Cilantro chimichurri takes your tacos to the next level. This herbaceous spread is loaded with cilantro, onions, garlic, paprika, red wine vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil.
It comes together in no time flat but adds a lot of zip drizzled over roasted potatoes.
Thank you to Herbivorous Butcher for sponsoring today’s post! The contents, photos, and opinions expressed are fully my own.
Chimichurri (pronounced chim-ee-chur-ee) is a savory sauce that works great as a topping, dressing, or marinade. It adds a bit of brightness to everything it touches.
If you’ve ever made pesto, then you can definitely make chimichurri.
Think of it as Argentinean pesto. Except instead of having a base of fresh basil, you use parsley, or in my case, cilantro.
Parsley is the standard leafy green for chimichurri. But parsley is not my favorite.
So I like to make chimichurri without parsley and swap it out for cilantro instead.
Step by step instructions
Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
Put the following into a food processor:
- Cilantro
- Chopped onion
- Minced garlic
- Red wine vinegar
- Paprika
- Salt
Cover & turn the food processor to low.
While the blade is running, add extra virgin olive oil.
Then move the chimichurri to a covered container. And pop it into the refrigerator.
Let it sit for at least three hours or even better, overnight.
The garlic intertwines with everything, and the onion & cilantro mellows. So it’s best not to make any recipe adjustments until after the flavors have had a chance to fuse.
Once you’re ready to use the cilantro chimichurri sauce, taste for any adjustments you might want to make.
Make it your own
You can make this sauce your own by varying the ingredients and amounts.
- Make it with parsley instead of cilantro or do a 50/50 mix
- Replace some of the cilantro with fresh oregano
- Replace cilantro with green carrot tops
- Add diced fresh jalapeño or red pepper flakes for a spicy kick
- Add a little more red wine vinegar or lemon juice for tang
- If the sauce is thicker than you’d prefer, add a Tablespoon of water or an extra Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
Serving ideas
One taste of this sauce, and you’ll be looking for any excuse to use it.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Smother it on top of roasted cauliflower steaks
- Sprinkle it over a batch of baked french fries or baby potatoes
- Stir it into cooked rice (like vegan pesto rice)
- Use a light drizzle as a finishing sauce for vegan tortilla soup
- Use it as a dressing for pasta salad or Southwest salad
- Spoon it on top of a tofu scramble
- Use it as a marinade for tofu slabs or seitan skewers before throwing them on the grill. I recommend pressing the tofu first or using the vacuum-packed variety. Marinate for about an hour.
- Use it as a topping on breakfast tacos, veggie fajitas, or vegan steak tacos
How to use it on vegan steak tacos
Cilantro chimichurri gives a photo finish to vegan steak tacos, made with seitan from the Herbivorous Butcher or beefless bulgogi from Trader Joe’s. (Note that the steak itself is not gluten-free.)
To grill the Herbivorous Butcher steak outdoors: Bring an outdoor grill to around 500 degrees. And grill on both sides of the whole steak until you get nice, dark grill marks. Remove the steak from the grill, and cut it into slices.
To grill Herbivorous Butcher steak indoors: Bring a grill pan to a medium high heat with a spritz of oil. Cut the steak into slices, and lay them out across the skillet. Grill for about 3 minutes on one side, until you get dark grill marks. Flip and grill for about 3 more minutes, until that side has nice grill marks too.
To air fry Trader Joe’s beefless bulgogi: Pull it out of the packaging, and cook at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. (The air fryer directions on the package aren’t for nearly long enough.)
Since it starts as a solid block, you’ll need to use a spatula to break up the strips as they cook, and pull them apart. Let them get a little overdone and crispy around the edges. SO GOOD.
To finish the tacos: Warm some corn tortillas one by one in a skillet or on the grill to make them pliable. Then fill them up with your favorite toppings & a drizzle of cilantro chimichurri!
Can chimichurri be frozen?
Yes, it freezes nicely.
