25 Herby Recipes for Cilantro Lovers, From Chutney and Salsa to Shrimp Scampi Whether it’s pureed into a sauce or showered onto a finished dish, cilantro provides a bright pop of color and flavor. By Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann is an editor, baker, and confectioner with more than 15 years of experience in content creation, recipe development, and pastry production. She's obsessed with the fine details and ingredients that take dishes from tasty to outright otherworldly. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 19, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Supposedly, you either love cilantro or hate it — so if you, like us, are firmly on Team Cilantro, here are plenty of recipes that celebrate the bright, fresh herb. It’s perfect in a flavorful chutney served with roast chicken, adds some zip to shrimp scampi, and plays a starring role in everything from Vietnamese chicken salad to Mexican street corn. Cilantro even works wonderfully in cocktails, like our Spicy Margarita Punch. Read on for some of our favorite cilantro-forward recipes. Love these recipes? Join MyRecipes — your personal home for recipes — to easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place. 01 of 25 Queso Flameado Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Charred poblano pepper, pureed cilantro, and serrano chiles bring the spicy, garlicky flavors of salsa to this gooey, rich cheese dish. Flaming the dip with tequila brings it to the next level, while a topping of pickled carrots adds acidity and brightness. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 25 Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Scampi Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Justin Chapple’s fun take on classic shrimp scampi swaps in tequila for white wine, cilantro for parsley, and lime for the standard lemon. Cilantro stems go into the sauté along with garlic and chile, mellowing as they cook and accenting the fresh cilantro leaves, which are stirred in at the end with the lime juice. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 25 Tiger Salad with Green Tea Noodles Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Hetty McKinnon tosses cold buckwheat noodles in a dressing made with celery, cilantro, scallions, and a Thai chile for this slurpable, umami-forward salad that’s ready in 20 minutes. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 25 Chicken Hummus Bowl Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle A container of your favorite store-bought hummus serves as the foundation for this dinner bowl. It’s layered with seasoned chicken thighs, fresh veggies, and feta cheese, then finished with a punchy, cilantro-packed zhoug sauce. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 25 Mexican Street Corn Salad Food & Wine / Photo by Carson Downing / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Dera Burreson All the flavors of elote in an easy-to-serve format, this warm salad tosses buttery grilled corn kernels with a bright, citrusy aioli; two Mexican cheeses; and a blend of cilantro and parsley that cuts beautifully through the rich, creamy dressing. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 25 Palak “Paneer” with Pressed Fresh Ricotta Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Kathleen Cook Varner Fry crispy, cheesy cubes of fresh ricotta in ghee to create paneerlike croutons. Paired with a warm, velvety puree of spinach and cilantro spiked with chile and ginger, it makes a delicious meatless main. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 25 Gỏi Gá (Crunchy Vietnamese Chicken Salad) Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Kelsey Moylan / Prop Styling by Addelyn Evans This flavor-packed salad from sibling chefs Eric and Sophie Banh features shredded cabbage, carrots, and onions tossed with fresh cilantro, mint, and shredded rotisserie chicken. A nước chấm–style dressing binds everything together, and it’s finished with a crunchy topping of peanuts and fried shallots. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 25 Grilled Swordfish with Carrot and Walnut Salsa Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely For this recipe, 2013 F&W Best New Chef Jason Vincent grills savory, kombu-marinated swordfish steaks. He finishes the dish with a nutty, piquant salsa made with roasted walnuts, Calabrian chiles, and two full cups of cilantro, adding a final sprinkle of extra cilantro on top. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 25 Chicken Posole Verde Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Made with a tangy broth of pureed tomatillos, cilantro, and a blend of jalapeños and poblanos, this vibrant green take on traditional Mexican hominy stew will send you back for seconds. Don’t forget the best part: piling your bowl high with all the fresh, crisp toppings. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 25 Roast Chicken with Cilantro-Mint Chutney Jen Causey Cookbook author Nik Sharma uses an entire bunch each of fresh cilantro and mint to make his fantastic chutney. Half of the verdant blend is combined with creamy, tangy yogurt to marinate the chicken; the rest is reserved as a bright dipping sauce to serve alongside. