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This Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette is a tangy, fresh dressing made with tomatillos, cilantro, lime, and just a little jalapeño. It’s a copycat of the light vinaigrette served at Cafe Rio and is also very similar to the cilantro lime vinaigrette at Costa Vida. It’s especially good on taco salads, but there’s plenty more you can do with it!
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This is so good. It looks and taste like the dressing from Costa Vida.” – Kelly
“Had this for dinner last night and it’s dead on!” – Emma
“This tastes even better than Cafe Rios! I try to always keep the ingredients on hand to make this.” – Kristyn
How I Finally Got This Vinaigrette Right
I tried for years to figure out the cilantro lime vinaigrette at Cafe Rio. It took a lot of attempts, but I finally came up with a homemade version that tastes so close to the one I order at the restaurant. The fresh cilantro, lime, and tomatillos make all the difference.
Costa Vida serves a very similar cilantro lime vinaigrette, too, so this recipe is a great option for fans of either restaurant. And if you’re thinking of the creamy cilantro dressing, that’s a different recipe! This one is a pourable, oil-and-vinegar-based vinaigrette, not the ranch-style dressing. You can find that version in our Cafe Rio Ranch Dressing recipe.
🩷 Erica
Table of Contents
- 5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- How I Finally Got This Vinaigrette Right
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- How to Make Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- Recipe Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Make Ahead and Storage
- Serving Ideas for Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- More Cafe Rio Copycat Recipes
- Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Tomatillos: Remove the papery husks, rinse off the sticky coating, and roughly chop them. You can use them raw in this dressing. If you love their tangy flavor, try our Homemade Tomatillo Salsa Verde, too.
- Fresh cilantro and limes: Use fresh cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice for the best flavor. I also love growing cilantro in my garden when I can.
- Garlic and jalapeño: Fresh garlic is best. Remove the jalapeño seeds and membranes for a milder dressing, though the pepper can still have a little heat.
- Sugar: Just enough to balance the tangy lime and tomatillos.
- Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing: This is the important one! Use a prepared, bottled balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, not straight balsamic vinegar. A light-colored vinaigrette will help keep the dressing greener. Darker brands may give it a brownish color.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- A different balsamic vinaigrette: Readers have had success with lighter bottled dressings, including Newman’s Own white balsamic vinaigrette and Panera’s bottled balsamic dressing. The color and sweetness can vary depending on the brand.
- More or less heat: Start with the amount of diced jalapeño in the recipe. Add more if you like a spicier dressing, or reduce it for less heat.
- Honey or maple syrup: Either can replace the sugar, but start with a little and taste before adding more.
- Salt and pepper: Taste after blending and add a little if your bottled vinaigrette needs extra seasoning.
- Creamier dressing: A little avocado or Greek yogurt will change the texture, but it won’t be the same vinaigrette. For the creamy restaurant-style option, make our Cafe Rio Ranch Dressing instead.
How to Make Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- Prepare the fresh ingredients and add them to a blender. Remove the husks from the tomatillos, rinse and chop them, and prepare the cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, and fresh lime juice. Add everything to a blender or food processor along with the sugar and balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing.
- Blend until smooth. Blend until the tomatillos and cilantro are finely mixed and the dressing is smooth and pourable, with no large pieces remaining.
- Refrigerate the dressing. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to let the flavors come together.
- Shake and serve. Give the dressing a good shake or stir before serving. Pour over your favorite salad or serve on the side.
Recipe Tips
- Use prepared balsamic vinaigrette, not balsamic vinegar. Several readers have accidentally used straight vinegar, and the dressing turns out much too sharp.
- Don’t worry if yours isn’t bright green. The color depends quite a bit on the bottled dressing you use. A darker balsamic vinaigrette can make the finished dressing look brown even when it tastes good.
- Blend it really well. The tomatillos and cilantro should be thoroughly broken down for a smooth dressing.
- Taste before adding more sweetener or salt. Bottled balsamic vinaigrettes already vary in sweetness and seasoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tomatillos are small, tart fruits covered in papery husks. Although they look like green tomatoes, they’re actually different. They have a slightly tangy, citrusy flavor that works really well in this vinaigrette. You can usually find them in the produce section of your grocery store. We also love them in our Homemade Tomatillo Salsa Verde.
