Simple Lime Vinaigrette

If you love homemade salad dressings, you’ll love this Lime Vinaigrette recipe! It’s made with just 7 simple ingredients and it comes together in about 5 minutes. This lime vinaigrette dressing recipe is definitely one of those super easy homemade salad dressing recipes to make!

I typically use this lime vinaigrette on a lot of my Mexican-themed salads, whether the salad is green, bean or quinoa.  It’s a really great tasting basic vinaigrette that can be pulled together in a pinch.   

Another thing that’s great about this dressing is that it can double as a marinade for grilled chicken or fish!  It has a light refreshing taste that’s easy to make and it works really well for summertime barbecues.  This dressing is similar to my Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette, but this recipe has much less cilantro in it and it has its own unique taste.

Lime Vinaigrette Recipe

This recipe calls for fresh lime juice (from about 3-4 limes) and olive oil.  You could sub the olive oil with avocado oil (which has a more mild flavor) if you like.  The cumin powder and fresh cilantro gives this dressing a little added flavor.  Feel free to omit them if you either don’t have them on hand or you’re not a fan.  The dressing is still so good without these two ingredients.  

• Fresh lime juice – Don’t use bottled lime juice. Fresh is always best!
• Olive oil – I use extra-virgin olive oil, but you could easily swap that out and use avocado oil if you prefer.
• Garlic – Garlic always adds a nice flavor to salad dressings!
• Pure Maple Syrup – I use pure maple syrup to add a little sweetness to the mix, but you could use honey instead.
• Dijon Mustard – Adds flavor and helps to emulsify the dressing.
• Cilantro  – This is totally optional. But, if you have some fresh cilantro on hand, by all means, chop it up and toss it in. It’ll add a delicious pop of flavor!
• Cumin powder – This is also optional, but if  you want to add some warmth to the dressing, a pinch of cumin will do the trick.

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

How to Lime Vinaigrette

This lime vinaigrette dressing recipe is quick and easy to make, and it comes together in about 5 minutes start-to-finish.

• Juice lime:  Juice the limes either using a hand-held juicer.
• Prep Ingredients:  Smash and mince garlic, measure juice, oil, maple syrup, mustard, cilantro and cumin powder.
• Whisk:  Whisk lime juice and Dijon mustard.  Add garlic, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, cilantro and cumin powder.
• Add Oil:  Slowly whisk in the olive oil.  
• Mason Jar Method:  Add ingredients to a mason jar, seal the lid and shake well to blend. Refrigerate before using.  (The mason jar method is how I typically make this dressing).

Variations

• Add minced jalapeno
• Sprinkle in a teaspoon or two of finely grated lime zest
• Add 2-3 tablespoons more finely chopped cilantro (which I often do)

Lime Juice Benefits

Limes, along with all citrus fruits, contain plant compounds that are rich with vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. (1)  Lemons are slightly richer with these nutritional benefits than limes. 

Serving Suggestions

This is a good go-to dressing for tossing with bean salads, quinoa salads, basic green salads and cabbage slaw.  

• Black Bean and Corn Salad
• Healthy Coleslaw Recipe
• Quinoa Black Bean Salad
• Mexican Salad Recipe

Looking for more healthy homemade salad dressing recipes?

• Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
• Avocado Oil Salad Dressing
• Cleansing Lemon Herb Vinaigrette
• Avocado Citrus Vinaigrette
• Healthy Citrus Vinaigrette
• Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
• Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette

Want more ideas? Check out all my healthy homemade salad dressing recipes.

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 6-8 servings

Lime Vinaigrette

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

If you love homemade salad dressings, you'll love this Lime Vinaigrette recipe! It's made with just 7 simple ingredients and it comes together in about 5 minutes. This lime vinaigrette dressing recipe is definitely one of those super easy homemade salad dressing recipes to make!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
• 1 clove garlic, smashed, peeled and minced
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey or pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add ingredients to a mason jar and shake well until blended. Refrigerate before using.

Notes

Add minced jalapeno

Sprinkle in a teaspoon or two of finely grated lime zest

Add 2-3 tablespoons more finely chopped cilantro (which I often do)

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 132Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 55mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 0g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.