Cilantro Chimichurri

This delicious homemade Cilantro Chimichurri is a fresh cilantro spin on the traditional Argentinian chimichurri made with fresh parsley. It has a bright flavor and a ton of uses! This sauce is delicious on grilled meats, grilled or roasted veggies, toasted bread, sandwiches, and so much more! It's super easy to make and perfect for spring and summer.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Chimichurri
• Ingredients
• Variations and Substitutions
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Serving Suggestions
• Storing
• FAQs
• Similar Recipes
• 📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love This Chimichurri

Cilantro twist on the classic - The traditional Chimichurri sauce is mainly made with parsley and oregano while this one puts a strong focus on fresh cilantro. It's super simple but packed with a ton of flavor.

Lots of uses - This cilantro chimichurri is delicious on roasted or grilled meats, chicken, or even fish. You can toss roasted or grilled vegetables in it or put it on seafood. You can also dip toasted bread in it and add it to sandwiches, burgers, or wraps. It's also delicious in rice bowls and salads instead of dressing. The options are truly endless!

Simple and easy - You only need 7 ingredients and 10 minutes to make this sauce! It's simple and easy to throw together when you need something extra last minute.

Ingredients

• Cilantro - Fresh cilantro is the star of the show here. Dried cilantro doesn't work in this recipe because the sauce needs that bright flavor from fresh herbs. If you don't like cilantro try classic Chimichurri.
• Parsley - Just like the original chimichurri, parsley can't be missing from this recipe. Cilantro alone would be too much and parsley gives it a more complex flavor. Dried parsley won't work here.
• Extra virgin olive oil - You'll want to use quality olive oil you really like in this recipe because it's a big part of the sauce and its flavor will stand out.
• Red wine vinegar - Traditional chimichurri uses red wine vinegar so that's what I'm using in this cilantro version as well. I highly recommend using it but if you don't have it, please see the next paragraph for substitutions.
• Chili pepper - You can use fresh chili or dried chili in the form of crushed red pepper flakes. I prefer fresh chili when I have it for a more bright fresh flavor but either works great. I like buying more at once, finely chopping them, and freezing them to use in recipes later.
• Garlic - Freshly grated garlic will yield the best flavor. You don't need much of it, just one clove will give the sauce a ton of flavor! Garlic powder or garlic granules also work in a pinch.
• Sea salt - Use sea salt or Himalayan pink salt whenever possible. I try to stay away from table salt as much as possible because it is highly processed and stripped of all the good minerals.

Variations and Substitutions

• Red wine vinegar - Using substitutions will definitely change the flavor but you can use white wine vinegar in a pinch. You could also mix white vinegar with a little bit of red wine if you have it for that red wine flavor. Balsamic vinegar could also work but you might have to start with less and add more to taste. Alternatively, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar also work.
• Chili - You can use dried crushed red pepper flakes if you don't have fresh chili peppers. You could also use fresh jalapenos for a slightly less spicy version. You can also add other more spicy peppers to add even more heat.
• Garlic - You can use garlic granules or garlic powder in a pinch.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Finely chop the cilantro, parsley, and chili pepper and add it to a medium bowl with grated garlic, sea salt, extra virgin olive oil, and red wine vinegar.

2. Stir everything together until well mixed.
3. Add more garlic, chili, or sea salt to taste if desired.
4. Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 7-10 days.

Serving Suggestions

• Bread - This sauce is great served simply with toasted bread or baguette you can dip in as you would olive oil.
• Meat - This chimichurri is absolutely delicious drizzled over grilled or roasted meats or chicken. Because it has cilantro, it's great for any Mexican-inspired recipes.
• Fish - You can drizzle the sauce over roasted or grilled shrimp or fish. You could also marinate them in the chimichurri before grilling! Swap some or all of the olive oil for avocado oil if you only want to use it for marinating (it has much higher smoke point). It would be delicious drizzled over these Spicy Shrimp Tacos.
• Bowls and salads - Drizzle the sauce over rice or quinoa bowls with roasted veggies and any protein or you can mix it into a salad dressing. You can use the chimichurri as a salad dressing on its own, just add a squeeze of lemon! Drizzle it over this Veggie Burrito Bowl or add it to this Charred Corn Zucchini Salad with Pecorino.

Storing

Fridge - Store the chimichurri sauce in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a week. The fresh cilantro and parsley will lose their bright green color as it sits in the olive oil and vinegar but it will still be good to eat.

Freezer - You can freeze any leftover sauce in an ice cube tray and defrost the cubes as needed. Store in the freezer for 2-4 months when stored properly.

FAQs

Print

📖 Recipe