Yes, you can try roasting them first for a deeper, slightly smoky flavor. One reader shared that she roasted both in her air fryer before making the dressing and loved the results. Let them cool before blending. Keep them raw if you want the fresher flavor of the original recipe.
This is our homemade copycat recipe, not an official recipe from either restaurant. I spent years trying to recreate the flavor of Cafe Rio’s cilantro lime vinaigrette, and the result is also very similar to the vinaigrette served at Costa Vida.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make ahead: I recommend making this at least 2 hours before serving, or the night before. The chill time helps the flavors come together.
Storing: Pour the dressing into a covered jar or airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Because this recipe contains fresh herbs and vegetables, don’t use the longer storage time listed for some bottled dressings.
Before serving: The dressing may separate in the refrigerator. Give the jar a good shake or stir before using.
Serving Ideas for Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
This is the dressing I reach for when putting together a Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad at home. Add some Cafe Rio Sweet Pork, Salsa Fresca (Pico de Gallo), Best Guacamole, Cilantro Lime Rice, Black Beans, and crunchy Tortilla Strips in a Homemade Flour Tortilla for a restaurant-style meal. It’s also good drizzled over burritos, tacos, rice bowls, or bean salads. You can use a separate portion as a marinade for chicken or fish, too. Just don’t reuse any dressing that has touched raw meat.
More Cafe Rio Copycat Recipes
We love a good copycat recipe, and we absolutely adore anything from Cafe Rio and Costa Vida! As much as we love going out to eat, there’s something so comforting about creating a homemade meal in your very own kitchen so are a bunch of our most scrumptious recipes straight from our favorite restaurant.
If you make this vinaigrette, I’d love to know how it compares to your favorite Cafe Rio or Costa Vida dressing. Leave a comment and a star rating below! 💛
Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 2 tomatillos, husked and diced
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon diced jalapeño, (remove seeds for less heat)
- 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice, (approximately 2 limes)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, see recipe notes
Instructions
- Remove the tomatillo husks, rinse and chop the tomatillos, and prepare the remaining fresh ingredients. Add everything to a blender or food processor.
- Mix until all ingredients are well combined and the dressing is smooth.
- Transfer to dressing container. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to blend.
- Shake or stir well before serving over your favorite salad.
Notes
- Use bottled balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, NOT balsamic vinegar. The two are not interchangeable in this recipe.
- Lighter balsamic vinaigrettes may produce a greener dressing. Darker ones can turn it brown.
- Remove jalapeño seeds and membranes for less heat.
- Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 1 week. Shake well before serving.
- Check the bottled dressing label for allergens or gluten if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What brand of balsamic dressing do you recommend?
It really doesn’t make a huge difference, I would just go with what you like. The Newman’s Own brand is great, so is the Panera Bread brand. Hope this helps!
So good!! Has some heat even without the seeds. Roasted the jalapeño and tomatillo in the air fryer and it was 👌. Thanks for sharing!
Oh I love the idea of roasting them in the air fryer! Genius!
Omgoodness! This is so delicious!! I made this tonight and it is so refreshing and so good!! I did use coconut sugar in place of regular sugar, you’d never know!! So tasty! Thank you so much!!
*I also chose to use the bottled balsamic vinegar dressing from Panera (at my local Ralph’s in the cold salad dressing area by the produce). It came out bright green and so good!!! I saw some reviews that said their dressing wasn’t the same color as your photo but mine came out perfect, creamy lime green color.
I put it on a salad about an hour after making it and it’s so good! I’m sure it’s going to be even better by tomorrow. Thank you so much for this wonderful wonderful dressing recipe.
This tastes even better than Cafe Rios! I try to always keep the ingredients on hand to make this.
Best dressing on the planet!! We use it on so many things! It’s so easy to make!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
We absolutely love this dressing! So delicious on salad and so much more!
When you say, ” and so much more”, what do you use it for? Just curious.
i was looking for a recipe for cilantro lime dressing for our church wide meal that wasn’t mayonnaise base when i found this. This is so good. It looks and taste like the dressing from Costa Vida. After the meal, all the helpers in the kitchen wanted to take some home. Since i made a triple batch, i had plenty leftover. Very yummy and good! It was a hit. this recipe is a keeper.
Yay! I’m so happy this was a win for you!
Best dressing ever!! We use it on everything!! I try to always have some in the fridge!
I love how light and refreshing this is! Plus, this is so allergy friendly for my son who is allergic to dairy and eggs!