Quick Zhug Sauce Recipe: Green Hot Sauce in 10 Minutes

The Yemen Middle-Eastern spicy paste inspires this peppery cilantro parsley sauce recipe, and flavors include garlic, caraway, cardamom, coriander, and cumin for a simple, quick zhug sauce.

Table of Contents

Jump to:

• Your Gateway Sauce
• What is Zhug?
• What Zhug Tastes Like
• How I Use Zhug
• Is it Zhug, Zhoug, S'hug?
• Zhug vs. Harissa
• Trader Joe’s Zhug vs. Mine
• Ingredients with Steps
• Substitutions
• Equipment
• Storage
• Cooking Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Sauce Recipes
• Middle Eastern Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
• Have a Question or Comment?

Your Gateway Sauce

This quick zhug sauce is a fresh green sauce that packs a punch! The Yemenite spicy green sauce inspires it (or paste, depending on how rough you like it), blending garlic, cilantro, parsley, cumin, coriander, caraway, and cardamom with lemon juice, zest, and some serious heat from jalapenos or serranos.

Finally, extra virgin olive oil rounds it out to create a versatile condiment that’s super simple to whip up. This is your gateway sauce if you're diving into Middle Eastern cuisine!

What is Zhug?

Zhug, also known as zhoug, is a hot, spicy condiment from Yemen that looks like a chunky green paste made from a perfect blend of garlic, cilantro, chili peppers, and spices.

Zhug, or Zhough in Arabic and S’hug in Hebrew, has become increasingly popular due to its versatility and bold flavor. On the Scoville scale, zhug typically scores between 3,000 - 10,000 SHU, Scoville Heat Units. Learn more about the Scoville Scale.

The ingredients and heat level of zhug can vary slightly depending on the region where it’s prepared. Some recipes call for freshly chopped jalapeno or serrano peppers to boost spiciness, along with lemon juice for a touch of tartness.

My recipe takes it up a notch with lemon zest to enhance the aromatics. Plus, it’s super easy to make, and a little zhug goes a long way! Trust me, it’ll be the best thing in your refrigerator.

What Zhug Tastes Like

Zhug is a flavor explosion, combining spicy cilantro sauce vibes with a zesty, garlicky punch. The heat from the hot peppers (jalapenos or serranos) builds on your tongue, but it’s balanced with fresh herbs and citrusy brightness from the lemon. If you love spicy food, this one’s for you—just be ready for that spicy green sauce burn that sneaks up on you!

How I Use Zhug

My favorite way to use quick zhug sauce is mixing it into yogurt to marinate chicken—trust me; it gives your grilled chicken a juicy, herby kick! I also love adding it to ground meat for the most flavorful turkey burgers or meatballs you’ve ever had.

Zhug takes that basic weeknight dinner and turns it into something exciting. Plus, it’s a Middle Eastern sauce that makes everything taste just a little more delicious.

Other Ideas for Zhug

You’ll love this recipe because it’s incredibly fresh, and the sauce itself is endlessly versatile. You can use it to marinate meats, tofu, and vegetables and add a bold, zesty kick when grilling, baking, or roasting.

Try stirring it into yogurt or sour cream for a spicy dip, or drizzle it over roasted vegetables, scrambled eggs, or grain bowls for an extra layer of flavor. My favorite way is to spoon it onto a falafel pita sandwich, but it also makes a fantastic topping for avocado toast, burgers, or even mixed into pasta for a unique twist.

More Recipes Ideas

Zhug is excellent as a condiment topping, sauce, and marinade. A favorite way to use it is in the Baked Zhug Chicken with Spiced Brown Rice and Steamed Broccoli.

It can also be used to make the Spicy Zhug Hummus with Feta – Twist on Classic Hummus and with that used in the Zhug Feta Hummus Chicken Wrap.

Even try it in soup, like the Green Lentil Kale Stew, or in a grilled meat dish, like the Grilled Zhug Ras El Hanout Lamb Chops and Tomato Salad recipe.

Is it Zhug, Zhoug, S'hug?

It's all of them. You’ll notice zhug is also spelled zhoug and s’hug (skhug). So what’s the deal? It depends on who is making it. For example, the Jewish community uses the word hug, pronounced Skoog.

Additionally, there was a large population of Jews in Yemen until the late 1940s to the 50s, when many Jews relocated to Isreal, about 1,300 miles away, bringing their Yemite culture and unique religious practices.

As a result, Israel is a diverse country with a mixture of Jewish and ethnic diversity, different traditions, and religious practices in one country.

Zhug vs. Harissa

Zhug and Harissa are like cousins in the Middle Eastern condiment world, but they bring very different heat. When I’m ordering a shawarma pita wrap, I choose either zhug or harissa based on my mood (and who’s making it, let’s be real).

