt out of it!
Recipe FAQ
Nope! You can definitely leave the cilantro out. The cool lime yogurt sauce will still pair well with all of the dishes I listed above and can be used in the same way.
📖 Recipe
Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole fat plain greek yogurt
- 1 lime (2 tablespoons, juiced)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro (minced)
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt (use half as much of another brand)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine greek yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk well until combined.
- Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Serve as a dipping sauce or drizzle over roasted veggies, tacos, nachos, samosas, etc!
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up 2-3 days.
RECIPE NOTES
- Look for the single-serving cups of Greek yogurt at the grocery store. There's usually enough room at the top of the container that you can mix everything in it without having to wash another bowl.
- You can absolutely leave the cilantro out if you don't like it.
- To create a thinner sauce, add more lime juice. For more intense lime flavor, add more lime zest!
- Always zest the lime before you juice it!
- Some separation will naturally occur while stored in the fridge, stir to combine before serving.
- See blog post for suggested ingredient substitutions and variations!
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