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 25 Tangy Black-Eyed Pea Salad Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Simmer tomato, cilantro, garlic, scallions, chiles de árbol, and jalapeño alongside black-eyed peas to make this punchy salad. The vegetables are later removed and transformed into a sweet, citrusy dressing. To finish, fold the beans and dressing with arugula, chopped cilantro, red onion, and another jalapeño. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 25 Green Romesco Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless This riff on the classic Spanish sauce trades roasted red pepper and tomato for a smoky, herbaceous blend of green bell pepper, poblano, and cilantro. Simply pulse it in the food processor to keep some texture intact. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 25 Crispy Potatoes with Avocado Salsa Victor Protasio Roasting smashed potatoes in olive oil delivers maximum crunch with zero frying mess. While they bake, blend a bright cilantro-lime avocado salsa to serve as the base. Toss the hot potatoes with pickled jalapeños, Cotija, and plenty of cilantro; pile them onto the salsa; and finish with a generous garnish of even more cilantro on top. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 25 Ají Verde (Peruvian-Style Green Sauce) Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Made with an entire bunch of cilantro plus scallions, garlic, lime juice, ají amarillo paste, mayonnaise, and a touch of salt, this iconic Peruvian green sauce is terrific served alongside rotisserie chicken, grilled meats, roasted or grilled fish, and raw or roasted veggies. Try it with maduros or tostones. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 25 Chicken Soup with Ginger and Cilantro Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver In this comforting dish, former F&W editor Mary-Frances Heck infuses chicken broth with plenty of cilantro and ginger. To serve, she arranges a fresh platter of mixed herbs, jalapeños, red onion, and citrus wedges, letting guests customize their bowls as desired. Get the Recipe Save 16 of 25 Spiced Chimichurri with Cilantro and Dijon Yekaterina Boytsova Boston chef Douglass Williams takes a nontraditional approach to making chimichurri. He combines coriander, cumin, and fenugreek seeds plus Dijon mustard and two cups of chopped cilantro for a zesty herb sauce that’s equally good as a marinade and dip. Get the Recipe Save 17 of 25 Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Skyler Meyers / Prop Styling by Alexandria Juhl This versatile mayonnaise-based sauce comes together almost instantly in the blender. Try it alongside roasted meats or seafood, drizzled over tacos or inside burritos, spread on sandwiches, or thinned out and used as a salad dressing. Get the Recipe Save 18 of 25 Shrimp Pakora Sliders with Coconut-Cilantro Chutney Jennifer Causey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn Shrimp fried in chickpea flour and spiced with turmeric and Kashmiri chile powder shine in a King’s Hawaiian Roll, topped with a smear of herby coconut-cilantro chutney. Get the Recipe Save 19 of 25 Green Chorizo Greg DuPree Upgrade your next taco night with this green-tinged homemade sausage. Instead of spicing it with smoky chile powder and paprika, our herb-forward version leans on a thick paste of cilantro, charred green chiles, and Mexican oregano for its smoky quality. Get the Recipe Save 20 of 25 Tomatillo Salsa Cruda Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva 2021 F&W Best New Chef Fermín Núñez employs a full cup of pungent cilantro leaves and stems along with tart, fresh tomatillos; mixed chiles; and tender scallions for a raw salsa that goes well with just about everything. (Try it on tacos, eggs, or tortilla chips.) Get the Recipe Save 21 of 25 Spicy Margarita Punch Con Poulos Muddle cucumber, jalapeño, cilantro, and mint for this zingy and fresh Margarita punch, a perfect crowd-pleaser for any party or relaxed summer afternoon get-together. Get the Recipe Save 22 of 25 Persian Split Pea and Rice Soup with Lamb Meatballs © Christina Holmes Generous amounts of fresh cilantro, parsley, and mint anchor this hearty Persian soup, finished with a swirl of tangy pomegranate molasses — or robb-e anâr — to give each bowl a bright, unforgettable flavor. Get the Recipe Save 23 of 25 Charmoula Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Perfect for brightening fish, meat, grains, and vegetables alike, this vibrant Moroccan sauce owes its brilliant green color entirely to cilantro. It comes together effortlessly when the fresh herb is stirred with olive oil, lemon juice, grated onion, minced garlic, and a blend of warm, earthy spices. Get the Recipe Save 24 of 25 Cold Roasted Leg of Lamb with Cilantro-Jalapeño Yogurt Greg DuPree Use your food processor to blend yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeños, scallion, and anchovies for a zesty sauce to serve with thin slices of chilled lamb and pita. Garnish the platter with extra cilantro for even more green goodness. Get the Recipe Save 25 of 25 Zucchini Soup with Crème Fraîche and Cilantro John Kernick Served hot or cold, this velvety soup “marries French cooking, with the leek and crème fraîche, and Texan flavors, with the poblano and cilantro,” says food writer Danika Boyle. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Ingredients Seasonings Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit