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Home » Recipes » South African Cooking » Home-made Peri-Peri sauce

Home-made Peri-Peri sauce

May 9, 2019 by Alida Ryder 73 Comments

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Deeply flavorful African peri-peri sauce made with bird’s eye chillies, onions, peppers, garlic & lemons. This sauce is a must-have for spicy food lovers.

I hope you’re ready for a bit of fiery, kick ass condiment Heaven because I’m serving it up big time today. This home-made peri-peri sauce is the bomb and you should have a jar in your fridge at all times.

Home-made Peri-Peri sauce

As a South African, my house is never without a few bottles of this glorious red hot sauce. We use it on everything from chicken, steak and pork to adding it to marinades and dressings. If you’re my brothers (or any member of my extended family, really), you eat it on e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. I have literally seen my younger brother eating a slice of cheese with peri-peri sauce on it!

For me, peri-peri is the perfect mix between Harissa and a classic Hot sauce. You have the flavor depth and character of Harissa with the punchy kick of hot sauce, and then some. Some peri-peri sauces are so hot in fact, that just smelling them will make your eyes water. This one packs serious heat but I’ve tempered it with beautiful red bell peppers, tomatoes (not super traditional but so yum) and lots of lemon juice, vinegar and herbs. You can also thin it out with a little more olive oil and a splash of water if you want it to be more “saucy”.

What is peri-peri sauce made of?

The key ingredient to any peri-peri sauce is the African bird’s eye chillies you find in markets and stores all over Southern Africa. Mountains of bright red, fiery chillies just waiting to be used always inspire me to make big batches of this beloved condiment. If you struggle to find bird’s eye chillies though, Thai chillies or any long, small red chilli will work well. Jalapenos can also work but if you can get your hands on the proper stuff, go for it. You won’t regret it. The rest of the sauce consits of red bell peppers, tomatoes (not super traditional but so yum) and lots of lemon juice, vinegar and herbs. You can also thin it out with a little more olive oil and a splash of water if you want it to be more “saucy”.

Home-made Peri-Peri sauce

How to make peri-peri sauce

Combine onions, garlic, African bird’s eye chillies, olive oil, vinegar, bell peppers, tomatoes and seasoning in the bowl of a food processor and blend into a smooth paste. I like using smoked paprika, oregano, bay leaves and lemon to flavor my peri-peri sauce but feel free to play around with other herbs like rosemary or thyme. Transfer the blended paste to a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. You want the sauce to be fiery but well balanced with salt, sugar and acid. Transfer to jars and allow to cool completely before storing in the fridge.

Home-made Peri-Peri sauce

How to serve peri-peri sauce

The best way to use peri-peri sauce is by slathering a chicken with it and grilling it over a wood fire until the skin is dark, crisp and gnarly from the chillies. But as I said, it’s a pretty versatile sauce and can be used in marinades or dressings and I even add small amount to sauces, stews and soups to add not only a spicy kick but also serious depth of flavor. And once you’ve made this you’ll find it hard not to crave it and put it on/in everything. You’ve been warned.

Recipe ideas: 

  • Easy peri-peri chicken livers
  • Peri-Peri chicken salad with charred corn
  • Grilled peri-peri chicken thighs

African bird's eye chillies for home-made peri-peri sauce

Home-made Peri-Peri sauce

Home-made Peri-Peri sauce

Deeply flavorful African peri-peri sauce made with bird's eye chillies, onions, peppers, garlic & lemons. This sauce is a must-have for spicy food lovers.
4.42 from 90 votes
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Course: Condiment, Peri-Peri, Sauce
Cuisine: South African
Keyword: condiment, hot sauce, sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 3 cups
Calories: 309kcal
Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

  • 2 red onions peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 head of garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 cup African bird's eye chillies stems removed
  • 2 red bell peppers seeds removed and roughly chopped
  • 3 ripe tomatoes skins removed and roughly chopped
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • juice and zest of 3 lemons
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

Instructions

  • Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor/blender and mix until all the ingredients are finely chopped and the mixture is quite saucy.
  • Transfer to a saucepan over medium heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent the sauce from burning.
  • After 20 minutes, check the seasoning and adjust. The sauce should be well balanced with a good kick of spice and sourness from the lemon and vinegar.
  • Pour into jars/bottles and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

If you'd like to preserve this sauce, make sure your jars/bottles are well sterilized. Fill them to the top with the sauce and seal immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 2347mg | Potassium: 801mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 5160IU | Vitamin C: 195.8mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 2.7mg

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Filed Under: Recipes, South African Cooking, Vegetarian, Videos Tagged With: 30 minute recipe, African chilli sauce, African peppers, banting, bird's eye chillies, condiment, food video, Gluten Free, home-made peri-peri sauce, hot sauce, how to make peri-peri, low carb, Peri-peri, Piri-Piri, recipe video, sauce, Vegan, vegetarian, Video

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Comments

  1. South Joeys

    December 6, 2020 at 8:46 AM

    I just made this sauce, its very yummy!
    I cheated a bit though, I was a bit lazy so I cut the lemons in half, removed the pips and threw the lemon half into the blender.
    Worked out great.
    Incidentally we used to get rotisserie roast chicken from Fernando’s Dads shop in Rosettenville long before he even started Nando’s.

