Peri Peri Sauce
This versatile peri peri sauce, with the ideal balance of tart, fruity, and salty, is a complex and flavorful sauce you can use on almost anything. Dip in it, drizzle it, marinate with it, and spice up your potato salad dressing with it to ramp up your favorite comfort foods.
If you’re into African food and are close to a Nando’s, you might want to try it. Unfortunately, not all of us live within driving distance. So the next best thing is making your own peri peri sauce at home.
The traditional African sauce blends red peri peri (pili pili or piri piri) chilies with fresh garlic, basil, onions, and oregano. Add smoked paprika, salt, lemon, and olive oil to the mix for pure spicy goodness. So easy, and so good.
What to Use Instead of Peri Peri Peppers
Let’s be honest! It’s not easy to find these peppers in Africa, not to mention other parts of the world. But that’s not going to stop us, is it? If you happen to be in Brazil, where they were born, look for malagueta peppers.
The flavor profile of Thai bird’s eye chili peppers comes closest; perhaps that’s why many people call them African bird’s eye peppers. Peppery, citrusy, and slightly smoky flavors balance with the heat level that comes close to habaneros (though habaneros are much fruitier). Cayenne, serrano, and jalapeño peppers also work well if you don’t mind a milder sauce.
How to Make Peri Peri Sauce
- Blend all the ingredients, adding olive oil to facilitate blending.
- Optionally simmer it to thicken it.
Recipe Notes
- You may be able to find peri peri peppers in African, Latin, and Indian grocery stores or your local farmers’ market. You can definitely find them dried and ground on Amazon.
- Ginger adds more zing and spice to piri-piri sauce, along with subtle sweetness and a peppery flavor.
- For a mild sauce, replace the chili peppers with red bell peppers, mild smoked paprika, or any other sweet pepper.
- Double or triple the garlic for a more garlicky sauce.
- Add the zest from your lemon for a little extra citrusy brightness.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
This recipe is an ideal make-ahead because it lasts around 2 weeks in the fridge or up to a year in the freezer. I love freezing the sauce in an ice cube tray, then popping the cubes out into a freezer zip-lock bag. Then I grab a cube or two when I want a little extra heat and flavor.
More Ways to Use Peri Peri Sauce
I love using a scoop of this sauce for marinating chicken and kabobs, adding a tablespoon to roasted vegetables and homemade hummus, and basting meats on the grill (ribs, chicken, or shrimp).
Add a tablespoon or two to a cup of mayo for a burger sauce on steroids, stir in some to a potato salad, and macaroni salad.
More Easy Sauces to Spice up Your Life
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was first published in June 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
How to Make Peri Peri Sauce (Piri Piri)
Ingredients
- 6 red chili peppers, seeds removed and coarsely chopped (African or Thai bird’s eye)
- 2-3 red jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and coarsely chopped
- ½ medium red bell pepper, seeds removed and coarsely chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 4 large basil leaves
- 1-2 tablespoons (3-6g) fresh oregano, minced
- ¼ cup (40g) chopped onions
- ¾-1 cup (180-240ml) olive oil (adjust amount for the desired texture)
- 1 tablespoon (7g) smoked paprika
- lemon juice to taste
- 1½ teaspoons (9g) salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon (3g) freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup (60ml) dark vinegar (optional)
Instructions
- Puree the chili peppers, jalapeno pepper, red peppers, garlic, basil, oregano, and onions in a food processor or blender.
- Add enough olive oil to facilitate blending. Then add smoked paprika, lemon juice, black pepper, and optional vinegar, and mix well. Adjust seasonings to taste with salt, pour it into a glass jar, and store it in the fridge until ready to use.
- Optionally simmer it for 10-15 minutes to thicken it before pouring into a glass jar.
Tips & Notes:
- Roasting fresh peppers adds an extra layer of flavor.
- If you only have dried chili peppers, soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes, drain, and puree as you would fresh.
