Ready in mere minutes, this recipe is a garlicky riff on chimichurri that uses cilantro instead of the more traditional parsley. While commonly used as a marinade or seasoning for meat such as chicken or beef, Garlicky Chimichurri’s equally awesome as a dipper for Salty Crispy Tofu or drizzled over vegetables — think steamed green beans, roasted potatoes, or corn on the cob. A dab of this Garlicky Chimichurri is an excellent way to perk up a sandwich, too. Spoon it straight on your bread or toppings, or combine it with a little avocado or mayo for a flavourful spread.
TL;DR Summary for Making Garlicky Chimichurri

Garlicky Chimichurri: The Ingredients
This recipe uses just 5 ingredients: garlic, cilantro, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and sea salt.

Garlic is divine.
Anthony Bourdain
Food always tastes best when made with fresh ingredients. Since garlic is a pivotal ingredient in this recipe, avoid using the flavourless, generic version that’s so commonly found in grocery stores. And especially, please do not use the already peeled kind in big plastic tubs! If you can find local garlic it will be worth the extra money, because it will actually taste like garlic. You’ll also want to look for unbroken skin, firm bulbs, and garlic, that well, smells like garlic! The stronger the better!

Making Garlicky Chimichurri
So simple! Just toss everything in your chopper or food processor and blitz until you have a lovely, herby green sauce. If you don’t have a mini-chopper or food processor, you can just finely chop your cilantro and garlic and then combine together. You could also use a mortar and pestle, although the consistency will be different.

Eating Garlicky Chimichurri
A little bit of this Garlicky Chimichurri goes a long way. We originally made it to go with our Salty Crispy Tofu and that’s a lovely combo that makes a great appetizer.

Another non-traditional approach would be to serve it with some warm bread. Pictured below are some green onion pancakes we’ve been testing.

Eating Together Made Easy
Garlicky Chimichurri is the perfect example of a sauce that can unite a meal for mixed eaters. It’s naturally plant-based so it’s perfect for vegans. Spoon a little over some veggies — oven-roasted tomatoes, baked or roasted potatoes, steamed green beans, corn on the cob — really anything that would pair well with garlic and cilantro. For the omnivores in the crowd, it’s perfect for beef, chicken, or a white fish such as cod, halibut or tilapia.

Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- to taste sea salt
Instructions
- Process all ingredients in a chopper or food processor until well-combined.
Notes
Garlic
Be sure you are using good garlic for this recipe or you will need a lot more to achieve the same taste. See the tips in the body of the blog post for choosing garlic.Storage
This will keep well refrigerated for a few days, although the cilantro will get darker.Nutritional Information
Nutritional information is an estimate only.Nutrition
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Other Dips and Sauces
- Cashew Coconut Lime Sauce (Vegan)
- Pineapple Brown Butter Teriyaki Sauce (Vegan or Vegetarian)
- Spicy Orange Cashew Dip (Vegan)
- Ginger Brown Butter Sauce (Vegan or Vegetarian)
- 3 Ingredient Sun-dried Tomato Hummus (Vegan)
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If you try Garlicky Chimichurri please come back and let us know what you think. Your comments and ratings are so helpful and appreciated!
Sylvia
4 comments
Love this recipe! I had it with chicken and rice.
I ate too much but couldn’t help myself. ?
Awesome! Great to hear!
Fast and fabulou
Thank you!