Oil Free Chimichurri Sauce [Healthy]

Oil free chimichurri with fresh herbs, fresh lime juice and tangy red wine vinegar is the ultimate topping for all your grilled favourites. It’s wholesome, low in calories and virtually fat free! Ready in 10 minutes or less.

This recipe was originally published in March 2019. It has been updated for content and photos.

This is a Latin classic with a twist.

Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce, made using flat leaf parsley, spices and olive oil.

My low calorie and low fat twist opts for red wine vinegar and lime juice to make this one oil free. Plus I’m adding a little cilantro to the mix.

The flavour is fresh, tangy and absolutely fantastic! It pairs perfectly with all your grilled favourites like grilled tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and mushrooms!

How to make it

(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)

This simple recipe is ready in no time, with little skill or effort required. Gather your ingredients. (Full quantities are in the recipe card below.)

NOTE: If you don’t like cilantro, switch it out for more parsley instead.

Add all the ingredients EXCEPT the lime juice and vinegar to your food processor. (photo 1)

Process until very finely chopped. (photo 2)

Transfer the chopped herbs to a bowl or jar. Then add the liquids and stir.

NOTE: Alternatively, you may add the liquids directly to your food processor (AFTER processing the herbs) and pulse once or twice to mix. But DO NOT puree.

Let the mixture rest 1 hour in the fridge to blend the flavours.

How to use it

• Spread over grilled veggies, like tomato, mushrooms, eggplant or zucchini.
• Mix into mashed potatoes for an herby flavour.
• Spread some into a chickpea salad sandwich.
• Use it as a burger topping.

Substitutions + Variations

Feel free to customize this recipe to your liking!

• Do you hate cilantro? We love it, but I know some of you don’t. No problem. Just use all parsley instead, or a smaller ratio of cilantro.
• If you don’t have red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar also work.
• Want some heat? Spice it up with a pinch of cayenne pepper or red chili flakes.
• Want smoky flavour? Use smoked paprika instead of sweet and/or add a splash of liquid smoke.
• Switch up the citrus if preferred. Use lemon over lime, or a combo of both, or add some freshly squeezed orange to the mix for a touch of sweetness.

Expert Tips

1. Process the herbs WITHOUT any liquid. Processing everything together will result in a paste. Then gently pulse ONCE OR TWICE to add the liquid, or stir into a bowl or jar to be safe.
2. Raw garlic has a stronger flavour compared to cooked. We like our chimichurri very garlicky, but if you don’t, reduce to 1-2 cloves.
3. Let rest 1 hour (or more) before using for the best flavour.

More homemade sauces and dips

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Buon appetito

Rosa

📖 Recipe

Oil Free Chimichurri Sauce

Oil free chimichurri with fresh herbs, fresh lime juice and tangy red wine vinegar is the ultimate topping for all your grilled favourites.

5 from 17 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Latin

Servings: 8 Servings (makes approx. 1 cup)

Calories: 8kcal

Author: Rosa

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup flat leaf parsley tightly packed (thick stems removed)
• ▢ ½ cup fresh cilantro tightly packed (thick stems removed)
• ▢ 3-4 cloves garlic peeled
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika sweet or smoked
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lime juice approx. half of a lime
• ▢ ¼ cup red wine vinegar

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Instructions

• Add all the ingredients, except the lime juice and the vinegar to your food processor. Process until finely chopped.
• Then transfer the herbs to a bowl or jar and pour in the lime juice and vinegar. Mix well and let rest for 1 hour to blend the flavours. Serve with your favourite grilled foods.

Notes

Do you hate cilantro? We love it, but I know some of you don’t. No problem. Just use all parsley instead, or a smaller ratio of cilantro.

If you don’t have red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar also work.

Want some heat? Spice it up with a pinch of cayenne pepper or red chili flakes.

Want smoky flavour? Use smoked paprika instead of sweet and/or add a splash of liquid smoke.

Switch up the citrus if preferred. Use lemon over lime, or a combo of both, or add some freshly squeezed orange to the mix for a touch of sweetness.

Do not add the liquids to your food processor with the herbs. The herbs should be finely chopped everything BEFORE adding liquids to prevent blending the mixture into a puree.

If you don’t want to transfer the ingredients to a bowl to mix with the liquids, add them to the processor AFTER the other ingredients have been finely chopped and pulse once or twice (NOT MORE) to combine.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 8kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 828IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

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*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools and does not include optional ingredients unless otherwise indicated.