    Reply
  2. Dev Patel

    November 17, 2020 at 9:48 PM

    Would it be possible to do this recipe without tomatoes? But the same measurements for the other ingredients.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 29, 2020 at 1:11 PM

      Yup!

      Reply
  3. Teresa

    September 16, 2020 at 3:54 PM

    I grew my own peri peri peppers so I don’t know how they would compare with African grown ones but they are quite hot. I really like this recipe but it says it makes 3 cups but I ended up with 7 cups. So a lot of friends ended up with little bottles of peri peri sauce. One person can only use so much hot sauce especially since my 2 plants are still busily producing more peppers.

    Reply
  4. Karla Gozjolko

    June 9, 2020 at 10:47 PM

    Would love to try this…but hubby can’t take much heat. Any suggestions to making it milder? I assume using less peppers, but should the missing amount be substituted with something else? Help please!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      June 11, 2020 at 1:52 PM

      You could use red bell peppers instead of chillies.

      Reply
  5. Patty

    May 18, 2020 at 5:19 AM

    Mine tasted very vinegary. And very spicy.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      May 19, 2020 at 3:16 PM

      It’s meant to be very spicy because of the chillies used. The vinegar-flavor should be cooked off while the sauce is simmering.

      Reply
  6. Bart

    May 10, 2020 at 7:40 AM

    Just made this for the first time and it’s awesome ??
    Will be making it again ?
    Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  7. Helga

    March 30, 2020 at 8:51 PM

    Hi, found your recipe three years ago. I now make this annually. I triple the batch, put in glass jars and into the fridge. Each batch lasts the year no problem.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      March 31, 2020 at 8:30 AM

      Amazing!!

      Reply
  8. Leisel

    March 26, 2020 at 10:10 PM

    Lovely sauce. Tastes almost exactly the same as the one I remember. I dry roasted all the veggies except the peppers. May add more onion next time to see if I can get it closer to the sauce I remember.
    Either way all I have to say is Yum! Glad I found this recipe. Will be making a lot as I have already used up half of the batch I made yesterday. And now I have another hot sauce recipe to use up all the peppers I grow in the garden.
    Thanks for a fabulous recipe that will be one of my staples!

    PS. There was a South African habanero sauce that my husband’s rugby mate would bring me when he came to the U.S. Very simple…habanero, vinegar, onions, and garlic. No carrots (like Belize/Caribbean or Mexican habanero sauce). If you have a recipe for that I would greatly appreciate it.

    Reply
  9. Roym

    March 5, 2020 at 3:36 PM

    i think this is going to be good. iI”am going to make this tommorow.

    Reply
  10. Robin

    December 7, 2019 at 9:53 AM

    This is a great recipe. I make a similar one with the same ingredient, but before blending I char the peppers and tomatoes over a gas flame or braai fire. This gives the sauce a smokey taste. I also dry roast my garlic.
    Regards

    Robin

    Reply
  11. Nathan

    November 12, 2019 at 3:45 PM

    Love the recipe! Thank you very much for sharing it!
    Quick question – I’m looking to preserve this using water bath canning so I can hopefully make enough to last a few months without the need to keep remaking it – everything I’ve read online suggests this should be plenty acidic enough to be water bath canned and stored on a normal shelf for over a year – can you confirm/comment on this?
    Many thanks!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 17, 2019 at 6:35 PM

      Because I’ve never canned this for it to last months I don’t feel comfortable giving advice, unfortunately. But if you are used to canning, I would love to know if you do can this recipe what the results are.

      Reply
  12. Brad

    June 28, 2019 at 2:09 AM

    Does the African bird’s-eye chili pepper have a certain flavor that’s unique for this sauce? Or could I substitute another type of pepper?

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      June 28, 2019 at 11:54 AM

      It is unique but not so much that it would ruin the sauce if you used another pepper. I think jalapenos, serranos, etc. will all work well.

      Reply
      • Patricia

        December 19, 2020 at 7:35 PM

        Hi Alida, I really want to make this recipe it reminds me of the steak I ate during my visit to south africa that was served on a bed of chicken livers. Is it ok to take of the seeds from the chillies or do they need be put in without taking them out.

        Reply
        • Alida Ryder

          January 4, 2021 at 3:29 PM

          You can definitely take them out.

          Reply
  13. Vince Fidanov

    April 27, 2019 at 12:55 PM

    It’s GREAT! Done it half a dozen times. This is the best peri-peri sauce i’ve tried and believe me, i like my food hot and spicy. All my friends love it. Thanks a lot love for sharing

    Reply
  14. Alina

    March 31, 2019 at 10:03 AM

    Alida, it looks so yummy! I love the step-by-step instructions, making it an easy recipe to follow!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      April 1, 2019 at 1:04 PM

      Hope you love it!

