Cilantro chimichurri sauce (without parsley)

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.

In this post:

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

Cilantro: Choose bright green, fresh leaves that aren’t wet, black, or wilty. You can use both the leaves and the stems in this recipe.

Alliums: Onion and garlic add bite. Thanks to the vinegar, they get milder in flavor with time.

Red wine vinegar: This adds tang and acid.

Seasonings: Paprika and salt.

Extra virgin olive oil: This gives the sauce body.

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.

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

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

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 seitan 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 seitan 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!

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.

Chimichurri will last a couple of weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you want to keep it longer than that, I recommend freezing it.

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.

📖 Recipe

Cilantro chimichurri sauce (without parsley)

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 4 votes

This bright & garlicky Argentinean pesto is a terrific counterpoint to savory vegan steak tacos. Drizzle this sauce on top of sliced grilled seitan steak, along with shredded cabbage, tomatoes, and avocado. It's also delicious on roasted potatoes or roasted cauliflower.

The sauce tastes best when the flavors have had a chance to fuse. So plan on making it the day before you want to use it.

Makes about ¾ cup cilantro chimichurri.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes minutes

Resting time: 12 hours hours

Total Time: 8 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 people

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Argentina, Vegan

Keyword: green sauce, no cook sauce, taco 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.

Watch how to make it

Notes

*The stems are totally fine in the chimichurri, because you’ll be breaking everything up in the food processor. However, if there are any especially hard/tough stems, feel free to discard of them.

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Nutrition

Calories: 34kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 440IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

Recipe video music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

Content updated May 30, 2024. Originally posted August 2019.