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This vibrant, tangy chimichurri sauce is not only the easiest chimichurri recipe to make, but it’s also the best I’ve ever tasted! A perfect copycat for Texas de Brazil’s own chimichurri, it’s packed with fresh herbs, rich olive oil, bold garlic, and perfectly balanced spices. I have a jar of this chimichurri in my fridge at all times to use as a marinade or sauce for steaks, chicken, shrimp, fish, pork, or even roasted vegetables.
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
What Is Chimichurri Sauce?
Chimichurri is a savory, herbaceous sauce that originated in Argentina and Uruguay, though today its popularity extends far beyond Latin America. There’s no cooking involved in making chimichurri, as it’s commonly used as a marinade or a condiment for various meats or sides.
The ingredients list for classic green chimichurri is simple: garlic, olive oil, parsley, vinegar, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt.
Why You’ll Want To Put This Sauce On Everything
- I’ve been making this perfect copycat Texas de Brazil chimichurri sauce for a solid decade now, and it’s such a staple in my meal plan that to this day it has its own spot in my fridge. I always have a batch on hand. The flavors are incredible – herby, slightly spicy, tangy, and pleasantly garlicky – and it’s so unbelievably versatile. I’ve used it on basically everything at this point: seared rib eye, chimichurri rice, garlic mashed potatoes, fried eggs, even as a dip for pizza! I’ve never once been disappointed.
- As the flavors develop overnight it is something I like to make ahead if I’m going to be grilling up steaks for guests. It really packs a punch, looks great served over a platter of sliced meat, but is super simple to mix together!
- Without any ingredient swaps this sauce is also great if you’re catering for special diets: it’s naturally paleo, Whole30 compliant, low carb, keto, gluten-free and vegan!
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What I Learned Developing This Recipe
- This is a copycat of the chimichurri served at Texas de Brazil, which means I make it the same way they do! If you’re looking for a chimichurri that’s less oily, start with just ¼ cup of oil and add more in small increments until you’ve got your desired consistency.
- I like to add the ingredients to the food processor incrementally to be sure everything’s finely chopped and you don’t get any giant pieces of garlic or herb leaves in a bite.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can actually make this whole chimichurri recipe by hand instead! It takes a little more effort and a little more time, but you still end up with a delicious chimichurri in the end. Use a sharp knife to mince the garlic, parsley, and cilantro really well. From there, add everything to a bowl and whisk vigorously until all the ingredients are fully incorporated. However, don’t try to use a mortar and pestle as you would making pesto, when I tried that it just turned the sauce to mush. Texture is important!
- When it comes to salt, I always recommend starting out low. I like my chimichurri salty, so I actually use a full tablespoon in my own batches. I’ve written the recipe with just ½ tablespoon, though, because you can always add more, but you can’t take it back out. It’s way better (and less frustrating) to under-salt it than to over-salt it.
- As there is always a jar of this sauce in my refrigerator I’ve played around with making the recipe a bit lighter: instead of 1 cup olive oil, use ⅓ cup water and ⅔ cup olive oil. For an even lighter chimichurri, use ½ cup water and ½ cup olive oil.
Ingredients
Fresh garlic – As this is what adds fragrance to the sauce, only fresh garlic works in this recipe!
Parsley – This provides the traditional herby base for the chimichurri. Flat leaf parsley chops better for sauces.
Cilantro – This is not part of the traditional recipe, but is in the Texas de Brazil recipe. I find it adds a lovely complexity, but you can always make a classic, all-parsley sauce instead.
High-quality olive oil – It’s super important that you use a high-quality, great-tasting olive oil (or EVOO) to make your chimichurri. Since the olive oil is so prominent, using a subpar oil can absolutely wreck the flavor of the sauce. Low-quality olive oils will taste oily and bitter, and some are even diluted with older batches of olive oil or other oils altogether. High-quality oils have a more subtle, herby, sometimes fruity taste and aroma. Your oil needs to be fresh, too. Even high-quality olive oil will taste rancid after it expires.
Fresh lemon juice – Traditional chimichurri uses red wine vinegar instead, but I LOVE the freshness lemon adds to the Texas de Brazil version – I think it works really well with the rest of the sauce flavors. However, you can use red wine vinegar instead, or a mix of both.
Dried oregano – Using dried herbs too adds a lovely aromatic depth to the sauce. Don’t worry about dry bits in the sauce as it will re-hydrate when it comes into contact with the lemon juice.
Crushed red pepper – This adds a lovely hit of warmth and spice to the sauce. Reduce the amount of crushed red pepper flakes or omit them entirely to make it milder.
Serving & Storage Suggestions
Chimichurri is perfect as a marinade or topping for grilled or roasted meats like steak, chicken, shrimp, scallops, pork chops, fish, etc. You can also drizzle chimichurri over roasted vegetables, baked or mashed potatoes, fried eggs, cooked rice, salads, and pasta.
Try my Chimichurri Flank Steak recipe, where I’ve used the chimichurri as both a marinade (for super tender, flavorful-steak) and as a sauce to serve!
Leftover chimichurri sauce will keep well in a clean jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If any separation occurs, shake container or whisk sauce vigorously until ingredients are reincorporated. You can also freeze portions in an ice cube tray for up to 3 months!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes as it does provide depth and that authentic flavor, but I know a whole 2 tablespoons might be a bit much if you’re not a fan of raw garlic taste, so you can always scale it back a bit.
