Cilantro Chimichurri
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This Cilantro Chimichurri recipe is bright, bold, and bursting with flavor! It’s a zesty twist on the classic Argentinian sauce, made with fresh cilantro, garlic, olive oil, and a splash of vinegar for that perfect tang. Drizzle it over grilled steak, chicken, seafood, veggies, or tacos, for an instant flavor upgrade that’s easy to make in just 5 minutes!
Why you’ll love this sauce
We love a traditional chimichurri sauce around our house. It’s a staple in our fridge and one of my favorite things to drizzle over a steak. A few years back, I was making flank steak tacos and wanted a delicious sauce to drizzle on top, so I made this cilantro chimichurri sauce.
Since then, I swap out fresh parsley for cilantro almost every time I make chimichurri sauce!
You’re going to love this sauce because it’s fresh, zesty, and so flavorful! It’s also great with a variety of recipes. Whip up a double batch and drizzle it over pretty much any Mexican meal or meal on the grill!
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this cilantro chimichurri recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cilantro – since this is the main ingredient in the recipe, you want to use fresh cilantro with bright green leaves. While you can include some of the thin stems, I recommend removing any of the long, thick stems.
- Extra virgin olive oil – I’ve also made this recipe with avocado oil and had great success.
- Red wine vinegar
- Garlic – since chimichurri sauce is not cooked, I recommend using fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Dried oregano – you can also use double the amount of fresh oregano leaves, if you have some on hand.
- Crushed red pepper flakes – added for spice. You can adjust the amount, depending on how spicy you want the sauce to be.
- Salt and black pepper – to season the sauce.
Instructions
- Add cilantro, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper to a food processor or high-powered blender. Add ¼ cup olive oil and blend the mixture for 15-20 seconds.
- Transfer the mixture from the food processor to a medium-size bowl. Pour in another ¼ cup olive oil and stir to combine. You can serve the cilantro chimichurri sauce immediately, or place it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.
While cilantro chimichurri will stay good in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, I recommend using it in the first 7 days for peak freshness and maximum flavor.
Ways to use it
The other day I made a basic cheese quesadilla for lunch. (Even food bloggers need a quick lunch sometimes!) I had some of this chimichurri sauce in the fridge, drizzled it on top, and it took a basic quesadilla straight to flavor town! Just think what it could do on a steak taco. Oh my!
Try it with any and all of these delicious recipes to amp up the flavor!
- Tacos: Flank Steak Tacos (pictured above), Grilled Veggie Tacos, Grilled Shrimp Tacos, Carne Asada Tacos
- Fajitas: Shrimp Fajitas (pictured above), Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas, Grilled Chicken Fajitas, Veggie Fajita Rice Bowls
- Quesadillas: Steak Quesadilla or Chicken Quesadilla
- Grilled meats: Chili Lime Grilled Shrimp, Grilled Sazon Chicken Thighs, Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak, Chimichurri Grilled Salmon, Chimichurri Shrimp Skewers
- Grilled veggies: Grilled Vegetable Skewers, Grilled Carrots (coming soon!)
You can also use it as a salad dressing, marinade, or combine it with mayonnaise or Greek yogurt to make an epic spread for sandwiches.
More sauce recipes
Try these other popular homemade sauce recipes to amp up the flavor of your next meal!
Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano, or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add the cilantro, red wine vinegar, garlic cloves, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper to a food processor or high-powered blender. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Blend for 15-20 seconds.
- Transfer the mixture from the food processor to a medium bowl. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Use a spoon and stir to combine. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- If you don’t have a food processor or high-powered blender, you can finely chop the cilantro and garlic, then stir all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
- To reduce the spice in the sauce, omit the red pepper flakes or reduce the amount to ½ teaspoon.
- The sauce will be at it’s most fresh and flavorful for up to 7 days. But it will stay good, stored in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 2 weeks.
- This sauce can also be used as a marinade. I recommend using ½ cup chimichurri sauce per pound of meat you want to marinate.
Nutrition Facts
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