Dairy-Free Low-Fat Cilantro Dressing

Dairy Free Low Fat Cilantro Dressing

This dairy-free low-fat cilantro dressing can be used in a variety of dishes. Add it to steamed white rice, pasta, mashed avocado, pico de gallo, or use it as a marinade.

Extra virgin olive oil bottle next to a jar of a homemade Dairy-Free Low-Fat Cilantro Dressing

Last year I tried growing a few bunches of cilantro at home. They started out well and tripled in size, but then once they started bolting (sprouting flowers), the leaves lost their flavor and thinned out. I think I planted them too late in the Spring when the weather was already getting warm. Apparently they don’t like warm weather or my brown thumb.

Anyway, it’s one of my favorite herbs to use. Nine times out of ten you can find it in my fridge because I add it to almost every savory dish.

The first time I made this, I mixed it into a pot of steamed white rice. Everyone at home liked it so much that I made it a few more times and then decided to experiment with it some more. I tried it with chicken, avocado, shrimp even! Needless to say, it’s been a hit at home. Especially with rice and pasta! That is my preferred way to use it.

If you like cilantro as much as I do, you will love this dressing more than most for its dairy-free low-fat ingredient list.

It takes one whole bunch to make one cup of dressing, so you know the cilantro flavor is strong in this one.

The ingredients are simple:

  • 1 whole bunch of cilantro (about 1 1/2 cups – 2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Ingredients for Dairy-Free Low-Fat Cilantro Dressing

To begin, mince the garlic.

Then, using the flat part of the blade on a chefs knife, smash the garlic with the salt until it starts looking like a paste. The salt helps release the oils from the garlic which then turns it into a paste-like texture.

Minced garlic with sea salt then smashed into a paste.

After that, the rest is a piece of cake!

Just blend everything well with a hand blender until it’s fully emulsified.Dairy-Free Low-Fat Cilantro DressingTaste and adjust the flavor with a little bit of salt if needed. Keep in mind, however, you will most likely add salt to the main dish that you’ll be using it in as well, so go easy on the salt.

This recipe will yield almost one full cup.

Dairy-Free Low-Fat Cilantro Dressing in a glass jar

At this point, you can use it right away or save it in the fridge for a few days until you’re ready to use it.

Another option, if you’re impatient like me, is to make an avocado dip or spread like I did below.

Dairy-Free Low-Fat Cilantro Dressing with Avocado

All I did was blend two or three (can’t remember how much exactly) tablespoons of the dressing with one whole avocado and used it in my sandwich.

For the sandwich below I used the cilantro dressing with avocado spread, queso fresco for the cheese, red leaf Romaine lettuce, and grilled zucchini and portobello mushrooms on buttered sourdough toast.

Grilled Zucchini and Portobello Mushroom Sandwich with Dairy-Free Low-Fat Cilantro Dressing

Next week I’ll share a pasta salad recipe that I made with the remaining dressing from this batch, so stay tuned!

Bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil next to a glass jar filled with a homemade cilantro dressing.

Don’t forget to pin and share this recipe!

 

If you liked this post, you might also like my  Cucumber Avocado Sandwich.

Dairy-Free Low-Fat Cilantro Dressing

This dairy-free, low-fat cilantro dressing can be used in a variety of dishes. Add it to steamed white rice, pasta, mashed avocado, pico de gallo, or use it as a marinade.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cilantro, rinsed, roughly chopped (bottom of stems cut off)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 large garlic cloves

Instructions

  1. Mince the garlic. Using the flat part of the blade on a chefs knife, smash the garlic with the salt until it starts looking like a paste. 

  2. Blend everything with a hand blender until fully emulsified. Store in an airtight container or glass jar with lid in the fridge until ready to use. 


by Stephanie Chavez

Author & Content Creator for Spanglish Spoon.