When you have a large crop of cilantro from the garden or farmstand, you don't have time to casually include it in complicated recipes or to frantically figure out how to use it up before it goes bad without getting sick of it. You want to make the most of your harvest and to actually enjoy it.
Here at Plant to Plate, we like to keep things simple! Here are some of my favorite ways to use or preserve cilantro:
- Add cilantro and chives to corn fritters or corn patties.
- Add it to tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and burrito bowls.
- Add it to rice and grain bowls such as those made with quinoa or amaranth, alone or with lime juice.
- Add it to egg dishes like quiches, omelets, and scrambles.
- Add it to chicken bakes and other chicken dishes.
- Add it to pasta dishes, both stovetop and baked.
- Make a simple soup with cilantro, tomatillos, and chicken or tofu.
- Add it to other soups and broths. Cilantro leaves, stems, and flowers can all be used in soups and broths.
- Add it to stirfry and sautés.
- Make a creative salsa with cilantro, habanero, garlic, and fresh mint. Any mint will work with this combination, including peppermint, spearmint, and others.
- Make a fruity salsa with cilantro, jalapeño, red onion, and fruits such as strawberry, mango, and/or pineapple.
- Make a street-corn-inspired Simple Salad with corn, bell peppers, cilantro, and cojita cheese.
- Use it as Decor in an Interesting Salad. (Wondering why I capitalized those letters? Read more about Interesting Salads here!)
- Add it to other salads. Cilantro leaves, stems, and flowers can be used in salads.
- Don't forget the flowers! All is not lost once the plant goes to flower. Cilantro flowers taste and smell identical to the leaves. They can be added to salads, soups, broths, teas, and vinegars, among other uses. Stems may be tough by this time, so you may want to separate the flowers from the stems if eating them directly, such as in a salad, rather than straining them out, as in a tea or broth.
- Make infused vinegar. Cilantro-infused vinegar makes an excellent salad dressing. Cilantro can also be co-infused with lemon balm, lemon verbena, or leeks for an extra twist.
- Make cilantro tea or add it to a tea blend. Cilantro leaves and flowers are best suited for infusions. Cilantro seeds can also be used in tea, but they are best prepared as a decoction.
- Make a tincture. The suggested herb:solvent ratio for a cilantro tincture is 1:4 in 40% alcohol. Any and all parts of the plant can be tinctured.
- Dry it for later use in any of the above culinary and herbal preparations. See our How to Dry Your Herbs articles here for more information.
- Freeze it. Cilantro can be frozen whole, chopped, or in herbal ice cubes. Learn how to make herbal ice cubes and more about different freezing methods in our Freezing Overview article here.
- Don't forget the rest of the plant! Cilantro stems, flowers, roots, and seeds are all edible. They can be added to many of the above culinary and herbal preparations, especially soups, broths, egg dishes, teas, and tinctures. The seeds are also known as coriander.
Further Reading
Growing cilantro? Check out these quick facts like its best growing conditions, companion plants, and expected yields.
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