This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Chimichurri Sauce is made with fresh and simple ingredients like parsley, cilantro, garlic, red onions and lemon juice. It’s perfect served as a sauce for steak, chicken, and seafood, as a salad dressing and even as a marinade! (gluten free, low carb, paleo, vegetarian, vegan)
Get ready because chimichurri sauce is the answer to all your food prayers!
Chimichurri is magical. It’s extremely versatile and can be used as a sauce to serve with grilled meats, as a condiment on burgers and sandwiches and even as a salad dressing. The possibilities are seriously endless.
If you’ve never had chimichurri before, you may be wondering…
What is chimichurri?
Chimchurri is an oil-based condiment made with fresh herbs, spices and a hint of acid from lemon juice and red wine vinegar. It’s typically served with steak but is also great with chicken, pork and seafood.
Traditionally, the only fresh herb and acidic component used in chimichurri is parsley and red wine vinegar.
But as you know, I’m a huge lover of cilantro and fresh citrus so I’ve added some fresh lemon juice and cilantro to this recipe.
How to make chimichurri sauce
- Add cilantro, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, red onions, garlic, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper to a food processor or blender.
- Pulse in short 1-second increments about 3-5 times.
The consistency of the sauce should be choppy with chunks of fresh herbs throughout.
And that’s it! It’s so easy to make and can be enjoyed right away.
To store, transfer the sauce to an air-tight container, close the lid and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Ways to use chimichurri sauce
This bright sauce is extremely flavorful and adds a huge punch to anything you pair it with. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it.
- as a condiment for grilled steak like this carne asada or pork, chicken and seafood
- tossed with grilled veggies
- as a marinade for chicken and beef
- as a dressing on a salad
Can you freeze chimichurri?
Yes. To freeze, pour the sauce into ice cube trays and freeze. When frozen, transfer chimichurri cubes into a large freezer safe zip top bag.
When ready to use, simply remove as many chimichurri cubes as you need and thaw in a bowl on the counter.
Chimichurri Sauce
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh cilantro (stems and leaves)
- 1 cup fresh parsley (stems and leaves)
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemon)
- 3 tablespoons chopped red onions
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add cilantro, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, red onions, garlic, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper to a food processor or blender.
- Pulse in short 1-second increments about 3-5 times. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in August 2016. It was republished with brand new photos and content in June 2019.
Great & easy sauce
I’ve made versions of this sauce often and truly find this one delicious!
Nice work Isabel 🙂
Muchas gracias!
I needed to use up extra parsley and cilantro and stumbled upon this amazing recipe! OMG!
I think those that commented about it being too salty may have used regular table salt instead of the kosher salt called for in the recipe. If you need to substitute, do 3/4tsp regular table salt. L
I made the recipe exactly as described and it’s perfect! Thank you!
Waaaay too salty, even though I put in less salt than the recipe stated. I had to bulk it up with other ingredients, and eventually it was passable.
This looks fantastic (I’ve loved all your recipes so far), and I want to try making it, but I have a question 1st:
Is there any viable substitute for the parsley? My mom has a severe allergy to parsley.
Thanks, Isabel!
Hi! A few substitutes for parsley are chervil, tarragon, or arugula. This recipe hasn’t been tested without parsley so I’m not quite sure how it would taste. Please let us know if you try it!
Oh my gosh-I just made this -Delicious! I was licking the bowl! Thank you!
I think this is my new go-to sauce for everything. The fajitas grilled cheese recipe brought me here and I am so happy it did. I also tried it on some steak and it was perfect for that too. Can’t wait to try it on everything now.
I will say that I forgot to read the comments and it is indeed a bit too salty. Next time I’ll cut the salt in half but everything else was perfect.
I made it woohoo! I think the lemon and vinegar, salt is too much, so I ended up fixing the taste with some sugar. Overall, what a great recipe. Thank you!!!
Too much lemon and vinegar
Self explainitary Check other recipes as I did when completed. Your recipe is overpowered by the lemon and vinegar. Glad other people enjoyed it
This sauce is amazing!!!! You can put it on anything!! Makes for an amazing sauce on pizza, on grilled flank steak, on eggs, mixed into cauliflower rice…. the options are limitless. This is a go-to sauce for me. Thank you so much for the recipe!!!!
Thanks, Marcella. I’m so happy you like it! I totally agree with you, it’s a staple in my kitchen because it’s good on everything!