This chimichurri sauce is a game-changer for me. It makes everything more delicious, from tacos, to burrito bowls, to a side of roasted cauliflower. You’ll want to lick your bowl clean once you taste it! And as an added bonus, this sauce is actually pretty healthy, made with fresh herbs, no sugar, and a fraction of the oil that other recipes call for.
What is Chimichurri Sauce Made Of?
Chimichurri sauce is popular in Argentina and Uruguay, and most recipes call for fresh parsley, garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. It’s almost like a red wine vinaigrette, but with more of a garlicky herb-forward flavor. (If that sounds weird, you’re just going to have to trust me when I say that it’s delicious.)
Here are the ingredients in my chimichurri recipe:
- Fresh parlsey
- Fresh cilantro
- Garlic
- Red pepper flakes
- Red onion
- Zucchini
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
Each ingredients adds its own layer of flavor to this sauce, so I hope you’ll try it as written. I could eat it with a spoon! My version is also made healthier because I swap some of the oil for chopped zucchini, which blends seamlessly into this delicious sauce. It’s already green, after all.
Should I refrigerate Chimichurri?
Since chimichurri sauce is made with plenty of fresh ingredients, like herbs, garlic, and onion, it definitely needs to be refrigerated when you store it for later. It will thicken up a bit when chilled, so you may want to let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving it again, or you can thin it out with a little extra water.
Is Chimichurri served hot or cold?
I don’t heat up chimichurri sauce to serve it, but you can serve it over a hot or cold entree. It makes a great marinade for your favorite protein (which you can later grill), but I use it most often as a condiment over practically anything. I think it tastes best the first day you make it, so in that case I’m usually serving it at room temperature, but you can also serve it straight from the fridge.
Blender Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup zucchini , peeled and chopped (about 6 oz.)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup chopped red onion (about 1/4 of a medium onion)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons water (or as needed, to thin)
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, combine the zucchini, olive oil, vinegar, parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Process until smooth, then add water if needed to thin out the sauce to help make it more pourable.
- Taste and adjust any seasoning to your liking, then serve! This sauce tastes the best the day you make it, but you can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. (Freeze the leftovers in an ice cube tray if you don't think you'll use it all by then, so you can easily thaw what you need later.)
Video
Nutrition
Chimichurri Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 35, Fat: 3g, Carbohydrates: 1g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 1g
Recipe Notes:
- If you don’t have zucchini on hand, you can replace it with up to 1/2 cup of olive oil for a more traditional oil-based chimichurri, or you can try using another neutral-flavored vegetable instead. (Let me know if you try one!)
- Don’t care for cilantro? Use more parsley instead, and vice versa. But, I really recommend the blend of both! Since you can taste this sauce as you go, feel free to use your intuition and add as much or as little of the ingredients as you like. (For example, use less garlic if you’re not a fan.)
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear how that works out for you, too! We can all benefit from hearing about your experience.
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Reader Feedback: Have you ever tried chimichurri sauce before? I had it over tacos during our recent vacation to Milwaukee
Thanks for another great recipe Megan! Made this yesterday and it’s delicious. Very refreshing with a bit of kick. And super easy.
Genius sub of zucchini for some of the oil. Flavor and texture excellent. I expected it to “water out” in the refrigerator, but it did not. Fabulous!
I’m so glad you like it! Thanks for letting me know.
Actually, chimichurri comes from Argentina where cilantro is not a known herb (or even liked), and it looks nothing like this creamy version with zucchini. All the ingredients are finely chopped, that’s it… it’s a very rustic condiment.
Great flavor! Added a small jalapeño to add a little kick. I used the exact measurements for all the ingredients, could have used 1.5 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, since I thought it came out a little too sour— so added agave to balance it out! Thank you for a great recipe!
I had chimichurri sauce from trader joes, :), and this was just as good, and my family couldn’t detect that there was zucchini in it! I also tried it with a bit of cauliflower and it turned out great as well. Thanks for sharing!
Omg thank you!!! Just started on AIP and was ready to use my store bought chimichurri before realizing it wasn’t compliant. Right before I found your recipe, I tried another one and literally said yuck and threw it away. And thennnn thank goodness I decided to give it one more shot because I already had the cauliflower steaks cooking and tried your recipe! So delish! Even my hubby and daughter loved it. So smart adding in that zucchini too! Thank you so much for the awesome recipe! I’m saving it to my favorites 🙂