- Saute savory ingredients like onions and garlic for a caramelized flavor.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
My neighbour loves all things hot. This is so easy to put together.
Yes it is. He will love this too.
I am so thrilled with how this recipe turned out!!!
I have four kinds of Chilli Peppers growing in my tiny Italian garden – including the African Birds Eye – plus plenty of basil and oregano – and it was extremly satisfying to use them all.
I also used ginger and lemon zest – as per the optional extras.
I grew up in South Africa and was hoping to replicate the commercial Peri Peri sauces we got there. This recipe is even better.
Awesome!!! So happy it turned out for you.
I am onto my third batch! Batch No. 2 went to a hot sauce loving friend – much to my husband’s disappointment. Batch No.3 is just for us.
Hi Susannah,
Wow, three batches? That’s amazing! I’m so glad to hear that the peri-peri hot sauce has become such a hit in your household—and among your friends too! It’s always a good sign when a recipe is so loved that it’s being gifted.
I can totally understand your husband’s disappointment at parting with Batch No. 2, but it sounds like Batch No. 3 will more than make up for it- lol
Thank you so much for your enthusiastic support and for sharing your experience. It’s comments like yours that make blogging so rewarding!
All the Best,
Imma
What is a chili pepper? Aren’t jalapeños chili peppers? What do you mean by chili peppers?
A chili pepper is any hot pepper. Just use what you have.
I just made it find that mine is a bit more liquid than what I see in the picture but we love the tanginess of it .
i might of put to much lemon juice . but its still very great
merci
Yeah next time adjust it so you can get the same recipe as mine, Try some other recipes from the blog I am sure you would love them all.
Hi Suzanne.
Once you put the jar in the fridge the ‘solids’ float to the top; and the sauce becomes spoonful texture.
If you want something closer to Tabasco / pouring consistancy, then just mix it up.
Best hot sauce ever!
I’m glad that you love this as much as I do. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
How can I use African birds eye powder with this recipe
Good questions. Considering the size, I would replace the 6 chili peppers with ¾ teaspoon of the powdered chili peppers. Of course, adjust to your desired fire factor. I would also be tempted to add a whole bell pepper instead of just a half to keep the final amount close to the same.
Perfectly explained
Glad you liked it! 🙂
How long will this sauce keep in the fridge please? Can it be frozen?
This sauce lasts a while in the fridge, thanks to the vinegar. Rumor has it that it will last up to three months, but I’ve never been able to keep it around long enough to test that theory. And yes, you can freeze it for up to six months.
Great recipe! This pairs with the recipe for Piri Piri Chicken also on this site. Wonderful!
Sounds amazing, thank you so much for your valuable thoughts and your amazing experience with the recipe:) Try some other recipe I am sure you will like them too!
How long can you keep this sauce?
The oil and vinegar in the recipe act as natural preservatives, so it should last refrigerated at least 3 weeks. Thanks for stopping by!
Such a tasty spicy sauce , tastes so good if you use it as a marinade for chicken or on braai beef .I am now making a jar weekly my family loves it .
thank you for sharing.
Sounds amazing to hear, Thank you so much for your love and support. Stay tuned for more recipes:)
This sauce is very good. Used serranos instead of the other chiles since not really in season. Will try again with home grown chiles later.
I have made several of your recipes and all have been great. We have your gumbo (minus the seafood) probably 2-3 times a month.
Great to see your lovely comment. You make my day. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Great to cook when the whole family gets together. I use 2 chickens and there is ample sace. Cooked on the webber bbq for about an hour. Served with fresh green salad, pearl couscous with fetta and sun dried tomatoes and crusty bread.
Amazing to hear about your exprience. Thank you for your feedback!!!
Hi
You recommend sauteing the vegetables for the peri-peri sauce, how do you go about that.
I love all of your recipes and look forward to my emails every day. So proud of you.
Thanks so much, Sadie! Let me know when you get to try them 🙂