To freeze, pour the sauce into an ice cube tray.
Let the cubes freeze fully. Then pop them into a plastic freezer bag.
When you’re ready to use, defrost individual cubes in the refrigerator.
Can it be made ahead of time?
Absolutely!
Chimichurri is best when made at least a few hours ahead of serving, so that the flavors have a chance to meld.
You can make it several days before you plan on serving it.
How long does it last?
Chimichurri will last a couple of weeks in a covered container in the refrigerator.
If you want to keep it longer than that, I recommend freezing it.
📖 Recipe
Cilantro chimichurri sauce
Ingredients
- 1 bunch cilantro with stems* (about 2.5 ounces)
- 1 Tablespoon chopped onion yellow
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ Tablespoons red wine vinegar + ½ Tablespoon more, if desired
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + 1 Tablespoon more, if desired
Instructions
- Put cilantro, chopped onion, minced garlic, 1 ½ Tablespoons red wine vinegar, paprika, and salt into food processor.
- Put on the cover & turn the food processor to low. While the blade is running, pour 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil through the chute. Stop to scrape down the sides once, so that everything is evenly incorporated.
- Move the cilantro chimichurri to a covered container. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and preferably overnight, so that the flavors have a chance to fuse.
- Once you are ready to serve the cilantro chimichurri, taste for any adjustments. If you'd like more tang, add ½ Tablespoon more of red wine vinegar. If you'd prefer a thinner sauce, add a Tablespoon of water or an additional Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe video music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
This is a sponsored post with a brand that I use in my own home. Posts like these help me keep fresh recipes coming your way!
Content and photos updated October 2020. Originally posted August 2019.
Kristen McWilliams
Morning!
Do you make any recipes meat or cheese without oil?? We found out oil is horrible for you as well 🙁 my husband has fatty liver disease and is almost cured by eliminating meats, dairy & sugar and oils … plus went from almost 230 to 168 since April..
Oil is a processed food and can be substituted for other things… Do you use it as a binder or? Found out that the liver does not process it and it goes directly into blood and
Clogs arteries… I love the concept and would love to enjoy the meats & cheese… can you possibly try to replace oil with something else? Please let me know if this is possible 😉
Thank you!!
Laura at The Herbivorous Butcher
Hi Kristen! Our Smoky House Ribs are oil free. Otherwise, our products can contain coconut oil, EVOO, or sunflower oil. We have nutritional information on our website if you want to take a look: http://www.theherbivorousbutcher.com/pages/nutritional-information
Shell
Delicious! I love the video…makes it look so simple! The tacos look great, but definitely need to try the nachos!
Cadry
Thanks, Shell! Chimichurri really is easy to make. You’ll have to give it a whirl sometime! Nachos are always a win. You wouldn’t even believe how many nacho pictures I took & then from which I had to choose. They’re very photogenic! Haha!
Dianne
I’ve been eating my way through a Herbivorous Butcher shipment over the past few days – I really love their foods. I can’t wait to order the taco pack, and I’m looking forward to making these tacos!
Cadry
Yes, I’ve been admiring all of the dishes you’ve been putting up on Instagram with their products! It all looks so good. You’re going to love their taco pack. I can’t wait to see what you do with all of it!
Susan
I love chimichurri! I normally make it with the parsley base, but often it has had coriander in it. Fun fact, I used to think coriander tasted like soap, but then one day I decided to change my mind about it and now I love it! We don’t have Herbivorous butcher here, but I think this would be great on some tofu or some portobello mushrooms in tacos!
Cadry
That’s amazing you were able to change your mind about coriander. It’s in so many different cuisines, you’re probably a lot happier dining out now. Chimichurri would be great on tofu or portobello mushroom tacos! I hope you give it a shot sometime. 🙂
Laura VZ
I need to make all of this ASAP! I’m especially excited to try out the chimichurri sauce.
Cadry
Excellent! I hope you love it, Laura!