Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde Sauce) without Mayo

I shared my recipe for Peruvian chicken a while ago, and as in many restaurants, this chicken goes well and is often paired  with aji verde sauce or peruvian green sauce. Since I don’t like mayonnaise (because of an aversion to eggs), the typical recipe with mayo didn’t appeal to me as much. I also like my sauce to be slightly chunky, unlike the typical smooth sauce, so I figured, why don’t I create my own green sauce  and simply adjust it to my preferences? In light of this, I created this peruvian green sauce recipe without mayonnaise in order to cater to my specific need and as usual, it turned out spectacularly! Even my husband who loves eggs was totally satisfied with its exclusion from it. I’m sure you’ll agree once you try it!

What is Aji Verde Sauce?

Peruvian Green sauce is a bright green, spicy and tangy sauce made from  Peruvian green peppers known as ‘aji verde’, which translates literally to ‘green pepper’ (also called green aji).  Other ingredients traditionally used in this sauce include cilantro, cheese, garlic, mayonnaise, oil and vinegar or lime; although you will find that there are varieties in its methods of preparation. Aji verde, the Peruvian chili pepper traditionally used as an ingredient in this sauce (and the reason why the sauce is called by its name) is a considerably hot (medium spicy by my estimation) chili pepper common to most of the area of Northern Peru, near Lambayeque and Piura. As with most peppers, the aji verde actually also has red, orange and yellow varieties, which are used to make other versions of this same sauce that might differ in their color. The green sauce is the popularly known version of this dish due to its utility in a lot of Peruvian restaurants as a side dish with meats (more commonly the Peruvian roasted chicken also locally called Pollo a la Brasa) and as a dipping sauce. Another chili pepper variety known as  Ají Amarillo (known as yellow chili or yellow Peruvian chili in the US), is a more popularly available variety of pepper that is used to replace the traditional aji verde, since Aji Amarillo is also green when unripe. The Aji Verde sauce is quite the staple in most Peruvian homes  where it is drizzled, spread and dipped in many forms to add that extra spiciness to home cooked dishes.

How to make Peruvian Green Sauce without Mayo

In this customized version of the original, I use jalapeno peppers as a substitute for the peruvian green peppers, and sour cream as a substitute for mayonnaise to retain the creamy consistency.

Ingredients

• 4 jalapeno peppers
• 1 heaping cup of cilantro
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3/4 cup of sour cream
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon of salt to taste

Recipe

1. In a blender chuck in all the ingredients and and blend until it reaches your preferred consistency.  I blend it on low or medium speeds to achieve my desired chunkiness but you can adjust the blending speed to your preferred green sauce texture. A higher blending speed will increase the smoothness.

2. 

   Serve chilled with Peruvian chicken

Print Recipe

Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde Sauce) Recipe

An egg-free version of the Peruvian green sauce (also called aji verde) recipe with more chunk and no mayonnaise but the same spicy, tangy, addictive flavor!

Cook Time3 minutes mins

Total Time3 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Peruvian, Tropical

Servings: 4

Calories: 156.1kcal

Ingredients

• 4 jalapeno peppers
• 1 heaping cup of cilantro
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3/4 cup of sour cream
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 tsp salt or to taste

Instructions

• In a blender chuck in all the ingredients and and blend until it reaches your preferred consistency. I like mine slightly chunky, but its commonly served smooth.
• Serve chilled with Peruvian chicken

Notes