Chermoula
Updated Dec 25, 2025
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Chermoula is one of those sauces I make when I want to add a fresh, herby, and slightly spicy punch to grilled meats, seafood, or vegetables. It’s a North African condiment packed with cumin, coriander, garlic, fresh parsley and cilantro, jalapeño, lemon juice, and olive oil. Toasting the spices first really makes the flavor pop, and it only takes 5 minutes to whip up. I love having chermoula on hand for quick marinades or as a bright topping that livens up just about any meal.
If you want a sauce that wakes up everything it touches, chermoula is it. Fresh herbs, lemon, garlic, and spices blend into a bright, savory marinade or finishing sauce that’s at home on fish, chicken, veggies, or grains — and it’s as simple to make as it is delicious
I love that it comes together in minutes but tastes like you spent hours on it. Once you make it, you’ll find yourself reaching for chermoula all the time. This chermoula sauce recipe is low-carb, gluten-free, and vegan.
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What Is Chermoula Sauce?
Chermoula is a quintessential North African condiment and marinade, originating in Morocco, also popular in Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria. Chermoula is basically a blend of herbs and spices bound together with olive oil. The way the sauce is made varies widely from region to region (there is one version with a dried raisin puree, for example), and it can be used as a marinade or a condiment.
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It is often served or used in the preparation of fish or seafood dishes. But once you have some on hand, you will find yourself looking for all kinds of ways to pair it with different foods (try it in this Moroccan-Inspired Lamb Kebab recipe!). It’s very simple to put together; don’t skip the easy, quick step of toasting the spices before blending them all together, and you will be rewarded with a deeper, toastier flavor that makes the sauce so special.
Ingredients
- Ground cumin and dried coriander – Toasting these spices for just a few minutes adds extra smoky flavor to the sauce.
- Fresh parsley and cilantro
- Jalapeño pepper
- Minced garlic
- Paprika
- Fresh lemon juice
- Extra-virgin olive oil
Kitchen Smarts
Please make sure to use fresh herbs, which give the sauce its fresh, punchy flavor. If you don’t have one of the herbs, leave it out, but don’t substitute dried.
How to Make Chermoula Sauce
Some chermoulas are very well blended, and here I just stirred together the minced ingredients, leaving generous pieces of herbs in the sauce.
You can also use a food processor or a blender, and you can make your sauce as smooth or as rough as you wish. A traditional way to make chermoula is with a mortar and pestle. If you have one (and the patience required!), you’ll get to an authentic chermoula texture.
Great question, because these two get confused a lot—and they’re actually pretty different once you look past the “green and herby” part.
Chimichurri is from Argentina and Uruguay, and it’s bright, punchy, and raw. It’s usually made with parsley, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, and chili flakes. No cooking, no blending—just chopping and stirring. It’s sharp and zippy, and it’s meant to cut through rich grilled meats, especially steak.
Chermoula comes from North Africa (think Morocco and Tunisia), and it’s warmer and more complex. It’s built on herbs like cilantro and parsley, plus garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, and often lemon. It’s typically blended into a paste and often used as a marinade before cooking fish, chicken, or lamb, though it can be served as a sauce too.
The short version: Chimichurri is fresh and tangy and added at the end; chermoula is spiced, citrusy, and usually involved earlier in the cooking. Both are excellent. They just have very different jobs.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Chermoula will last in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze chermoula. One way is to fill an ice cube tray with the mixture, and once the cubes are frozen solid, pop them out and transfer them to a freezer-proof zipper-top bag. Or, place the mixture into the freezer bag and press the chermoula so it fills the bag in a flat layer. Press out any excess air, then seal and freeze. Break off pieces as you need them. Chermoula will last in the freezer for at least 4 months.
How to Use Chermoula Sauce
Whenever I make chermoula, I’m reminded how just a handful of fresh herbs, warm spices, and bright lemon juice can transform any meal. It’s the sauce I turn to when I want something easy and flavorful that works beautifully with grilled meats, seafood, or roasted vegetables.
Chermoula can be used as a marinade, and it’s particularly great with anything grilled. You can also use it as a condiment. Chermoula is very commonly served with fish and seafood dishes. It was a huge hit as a companion to these Moroccan Lamb Kebabs. You can also stir it into dishes the way you might use pesto; add some to steamed couscous or cooked rice or orzo.
Place a dollop on seared tofu, sautéed shrimp, roasted vegetables, seared fish, or grilled steak. It’s an amazingly versatile sauce. If you have some in the fridge, a great dinner is not that far away.
What to Serve with Chermoula
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5-Minute Chermoula Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 jalapeño pepper (cored, seeded, and minced)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin and coriander and stir in the fry pan for 1 to 2 minutes, until you smell the spices toasting a bit. Transfer to a small bowl or container and cool, or transfer to a food processor or a blender.
- Stir in the parsley, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, salt, paprika, olive oil, and lemon juice, or pulse or blend in the remaining ingredients if you are using a food processor or blender. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.
Notes
- Please make sure to use fresh herbs, which give the sauce it’s fresh, punchy flavor. If you don’t have one of the herbs, leave it out, but don’t substitute dried.
- Chermoula will last, sealed, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- You can also freeze chermoula. One way is to fill an ice cube tray with the mixture, and once the cubes are frozen solid, pop them out and transfer them to a freezer-proof zipper top bag. Or, place the mixture into a freezer-proof zipper top bag and press the chermoula so it fills the bag in a flat layer. Press out any excess air, then seal and freeze. Break off pieces as you need them. Chermoula will last in the freezer for at least 4 months.
