This creamy avocado cilantro lime sauce is easy to make, taking just 5 minutes from start to finish. With only 6 ingredients, it’s simple to prepare in a blender or food processor. This versatile sauce doubles as a dipping sauce for chips and veggies or as a topping for fish tacos. Featuring a tangy lime flavor and a hint of cilantro, it adds freshness to any dish.
Savory. Creamy. Tangy. And super delicious.
That’s how I’d describe this avocado cilantro lime sauce.
If you want a sauce that’s versatile and you can dip your chips in, place on the side of some grilled chicken thighs, or on top of some grilled fish tacos, this sauce is for you.
I’ve made a lot of sauces – from a chipotle lime sauce to a smoked paprika mayo sauce to a dill ranch dip, there’s a lot of recipe testing my family gets to do!
This one is a little different though, because it’s light and refreshing while still be creamy and delicious.
So read on for the simple instructions and step by step photos, as well as suggestions for what to dip in ranch!
Grab these ingredients
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
- Avocado: use a ripe and soft avocado to make the sauce creamy. An underripe avocado will be hard to mix in, even in a blender.
- Cilantro: use fresh cilantro (not dried) and remove the leaves from the stems before putting it in the blender.
- Sour cream: use full fat for a richer flavor. You can substitute reduced fat if you like, though the sauce won’t be as creamy.
- Lime juice: you can use either bottled or fresh lime juice in this sauce, though I strongly prefer fresh.
- Kosher salt: this recipe calls for Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which is my preferred salt. It is less salty by volume than other salts which means it leaves a little more room for error when salting your food. If you are using a different type of salt (kosher or otherwise), you’ll want to use this salt conversion chart from Epicurious to determine how much salt to use.
How to make this avocado dip sauce
(Note: please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the complete written instructions.)
How to use this sauce
There are a number of different way you can use this lime avocado sauce. Here are some of my family’s favorites!
- A dipping sauce for veggies or potatoes (the creaminess and saltiness of the sauce goes great with grilled sweet potato wedges).
- On top of shrimp or fish tacos – I’ve piled it onto some cabbage with cod tacos and it’s so good!
- As a dressing for salads or coleslaws! Use it with a bag of plain pre-cut coleslaw for a little twist.
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Creamy Avocado Lime Cilantro Sauce (for Tacos, Chicken, & Salmon)
Equipment
- A spatula, spoon, or other utensil
- A blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1 avocado roughly 1 cup
- 4 tbsp lime juice 2 medium limes
- 2 tsp kosher salt more to taste if desired
- ⅛ garlic powder
- ½ cup whole fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ cup sour cream full fat
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife and cutting board to cut the avocado in half, then use a spatula, spoon, or other utensil to scoop out the flesh and place it in a blender (or food processor).
- Use measuring spoons to measure out the lime juice, garlic powder, and kosher salt (or juice a lime if needed) and add it into the blender, along with the whole cilantro leaves. Place the lid on the blender and blend on medium-low until the ingredients are well mixed (should be no longer than 1 minute, though you may need to stop once or twice to help them mix as the sauce will be thick).
- Remove the lid from the blender and scrape down the sides with the utensil you used for the avocado. Use measuring cups to measure out then add in the sour cream to the blender. Put the lid on again and blend on low until the sour cream is incorporated (no more than 30 seconds).
- Use the spatula to spoon the sauce into a bowl or other dish and serve! To store, place the sauce in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Notes
- Don’t blend the sauce at too high a speed once it has the sour cream in it. That can cause the sauce to get air bubbles. You want to mix it at a lower speed and just long enough to incorporate everything.
- If you want a thinner sauce, you can either add more lime juice or a little bit of the “water” from the sour cream container.
- If you’d like a stronger cilantro flavor, increase the amount to either ¾ cup or 1 cup of fresh cilantro leaves.
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