Lime Vinaigrette with Garlic
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Feb 21, 2025 Creamy Garlic Lime Vinaigrette Recipe is a zesty dressing featuring the sharp tang of fresh lime juice combined with garlic and a touch of sweetness from honey! This versatile salad dressing adds a burst of citrusy freshness to salads, grilled vegetables, or as a marinade for meats!
Why We Love Lime Vinaigrette
I love made-from-scratch salad dressing.
No preservatives or fillers here. Using simple on-hand ingredients you can make an array of vinaigrettes and dressing that will blow your mind. BOOM.
This Lime Dressing is one of my favorite go-to vinaigrettes. I decided to put it on the blog after I served it to some friends and they asked to take the rest of the jar home after dinner.
I figure if we can’t get enough of it, and they can’t get enough of it, you might like it as well!
Lime Vinaigrette Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Zest of one lime
- Fresh lime juice from 1-2 limes
- Minced Garlic
- Honey
- Heavy cream – just a smidge
- Salt and pepper
How To Make Lime Vinaigrette
- Pour all ingredients into the jar with salt and cracked black pepper.
- Screw the lid on tight. Shake until smooth and creamy.
Get The Full (Printable) Lime Salad Dressing Recipe with Measurements Below.
See how easy that was? Simply pour all the ingredients into a mason jar and shake until smooth.
Who needs to buy bottled salad dressing? Not us.
This lime vinaigrette salad dressing will be your new go-to homemade dressing! Pair it with all of your favorite salads and veggies!
Optional Add-Ins
- Kick up the spice with crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Deepen the citrus flavor with the additional of lemon zest along with the lime zest and juice.
- Give it herby essence with fresh or dried thyme, rosemary, or basil.
- Thicken the dressing by adding sour cream or yogurt in place of heavy cream.
Serving Suggestions
Try this creamy lime dressing on Chunky Strawberry Salad, Fried Goat Cheese Salad, Peach Burrata Caprese Salad, or Grilled Peach and Watercress Salad.
Also drizzle it over Homemade Chipotle Bowls and Chipotle Rice (Copycat Recipe), with Roasted Corn Salsa. And over Chicken Tinga Tacos (Instant Pot & Stovetop), Yucatán Garlic Butter Shrimp, or even our Caribbean Shrimp Burger Recipe!
Looking for More Homemade Dressings and Sauces?
- Japanese Ginger Salad Dressing
- Best Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
- Mystical Green Goddess Dressing
- Homemade Catalina Dressing
- Best Greek Salad Dressing
- Honey Mustard Dressing
- The Best Ranchero Sauce Recipe
- Texas Pete Vinaigrette
- Peri Peri Sauce
- Creamy Pesto Sauce
- Garlic Parmesan Sauce
- Poblano Sauce
- Best Homemade Cocktail Sauce (Seafood Sauce)
- Homemade Buffalo Wing Sauce
- Garlic Butter Sauce
Garlic Lime Vinaigrette Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Zest of one lime
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice from 1-2 limes
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients into the jar with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper.
- Screw the lid on tightly and shake until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Sounds delicious! Could you use agave instead of honey?
Marilynn, Sure!
Homemade salad dressings are simply the best! I never buy dressing anymore!
Just found this website and have found 3 recipes I will be making the next couple of weeks – just curious if you’ve made this with lemon instead of lime? I don’t have any limes on hand and want to make this now!
Hey Kathy, Of course! You I’d use a little less lemon than lime though…
I was surprised to see cream used here, I was expecting mayo. How do you think that may work instead? Can’t get me head around the addition of cream
I was wondering something similar… only I’d like to omit the cream altogether! Should any adjustments be made to compensate?
Instead of cream, you can use yogurt, the thicker the better. Try spooning some yogurt into a coffee filter, let rest overnight, and in the morning its very thick (spreadable). Keep refrigerated.
I’m not sure I’ve tried anything quite like this…can’t wait to make it!
This looks and sounds amazing! I love lime and vinaigrettes are my favourite types of dressings!
Garlic and lime… sounds like an interesting pair. It sounds great as a summer vinaigrette!
This sounds delicious, I’m wondering, can it be made to keep in the fridge? How long do you think it will stay good?
Hi Renee, I’ve kept it in the fridge for 2 weeks before. Usually ours doesn’t last longer than that!
I was JUST about to ask this question. Thanks for answering, Sommer :)
This looks good. I am not a lime or lemon fan. Anything you could suggest I could use? Or maybe not add it at all?
Thanks
Jennifer
Orange would probably work!
You could substitute orange like Sarah mentioned, you use your favorite vinegar!
Thank you so much.!!
So amazingly delicious!
Some of my favorite flavors! This would be perfect on almost any salad!
This sounds like the perfect summer salad dressing! I’m imagining this on a salad of lettuce and spinach, heirloom tomatoes, sliced onions, and dried cranberries…yum! Perfection. Pinned!
I made this and used all ingredients and amounts except I replaced the heavy cream with plain stirred yogurt. Deeelicious! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I’m curious though: Don’t vinaigrette dressings all have some type of vinegar in them? (I’m a newbie in the kitchen so I know virtually nothing!)
Hi Alexander,
Technically, yes. You need vinegar to make a vinaigrette. However, the amount of lime juice used here is acting as the acidic “vinegar” in this dressing. :)