There are no regrets.
This sauce may not seem like anything special. After all, it’s just a blend of herbs, nuts, avocado, jalapeño, lime juice, oil, water, and miso. Looks can be deceiving, my friends. This simple green sauce is the best way to give a bit of “oomph” to any dish. (“Oomph” is a technical term, by the way.) I’ve tossed it with rice, used it as a dip for chips and carrots, and slathered it on top of grilled chicken and roasted potatoes. There is no dish that this sauce can’t make better.
I can’t take all the credit for this recipe, though. The inspiration is from Pinch of Yum. I had a whole bunch of cilantro lying around, and wanted to use it up before it spoiled. I mellowed out the flavors of the original recipe by taking out the raw garlic and replacing it with green onions. I’ve also added more umami flavors in the sauce by adding healthy dollop of miso.
If any of you ever find yourself needing to use up fresh cilantro quick, make a batch of this delicious sauce!
MASTER MY MISTAKES / COOKING NOTES
- Blending the sauce: I made this sauce with a Vitamix and an immersion blender, and I much prefer using the immersion blender because cleanup is much easier. The ingredients are also easier to blend with the immersion blender. With my Vitamix, I had to stop it constantly to scrape down the edges of the blender.
- Will the sauce turn brown in the refrigerator? The short answer is, yes. That’s the unfortunate thing about working with avocados. The sauce won’t blacken like cut avocados, but there will be some browning in the sauce. Just skim off the dark parts of the sauce at the top—the rest is still delicious! I also found that adding more lime juice and oil to the sauce slows down the browning process.
If you try this recipe, let me know how it goes by leaving a comment or sending me a message! Or take a photo of the food and tag me on Instagram so that I can give you a fist bump! Seeing your creations makes my day!
Versatile Creamy Cilantro Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (10g) packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 4 to 5 small stalks of green onions, about 1/2 cup chopped
- 1 medium avocado, pitted and outer skin removed
- 3 TBS olive oil
- 1/2 cup (120ml) water
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 TBS white miso paste
- 1 jalapeño, seeded (I like leaving a few seeds and membrane in tact for some spice)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3 TBS raw cashews
- 3 TBS roasted unsalted pistachios
Instructions
- Using an immersion blender or a food processor, blend all ingredients for the sauce, except for the nuts. Taste a bit of the sauce and see if you need to adjust any seasonings. Add the nuts in and blend until smooth.
- Enjoy sauce with your favorite grains, grilled chicken, chips, or roasted potatoes. To make the smashed potatoes in the photographs, boil 2 pounds of baby yukon potatoes until they can be pierced with a fork (about an additional 10 minutes after the water boils). Using a slotted spoon, remove potatoes out of the pot and arrange them on a greased baking sheet. You may want to wait 5 minutes for them to cool off. Cover potatoes with a tea towel and smash them with the palm of your hands. Drizzle a tiny bit of oil on the potatoes and bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for about 25 minutes, until the potato skins are golden brown. Sprinkle some salt on baked potatoes and drizzle cilantro sauce on top.
Notes
Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link to the Cuisinart immersion blender, which is one of my favorite tools for blending sauces and soups.
Sarah | Well and Full says
This looks so delicious! I love sauces that are versatile…. they can go from smashed potatoes to salad dressing! 😀
Lisa says
Exactly! Thanks, Sarah!
Michelle @ Modern Acupuncture says
This looks incredible! Can’t wait to give is a try. I’m thinking maybe as an added topping on my Friday night nachos. Yum! Also love your mason jar picture with the half ingredients/half blended result – too cool!
Lisa says
Thank you, Michelle!! Yes, it would be incredible with nachos!
Rachel @ athletic avocado says
Mmmmmmm I could see myself putting this sauce on EVERYTHING! It looks incredible!
Lisa says
Thanks, Rachel!!
Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
So good Lisa! I’d eat this with a spoon too or devour a bag of tortilla chips with it! I make something similar with no nuts and it whizzes up really nice in my food processor. Love your addition of miso in this.. a delicious shot of Umami! I’d be squirting this on everything, like Rachel! Lol! That first photo is fabulous!
Lisa says
Thank you, Traci! Yes, that miso gives the sauce lovely umami flavor!
Maria says
Just wondering how much lime juice is needed for the recipe? I didn’t see it anywhere on the list of ingredients.
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for catching that, Maria! It should be the juice of one lime. I’ve updated the recipe to reflect that.
Melissa says
This is fantastic! All of your recipes are……We leave the avocado pit in to prevent premature browning. Works well!!!
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for the tip and you kind words, Melissa!!
Alanna says
I just found your site this morning and this recipe looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it.
Have you seen this tip on keeping guacamole from browning? You smooth down the top and add a thin layer of water before covering it. I tried it and it really works. Perhaps this tip would work for this sauce? I’m not sure if this sauce would be thick enough to stand up to it, but it might be ok.
http://www.thekitchn.com/the-best-way-to-keep-guacamole-green-tips-from-the-kitchn-193462
Lisa Lin says
Hi, Alanna, thank you very much for stopping by! I’ve read that article a while ago, but I actually haven’t tried it myself yet! The sauce is pretty thick (not quite as thick as guacamole), so it might be able to hold up with a thin layer of water on top. I’ll definitely try that next time. Thanks!
David says
I made this last night to put on my fish tacos. It was the perfect complement to the marinated onions and fresh slaw!
Also, it’s a great way to replace dairy.
Thanks!
Lisa Lin says
David, thanks for trying out the recipe and for letting me know how it turned out! Glad you liked it!