You’ll love this cool, creamy cilantro garlic sauce inspired by Pollo Tropical. With just a few simple ingredients—sour cream, garlic, fresh cilantro, lime juice, oil, and a pinch of salt—this sauce comes together in about 10 minutes. It’s perfect for tacos, fajitas, chips, sandwiches, wraps, and grilled meats.
Why it’s awesome
Fast and simple. This sauce blends quickly in a blender or food processor and is ready to serve in about 10 minutes.
Made with common ingredients. Fresh garlic, cilantro, sour cream, and lime juice give bright flavor without special shopping.
Versatile. Use it as a dip for vegetables or chips, a spread for burgers and sandwiches, or a sauce for tacos, quesadillas, grilled shrimp, and chicken.
Key ingredients
Cilantro: Use fresh cilantro leaves, rinsed and patted dry. Trim any large, woody stems.
Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves provide the best flavor—avoid bottled garlic for this recipe.
Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream gives the creamiest texture. You can substitute Greek yogurt or use a mix of mayo and sour cream (I recommend no more than half mayo).
Lime: Fresh lime juice brightens the sauce; bottled lime juice will work in a pinch.
Oil: A mild oil such as extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil blends the sauce smoothly.
Salt: Just a pinch to balance the flavors.
Directions
Rinse the cilantro and pat dry. Roughly chop the leaves, avoiding the thicker stems. Coarsely chop the garlic cloves if they are large.
Add sour cream, garlic, chopped cilantro, lime juice, oil, and a pinch of salt to a blender or food processor. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth and fully combined. For a bit of texture, blend the other ingredients first and pulse in the cilantro to your preferred consistency.
Transfer the sauce to a jar or container. Serve immediately or chill until ready to use. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to about five days—discard if the color turns grayish or off.
Recipe tips
- Use the freshest ingredients you can for the brightest flavor.
- Garlic intensity varies: this recipe uses around 2–3 cloves. Adjust to taste for milder or stronger garlic flavor.
- If you don’t have a blender, a food processor works well.
- For flecks of cilantro, add the chopped cilantro at the end and pulse a few times instead of fully blending.
FAQ
Tacos, salads, fajitas, quesadillas, grilled chicken, steak, and seafood. It also works great as a dip for raw vegetables and chips.
Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it will keep about 4–5 days. If it develops a grayish color or off smell, discard it.
More recipes you’ll enjoy
- Cilantro Lime Green Chile Grilled Chicken
- Mexican Pasta Salad
- Easy Homemade Mexican Guacamole
- Ground Beef Tacos
Recipe
Cilantro Garlic Sauce
You’ll love this cool, creamy cilantro garlic sauce that whips up in 10 minutes.
Yield: about 16 servings (small spoonfuls)
Prep time: 10 mins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups full-fat sour cream
- 2–3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped (adjust to taste)
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1–2 limes)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor.
- Blend until smooth and well combined. For speckled cilantro texture, blend other ingredients first, then pulse in cilantro to taste.
- Serve with your favorite Tex-Mex dishes or refrigerate in a sealed container until needed.
Notes
- Fresh ingredients deliver the best flavor.
- Garlic amounts can be adjusted for milder or stronger taste.
- Use a food processor if you don’t have a blender.
Nutrition (per serving)
- Calories: 66 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Fat: 7 g
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