Creamy Cilantro Sauce
on Jul 23, 2021, Updated Oct 11, 2023
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This creamy cilantro sauce is amazing when spooned over all kinds of vegetables, chicken, pork, fish, and seafood cooked any which way.
If you like or maybe even love cilantro, you will want this sauce in your fridge at all times — or at least often. If you don’t like cilantro, well, I can’t imagine how you would have landed on this recipe. And if you find yourself with a lot of extra cilantro, this is a great way to use it up!
This sauce is lovely spooned over everything from grilled chicken thighs to poached salmon to sautéed shrimp. It’s amazing spooned over all kinds of vegetables, grilled, roasted, or what have you. It takes about 10 minutes to pull together, a beautiful flecked-green color, and it has lots of flavor and personality.
Table of Contents
Creamy Cilantro Sauce: Amazing spooned over all kinds of vegetables, chicken, pork, fish, and seafood cooked any which way.
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Ingredients
- Fresh cilantro leaves – The star of the show.
- Shallots – Adds a sweet oniony flavor.
- Dijon mustard – Adds a little bit of kick to the creaminess.
- Mayonnaise – The creamy base of the sauce
- Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream – Provides another kind of creaminess with some tanginess. You can also just add another ¼ cup mayonnaise.
- Jalapeño pepper – Seeded and roughly chopped.
- Heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk – To loosen the sauce a bit.
- Pinch cayenne pepper – Another little bump of heat; add more if you want your sauce on the spicier side.
How to Make Creamy Cilantro Sauce
- Puree the base of the sauce: In a food processor or blender, combine the cilantro leaves, shallots, and Dijon mustard.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Add the mayonnaise and yogurt, if using, jalapeño, cream, salt, pepper, and cayenne and puree.
- Taste and adjust seasonings.
Leftovers and Storage
This sauce will last in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Give it a good stir before serving.
What to Serve With Creamy Cilantro Sauce
The sauce also makes a great pasta salad dressing. Try it as in Pasta and Salmon Salad with Cilantro Dressing. Also, think of it drizzled over roasted potatoes, over the fluffy insides of a baked potato, roasted bell peppers, or on a big fat grilled NY strip steak.
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Creamy Cilantro Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup minced shallots
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream; or another ¼ cup mayonnaise)
- 1 jalapeno (seeded and roughly chopped)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (or half-and-half, or whole milk)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- Pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, combine the cilantro leaves, shallots, and Dijon. Puree.
- Add the mayonnaise and yogurt, if using, jalapeno, cream, salt, pepper, and cayenne and puree. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Notes
- Makes about 2 cups.
- This sauce will last in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Give it a good stir before serving.
