If you’ve never tried Peri Peri Sauce, you don’t know what you’re missing. Bright and spicy with lemony garlic undertones, this full-bodied sauce is genuinely addictive.
Trust me when I tell you this traditional African sauce is loaded with flavor.
Our spicy Peri Peri sauce can enhance any number of dishes, especially its name-sake, Peri Peri Chicken. This versatile sauce has just the right amount of heat, making it the perfect condiment for tacos and burgers.
It also makes a great dipping sauce for chicken tenders and french fries.
If you love making homemade sauces, make sure to try our creamy chipotle pepper sauce and Nashville hot sauce recipes.
Ingredients to make Peri Peri Sauce
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make our Peri Peri Sauce recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
How to make Peri-Peri Sauce
- Place a grill pan on the stovetop over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the red bell peppers and red onions.
- Sear the peppers and onions for two minutes, then turn them over and sear the other side for an additional two minutes.
- Cut the peppers in half and break apart the onions. Then, return them to the pan and continue to sear them for two minutes.
- Turn the peppers over to do the other side. Then, remove them from the pan.
- Continue searing the onions for another 2-3 minutes.
*For a spicier sauce, add Thai red chili peppers (with the seeds removed) to the pan and sear them on both sides.
- Chop the onions and red peppers into large chunks.
- Add the chunks to the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse the peppers and onions until they are very small pieces.
- Add the fresh garlic cloves, dried oregano, half of the lemon zest, smoked paprika, coarse sea salt, granulated sugar, and black pepper to the food processor.
- Pulse until semi-smooth.
- Pour the peri peri sauce into a saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the bay leaves to the pan.
- Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves from the hot peri-peri sauce.
- Let the mixture cool for five minutes, then pour it back into the food processor.
- Add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and the remainder of the lemon zest to the food processor.
- Puree the mixture for 1-2 minutes.
- With the machine running, slowly pour the olive oil into the food processor.
- Continue to puree the mixture until the piri piri sauce is smooth.
*If you don’t have red wine vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar to make this traditional African sauce.
Peri Peri sauce (also known as piri piri sauce or pili-pili) is a delicious addition to grilled or roasted chicken, shrimp, steaks, and pork. It’s also a tasty condiment for sandwiches and makes a spicy, tangy marinade.
Leftover sauce can be stored in a jar or airtight container for up to three weeks. It can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to two months.
Recipe FAQ’s
It’s a traditional African sauce made by the Portuguese settlers in Southern Africa. It’s traditionally made with spicy African Bird’s Eye chili peppers, but other hot peppers can be used. For a less spicy sauce, leave out the peppers.
Some recipes don’t cook the sauce, but cooking it deepens the flavors and yields a richer, smoother sauce.
If you can’t find birds’ eye chilis, look for red Thai chilis; they are, for the most part, the same chili. You can also use cayenne pepper, serrano pepper, jalapeño pepper, habanero peppers, or scotch bonnet peppers.
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Peri Peri Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup red peppers or store bought roasted red peppers, drained.
- 1 small red onion peeled and cut into qurters
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- zest of one lemon finely grated
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 birds eye peppers optional – seeds removed (more or less to taste)
Instructions
- Place a grill pan on the stovetop over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the peppers and onions. *For a spicier sauce, add Birds eye peppers (with the seeds removed) to the pan and sear them on both sides.
- Sear the peppers and onions for two minutes, then turn them over and sear the other side for an additional two minutes.
- Cut the peppers in half and break apart the onions. Then, return them to the pan and continue to sear them for two minutes.
- Turn the peppers over to do the other side. Then, remove them from the pan.*Don't worry if they are not fully cooked, they will get fully cooked in the sauce.
- Continue searing the onions for another 2-3 minutes.
- Chop the onions and peppers into large chunks.
- Add the chunks to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the peppers and onions until they are very small pieces.
- Add the bay leaves to the pan. Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves from the peri peri sauce. Let the mixture cool for five minutes, then pour it back into the food processor.
- Add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and the remainder of the lemon zest to the food processor. Puree the mixture for 1-2 minutes.
- With the machine running, slowly pour the olive oil into the food processor. Continue to puree the mixture until smooth.
Tricia says
Greetings!
Wondering if there some information missing between Steps 7 and 8 above?
Is seems so, as there are ingredients listed that are not mentioned in the Instructions.
Looking forward to making this. Thank you!
Cheryl Rossiter. Houston. Ex South African says
Hi Dennis I follow all your recipes, made a few. Just to tell you I am South African, and peri peri sauce is a staple there especially on Chicken.
If you have ever heard of Nandos you will know about per peri.
Sometime I will tell you about Chakalacka
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