Yes! Instead of 1 cup olive oil, use only ½ cup olive oil and add the flesh of one large avocado.
If your parsley was picked too late in the season, it can have a bitter flavor, which would affect the taste of the chimichurri. Older olive oil and low-quality olive oil can also make the sauce bitter, as can using too much garlic. There is nothing you can do about old olive oil, but if your parsley is the problem you can balance the sauce with a pinch of sugar. You can balance out the garlic by doubling the recipe, omitting the garlic from the second batch and gradually mixing them together to taste.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Best Ever Chimichurri Recipe (from Texas de Brazil)
Equipment
- Food processor see Notes
- Silicone spatula
- Airtight container
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh garlic approximately 6 cloves, more or less to taste
- ½ cup fresh parsley leaves
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 cup high-quality olive oil or avocado oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice 4 tablespoons, from approximately 2 large lemons
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper more or less to taste
- ½ tablespoon table salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh garlic to bowl of food processor. Pulse garlic until minced.
- Add ½ cup fresh parsley leaves and ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves to food processor with minced garlic. Pulse until leaves are uniformly chopped. Scrape down sides of food processor bowl with silicone spatula as needed.
- Add 1 cup high-quality olive oil, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (to taste), and ½ tablespoon table salt (to taste) to food processor. Pulse until ingredients are well combined, being careful not to over-process mixture into paste. Scrape down sides of food processor bowl with silicone spatula as needed.
- Taste chimichurri and add garlic, crushed red pepper, and salt as needed. Add ingredients in small increments and pulse 1 to 2 times to incorporate. Taste again and continue adjusting if needed.
- When satisfied with flavor, use prepared chimichurri to marinate meat of choice, or transfer sauce to airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Video
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Love it and my husband does too!
That’s great!
I didn’t have enough parsley so I switched the amounts 1 cup cilantro and 1/2 cup parsley. I also used a “wood smoked “ olive oil for 1/4 cup and regular olive oil for the remainder. I am a visual cook….never, well hardly ever, measure, but I did measure out the oil and in this case it was to oily/thin. Still had great flavor! I also used all fresh herbs 2 tablespoons of fresh oregano. Excellent recipe!
Thank you !!
I’m glad you loved it!
Hi Cheryl,
I want to make jars of this as gifts, using the fresh lemons I just picked off my tree. My friends are all “food label conscious”, so I thought adding the nutrition facts on the back of my gift tags would be really helpful to them. Can you tell me though, what a serving size is?
Thank you
1-2 tablespoons 🙂
Love this recipe! We are bold flavor lovers, so I doubled the garlic and pepper flakes! Amaze-balls! I love the chimichurri at TDB. My question is: DO you really store it in the fridge? It doesn’t congeal? Also, how long do you find a mason jar full of it stays good for?
Yes, we store it in the fridge! It should last about two weeks.
I agree~~~I only used 1/2 cup of olive oil and it was plenty! I will also cut back on the salt and use a bit more parsley as I did not use cilantro~~(Sorry Texas) . I will be making more since I grew an abundance of parsley this year! Yum~~~Bring on the steaks!
We’ve been making chimichurri for years, our favorite condiment. Our recipe is almost identical but we use a whole cup of cilantro! Maybe we’ve just added more as the years go by. I am going to try the pine nuts though, love those too. My sister lives in Europe, when she comes to visit l always make a batch of chimi for her. She puts in on Everything!
Thanks so much for sharing!
In Uruguay, as in Argentina, cilantro is definitely not an ingredient of chimichurri. Which is fine by me, because I detest it! ?
But, hey, as we say in Spanish, “sobre gustos no hay nada escrito” (literally, About tastes, there is nothing written).
But, apart from cilantro, it’s a great recipe and delicious with “asado”!!
I love this recipe. Have used it as a marinade for chicken and pork. I like the fact that you give hints for how to adapt the recipe. Since I have a heart condition, I have to restrict my salt intake. I started with no salt at all and thought I would add as needed. This pops with so much flavor that I really didn’t think I needed any salt. Also my husband does not like things too spicy so next time I may try less red peppers. Has anyone else tried reducing that? If so, what do you think would be the right amount?
I lived in Argentina for a bit, and they only add a pinch of red pepper flakes. I also never had it with cilantro or oregano there, just parsley and it was delightful. Someone served me a version here in the states with cilantro and it was very bitter tasting, so I just use parsley.
Unless it’s baking and you really know the science, for recipes like this you can adjust the pepper to your taste.
I actually made the chimichurri into a sauce, then I added some gelatin and made it a mousse. My kids thought I was so fancy lol. Thank you so much it was delish!
I have made this SEVERAL times without fail. It has been a go to of mine and I share your recipe every time someone has it when I make it.
I made it tonight and my lemons were extremely sour ? Ruined the batch, way too sour. Any advice on how to adjust/fix it? ?
Thanks for your insight and inspiration ?
This is fantastic! In fact, all your recipes that I have tried are fantastic. But I think the calorie count is off on this one. A serving would have 120 calories for just the olive oil alone.
I have been looking for a recipe for this and this is perfect. Now i can’t wait until summer for my fresh herbs.
Great idea! I hope you love it 🙂