Cilantro and Green Chili Dressing

This Cilantro and Green Chili Dressing will take your ordinary, everyday dishes right into flavor town! It’s a tangy, zesty, and brightly flavored dressing that you can use to instantly elevate your mains, veggies, and more. It is gluten-free, vegan, and will only take you 15 minutes to make!

Most often that not, the difference between a boring, blah-tasting dish to a mouthwatering one lies in the sauce. And sometimes, a simple fried or grilled entrée does not need too many embellishments to make them shine. A simple sauce or dressing can do the trick! This Cilantro and Green Chili is an easy sauce that will knock everyone’s socks off and make your veggies more exciting. Serve this on top of rice bowls, roasted vegetables, or salads for an extra zing!

Reasons to Love this Cilantro and Green Chili Dressing

• This recipe is versatile as it may be used in a variety of ways. It’s a simple way to add flavor to a wide range of recipes. You can use it as a marinade, dressing, sauce, and dip!
• We used simple ingredients that you can easily find your local market.  Plus, it is a one-step, no-cook recipe that requires the use of a blender or food processor only.
• Homemade food is always best! It enables us to choose healthier ingredients. This homemade Cilantro and Green Chili Dressing is an all natural sauce that you can consume to your heart’s content.
• You don’t have to eat out to enjoy restaurant-quality food! Save some bucks and make this yummy dressing to elevate your simple lunch or dinner dishes into something amazing! The bright green color will also add a touch of sophistication to your food.
• Cilantro and green chilies do not only look and taste delicious, they are also packed with antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

Ingredients Used

• Cilantro –  The star of the show, which gives this dressing its vibrant green hue. It has a zesty and fragrant flavor. For that powerful taste punch, we are using both the leaves and stems.
• Garlic – It adds a savory taste to our dressing.
• Olive oil – It binds all our ingredients together.  Feel free to tweak the amount to get the consistency to your liking. You can also use other rich tasting oils like peanut, sesame or sunflower oil.
• Balsamic vinegar – Or you can also use rice wine vinegar. They have subtle sweet, delicate flavors with a milder acidity than distilled vinegar.
• Lemon – Adds a fresh, tangy taste to the dressing. You can also use lime as a replacement.
• Mild green chilies – Gives the right amount of heat on our dressing.  You can add more of the chilies if you want it extra spicy. We used the canned variety, but you can use fresh chilies too.
• Sea salt – makes the cilantro and chili flavor pop even more.
• Pepper – to taste.

How to make Cilantro and Green Chili Dressing

This is a super easy blender recipe.  To make the dressing, simply add everything together in a blender or food processor and pulse until the desired consistency is met.

Recipe Tips

• Since both the stems and leaves are used, make sure you thoroughly wash both and clean the stems with a damp paper towel to get rid of clinging dirt.
• After washing the cilantro, drain it completely so your dressing does not become watery.
• If you want to thin out the dressing, gradually add olive oil until you get the consistency you like.
• Unless you are using a high-powered blender or food processor, cut the garlic, cilantro, and chilies into smaller pieces to make it easier to blend them together.
• When making a smaller batch of dressing, I recommend using a blender instead of a food processor because the dressing may not combine well in a food processor.

Storing Tips

Store the Cilantro and Green Chili dressing in a tightly sealed mason jar, or bottle, in the fridge for up to 7 to 10 days. Give it a little shake prior to consumption to make sure the oil is redistributed. The dressing tastes even better after a few days once the flavors have blended more.

You can double the recipe or prepare it ahead of time and store the dressing in the fridge. It’s more convenient to have stuff on hand whenever you need it! For a longer shelf life, choose the freshest cilantro available.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cilantro and Green Chili Dressing

• Can I use frozen cilantro?  Yes, you certainly can. However, you may not obtain the same flavor as if you used fresh cilantro in the dressing.
• Is lemon better than lime?  Both give the dressing that acidic and sour taste however, lemon is a bit sweeter than lime.
• The dressing is too sour, what to do? If you’ve used too much balsamic, rice wine vinegar, or lemon, all you have to do is add some olive oil or maple syrup to balance it out.
• Is cilantro the same as coriander? A lot of time, these two names are interchangeable, depending on the region. If you are making this recipe, you need the stems and leaves of the plant, not the seeds.
• Can I reduce the chilies on the recipe? Yes, you certainly can. Or you can simply remove the seeds to reduce the spiciness of the dressing.
• Can I use just the cilantro leaves? Yes, just add more leaves to fill the 1 cup required for the recipe.