Chipotle Chimichurri Sauce is a copycat of the chain’s Red Chimichurri: a smoky, spicy red sauce of oven-roasted red bell pepper and roasted garlic pulsed with fresh cilantro, parsley, a chipotle pepper in adobo, smoked paprika, red wine vinegar, lime juice and olive oil. It stays a little chunky, not smooth. It makes 8 servings in about an hour, most of it roasting time.
How to make it: Roast a halved red bell pepper and a foil-wrapped head of garlic at 400°F for 35 to 45 minutes. Peel the pepper and squeeze out the garlic. Pulse them in a food processor with the herbs, chipotle and spices until finely chopped but still textured, drizzle in the olive oil, then pulse in the vinegar and lime. Taste, adjust, and let it rest 10 to 15 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Smoky and bright: chipotle and smoked paprika against fresh cilantro, lime and vinegar.
- Built on what the chain names: roasted garlic, cilantro, chili peppers and citrus juice.
- Adjustable: you set the heat, the tang and the thickness by tasting.
- Goes on everything: steak, chicken, fish, tacos and burrito bowls.
What Is in Chipotle’s Red Chimichurri?
Chipotle announced Red Chimichurri on September 29, 2025, as a limited-time menu item in the U.S. and Canada, available starting September 30. According to the chain, it is made with roasted garlic, fresh cilantro, chili peppers and citrus juice, and it is prepared in-restaurant every day. It is served on the side to drizzle over any entree, and the chain paired it with its carne asada. The announcement gave no amounts and no full ingredient list.
This copycat is built around those four named ingredients and adds roasted red bell pepper, parsley, smoked paprika, cumin and red wine vinegar, which is how a red chimichurri (chimichurri rojo) is usually made. It is a homemade take, not the chain’s own recipe.
Ingredient Notes
Red bell pepper: 1 medium pepper, roasted until slightly charred. Short on time? Use 6 to 8 ounces of jarred roasted red peppers and skip roasting the pepper.
Garlic: 1 whole head, roasted soft and sweet.
Herbs: 1/2 to 2/3 cup of packed fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems, plus 1/4 cup of flat-leaf parsley for balance (optional).
Heat and smoke: 1 chipotle pepper in adobo with a spoonful of its sauce (or 1 smoky red chili), 3/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin (optional).
Acid and oil: 1 1/2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice (or lemon) and 1/2 cup of light or mild olive oil.
Ingredients
- 1 medium red bell pepper (or 6 to 8 ounces jarred roasted peppers)
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems, packed
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
- 1 head garlic
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, plus a spoonful of the adobo sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (or lemon juice)
- 1/2 cup light or mild olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
How to Make Chipotle Chimichurri Sauce
1. Roast the pepper and garlic. Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut the red bell pepper in half and place it skin side up on a baking sheet. Slice the top off the head of garlic, wrap the head in aluminum foil and set it on the baking sheet next to the pepper. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, until the pepper is slightly charred and the garlic is soft.
2. Steam and peel. Move the pepper to a bowl, cover it and let it steam for a few minutes. Peel off the skin and remove the stem and seeds. Once the garlic has cooled, squeeze the roasted cloves out of their skins and discard the skins.
3. Pulse the base. Put the roasted pepper, roasted garlic cloves, cilantro, parsley (if using), chipotle pepper with a bit of adobo sauce, smoked paprika, cumin (if using), red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times until everything is finely chopped but still textured. Do not blend it completely smooth.
4. Add the oil, vinegar and lime. Scrape down the sides. With the food processor running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the sauce thickens slightly and comes together. Add the red wine vinegar and lime juice and pulse a few more times, just until incorporated.
5. Taste and adjust. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Add more salt for savoriness, more lime or vinegar for brightness, or more chili for heat. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with a bit more olive oil or a teaspoon of water.
6. Rest and serve. Let the chimichurri rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving, or refrigerate it briefly, so the flavors meld.
Tips for the Right Texture and Flavor
- Pulse, don’t purée. Chimichurri should have texture. A few short pulses keep the herbs and pepper in tiny pieces; blending it smooth turns it into a paste.
- Or chop by hand. Finely dice the roasted pepper, herbs and chipotle, mince the garlic, stir it all in a bowl with the vinegar and spices, then slowly stir in the oil with a fork.
- Set the heat last. Start with 1/4 teaspoon of pepper flakes and add more, or a second chipotle, after tasting.
