Peruvian Green Sauce Aji Verde (Print Version)

Creamy, spicy Peruvian sauce with fresh herbs and chili peppers, ready in 10 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fresh Produce

01 - 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
02 - 2 green onions, roughly chopped
03 - 1 to 2 fresh jalapeño or ají amarillo peppers, seeded and chopped
04 - 2 cloves garlic, peeled
05 - 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

→ Dairy and Pantry

06 - 1/3 cup mayonnaise
07 - 1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
08 - 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 - 1 teaspoon white vinegar
11 - 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
12 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

# How to Make It:

01 - Place the cilantro leaves, green onions, chili peppers, and garlic cloves into a blender or food processor.
02 - Pour in the lime juice, mayonnaise, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), Parmesan cheese, olive oil, white vinegar, kosher salt, and black pepper.
03 - Process on high speed until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed to ensure an even consistency.
04 - Taste the sauce and adjust the salt, pepper, or amount of chili to reach your preferred level of spiciness.
05 - Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It turns anything bland into something you will not stop eating, especially roast chicken or crispy potatoes.
  • No cooking required, just toss everything into a blender and watch it come together in seconds.
  • The balance of creaminess and fresh herbs makes it more versatile than any store bought sauce.
02 -
  • If you skip the resting time, the garlic will taste sharper and the flavors will feel separate rather than unified.
  • Seeding the peppers fully before blending gives you control over the heat level, which is harder to fix after the fact.
  • The sauce thickens slightly as it chills, so do not worry if it seems a bit thin straight from the blender.
03 -
  • Use the best mayonnaise you can find, because the sauce is largely raw and every ingredient shows.
  • If you can track down aji amarillo paste at a Latin market, a spoonful of that instead of fresh jalapeños transforms it into something remarkably close to what you would get in Peru.

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