Cilantro Chimichurri sauce is packed with vibrant, fresh herbs and instantly elevates any meal. An easy, flavor-packed sauce that comes together in less than 10 minutes, it's a delicious finishing touch for steak, chicken, fish, tacos...the sky's the limit!
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Cilantro is one food that people either love or hate. If you are team cilantro, this is the sauce for you!
Cilantro Chimmichurri is filled with tons of fresh herbs and literally makes anything you put it on taste better. Don't fret if you aren't a cilantro lover, though. You can easily use Italian parsley instead and still get ah-mazing results.
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Why you will love this recipe
- It's versatile. There really isn't anything that chimichurri doesn't taste amazing on. Get creative with how you serve it. Toss it with pasta, drizzle it over eggs, or use it as a marinade for your favorite protein.
- It's forgiving. Don't have red wine vinegar on hand? Easily swap in white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar and it will still taste amazing.
- It's easy to make. Throw everything in the bowl of a food processor and your sauce is ready in 5 minutes.
What is Chimichurri
Chimichurri is a tangy green sauce filled with fresh herbs, red pepper, and olive oil. It is a great sauce for meat, fish, and eggs and can be used as a marinade, too.
Authentic chimichurri doesn't have cilantro or shallot in it, but we love the flavor it adds to this version.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients for this flavorful sauce.
Ingredient Notes
- Herbs: Fresh herbs are key for this recipe. We used a mix of cilantro, parsley, basil, and oregano.
- Red wine vinegar: It's our go-to for this recipe but you can easily sub in white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar.
- Crushed red pepper: If you want it milder, use less crushed red pepper or increase the amount for more heat.
Instructions
This Cilantro Chimichurri sauce comes together in less than 10 minutes with a food processor.
Step 1
Start by adding the fresh herbs, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, shallot, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to the bowl of a food processor.
Step 2
Pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. Add olive oil and pulse until emulsified. Add additional oil, if desired.
Top Tip
You do not need a food processor to make this recipe. You can get the same results with a good chef's knife, it just takes a little more effort.
FAQs
Cilantro can be a polarizing taste for some. If you are one of the people that think cilantro tastes like soap, feel free to use all flat leaf parsley in its place.
Chimichurri will keep in the refrigerator for 5-7 days but the color will change. The fresh green color will dissipate as it sits in the refrigerator but will still taste great.
Both are herby green sauces with a lot of olive oil but they taste different based on the herbs used. Pesto is full of basil and parmesan cheese whereas chimichurri has no cheese and is full of cilantro and parsley.
Expert Tips for the Best Chimichurri
- Use the freshest herbs possible. This is a great way to use the herbs from your garden. Simply grab what you have on hand and play around to find the flavor combination you like best.
- Give the shallots a rough chop before adding them to the food processor so the sauce won't be too chunky.
- When you are storing the sauce, pour a layer of olive oil on top to help the chimichurri prolong its vibrant green color.
- Chimichurri tastes best at room temperature. Pull it out of the refrigerator and let it warm up before serving for the best results.
What to serve with Chimichurri
Cilantro Chimichurri sauce literally makes everything you eat with it better.
- Slather it on top of a burger.
- Drizzle over Shrimp Tacos
- It can do double duty as a marinade and sauce for Sous Vide Flank Steak.
- Marinate a whole chicken before you grill it.
More Easy Favorites
Recipes don't need to be complicated to be good. Check out this 5 Minute Million Dollar Dip or some of our other faves!
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Recipe
Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
- 1½ cups fresh cilantro
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 2 tablespoon fresh oregano
- 2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 cup olive oil
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Instructions
- Place the fresh herbs, shallot, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the herbs are finely chopped.1½ cups fresh cilantro, ½ cup fresh parsley, ¼ cup fresh basil, 2 tablespoon fresh oregano, 2 shallots,, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, ⅓ cup red wine vinegar, 2 tbsps fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Add olive oil in a steady stream to emulsify into herb mixture. Add additional olive oil if desired to get to a thinner consistency.1 cup olive oil
- Store at room temperature if using that day otherwise refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
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