- Balance the tang. If it tastes flat, add salt first, then a squeeze of lime or a splash of vinegar.
- Adjust the thickness. More oil makes it loose and pourable; less keeps it spoonable.
- Other ways to char the pepper: over a grill or under the broiler until the skin blisters and blackens, or in a 450°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, turning it halfway. Steam it covered for about 10 minutes, then peel.
Hand-chopped red chimichurri
No food processor? A hand-chopped red chimichurri is just as good, and chunkier. Finely dice 1 roasted red bell pepper, 1 bunch of parsley, half a bunch of cilantro, 2 tablespoons of shallot and 1 tablespoon of chipotles in adobo, and mince 4 cloves of garlic. Stir them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon each of dried Mexican oregano and smoked paprika and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Pour in 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil slowly while you stir with a fork, then let it rest at least 20 minutes, taste, and adjust the salt and vinegar.
Variations
- Lemon instead of lime: same amount.
- All cilantro: leave out the parsley.
- Oregano: add 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
- Shallot: add 2 tablespoons of minced shallot for a sharper bite.
- Extra smoky and hot: use 2 to 3 minced chipotle peppers.
What to Serve It With
Spoon it over grilled steak, chicken or fish, tacos, rice bowls and burritos, or serve it as a dip. Try it on garlic butter steak bites, cheese steak tacos, baked honey lime garlic butter salmon, easy chicken burrito casserole or one-pot Mexican rice casserole. For another dip on the same table, add white queso dip.
Storage
Refrigerator: Keep leftover chimichurri covered in the refrigerator and use it within 3 to 4 days, the USDA FSIS guideline for leftovers; it contains roasted garlic in oil, so don’t keep it longer. Stir before serving.
At the table: Don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it’s over 90°F), and never leave it out overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chipotle have chimichurri sauce anymore?
Chipotle launched Red Chimichurri as a limited-time item starting September 30, 2025, and the announcement gave no end date. Check the menu at your local restaurant for what’s available now, or make the recipe above at home.
What is in Chipotle chimichurri?
The chain says its Red Chimichurri is made with roasted garlic, fresh cilantro, chili peppers and citrus juice. It did not publish amounts or a full ingredient list.
How to make chimichurri sauce like Chipotle?
Roast a red bell pepper and a head of garlic, then pulse them with cilantro, parsley, a chipotle in adobo, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes. Drizzle in olive oil, add red wine vinegar and lime juice, taste, and let it rest 10 to 15 minutes.
How long should chimichurri rest before serving?
At least 10 to 15 minutes, so the flavors meld. For longer than that, cover it and keep it in the refrigerator, then stir it again before serving.
Does Chipotle sell their sauces?
The announcement only says the Red Chimichurri is served on the side with an order. It says nothing about selling it separately.
Final Notes
Roast the pepper and garlic while you prep everything else, pulse gently, and taste before you serve. If you make it, tell me in the comments what you spooned it over.
Chipotle Chimichurri Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 medium red bell pepper roasted in the oven, or use 6 to 8 ounces jarred roasted peppers
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, packed
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley optional, for balance
- 1 head garlic whole head, roasted
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo plus a spoonful of the adobo sauce (or 1 smoky red chili)
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin optional, for depth
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes adjust to heat preference
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or lemon juice
- 1/2 cup light or mild olive oil or enough to reach a loose, pourable texture
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut the red bell pepper in half and place it skin side up on a baking sheet. Slice the top off the head of garlic, wrap the head in aluminum foil and set it on the baking sheet next to the pepper. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, until the pepper is slightly charred and the garlic is soft.
- Move the pepper to a bowl, cover it and let it steam for a few minutes. Peel off the skin and remove the stem and seeds. Once the garlic has cooled, squeeze the roasted cloves out of their skins and discard the skins.
- Put the roasted pepper, roasted garlic cloves, cilantro, parsley (if using), chipotle pepper with a bit of adobo sauce, smoked paprika, cumin (if using), red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times until everything is finely chopped but still textured. Do not blend it completely smooth.
- Scrape down the sides. With the food processor running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the sauce thickens slightly and comes together. Add the red wine vinegar and lime juice and pulse a few more times, just until incorporated.
- Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Add more salt for savoriness, more lime or vinegar for brightness, or more chili for heat. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with a bit more olive oil or a teaspoon of water.
- Let the chimichurri rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving, or refrigerate it briefly, so the flavors meld.
