Red Chimichurri (Chimichurri Rojo)

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This Red Chimichurri sauce (or chimichurri rojo) is full of fresh ingredients and smoky flavor. Enjoy it as a sauce or marinade for meat, chicken, seafood or vegetables!

You know what makes a grilled steak or lamb chop even better? Chimichurri sauce! 

We love to serve chimichurri drizzled on grilled or sous vide meats, and we’re always changing up the flavor profile. 

That’s the great thing about chimichurri. You can change it up with different fresh herbs and spices to make a unique flavor combo every time (like this cilantro chimichurri)! 

Some of our favorite recipes with chimichurri are sous vide lamb chops with mint chimichurri, grilled flank steak with chimichurri, and ginger soy sous vide tri tip with Asian chimichurri.

Check out the red chimichurri story!

What's the difference between red and green chimichurri?

Chimichurri is an oil-based sauce that can be used as a condiment, dressing or marinade. It usually has a blend of dried spices, fresh herbs and an acidic mix of lemon juice and red wine vinegar.

Green chimichurri, like this Argentinian chimichurri sauce, is made with a mix of fresh herbs, like cilantro and parsley, which makes it green in color.

**we also make this mint chimichurri, which is not traditional, but delicious!

Red chimichurri uses similar ingredients, except it’s lighter on the fresh herbs and includes roasted red peppers and smoked paprika. This adds the red color and smoky flavor.

Why this recipe works

1. Thanks to the fresh parsley, roasted red peppers and smoked paprika, it tastes amazingly fresh, smoky and delicious! Seriously, once you make a batch, you’ll want to make another just to have extra on hand!
2. It’s versatile. You can serve it on grilled meats, enjoy it as a dressing for salads and vegetables, or use it as a marinade for steak, chicken or seafood. We even enjoy it as a sauce for this Brazilian pizza!
3. You can make it in advance. I actually prefer this chimichurri made the day before so the flavors have a chance to meld. Once it’s made, it will last in the fridge for 2-3 weeks, and you can even freeze it for up to 3 months.

Ingredients

For the full list of ingredients and quantities, please see the recipe card below.

You’ll need 1 cup of roasted red peppers for this recipe. You can use store-bought for convenience or you can roast your own. If you roast your own, just make sure you peel the skins off before adding them to the chimichurri. 

Using the freshest herbs possible is the key to delicious chimichurri, and will help it last longer. We’re using ½ a cup of packed fresh parsley in this recipe. To change up the flavor profile, you can also use fresh cilantro.

For the acidic addition to this chimichurri, I use a ¼ cup of red wine vinegar and ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice. I prefer red wine vinegar, but you can use white wine vinegar in a pinch. I don’t recommend substituting the fresh lemon juice for bottled juice. It just doesn’t have the same fresh taste.

For the smoky flavor, you’ll need 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika. While regular paprika is the same color, you’ll want to make sure you’re using smoked, otherwise you won’t get the smoky flavor for the chimichurri.

The base of this sauce is ½ a cup of olive oil. Since we’re using quite a bit, I recommend using a good quality olive oil.

Step by step instructions

This recipe is seriously so simple to make!

Add all the ingredients, except the olive oil, to a blender and pulse until well combined.

Pour into a bowl and stir in the olive oil. **It's okay if it's not perfectly smooth - it's actually better with a few chunks in it.

Serve with meat, chicken, seafood or vegetables.

Expert tips

1. For the best flavor, make sure you’re using fresh lemon juice and a good quality olive oil.
2. For some heat, add a spicy chili or extra crushed red pepper flakes.
3. You can use roasted piquillo peppers instead of roasted red peppers.
4. Red wine vinegar is the best for this recipe, but if absolutely necessary, you can use white wine vinegar.
5. Always use fresh herbs when making chimichurri. Dried herbs will not have the same flavor or texture.
6. If you like a milder garlic flavor, feel free to cut back on the amount of garlic cloves.
7. You don’t need to blend the ingredients together until totally smooth. A slightly chunky chimichurri is what we’re looking for.
8. Taste the sauce before serving and add more salt, if necessary.

Common questions

Serving options

There are so many delicious options for this red chimichurri sauce. Here are some suggestions:

• Serve it on tacos like these crispy pork belly tacos or use it in these spicy lamb tacos in place of the red chili paste.
• Drizzle it over meats like these Instant Pot beef short ribs or this sous vide flank steak.
• Stirring a little into this Brazilian fish stew would be amazing. 
• It’s also delicious on this Thai beef salad recipe in place of the Thai dressing!

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!