Zhug is all about that fresh, peppery herb heat, while harissa is more smoky, earthy, and packed with roasted chilies. One’s a spicy cilantro sauce, the other’s a rich peppery paste—totally different vibes, but both a win.

Trader Joe’s Zhug vs. Mine

I remember picking up Trader Joe’s version of zhug once—hey, no shame in the store-bought game! While their zhug is great in a pinch, my homemade version packs way more unique flavor from fresh herbs and a better balance of spices.

If you’re short on time, Trader Joe’s is a good option, but if you’ve got 10 minutes and a food processor, go for the homemade zhug—totally worth it!

Ingredients with Steps

Traditionally, this Yemenite Zhug paste has green hot peppers from the region, along with garlic, lemon, cardamom, coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds.

Sometimes, when you want to try a new recipe, you can’t because half of the items you don't have. I also tried to make it a little easier with most of the ingredients you’ll have to get started. And looking at the picture below, you can see how easy it is to gather these zhug ingredients.

First, rinse the cilantro and parsley, then cut off the rough bottom stems. Then, blend it in the food processor with jalapenos, chili pepper flakes, garlic, lemons juice and zest, cumin, coriander, cardamom, salt, and olive oil. Voila!

Culinary Glossary

This section provides concise definitions of key ingredients and techniques to enhance understanding and improve cooking skills related to this recipe. Check out the live Culinary Glossary here.

• Zhug - A Middle Eastern spicy green sauce made from fresh herbs, garlic, and hot peppers.
• Cardamom - A warm spice often used in Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines.
• Caraway - An aromatic spice similar to cumin, adding a sharp, earthy flavor.
• Cumin - A deep, earthy spice commonly used in spice blends.

See the zhug recipe card for quantities.

Substitutions

Dairy Free

• Yay! This recipe is dairy-free.

Gluten-Free

• Bonus! It's also gluten-free.

Vegetarian

• Triple Threat! It's vegetarian, too!

Convenience

• Jalapeno Pepper - Use Serrano or a mixture of both.
• Chili Pepper Flakes - Substitute 1 Thai chili, Bird's Eye Chili, or ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper for every ½ teaspoon.
• Ground Cardamom - Try ¼ teaspoon ground ginger instead with ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon per ½ teaspoon to accomplish a similar flavor.

Change Heat Level - Modify the zhug recipe's heat level to your liking and learn more about the Scoville Scale and Chili Pairings.

Equipment

• Food Processor - Essential for blitzing the herbs, spices, and hot peppers into the perfect rough paste. To develop this zhug recipe, I used my small KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper and had to do it in two batches by blending the herbs first and then adding the rest. I also suggest using a larger food processor, like a KitchenAid 7-Cup Food Processor.
  • It may also work in a personal blender. Additionally, I own both of these, and I've made an herb marinade, Epis, a Haitian green seasoning with similar ingredients using my Hamilton Beach Portable Blender and Nutribullet Personal Blender. Plus, don't be fooled; both use plugs, not batteries, before getting the food chopper, and it worked fine.
  • Another method would be using a motor and pestle, the old-school way my grandma used to. This method takes a bit longer, but it uses a different method that brings out more flavor by bruising the herbs and garlic and releasing the oils instead of chopping it with a blade. Also, just chopping everything with a knife won't work. You'll have to find a way to smash and blend everything.
• Zester - Used to zest the lemon to enhance the flavor of this zhug recipe to add a punch of fresh citrus. I've used a Microplane Classic Zester Grater for over two decades, plus any recipe that suggests testing, you might see me using it in my videos. It's a great tool to have. It can also grate ginger, hard cheeses, and garlic.
• Silicone Flexible Spatula: Perfect for scraping down the sides of the food processor and getting every last bit of that zhug goodness, like the GIR Non-Stick Heat Restiatn Silicone Spatula.

Kitchen Must Haves - Find other tools I use here.

Storage

• Refrigerator - Store zhug in an airtight container for up to 1 week; stir well before using. I usually keep mine in a Ball Glass Pint Regular Mouth Mason Jar.
• Freezer - Freeze zhug in ice cube trays, then transfer to a bag—defrost a cube as needed for a flavor boost.

Airtight Food Containers - I interchange glass food storage containers with plastic clipping lids or wooden push-ins. I always suggest glass storage containers because they can be microwaved, they hold food without staining, and the glass keeps the food at a more stable temperature, keeping it fresher and longer.  

Try the OXO Good Grips Smart Seal Glass Rectangle Food Storage Containers or the Pyrex Freshlock Glass Food Storage Containers.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Middle Eastern Recipes

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