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Creamy Cilantro Mayo

Cilantro mayo is a delicious condiment with the fresh flavors of cilantro and lime. This savory mayonnaise works great as a dip, sauce or spread. It can be used to flavour sandwiches or burgers, as a dip for your favourite appetizers or chicken wings, or as a sauce for grilled chicken or beef.

Cilantro mayonnaise in a small dish with a spoon.
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What is Cilantro Mayonnaise?

Cilantro mayo is a creamy, condiment that works well as either a dip or spread.

Sometimes called cilantro aioli, it is made with mayonnaise and blended with fresh cilantro, garlic and lime. It only takes about 5 minutes to prepare and has an amazing, fresh flavour.

This mayonnaise can be used as creamy sauce or dip for grilled foods such as chicken burgers and chicken tenders, it also works well as a dip for your favourite appetizers, such as tequila lime chicken wings, habanero hot wings, meatballs, and so much more.  

We love it with sweet potato fries, french fries, breaded shrimp, and chicken or steak bites. It is also fantastic on burgers and sandwiches, drizzled on Crispy Chicken Tacos, or as a simple veggie dip. 

Cilantro mayonnaise in a small dish with a spoon.

Ingredients & Substitutions

For a full list of ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

This easy recipe comes together with just four ingredients.

Mayonnaise – Choose your favourite store-bought mayonnaise brand. You can use full-fat, low-fat or even fat-free mayonnaise. If you have a favourite recipe for homemade mayonnaise, you could also use that.  If you want more Mexican Crema, instead of a mayo, you can use Greek yogurt or sour cream instead of all or some of the mayo. 

Cilantro – Cilantro is the main ingredient in this creamy sauce, and it is essential that you use fresh. Look for cilantro that is bright green, fragrant, and free of brown or wilted leaves.

Garlic – This recipe uses a small, fresh garlic clove which adds to the flavour but doesn’t overpower the flavour of the cilantro. If you don’t have fresh garlic cloves, use half a teaspoon of granulated garlic instead.

Lime juice – This adds a bit of acidity and brings all the flavours together. I highly recommend fresh lime juice, but you can use bottled if that is all you have. Lemon juice can also be used if you don’t have lime.

Additional ingredients you may want to try:

Fresh Jalapeno – For a bit of spice, try adding a fresh jalapeno, jalapeno goes perfectly with cilantro and lime.

Green onions – A bit of green onion can be used instead of garlic, or as an additional flavor component.

Ingredients for cilantro mayo.

Pro-Tip: Choose a small garlic clove for this recipe. You want the garlic to add to the flavour, but not overshadow the flavour of the cilantro.

Step by Step Instructions

Add the mayonnaise, cilantro, garlic and lime juice to a small bowl.

Mayonnaise, chopped cilantro, lime juice and garlic in a small mixing bowl.

Mix the ingredients.  The easiest way to blend this zesty sauce is using an immersion blender.  Pulse the blender a few times to mix the ingredients until smooth.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a food processor or blender for this step.

Cilantro mayo in a small mixing bowl with an immersion blender.

Taste the mayonnaise; if it feels like it doesn’t have enough flavor, or you want a bit more lime, you can add it now.

Move the prepared mayo to a small jar for storage.

Pro-Tip: This mayo dip can be served immediately, but the flavours will blend more if it has time to rest for at least thirty minutes before serving. You will also notice the flavour becomes stronger after a day or more in the refrigerator.

Serving Suggestions

This creamy mayonnaise is a condiment that can be used in various ways.

This creamy mayo is perfect as a dipping sauce for French fries, sweet potato fries, air-fried tater totschicken bites and roasted veggies. 

It is also excellent with breaded or fried shrimp and other appetizers. 

The zesty flavor combination of the lime and cilantro goes especially well with chicken dishes, such as grilled chicken breasts, chicken wings, or even on chicken or shrimp tacos.

Cilantro lime sauce is also the perfect condiment for chicken or beef burgers or sandwiches, and it can be used as the mayonnaise component in dishes like deviled eggs.

If you want to use it as a salad dressing, you can thin it with a bit of buttermilk.  It would be great on dishes such as Southwest Chicken Salad, as the base for a cold chicken salad, or even to add a twist on egg salad.

A glazed chicken wing dipped in a bowl of cilantro mayo.

Top Tips & FAQS

  • You can easily double or triple this recipe depending, on the quantity you need.
  • Make this cilantro mayo vegan by choosing a vegan mayonnaise.
  • The prepared mayo can be served immediately, but letting it rest for thirty minutes before serving will allow the flavours to deepen.
How long will cilantro mayo keep?

Cilantro mayo can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about ten days.

Printable Recipe

Creamy Cilantro Mayo

Cilantro mayo is a delicious condiment with the fresh flavors of cilantro and lime. This savory mayonnaise works great as a dip, sauce or spread.
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Course: Sauces and Spreads
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 8 Tablespoons
Calories: 97kcal
Author: Deanna

Ingredients

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup cilantro loosely packed
  • 2 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 clove garlic

Instructions

  • Place all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
  • Using an immersion blender, pulse a few times until the mayonnaise is smooth and the ingredients are well blended. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a food processor or blender.
  • Taste the mayonnaise, add more cilantro or lime if needed.
  • Move to a small jar or airtight container for storage.

Notes

Fresh ingredients, such as cilantro and limes, will vary in flavor depending on the season and how fresh they are.  Taste the mayonnaise before serving and adjust as necessary. 

Nutrition

Estimated Nutrition Facts
Creamy Cilantro Mayo
Amount per Serving
Calories
97
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
10
g
15
%
Saturated Fat
 
2
g
13
%
Trans Fat
 
0.03
g
Sodium
 
90
mg
4
%
Carbohydrates
 
0.4
g
0
%
Fiber
 
0.1
g
0
%
Sugar
 
0.1
g
0
%
Protein
 
0.2
g
0
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

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Food Safety and Storage

You can store homemade cilantro mayonnaise in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should keep well for about ten days.

Small mason jars work very well for this.

Storage time may be reduced if you use homemade mayonnaise rather than prepared, store-bought mayonnaise as the base for this recipe.

Equipment

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchase

Small mixing bowl – A small mixing bowl is all you need for this recipe. To give enough room to mix and use the immersion blender without splashing, I generally use a four-cup glass mixing bowl.

Immersion blender – An immersion blender makes the mixing process quick and easy, and creates a nice, smooth sauce. A food processor or blender may also be used.

Small Mason jarsSmall glass mason jars are perfect for storing leftovers.

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