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A delicious recipe for Peruvian Green Sauce  (Aji Verde) made with fresh chilies, cilantro, garlic and lime. This version can be made with or without mayo,  using cashews as the base (keeping it vegan & plant-based)  if you like. Vegan-adaptable. 

A delicious recipe for Peruvian Green Sauce  (Aji Verde) made with fresh chilies, cilantro, garlic and lime. This version can be made with or without mayo,  using cashews as the base (keeping it vegan & plant-based)  if you like. Vegan-adaptable. 

If you’ve been here a while, you’ve probably seen this old post for Peruvian Chicken with Peruvian Green Sauce – it’s still one of my favorites and today I wanted to share how you can make the flavorful Peruvian Green Sauce, also know as Aji Verde.

Make it the traditional way with mayo, or make it vegan with cashews. either way, you’ll LOVE the flavor!

We use this sauce on so many things- it is a powerhouse of flavor.

What is Aji Verde?

Aji Verde is a green chili sauce from Peru, traditionally made with cilantro, garlic, lime and fresh chilies with a mayo base.  A delicious Peruvian green sauce that is spicy, creamy, tangy, and dangerously addicting!

Peruvian Green Sauce Ingredients

  • Fresh Green Chili: Typically, Peruvian chilies, called aji amarillo,  are used, be we substitute jalapeno or serrano chilies.
  • Cilantro: Fresh cilantro is imperative in the sauce.
  • Lime: adds a delicious tanginess.
  • Garlic- gives a nice bite.
  • Mayo or Cashews– the creamy base is typically made with mayonnaise in Peru, but feel free to sub-soaked cashews for a vegan option.
Peruvian green sauce made vegan!

How to make Peruvian Green Sauce

  1.  Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy and smooth. Adjust the spice level, by adding more fresh chilies to taste.
  2. To make this vegan, substitute raw cashews and water for the mayo.  And of course, you can also use vegan mayo. Very easy!
  3. Aji Verde Sauce will keep up to 5 days in the fridge.
Peruvian Gren sauce in a bowl

Ways to serve Peruvian Green Sauce:

Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde)! This recipe is vegan-adaptable, so you can skip the mayo if you prefer. A spicy, tangy flavorful condiment that is delicious on so many things! #ajiverde #peruviangreensauce #vegan

This recipe is pretty universal! It can go so on many things- and can take plain old meals and elevate them, so I hope you give it a try!

Happy Week,

Sylvia

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Peruvian Gren sauce in a bowl

Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde)

★★★★★ 5 from 11 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Total Time: 5
  • Yield: ¾ cup 1x
  • Category: condiment, vegan
  • Method: blended
  • Cuisine: Peruvian
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

A simple recipe for Peruvian Green Sauce ( Aji Verde) that is vegan adaptable- to use in Peruvian Style Meals, burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, or with Peruvian Chicken. 

Ingredients

Units Scale

Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde) : 

  • 1/2 mayo or sour cream (or 1/3 cup cashews and 1/3 cup water -vegan option, see notes)
  • 1/2–1 jalapeño or 1/2 a serrano chili (use less for less spicy, you can always add more to taste)
  • 1 fat garlic clove
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro- thin stems ok.
  • 1/4–1/2 teaspoon kosher salt,
  • a squeeze of lime juice (1 tablespoon)

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, scraping down sides if need be. ( See notes for vegan)

Blent until creamy. Taste. Adjust heat, salt and lime to your liking, adding more of each if you want. You want this slightly salty.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Makes 3/4-1 cup.

Notes

A note on Peruvian Green Sauce ( Aji Verde): Mayo is traditional. I prefer sour cream, or a blend of sour cream and mayo. Or the vegan version below!

VEGAN PERUVIAN GREEN SAUCE:  Instead of mayo, substitute 1/3 cup raw cashews and 1/3 cup water, and use 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Blend cashews and water first- in a high-powered blender. (If your blender is not “high-powered” soak the cashews in water for 4 hours first, so they soften a bit.) Blend until creamy then add remaining ingredients- chilies, cilantro, garlic, salt and lime. Taste and adjust heat and salt to your liking. You want this slightly salty.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 3 tablespoons
  • Calories: 83
  • Sugar: 1.2 g
  • Sodium: 81.4 mg
  • Fat: 6.3 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 5.4 g
  • Fiber: 0.8 g
  • Protein: 2.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: aji verde, aji verde recipe, Peruvian green sauce, spicy Peruvian green sauce, vegan aji verde, vegan Peruvian green sauce

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Comments

  1. This sauce is just fabulous. It goes on anything – roasted veggies, meats, fish. I now make it regularly w/ a few changes – Greek yogurt and Trader Joe’s jarred hot/sweet jalapenos. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    1. What about subbing with flat leaf parlsely or even basil- different but still yummy.

      Reply

  3. This sauce is the best I’ve ever had! I make it weekly. I found it originally as a part of your Peruvian chicken recipe and I am hooked. I replace the mayo with Greek yoghurt as I am on a weight loss journey and this helps with calorie counting. I usually double the recipe and then have it as a salad dressing or a dipping sauce for raw veggies. I’ve even had it on scrambled eggs or over sliced steak with brown rice. I could eat this in my sleep it is seriously THAT good! Thanks for the best recipe ever!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  4. Thank you for this amazingly delicious recipe. I make the cashew vegan version and it’s perfect. I am egg sensitive so I try to avoid them at all times and I was missing aji. I usually double the recipe and make this weekly to keep on hand.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  6. Crazy delicious. Never had it before but I had a bunch of cilantro left over. I ended up using 3 jalapeños cause I like it spicy.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  9. Wow, this would make cardboard delicious! I made the mayo version and will be making another batch today as I’m nearly out. Thank you so much for sharing this simple and superb recipe. I’ve used it on grilled veggies, eggs, veggie burgers,….

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  10. This sauce is over-the-top delicious. I made it with 1/2 mayo and 1/2 Greek full-fat yogurt. I used an entire serrano. For my family it wasn’t too spicy. If I were having guests, I would only use 1/2 serrano. My husband said he could put this sauce on on anything. Simple and delicious.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  16. I love this sauce! Try it over polenta and a beef roast and root veggies in the fall to brighten up the flavors.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Sylvia!

Chef and author of the whole-foods recipe blog, Feasting at Home, Sylvia Fountaine is a former restaurant owner and caterer turned full-time food blogger. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest and shares seasonal, healthy recipes along with tips and tricks from her home kitchen.

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