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Home » Recipes » Mediterranean Recipes

Zhoug Sauce (Spicy Cilantro Sauce)

Published: May 7, 2023 by Samantha Ferraro · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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Zhoug sauce is the spicy herby condiment you'll want to put on everything and only takes 5 minutes to make! Zhoug is a vibrant green Middle Eastern sauce that combines fresh herbs, spicy chili peppers and warm spices. Drizzle zhoug on top of roasted eggplant and crispy falafel for an extra fresh and fiery kick!

Zhug sauce is a spicy herb sauce with garlic, fresh herbs and warm spices.
Jump to:
  • 🌶️ What Is Zhoug?
  • 🌿 Recipe Highlights
  • 📋 Ingredients
  • 🍋 Substitutions and Variations
  • ⏲️ Instructions
  • 📍 Recipe Tips
  • Recipe FAQs
  • What to Serve Zhoug Sauce With
  • Zhoug Sauce (Spicy Cilantro Sauce)

🌶️ What Is Zhoug?

Zhoug (also spelled "schug," "zhug," or "skhug") is a spicy and herby Israeli condiment and is often called the "Israeli national chile paste".

Zhoug is a blended spicy cilantro sauce with hot chile's, garlic and warm spices of cardamom and cumin. The spicy herb sauce forms a thick paste and is a fantastic condiment to add to your favorite Mediterranean recipes for a fresh and fiery kick!

Add a dollop of zhug on top of vegetarian hummus bowls, drizzled onto homemade falafel or wrapped in warmed pita bread with lamb shawarma. The possibilities are endless and you'll want to always have a batch of zhoug on hand!

🌿 Recipe Highlights

  • Zhoug is the condiment you'll be adding to all your favorite Mediterranean recipes for an added fresh and spicy addition.
  • All you'll need is a food processor or blender and zhug is ready in nearly 5 minutes!

📋 Ingredients

Ingredients for zhug sauce, with cardamom, fresh herbs and jalapeño.
  • Fresh Herbs: Fresh cilantro and parsley are added in this zhug recipe. Add the tender stems from the fresh herbs, which have great flavor. If cilantro isn't available, fresh mint is a great substitute.
  • Garlic: Look for garlic cloves that are tight on the garlic bulb, which means that the garlic is fresh.
  • Chile: Zhug is known for its spice, so depending on what chile you use, some will be hotter than others. Jalapeños are easily found in North America and for a hotter option, use serrano or even habanero.
  • Spices: Cardamom and cumin are warm spices that give the zhug fantastic depth of flavor. Cardamom is a pronounced flavor so start small and add more if you like.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

🍋 Substitutions and Variations

  • Use any combination of herbs that you have, such as all parsley or all cilantro.
  • Add fresh mint to the zhoug sauce!
  • Depending on your spice level, add hotter peppers such as birds eye, serrano or habanero.
  • No fresh peppers? Add a dash of cayenne.

⏲️ Instructions

As long as you have a food processor or blender, making zhoug sauce couldn't be easier and done in 5 minutes!

Add the zhoug ingredients to a food processor, including the herbs, spices, garlic and jalapeño.

Step 1: Add the zhug ingredients to a food processor, including the fresh herbs, chopped jalapeño, garlic and spices.

Blend the zhoug sauce in a food processor until everything is blended well and there are no large pieces of garlic or herbs.

Step 2: Blend the zhoug well in a food processor until there are no large pieces of garlic or herbs leftover. Add a few tablespoons of water as needed to help blend and loosen the sauce.

📍 Recipe Tips

  • Add the tender cilantro stems and parsley stems to the food processor. This will only enhance the fresh herb flavors!
  • Add 1-2 tablespoons of water of a time to thin out the consistency and help the food processor blend the ingredients.
  • Store the zhug sauce in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
  • Freeze zhoug in a resealable plastic bag and lay fat before freezing. Or freeze the zhoug in an ice cube tray.
Zhug sauce is a spicy herb sauce with garlic, fresh herbs and warm spices.

Recipe FAQs

Can zhoug sauce be frozen?

Zhoug can easily be frozen either in a resealable plastic bag and laid flat before freeze or portioned out and frozen in an ice cube tray.

How do you use zhoug sauce?

Zhug is a delicious spicy cilantro sauce that can be used as a topping onto roasted squash or drizzled over creamy hummus. You can also add zhoug to chicken shawarma bowls and swirled into tzatziki sauce.

Where can you buy zhoug sauce?

Trader Joe's zhoug sauce is a delicious store bought option if you're not able to make homemade zhoug.

What to Serve Zhoug Sauce With

  • Lamb shawarma roast served with pickled sumac onions and pita bread.
    Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma
  • Mediterranean hummus bowls with roasted cauliflower and chopped salad.
    Mediterranean Hummus Bowl with Fried Halloumi
  • Grilled chicken shawarma kebabs are served on top of hummus and saffron rice.
    Chicken Shawarma Skewers
  • Turkish lahmacun with lamb and sumac onions.
    Lahmacun (Turkish Pizza)

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.

Zhoug sauce with fresh herbs, jalapeńo and cardamom.

Zhoug Sauce (Spicy Cilantro Sauce)

Samantha Ferraro

LittleFerraroKitchen.com

Zhoug sauce is the spicy herby Middle Eastern sauce that you'll want to put on everything and only takes 5 minutes to make! With fresh herbs, chili peppers and warm spices.
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 5 minutes mins
Course Condiment, Sauce
Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Servings 6 servings
Calories 87 kcal

Equipment

  • Food Processor

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
  • 1 cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
  • 1 jalapeño roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • water as needed to thin consistency

Instructions
 

  • Add the cilantro, parsley, chopped garlic, jalapeño, cardamom, cumin and olive oil to a food processor.
  • Blend until a smooth paste forms and there are no large leaves. Add water as needed if the mixture is too thick.
  • Transfer to a resealable container until ready to use.

Notes

    • Add the tender cilantro stems and parsley stems to the food processor. This will only enhance the fresh herb flavors!
    • Add 1-2 tablespoons of water of a time to thin out the consistency and help the food processor blend the ingredients.
    • Store the zhug sauce in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
    • Yields about 1 cup of sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 87kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 0.5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 104mgPotassium: 84mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 1050IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a comment and 5 star rating!

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