African Pepper Sauce
Homemade African Pepper Sauce enjoys the flavors of habanero, garlic, onion, basil, and other spices. This versatile sauce makes a great condiment, dip, and appetizer component.
In West Africa, pepper sauce is an essential partner for puff-puff, grilled meat, fish, and eggs. Actually, it’s splendid with any food. Something about pepper sauce takes a dish from bland to flavorful and enjoyable. As you might have guessed, pepper sauce is delightfully hot because of the spicy blend of hot peppers.
Although ingredients vary from one cook to another, one thing is constant—hot peppers. You can use so many kinds of pepper in this sauce: habanero, scotch bonnet, serrano, jalapenos, and more.
My preferred chili pepper is my beloved scotch bonnet. However, habanero peppers are a good replacement if that’s what you have available. Fresh hot peppers are the biggest difference between hot sauce and African-style pepper sauce.
Content…How Hot to Make It |
How Hot to Make African Red Pepper Sauce
The most authentic West African pepper sauce I’ve had the pleasure of trying contains a negligible amount of vinegar if any at all. The basic ingredients are peppers, salt, vegetable oil, and Maggi, ranging from mild to ferociously hot with a thick texture.
In this sauce, I added extra tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, and parsley to create a versatile sauce that makes a fantastic condiment or dip. Adjust the tomatoes to suit your taste buds and spice tolerance, or omit them.
Ingredient List
- Hot peppers are a given. While I love scotch bonnet peppers, you can use habaneros, Thai chili, red jalapenos, or any other hot pepper you love. Feel free to replace it with a sweet red pepper (aji dulce or red bell pepper) for a milder sauce while keeping the red color.
- Seasonings – Onion, garlic, bouillon powder (either chicken or beef Maggi is my go-to), basil, and parsley add intense flavor. You can leave out the bouillon powder for a vegan version.
- Roma tomatoes bulk up your sauce without adding extra heat.
- Vegetable oil brings it all together and provides a smooth texture. Olive oil or sunflower oil also works well.
How to Make African Pepper Sauce
- Puree Veggies – Coarsely chop the tomatoes and onions, and discard the pepper stems. Then, puree the tomatoes, onions, garlic, pepper, parsley, basil, and bouillon powder in a food processor with as much oil as needed to make a thickish puree. (Photo 1)
- Simmer – Pour the pepper mixture into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and slowly simmer for about 15 minutes—stirring frequently to prevent burning. Adjust seasonings for salt. (Photo 2)
- Serve – Let it cool, pour it into a mason jar or a container with a lid, and store it in a fridge for up to a week. For your pepper sauce to last longer, fully cover it with oil.
Recipe Notes and Variations
- Lacto-fermented. With fermenting your own veggies becoming the rage, why not try it with pepper sauce? Replace the oil with brine from previously fermented veggies and store the puree in a glass jar on the countertop for 6-8 hours. Keep it in the fridge, and it should last 2-3 months.
- Make it milder by replacing some hot peppers with milder ones like red bell or sweet banana peppers.
- Another way to make pepper sauce is to simmer the ingredients in a little water for about 15 minutes, then puree with oil and serve.
How to Use African Pepper Sauce
Ramp up your favorite stews and soups (or other spicy dishes) with a spoonful of this goodness. Jamaican stew peas, African chicken stew, Instant Pot beef stew, Ethiopian lentils, and fish stew all enjoy having this sauce in them.
More Amazing Sauce Recipes to Try
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in October 2013 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
African Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
- 10 hot peppers (habaneros, scotch bonnet peppers, Thai chili, etc.)
- 1 medium onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons (20g) bouillon powder or Maggi
- 2 basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons (7-8g) parsley
- 1-3 Roma tomatoes, adjust the amount to taste
- ½-1 cup (118-236ml) vegetable oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Coarsely chop the tomatoes and onions, and discard the pepper stems. Then, puree the tomatoes, onions, garlic, pepper, parsley, basil, and bouillon powder in a food processor with as much oil as needed to make a thickish puree.
- Pour the pepper mixture into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and slowly simmer for about 15 minutes—stirring frequently to prevent burning. Adjust seasonings for salt.
- Let it cool, pour it into a mason jar or a container with a lid, and store it in a fridge for up to a week. For your pepper sauce to last longer, fully cover it with oil.
Tips & Notes:
- Make it milder by replacing some hot peppers with milder ones like red bell or sweet banana peppers.
- Another way to make pepper sauce is to boil the ingredients with a little water for about 15 minutes, then blend with oil and serve.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
This was super tasty, made it with homegrown Thai chilis! The sauce turned out orange more than red. Is this due to the type of peppers used?
HI Kim! Yes, the type of pepper used could change the final color of the sauce.
I want to make this recipe but I’m not familiar with Maggi so I looked it up and they have many products under that brand. For this recipe do you use beef or chicken bouillon powder or do you use another Maggi product?
Hi Robert! Either beef or chicken bouillon powder will work just fine.
How long would this last in a jar just about to finish making it
Hello Kitty Kat. This pepper sauce can last up to 3 months in the refrigerator.
I’ve been making this recipe for at least 5 ye
ars now. I just can’t get enough of it. I really enjoy eating it with breakfast, eggs or fish. Give it a try..you won’t be disappointed!!
Hi Fred,
Wow, five years? That’s incredible, and I’m so honored that this recipe has been a staple in your kitchen for so long! It’s always amazing to hear when a dish resonates with someone to the point of becoming a regular part of their meal rotation.
I love your idea of pairing it with breakfast foods like eggs or fish. It’s a testament to the recipe’s versatility, and I’m sure other readers will appreciate the suggestion as much as I do.
Thank you so much for your continued support and for sharing your experience. It truly means the world to me!
Best,
Imma
Replace the vegetable oil with red palm oil
Would try that! Thanks for the suggestion, Troy!
This pepper sauce is a favourite.
HiNkyira,
I’m absolutely happy to hear that . It is a favorite too in my household.
Thanks for support.
Excelente receta
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!
Love it. Thanks so much!
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!
It was very appetizing my guests loved it
Amazing to hear that, Thank you 🙂 Browse the blog to have more amazing recipes on your go to list.
Thank you for the recipe, it looks really straight forward and easy to follow.
Yeah, it is very easy to try and very amazing in taste, I am sure it won’t let you disappoint if you try. Don’t forget to share how it goes for you.
Thank you so much for your support and feedback, Don’t forget to share how it goes:)
I love love love this!!! This will definitely be a permanent fixture in the fridge!! I tasted it before cooking and it can be eaten like that as well 100% Like a salsa!! It’s so good!
yeah, it is something you can have in your fridge every time, it helps you to enjoy your regular meal in a special and spicy way:) Thank you for your love and support!!!
Can i use can tomatoes in place of fresh tomatoes
Yes, you can! 🙂
I always add fresh ginger, cilantro, and my own sundried tomatoes in olive oil, plus I use jalapeños because they’re less spicy but full of flavour. And a good dash of Bragg’s liquid aminos.
Thanks for the feedback
I have frozen it in small canning jars and it works great as gifts.
Nice.
So simple and delicious! I only added one tomato, as I wanted to keep it spicy. However, one more would probably have been just right. I’m going to stir in some tomato paste to calm it down a bit.
Thanks for the feedback.
Love it. Just made another batch, this time doubled the volumne.