These chimichurri flank steak tacos are restaurant-quality tacos that are super easy to make at home and packed with bright, bold flavors!
On our last date night, I had chimichurri steak tacos from velvet tacos, and immediately, I knew I wanted to make them at home. I'm pretty obsessed with chimichurri sauce, and I already have a recipe for chimichurri flank steak; it was just a matter of building tacos.
And, of course, you can't go wrong with tacos!
How to Make Chimichurri Steak Tacos
On Sunday, during my mini-meal prep, I whipped up a batch of my chimichurri sauce and then pulled frozen flank steak out of the fridge. I then put half the sauce in with my frozen flank steak in a gallon ziplock to marinate the meat while it defrosted for a couple of days. If you buy fresh flank steak, you can marinate it anywhere between 30 minutes and 24 hours, depending on the time you have available! I've made this flank steak marinating for the minimum time, 24 hours, and the defrost method. All are delicious, but the chimichurri flavor will be stronger the longer you marinate it. Since you'll have more sauce to top the tacos with, though, that's not a huge deal.
I cooked my flank steak on the cast iron pan, and flank steak cooked FAST! I always try to air on the side of undercooking versus overcooking. For more info on how to cook your chimichurri flank steak perfectly on a cast iron pan, check out this post. Alternatively, you could grill it or air fry it!
You can't go wrong when building a taco, and everyone can build their own! I used some fancy coleslaw mix with kale I had for the base, then steak, avocadoes, pickled onions, and cotija cheese to top everything off. The star of the show will be topping it with extra chimichurri!
Swaps and Substitutions
This recipe is gluten-free, as written. Here are some additional substitutions.
- Chimichurri Sauce - find swaps and substitutions for the sauce in this post. My recipe is mouthwatering and delicious, but as a mom of three young kids, I'll never judge if you use store-bought sauce. Trader Joe's makes a spicy one, and Hungryroot makes a delicious one. I sometimes add it to my grocery order!
- Flank Steak - flank steak is ideal for tacos because it takes on the marinade flavors nicely and cooks quickly. However, you can switch it up! Chimichurri sauce goes great with shrimp, salmon, and chicken thighs. All could be made into tacos!
- Tortillas - use whatever kind of tortillas fit your dietary needs and preferences! I used corn tortillas in the calorie analysis, but when we made them, I used both corn and Siete almond flour tortillas.
- Toppings - of course, you can use whatever toppings you want, but the meat is so flavorful these tacos don't need a lot of guacamole, sour cream, etc.
- Cotija cheese - omit if you are dairy-free.
- Cilantro - optional
- Green Onion - optional
- Pickled Red Onions - optional. Use plain red onions if needed.
How to Store Chimichurri Steak Tacos
To store chimichurri steak tacos properly, follow these steps to keep everything fresh and prevent fogginess. The best thing you can do is store components separately, but I stored several tacos already assembled and ate them the next day after microwaving just fine, too! Mine weren't soggy, but you do run that risk if you refrigerate them already assembled.
If you separate out your ingredients, then place the leftover steak in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 3-4 days. Store chimichurri sauce in a sealed jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Keep tortillas in their original packaging or wrap them in foil/plastic wrap and store them at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months. And store each separately in airtight containers. Some toppings, like avocado, are best cut fresh before serving. You can reheat items like the steak separately and then build tacos, or build tacos and microwave it all (which will be the more soggy method.)
How to Freeze Chimichurri Steak Tacos
If you freeze your tacos, you definitely want to freeze the ingredients separately, or it will get very yucky and soggy. This is more of a meal prep freezer-style recipe, where you kind of half-prep it, keep most of the ingredients frozen separately in the freezer, and then just buy the fresh herbs when you are ready to assemble.
Steak: You can freeze your steak raw (as long as it hasn't already been frozen) with the marinade (half the chimichurri sauce) and then defrost it when you are ready to cook (preferred method). Or freeze your steak leftovers once they have totally cooled and been placed in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Chimichurri sauce: This sauce does really well in the freezer. I often make triple batches and freeze them. Just remember to leave a little extra room on the top of the freezer container as it will expand. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Tortillas: Freeze in original packaging or in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Toppings: the fresh veggies, herbs, and avocado won't freeze well, but you can totally freeze the pickled onions and/or cotija cheese. Note: you can use a sous vide method to freeze avocadoes, but it's not my favorite because it's a lot of work, and you have to have the equipment.
Chimichurri Steak Tacos
Equipment
- Cast Iron Pan or grill
Ingredients
- 2 cups parsley
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 green onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 lbs flank steak
Tacos
- 12 corn or flour tortillas
- ¼ cup cotija cheese queso fresco
- ½ cup pickled red onion optional or regular
- 1 cup coleslaw mix or lettuce
- 1 avocado
Instructions
- Blend parsley, cilantro, green onion, garlic, avocado oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and salt in a small food processor.* You may need to scrape the sides and pulse a few times.2 cups parsley, 1 cup cilantro, 1 green onion, 3 garlic cloves, ½ cup avocado oil, 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add about ½ to ¾ of the sauce to a large plastic bag or shallow glass dish with the flank steak. Marinate for 30 minutes to 24 hours. ***2 lbs flank steak
- Heat a cast iron pan on medium-high heat. Sear steak on each side for 4-6 minutes. Discard leftover marinade. Cube steak for tacos.
- Assemble tacos with lettuce/coleslaw on the bottom, steak, avocado cubes, pickled onions, a drizzle of leftover chimichurri, cotija sprinkle, and a sprinkle of herbs (green onion and cilantro.)
Notes
Nutrition
Megan says
These look so delicious! Def going to make!