Zhoug is one of the simplest ways to decorate up your favourite meats, veggies, and dips! Make home made zhoug sauce with the best components, together with recent jalapeño, cilantro, parsley, garlic, olive oil, and spices. You’ll need to put it on the whole lot!
In case you’re a fan of Peruvian inexperienced sauce, chances are high good you’ll love zhoug. I exploit this spicy cilantro sauce so as to add a great deal of taste to the whole lot from salmon to rooster shawarma, and as a dressing for falafel.

We’re about to zhuzh issues up with vivid, flavor-packed Zhoug sauce. Zhoug, schug, or zhug, is a flexible home made condiment, and it’s certainly one of my must-haves within the fridge on any given day. Originating within the Center East, Zhoug is a scrumptious spicy cilantro sauce produced from a mix of peppers, garlic, recent herbs, and spices. I’ll present you the best way to make it with a handful of components in your blender!
Causes to Make Zhoug (Spicy Cilantro Sauce)
- It’s fast and straightforward. All you could make it’s a few easy-to-find components and your blender or meals processor. It’s prepared to make use of in minutes.
- A lot taste! There’s nothing fairly like Zhoug sauce. It’s a little bit spicy (with the choice to adapt), a little bit savory, with a mouthwatering mixture of recent herbs and spices. It goes nicely with something and the whole lot.
- Hold leftovers for days. When you’ve tasted zhoug, I simply know you’ll discover all types of how to make use of it, from marinating rooster to dressing roasted greens. Leftovers retailer nicely within the fridge or freezer, so you may make a double batch whilst you have the blender out.


Zhoug Sauce Components
The magic of zhoug comes down to some choose recent herbs and a handful of savory spices that give it its distinctive, advanced taste. I cowl those I exploit to make mine beneath! You’ll discover the complete recipe with the printable quantities within the recipe card after the publish, adopted by step-by-step pictures.
- Jalapeño – I exploit jalapeño peppers as they’re simple to search out. You may adapt the warmth stage of your zhoug sauce with hotter peppers, like habanero. Deseed the peppers to tame the warmth a little bit.
- Garlic – Recent cloves are greatest right here. In any other case, substitute ½ teaspoon of garlic paste per clove.
- Recent Herbs – Freshly chopped cilantro and parsley.
- Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed lemon is greatest, however bottled lemon juice works in a pinch. You possibly can additionally substitute white or crimson wine vinegar.
- Spices – Floor cumin, coriander, cardamom, crimson pepper flakes, and salt.
- Olive Oil – I like to recommend a good-quality olive oil as you’ll style the distinction. Avocado oil is an efficient substitute.
What Does It Style Like?
Zhoug is filled with advanced flavors from mildly spicy jalapeños, vivid, citrusy lemon and garlic, earthy cumin, and candy, natural cardamom. Rather a lot is occurring, in the absolute best approach! It’s what makes this sauce so wonderful and so versatile. Plus, when you make it at dwelling, you’ll be able to adapt the salt, spice, and different flavors to style.


Zhoug vs. Chimichurri
Chimichurri is the Argentinian reply to Zhoug sauce. The principle distinction between the 2 inexperienced sauces is that chimichurri makes use of a mix of parsley, garlic, and oregano. In the meantime, Zhoug is heavy on cilantro. You’ll discover different variations, like Moroccan zhoug, that additionally include mint.
Methods to Use Zhoug Sauce
Zhoug is absolutely an all-around condiment. I wish to drizzle it over dips like hummus, or stir it into Macedonian taratur (just like tzatziki) for a spicy kick. These are just some different simple concepts:
- Marinade. Use Zhoug sauce to marinate your favourite proteins, like rooster or beef.
- Dipping sauce. Serve this spicy inexperienced sauce alone or blended into yogurt as a zippy dipping sauce for rooster skewers, juicy rooster bites, or salmon bites.
- Salad dressing. Add a little bit further olive oil and toss your zhoug with a recent inexperienced Mediterranean salad or use it as a dressing for tabbouleh or couscous.
- Topping. I exploit Zhoug sauce as a topping over salmon filets or rooster tagine, or I’ll serve it over grilled meats, like flank steak. It’s even nice drizzled over my household’s favourite Macedonian fried pork pizza.
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Mix the components. Place the whole lot besides the olive oil within the bowl of a meals processor. Pulse till the whole lot is chopped and beginning to come collectively.
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Add olive oil. With the meals processor working, pour the olive oil in via the highest of the lid. (By the opening the place you’ll be able to add liquid whereas the meals processor is working.) As soon as all of the olive oil has been added, flip off the meals processor.
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Scrape the bowl. Scrape down the perimeters and pulse a couple of extra instances till a thick sauce is fashioned.
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Season to style. Style and regulate the seasonings if wanted. You may add extra salt in order for you it saltier, extra crimson pepper flakes in order for you it spicier. Add these changes 1/4 teaspoon at a time, mixing between additions, till you obtain your required taste.
Energy: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.4g | Fats: 9g | Saturated Fats: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 7g | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 589IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
Dietary data is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might fluctuate in line with the components and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed data.
Make Zhoug
Similar to getting ready home made pesto sauce or blender Hollandaise, making zhoug is straightforward to do in your meals processor:




- Mix the components. Add your entire zhoug components to a blender or meals processor, aside from the olive oil. Pulse a couple of instances so the combination comes collectively.
- Add oil. Hold the processor working and stream within the olive oil. As soon as that’s added, swap off the meals processor and scrape down the perimeters earlier than pulsing once more.
- Regulate for seasonings. Style the sauce and regulate your seasonings to style. I like to recommend including a little bit at a time, mixing in between. You may at all times add extra, however you’ll be able to’t take it away! While you’re blissful along with your zhoug, serve it straight away or retailer it for later, see beneath.
Storage Directions
- Refrigerate. You may serve zhoug sauce instantly or hold it saved in an hermetic jar or container. To assist preserve its freshness, pour a skinny layer of olive oil over the zhoug earlier than you seal the lid. It lasts for 5-7 days within the fridge.
- Freeze. Sure, you’ll be able to freeze zhoug! Freeze it in a freezer-safe container for as much as 6 months and thaw it within the fridge whenever you’re prepared to make use of it.