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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Fast and flavourful! – this vibrant, green dressing adds so much fresh, delicious flavour to your meal that you’ll want to have it on everything!
Readily available basic ingredients – most of the ingredients are basic spices and pantry staples that you are most likely to already have.
Quick and easy – There is very little active preparation time required and the steps are quick and simple!
Thermal-cooker friendly – This is an easy recipe and I have included instructions for making the cilantro chimichurri with a Thermomix as well.
What is Chimichurri?
Chimichurri is a herb sauce that can be used in many ways. This Argentinian sauce is traditionally used as a condiment for grilled or barbecued proteins and vegetables.
You can also use chimichurri as a marinade for meat, to add a big dose of fresh herby flavour, or as a basting while cooking.
What You’ll Need
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the quantity of ingredients used and the full detailed recipe for cilantro chimichurri sauce. Keep reading for more details on the ingredients, substitutes and step by step instructions on how to make this delicious recipe.
Cilantro – also known as Coriander, this herb is quite a contentious ingredient due to it tasting “soapy” to some people! Luckily, you can easily substitute it with flat leaf parsley – also known as Italian parsley – in this recipe!
Oregano – you can choose to use either fresh or dried oregano to make chimichurri. If you use dried oregano, you will need to use a lot less than fresh, as dried has a more concentrated flavour.
Garlic – fresh garlic cloves are the best choice for this recipe, as the flavour from powder or granules can be a bit stronger and overpowering.
Extra virgin olive oil – a good quality extra virgin olive oil will complement the flavours of the fresh herbs and spices without overpowering them.
Red wine vinegar – this is an important element in the flavour of chimichurri, but you can substitute it with balsamic vinegar if you need to.
Red Pepper flakes – I have added this as an optional ingredient, but I do recommend adding them for that extra flavour. A pinch will not make the chimichurri spicy, but it will enhance the taste!
PS> take no notice of the butter mentioned in the picture… I was obviously thinking of something else at the time bahahaha!
How to Make It
This keto chimichurri sauce recipe is super simple, which makes it easy to have a fresh batch of chimichurri whenever you want some.
Finely chop the herbs and garlic, so that there is still some texture to them, but not big chunks. This can be done by hand or in a food processor if preferred. Chimichurri Thermomix instructions are also included in the recipe card below (it is so easy to make).
Mix the finely chopped herbs well with the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl, and season well with salt flakes and black pepper. You can add a little fresh lime juice or sliced red onion. If you are like me all these ingredients end up on most dishes anyway.
How To Serve Cilantro Chimichurri
Once you have tasted this delicious coriander sauce you will want to add it to as many meals as you can! Not only is perfect with grilled meats or seafood it really goes so well with all the foods I regularly enjoy!
These are just some suggestions of how you can serve it:
- Add it to the filling in Keto Cheese and Bacon Scrolls.
- Use it instead of a tomato-based sauce with my Fathead Pizza Crust Recipe.
- Drizzle it over a Keto Omelette.
- Swirl it through a Creamy Cauliflower Mash.
- Add it to Shakshuka for a flavour boost instead of a garnish of fresh herbs.
- Drizzle on top of your favourite soup (like pictured below).
Megan’s Tips
SERVING SIZE BY WEIGHT
To calculate the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe by 8. The result will be the weight of one serving.
STORAGE
As there is fresh garlic in the Chimichurri, it is best used within 2-3 days of making it. If it has been left in the fridge longer, I would use it in a recipe where it will be cooking rather than a fresh drizzle over the top of a meal or as a dip.
FAQs
Fresh cilantro (or parsley) is the main ingredient in the chimichurri. Dried herbs are more concentrated and you would therefore use much less, and this is why the fresh, main ingredient cannot be substituted with dried herbs. The oregano is a complementary ingredient, and although it would be preferable if it was also fresh, is sometimes not as readily available so substituting dried oregano is fine to do.
Parsley is the herb used in the traditional version, so even though it will taste different to the cilantro version, it will still be delicious!
Chimichurri is meant to be slightly chunky rather than a smooth sauce, but feel free to prepare it to your liking.
The recipe will make 7 tablespoons.
You can extend the storage time if you spoon individual servings – 1 tablespoon – into an ice cube tray. Once the cubes are frozen, pop them in a zip lock bag and keep frozen. You can use these in stews, soups or casseroles as needed.
More Recipes to Try
- Keto Pesto
- Peri Peri Sauce
- Keto Ranch Dressing
- Keto Caesar Dressing
- Red Pickled Onions
- Pesto Rosso – (Sun Dried Tomato Pesto)
Serve with our incredible Easy Zucchini Slice or Birria Tacos with Consommé.
Love our keto chimichurri recipe? Then please rate the recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review to help others know that this is worth making.
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Cilantro Chimichurri
Ingredients
- 1 cup cilantro (coriander) (30g) or flat-leaf parsley (or a combination of both)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or half a teaspoon of dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 60g
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 30g
- Pinch chilli flakes optional
- Salt flakes and black pepper
Instructions
CONVENTIONAL METHOD
- Finely chop the cilantro, oregano and garlic. Combine with the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and season to taste.
THERMAL METHOD
- Place the roughly chopped cilantro, oregano, garlic, and oil into the mixer; chop 5 sec/speed 7. Scrape down the lid and sides of the bowl; add the remaining ingredients and season to taste; mix 5 sec/speed 7.
Notes
Your Own Notes
Nutrition
Megan Ellam is a keto Australian recipes blogger and author of amazing keto cookbooks such as Keto Mojo, Slow Cook Keto, Keto Loco, The Healthy Family Keto Cookbook and Every Day Keto.
Megan has been following a ketogenic diet since being diagnosed with insulin resistance in early 2017.
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