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If you’re not familiar with chimichurri sauce, you’re in for a treat! Learn how to make chimichurri sauce with this easy recipe. Serve it with grilled chicken, fish or vegetables, or swirl it into your favorite soups and stews.

A white bowl filled with chimichurri sauce. A gold spoon sits in the bowl.

If you love pesto, you’re going to love this easy chimichurri sauce recipe.  A friend of mine introduced me to it a few years ago, and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since.   

Glass measuring cups - one filled with olive oil and the other filled with red wine vinegar. Sprigs of parsley and cilantro, shallot and cloves of garlic sit next to the measuring cups.

I love to add this sauce by the spoonfuls to my soups (it’s especially awesome stirred into lentil soup), and it goes great with grilled chicken and fish, or slather it on crostini.  This easy Chimichurri Sauce is made with parsley and cilantro, and it has a mild kick to it due to the added crushed red pepper.  This sauce is also good and garlicky.  

What is Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri sauce is an easy-to-make sauce made with parsley, cilantro, garlic, shallot, red wine vinegar, olive oil and red pepper flakes. It originated in Argentina and Uruguay and is typically served as a dressing for meats. But its also great swirled into soups and stews! It will remind you of pesto, but the vinegar gives it a little tang and the red pepper flakes gives it a little heat.

Chimichurri Recipe

This is a simple and pretty straight-forward chimichurri sauce recipe that you can almost commit to memory.  If you want to add even more flavor, toss in 2 tablespoons of finely minced red bell pepper to the mix. 

  • Herbs – There’s a mix of cilantro and flat-leaf parsley in this recipe. 
  • Red wine vinegar – This gives the sauce a little tang to it.
  • Garlic – If you love garlic, you’ll love the flavor of garlic in this sauce!
  • Shallot – We use a little shallot for added flavor.
  • Olive oil – We use extra-virgin olive oil, but you can use avocado oil if you prefer.
  • Seasoning – A mix of salt, cracked black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes adds a nice flavor to the mix.

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

How to Make Chimichurri Sauce

This easy chimichurri recipe comes together in about 5 minutes start-to-finish!

  1. Rinse the parsley and cilantro under water to remove any dirt and debris. Dry with paper towels, or spin in a salad spinner.
  2. Coarsely chop, parsley and cilantro, garlic and shallot.
  3. Place the parsley, cilantro, garlic and shallot in a food processor or blender and pulse 3-4 times to mince the ingredients. Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and pulse another 2-3 times.  Don’t over-blend the sauce.
  4. Pour sauce into a mason jar, seal the lid and refrigerate for up to a week.

A white bowl filled with chimichurri sauce. A bowl of soup with chimichurri swirled in it sits next to the sauce bowl.

Is Chimichurri The Same As Pesto?

Chimichurri and pesto are similar in nature. The biggest differences between chimichurri vs pesto is chimichurri contains vinegar and red pepper flakes, and pesto contains cheese and pine nuts. Chimichurri is dairy-free and nut-free.

How Do You Use Chimichurri Sauce?

Is Chimichurri Spicy?

Chimichurri is mildly spicy due to the red pepper flakes. You can add more or less red pepper flakes as you like, or omit them altogether.

How Long Does Chimichurri Last In The Fridge?

Store chimichurri in an air-tight container in the refrigerator where it will last up to 1 week.

Can You Freeze Chimichurri?

Chimichurri sauce freezes very well. Just spoon the sauce into ice cube trays and freeze for 3-4 hours or until frozen solid (like we did here with freezing pesto). Transfer the cubes from the ice cube trays into a freezer bag and freeze up to 6 months.

Is Chimichurri Healthy?

Chimichurri is made with fresh parsley and cilantro and both of these herbs are rich with nutritional benefits. 

Parsley is packed with powerful antioxidants like flavonoids, carotenoids and and vitamin C that helps prevent cellular damage from free radicals, and lutein and zeaxanthin are rich nutrients that promotes healthy eyes. It’s also a rich source of chlorophyll, which has been shown to detoxify, purify and rejuvenate your body.  

Cilantro is packed with antioxidant polyphenolic flavonoids such as quercetin and kaempferol. Quercetin is a powerful flavonoid with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and  natural antihistamine properties and kaempferol is also a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties that promotes cardiovascular and neurological health. Cilantro is  also a good source of Vitamins A, C, K and B, as well as potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium.  The nutrients found in cilantro helps to regulate blood sugar levels, reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, stimulate digestion, and helps to keep bones strong.

A white bowl filled with green sauce. Torn pieces of crusty bread sits next to the bowl.

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A white bowl filled with chimichurri sauce. A gold spoon sits in the bowl.
Yield: 6 Servings

Chimichurri Sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

If you're not familiar with chimichurri sauce, you're in for a treat! Learn how to make chimichurri sauce with this easy recipe. Serve it with grilled chicken, fish or vegetables, or swirl it into your favorite soups and stews.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 shallot, minced (1-2 tbsp)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Rinse the parsley and cilantro under water to remove any dirt and debris. Dry with paper towels, or spin in a salad spinner.
  1. Coarsely chop, parsley and cilantro, garlic and shallot.
  2. Place the parsley, cilantro, garlic and shallot in a food processor or blender and pulse 3-4 times to mince the ingredients. Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and pulse another 2-3 times.  Don't over-blend the sauce.
  3. Pour sauce into a mason jar, seal the lid and refrigerate for up to a week.

Notes

How Long Does Chimichurri Last In The Fridge?

Store chimichurri in an air-tight container in the refrigerator where it will last up to 1 week.

Can You Freeze Chimichurri?

Chimichurri sauce freezes very well. Just spoon the sauce into ice cube trays and freeze for 3-4 hours or until frozen solid (like we did here with freezing pesto). Transfer the cubes from the ice cube trays into a freezer bag and freeze up to 6 months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 173Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 185mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.

© Deborah
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Sides