Secret Cilantro Sauce (5 minutes)

Jump to recipe

This isn’t your typical cilantro sauce. There’s a secret spice inside that adds a layer of warmth to an otherwise basic dip. So good. Sooooooo good.

You can use it as a chip dip, a taco topper, a stir fry starter, or pretty much anything that needs a delicious flavor boost.

It’s also super easy: just 7 ingredients and 5 minutes. It keeps well in the fridge overnight, and can be frozen in ice cube trays for use when needed.

• 

• 

What’s the secret?

Most cilantro sauces have a flavor base made from cilantro (obviously), lime, and garlic. Then they typically mix in a fat like olive oil, cream, or avocado. Add a pinch of salt and you’re good to go… or so you thought!

The secret ingredient you’ve been missing in your cilantro sauce is CARDAMOM!

I first learned about adding cardamom to sauce with lots of acid like lime juice from a recipe called “zhug” from Yemen. The primary ingredient in zhug is spicy peppers, with cilantro as the main herb, and cardamom as a complimentary seasoning.

Some liken zhug to the Spanish chimichurri, another herb garlic sauce, but chimichurri is traditionally made from parsley rather than cilantro. It has a more earthy, grassy flavor that is often served in Argentina as a condiment for grass fed beef.

Zhug is more of a spicy, Middle Eastern salsa verde. Although, my recipe isn’t a traditional zhug, it borrows the chili peppers and cardamom to add heat and complexity to an otherwise basic (read: boring) sauce.

Without the cardamom, the cilantro sauce has a mostly garlic-lime flavor. With just a half teaspoon of cardamom, it becomes something new entirely.

Cilantro Sauce Serving Suggestions

This is one of the most versatile sauce recipes I know. Try some of these serving variations:

• In a dip bowl for tortilla chips, or drizzled on nachos
• Spread on a sandwich or wrap
• As a taco sauce or in an enchilada casserole
• Blend with cashews or avocado for a creamy cilantro dressing
• Mix into a veggie stir fry
• Freeze in an ice cube tray and use as needed
• Stir into vegan sour cream or hummus
• Use as a cilantro lime marinade for tofu or veggie kabobs
• If you want it even spicier, swap a hotter pepper like habanero for jalapeno, or add red pepper flakes.
• If you’re REALLY into that cilantro lime flavor, plop this sauce on top of my cilantro lime slaw recipe for vegan fish tacos!

I prefer to serve the sauce chilled, because it thickens up a bit after an hour or two in the fridge. It’s also a perfect make-ahead sauce because it keeps well for a couple days when chilled, and the flavor actually improves on day two. Expert bartenders ran a taste-test experiment that showed people prefer lime juice that’s a few hours old rather than fresh squeezed. Apparently fresh isn’t always best!

The oil may separate if stored in the fridge. Just let it sit at room temp for a minute or so, then stir.

Print

Have you tried other serving ideas or variations of this recipe? Comment below!