Whip up a tasty batch of spicy jalapeno lime vinaigrette in 5 minutes! Jalapeño peppers and lime juice are the perfect pairing for summer salads or marinade for chicken and fish. If you enjoy fiery sauces, don’t miss out on serrano crema, skhug, and shatta sauce!

Key Ingredients
- Jalapeños: Roughly chop two to four fresh jalapeño peppers (depending on your spice tolerance) to give the dressing its signature flavor. Remove the seeds and membranes beforehand to control the spice level.
- Garlic: I use three fresh garlic cloves, but measure with your heart.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Cut the creaminess of the dressing with apple cider vinegar.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard adds creaminess and prevents the dressing from breaking.
- Honey: Offset some of the heat with a little bit of honey.
- Lime Juice: Include zesty lime juice from two fresh limes, or use lemon juice if all you have is lemons.
- Olive Oil: Good quality extra virgin olive oil is an ideal foundation for the jalapeno lime vinaigrette, but you can substitute it with avocado oil or canola oil.
- Spices: Taste the spicy vinaigrette and season with salt and black pepper as needed.
Additions and Substitutions
- Replace the honey with maple syrup, agave nectar, or a sugar-free option like monk fruit for a sweeter dressing.
- Use white balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.
- Experiment with serrano peppers or Fresno chiles instead of jalapeños.
- Roast the jalapeños on a grill or skillet to give the peppers a nice char before including them in the dressing. Roasted peppers always add the best smoky flavor.
- Incorporate herbs like fresh cilantro, mint, or basil leaves.
Tools You’ll Need
Use an immersion blender, food processor, or high-speed blender to make jalapeno lime vinaigrette. However, I highly recommend using an immersion blender when making salad dressing or sauces that require emulsification.
Use the tall cup provided with the immersion blender, a wide-mouth jar, or one of these handy meal prep containers to ensure the blender works correctly and to avoid a mess. You don’t want hot, jalapeño juice in your face; I’m just trying to save lives here.
How to Make Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine the fresh jalapeños and garlic into a paste using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender.

Step 2: Add apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, lime juice, salt, and black pepper. Process until smooth.

Step 3: Pour the olive oil into the tall cup or a blender in a slow, steady stream while blending or whisking the ingredients.

Expert Tips
- Roughly chop the jalapeño peppers before processing them to encourage a smooth consistency.
- I recommend blending the ingredients, tasting, and adjusting the salt, pepper, and honey until you find the perfect balance.
Tips for Emulsification
What is Emulsification?
Emulsification is a fancy cooking term that describes combining ingredients that do not naturally mix, such as oil and vinegar, and making them stay together using an emulsifier.
What is an Emulsifier?
An emulsifier acts like a bridge between two opposing ingredients, holding them together in a smooth, stable mixture. The best emulsifiers contain water and oil-friendly properties to help the ingredients combine. The most common emulsifiers include egg yolks, mustard, mayonnaise, soybeans, honey, and xanthan gum.
How to Create a Stable Emulsification
If you want to learn how to make homemade vinaigrette, dressing, hollandaise sauce, aioli, or mayonnaise learning how to create a stable emulsification is key.
- Choose an Emulsifier: Select an emulsifying ingredient based on what you are making.
- Combine the Ingredients: Mix the water-based ingredients, such as vinegar or lime juice with an emulsifier.
- Slowly Add the Oil: Start with a little oil to help form the initial emulsion. Add a few drops then, slowly whisk or blend the oil continuously while pouring the oil in a single smooth stream until ingredients combine and thicken.
- Adjust the Consistency: If the mixture gets too thick, you can add a bit more of the water-based liquid to thin it out while continuing to mix.
If you enjoy the dressing, pair it with one of these tasty salad recipes!

Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to use jalapeno lime vinaigrette. Of course, it is an ideal dressing for your favorite salad recipes. Use it for a Southwestern taco salad or replace the dressing on my cucumber carrot salad.
Drizzle the homemade dressing over vegetables like air fryer fingerling potatoes, air fryer Brussels sprouts, grilled sweet potatoes, and asparagus.
It also doubles as a dipping sauce for roasted chicken, or spoon it over fish tacos, baked shrimp skewers, or carne asada tacos.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store leftover jalapeno lime vinaigrette in an airtight container or glass jar for one week. It may thicken once refrigerated because of the olive oil. Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before you need it, and give it a good shake or stir.
- Freeze: Pour the dressing into an ice cube tray to freeze. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer-safe container or bag for 2-3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is jalapeno lime vinaigrette spicy?
The fresh-tasting dressing is bright and tangy, with a lingering heat from the fresh jalapeños that tastes delicious with salad, roasted chicken, tacos, burrito bowls, and grain bowls.
If you have a low tolerance for spicy food, reduce the number of jalapeños you include, and don’t forget to remove the membranes and seeds – the source of most of the heat.
More Dressing Recipes:

Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette
- 2-4 jalapeño peppers, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- fresh lime juice, 2 limes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Combine the fresh jalapeños and garlic into a paste using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender.
- Add apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, lime juice, salt, and black pepper. Process until smooth.
- Pour the olive oil into the tall cup or a blender in a slow, steady stream while blending or whisking the ingredients.
- Roughly chop the jalapeño peppers before processing them to encourage a smooth consistency.
- I recommend blending the ingredients, tasting, and adjusting the salt, pepper, and honey until you find the perfect balance.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.