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This Cilantro Sauce has become a staple in our house lately. It takes just a few minutes to make, and it reminds me of chimichurri sauce, only with a lot less oil than traditional versions call for. You’ll want to pour it on everything!
Believe it or not, I haven’t always been a fan of cilantro. I feel like you either love it or hate it, and when I was in college, I remember hating it. I didn’t want it near my meals!
Isn’t it strange how things can change? One day, as an adult, I tried it again and loved it. Now I’ll pour this cilantro sauce on everything. So, if you feel like you were born hating cilantro, be sure to give it another shot in case things have changed!
What is Cilantro Sauce made of?
To make this recipe, you’ll need just a few simple ingredients.
- Fresh cilantro
- Shallot (or red onion could work, too)
- Red wine vinegar
- Olive oil
- Red pepper flakes
- Garlic
When making a sauce or dressing like this, I usually try to replace at least half of the oil with water, so that the sauce is lower in calories without sacrificing any flavor. The resulting sauce is slightly thinner in texture, but since you’re blending it with the shallot and fresh herbs, those help to bulk it up so it’s not too runny.
Benefits of Cilantro
Why else might you want to try this delicious cilantro sauce? It’s a great way to sneak more of this fresh herb into your day!
Here’s why I love it:
- Cilantro (also known as coriander) seeds may help lower blood sugar.
- It contains antioxidants that may help to lower inflammation and slow the growth of certain cancer cells.
- Coriander extract may help to lower blood pressure.
- Heart disease rates appear to be lower in populations that consume large amounts of coriander (cilantro).
If nothing else, cilantro adds a fresh, herb-y flavor to your dishes that will make it taste like it’s from a restaurant. It’s amazing how something so easy to make can really elevate the flavor of your meal!
How to Make It
Making this cilantro sauce is as easy as it gets. Just add all of the ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth!
From there, you can taste and adjust the flavor to your liking. Never forget to customize it to your taste!
If the sauce tastes too salty or sour, add a splash of sweetness to balance it out, using maple syrup or honey. If you want something creamier, you can add a spoonful of tahini, or hummus, or even a touch of plain yogurt (use a vegan one if you need to remain dairy-free).
How to Serve It
This sauce is light enough that you can serve it as a salad dressing, or you can use it as a topping on your favorite tacos, nachos, or burrito bowls.
Here are some ideas to help you get started:
- Drizzle it over a vegan lunch bowl, along with a scoop of hummus
- Serve it on Jackfruit tacos
- Or Vegan Tacos
- Serve it as a party dip for chips, along with my favorite bean dip
- Drizzle on Sweet Potato Nachos
- Or Cauliflower Nachos
- Try it on my Chipotle Burrito Bowls
However you try it, I hope it will be a hit in your home! I’d love to hear how you serve it in the comments below.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh cilantro (tightly packed; 21 grams)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (25 grams)
- 1 shallot (24 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (1 gram)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (53 grams)
- 1/4 cup water (60 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine Himalayan salt (I use Real Salt brand)
- 1 garlic clove (3 grams)
- Freshly ground black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- This sauce will be runny when you first blend it, but it will thicken up in the fridge slightly if you let it chill for several hours. You can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Cilantro Sauce, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from hearing about your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite sauce these days?
This is so delicious. Yum! The only thing I did differently was use chives instead of the shallot because raw onions & shallots aggravate my hernia, plus I have tons of chives in the yard this time of year. Thank you for another delicious recipe.
This stuff is the bomb!!! we topped out jackfruit taco’s with it and it was sooooo yummy and along with the bean dip.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe!!! And my husband does, too!!! And YES, it has become a total staple in my home… I love cilantro, and this is the best way to have it on-hand… now whenever I buy a fresh bunch, I make a batch of the sauce… last time I made TWO batches, one to use right away, and another to freeze. LOVE IT!!!!
Delicious! I’ve made this probably 3 times in the past two weeks. Good with throwing in half basil too.
Hello! I made this tonight and mine doesn’t look at all like the picture you posted. It’s good, and will probably be a good summer dressing. I followed the recipe to a “T”, do you think it might be missing an ingredient? Anyhow, thanks for all your recipes, I love them!
Just found this recipe and even though I haven’t made it I have to tell you how much I appreciate that now you are including the measurements in weight. Doing this recipe soon.
LOVE LOVE LOVE that you put the measurements in weight! Thank you so much for taking the time to do that! I really appreciate it!
Hi, Megan. I’m going to give this sauce a try. It looks so refreshing! My husband and I eat cilantro with almost everything. I’m also going to try it with mint. In northern Thailand I once had a mint sauce at an Indian restaurant that blew my mind, and I’ve never been able to find anything similar since!
This sauce sounds so good! I don’t often use much cilantro so this sounds like a good place to start!