Carrot Greens Chimichurri

Don't toss those tops! Carrot greens are just as edible as carrots themselves, and they're delicious in this tangy chimichurri sauce, pesto, and more.

Carrot greens

Today, we’re making chimichurri out of carrot greens! I don’t know who ever spread the idea that vibrant carrot tops should be tossed. They’re edible and delicious, so let’s start using them!

This carrot tops recipe comes with a cute little backstory. A few years ago, Jack and I spent some time in Argentina, where I fell in love with chimichurri sauce. Upon returning home, I couldn’t find a recipe that tasted just like the bright, smoky chimichurri we had there. But recently, we learned that one of our friends in Austin is Argentinian! He kindly called his mother for her chimichurri recipe, and it was, of course, just right.

This recipe is a slight spin on hers. I used carrot greens instead of the traditional parsley, and I added less water and oil to make a thicker, dip-able sauce. It’s not at all authentic, but it’s delicious nonetheless.

Carrots with green tops

How to Use Carrot Greens

Before we get to the sauce, let’s talk carrot tops! They have a lightly sweet, earthy flavor that’s like a cross between carrots and parsley, and they’re delicious raw or cooked. This recipe uses most of the tops from one small bunch of carrots, or half the tops from a large bunch. That means you’ll have leftovers! Aside from this chimichurri sauce, here are a few of my favorite ways to use carrot greens:

Chopped carrot tops

Carrot Greens Tips

Ready to cook? Here are my best tips for working with carrot greens in the kitchen:

  • Clip them off right away. In order to keep the carrot leaves (and the carrots!) fresh, you need to store them separately. As soon as you get a bunch of carrots with bright green tops, clip off the greens. Wrap them up and store them in the crisper drawer in your fridge until you’re ready to use them, or freeze them to make vegetable stock.
  • Wash and dry them well. It’s no secret that carrots grow in dirt, so wash the leaves well! You’ll also want to dry them with a kitchen towel or salad spinner before chopping them – if they’re too wet, they’ll clump together and be soggy.
  • Get rid of the tough stems, unless you’re making stock. Carrot greens’ thick stems can add delicious flavor to vegetable stock, but they’re too tough to use in salads, bowls, or sauces like this chimichurri. I like to use the tender leaves in carrot top recipes right away and freeze the stems to simmer into stock later on.

Chimichurri recipe ingredients

Chimichurri with Carrot Tops Recipe

This chimichurri sauce is so simple to make! First, wash your greens well, and chop them as finely as you can. Then, mix them with spices, olive oil, and white wine vinegar. That’s it! I love to serve this sauce with roasted carrots as a starter or side dish, but it’s also fantastic with grilled veggies, crusty bread, or any cooked protein.

If this chimichurri is too oily or vinegary for you, dilute it with 1/4-1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Mix well, and spoon it over whatever you’re eating, rather than serving it as a dip.

Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the sauce will keep for up to 4 days. It will thicken in the fridge, so allow it to come to room temperature before serving!

Roasted carrots with carrot greens chimichurri

More Favorite “Scrap” Recipes

If you love this carrot tops recipe, try experimenting with other common veggie scraps! Here are a few recipes to get you started:

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Carrot Greens Chimichurri

rate this recipe:
4.98 from 43 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chimichurri is a smoky Argentinian sauce made with parsley, vinegar, and olive oil. In this recipe, I swap carrot greens for the parsley. The tangy sauce is fantastic on salads, roasted veggies, toasted bread, or any cooked protein!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine the carrot greens, oregano, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir in the vinegar and olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings.

 

163 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Tom
    02.26.2024

    You left out the most obvious. Just cook the greens in a pan with garlic and olive oil — same as you might with spinach. I do this with radish tops as well.

  2. Linda
    01.24.2024

    5 stars
    Great sauce! Very similar to chimichurri sauce served at South American Restaurant. Great as a dip for fried plantains or served over steak! 😋 Thanks!

  3. Jacqulene
    12.02.2023

    4 stars
    Thank you for the carrot greens chimichurri recipe. It turned out wonderfully and I was happy to use the leftover carrot greens. I used the chimichurri on roast spatchcock chicken, which accompanied roast carrots of course, and crunchy roast potatoes. Delicious

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.05.2023

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  4. Megan Dobyns
    10.08.2023

    5 stars
    This came out fantastic!! Great recipe!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.09.2023

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  5. Emma L
    09.25.2023

    5 stars
    Let this sit overnight for flavors to meld. It is awesome. I was skeptical of the amouth of seasoning and tasting it just after making it I was not impressed. But the next day, this was off the hook good. I used it as a salad dressing in a greek salad (added a sprinkle of mint).
    Will be making this again for sure.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.27.2023

      I’m glad you enjoyed it the second day!

  6. Chef Nick
    08.18.2023

    5 stars
    Had a blast making this. It felt great to use the whole carrot and not waste it. Flavor was great. I suggest just have fun with it and put whatever you think fits the flavor. I added parmigiana cheese on top for looks. My only issue was mine came out too oily. My fault I’m heavy handed.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.22.2023

      I’m so glad you enjoyed your carrot greens!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.