Cilantro Lime Marinade
This marinade uses cilantro, lime, garlic, & a few spices married together to create a fresh & citrusy flavor perfect for your fav proteins.
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If you’re following me on Instagram/Facebook I’ve been doing a Recipe Challenge hosted by Wells Farms out of Madison, WI. This week she had a recipe for Cilantro Citrus Carnitas.
In her recipe, she suggested a bottled cilantro-lime marinade she found at the grocery store, but of course, I thought this was a perfect opportunity to make one from scratch! So, here it is!
This seriously takes 5 minutes and you get an amazing marinade that goes with pork, chicken, turkey, or your favorite vegan options.
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Here are the General Instructions
Below are all the details and explanations for the Cilantro Lime Marinade. If you just want the Cilantro Lime Marinade recipe itself and missed the “jump to recipe” button at the top, keep scrolling.
Getting started
Step One
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor, for less than one minute or until the texture is nice and almost smooth, like pesto. Be sure the garlic is fully processed. If you don’t have a food processor you can make the marinade by finely chopping the cilantro, jalapeño, and garlic then add the rest of the ingredients and mix all together in a bowl (or shake up in a mason jar).
Step Two
Use with your favorite protein. For best results let sit for at least 2 hours, but the longer the better.
Ingredient Details
This fresh and citrusy marinade only requires a few ingredients but the flavor is a perfect balance of earthy and citrus.
- Olive oil – You could also use avocado or even vegetable oil.
- Lime juice – I highly recommend using fresh limes, the flavor is stronger, and honestly… limes are still fairly inexpensive. The store-bought kind just doesn’t have the zip (but of course, if you’re in a pinch use what you’ve got). For a little extra lime, add the zest as well.
- Fresh Cilantro – Since you’re going to zap it through the processor, no need to chop. But when you’re measuring it, make sure to really jam that cilantro in there. don’t worry about the stems, they’re nice a soft so they’ll blend well.
- Garlic cloves – Do NOT use the jarred minced garlic. Garlic in a jar can sometimes have an ‘off’ flavor which is still detectable in cooked dishes. It’s also not as strong as fresh garlic, and usually is sitting in oil. It also may have other things like sugar, salts, or other additives to keep it fresh. It’s just better to use fresh, and the “time saver” isn’t much.
- Ground cumin – Adds an earthy and slight smokiness.
- Chili Powder – I love the Tex-Mex Profile that Chili Powder adds.
- Jalapeño – it adds a little kick, but not much. if you’re worried about spice, remove the seeds.
- Salt & pepper – For seasoning.
Cooking with Kids
DISCLOSURE: These tips are generalized, and meant to be suggestive. Everything I’m sharing I do with my kids, and they are all different even within my own five. So please take these as suggestions or ideas and if you think your child needs more or less help, then go with what you and your child are comfortable with. Ultimately, you know your kids, do what YOU think is best.
Storage Details
If you find that you are using this marinade frequently, you could make a larger batch of it (scale it up 2-3x) and store it for future use.
Store it in the Refrigerator
This marinade can be stored well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a food-safe jar.
Store it in the Freezer
You could also make a big batch of Cilantro Lime Marinade and freeze it in smaller portions in freezer-safe containers OR freeze it into ice cube trays, then place the cubes in a freezer bag! Any of these options will keep for a year with good quality flavor still intact.
ENJOY and Share!
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook, @jenngiamsmith #JennGiamSmith I will always share your posts on my stories and tag you! You can also share it on this post’s Pinterest Pin! Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest for a steady stream of recipe (and other) inspiration!
It’s always wonderful to see loved ones coming together over delicious food.
I recommend trying it with this Cilantro Citrus Carnitas recipe by Wells Farms! Like I did. just make it and pour it over your pork! It’s so good. Everyone including my picky eaters loved it!
Please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! Your star ratings with your comments are tremendously helpful, too.
Cilantro Lime Marinade
This quick and simple marinade is made with cilantro, lime, garlic, and a few spices. They marry together to create this fresh, citrusy marinade perfect for Chicken, pork, or turkey.
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 7 oz 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup cilantro (well-packed; stems and all)
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1–3 cloves of garlic (Smashed)
- 1/2 teaspoon of Chili Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon cumin
- 1 jalapeño lightly chopped for un-spicy remove the seed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fine pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a food processor, for less than one minute or until the texture is nice and almost smooth, like pesto. Be sure the garlic is fully processed. If you don’t have a food processor you can make the marinade by finely chopping the cilantro, jalapeño, and garlic then add the rest of the ingredients and mix all together in a bowl (or shake up in a mason jar).
- Use with your favorite protein. For best results let sit for at least 2 hours, but the longer the better.
Equipment
Beautiful 2-Speed Immersion Blender with Chopper & Measuring Cup, White Icing by Drew Barrymore
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Global 7-piece Ikasu Knife Block Set
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How to Make and Store the Marinade
If you find that you are using this marinade frequently, you could make a larger batch of it (scale it up 2-3x) and store it for future use.
STORE IT IN THE REFRIGERATOR
This marinade will store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a jar.
STORE IT IN THE FREEZER
You could also make a big batch of Cilantro Lime Marinade and freeze it in smaller portions in freezer-safe containers OR freeze it into ice cube trays, then place the cubes in a freezer bag! Any of these options will keep for a year with good quality flavor still in tacked.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: blends, marinade, mixes, sauces
- Cuisine: Mexican-American
Nutrition
- Calories: 95.69
- Sugar: 0.19
- Sodium: 336.38
- Fat: 10.36
- Saturated Fat: 1.42
- Carbohydrates: 1.07
- Fiber: 0.26
- Protein: 0.2
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This marinade is perfect with anything! We use it all the time!