      Reply
    • Todd Goin

      April 11, 2019 at 12:25 AM

      Skids, I have some dried piri piri peppers. Have you ever used them for this? How did you rehydrate them and would you use a cup once rehydrated?

      Reply
      • Alida Ryder

        April 14, 2019 at 4:49 PM

        No I’ve never used dry peppers, I think the finished consistency and flavor of the sauce will be a lot different when using dried.

        Reply
    • Nick

      April 11, 2019 at 6:03 PM

      Great sauce. I roasted the the peppers and onions first to add to the sweetness, then blended.

      Reply
  15. Alyssa

    March 18, 2019 at 9:27 AM

    Alida, thanks! Very tasty sauce turned out. Very cool photos!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      March 18, 2019 at 1:17 PM

      So glad you liked it. Thanks Alyssa!

      Reply
  16. Bibs

    February 28, 2019 at 4:20 AM

    Hi there,
    I’m going to attempt you recipe this weekend. If our sterilize the bottles, how long do you think this will preserve for.

    I’ve read in some blogs if you use citric acid it will persevere for longer. Any idea if this will work?

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      March 1, 2019 at 8:06 AM

      It should last for a couple of months but as I haven’t tested it I can’t say for certain and I have never used citric acid for preserving unfortunately.

      Reply
  17. Patricia Trinque

    October 8, 2018 at 1:42 AM

    Best piri piri sauce ever! Love it!!!!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      October 8, 2018 at 1:13 PM

      Thanks!

      Reply
  18. Primo

    September 26, 2018 at 5:23 PM

    I just made your sauce this afternoon and it is fantastic! I cannot find bird’s eye chillies here in Spain, so have substituted some red ones from Morocco. I shall use this sauce with chicken livers later this week. Many thanks!!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      September 30, 2018 at 8:56 AM

      Delicious! Enjoy the chicken livers. 🙂

      Reply
  19. Georgia

    July 6, 2018 at 10:03 PM

    This sauce was so flavorful and perfect with chicken on the grill. Great for spicy food lovers.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      July 11, 2018 at 3:16 PM

      Thanks so much Georgia!

      Reply
  20. Andrew

    May 16, 2018 at 4:48 PM

    I noticed in the video tinned chopped tomatoes are used, what size can is that? Also how many grams would you say a cup of Bird’s Eye Chillies is?

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      May 18, 2018 at 4:49 PM

      It’s a 400g/14oz can. Regarding the chillies, I would honestly go by taste but maybe start around 50-75g and work up from there?

      Reply
      • Andrew

        May 18, 2018 at 8:42 PM

        Thanks so much for the response, will let you know how it goes 🙂

        Reply
        • Alida Ryder

          May 21, 2018 at 9:22 AM

          Please do!

          Reply
  21. Richard Megson

    April 15, 2018 at 10:00 PM

    Amazing. I’ve been to Portugal loads of times and this beauty beats the best beachfront restaurants. I marinaded shell-on prawns for an hour then fried them hot and quickly. (I double the garlic as I love Peri Peri that way.)

    Thank you for this foolproof recipe. It will be my staple.
    R

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      April 17, 2018 at 7:30 AM

      That is so wonderful to hear Richard. Thanks for your lovely comment.

      Reply
  22. Brad

    February 4, 2018 at 4:07 PM

    Great recipe! I changed it a bit by grilling the onion and the red peppers. This gave the sauce a bit more of a pronounced savory/sweet flavor. I also used a smoking gun to add hickory smoke to it while it was being blended together.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      February 5, 2018 at 7:56 AM

      That sounds AWESOME!

      Reply
  23. Kaie

    January 16, 2018 at 5:25 AM

    Curious – How much ground piri piri powder would you use in lieu of the fresh ones? Alternatively, how many chilis do you suppose fit in the 1 cup?

    It seems 1/2 tsp roughly equals 1 chili

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      January 16, 2018 at 10:45 AM

      Yes, that sounds about right. I would taste after each teaspoon though to make sure that you’re happy with the level of heat.

      Reply
  24. Navi Nawaz

    December 15, 2017 at 11:03 PM

    I made this sauce at home,it is very delicious. Thanks

    Reply
  25. Gordo

    November 28, 2017 at 3:42 AM

    Awesome!! Delicious

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      December 4, 2017 at 9:18 AM

      Thanks!

      Reply
  26. Jitender

    November 21, 2017 at 7:09 AM

    Wow Awesome Recipe, Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 26, 2017 at 7:33 PM

      Thanks!

      Reply
  27. Naval Sakhalkar

    October 5, 2017 at 11:50 AM

    Thank you for this simple but fingerlickin’ recipe. I shall make it without tomatoes as they would sweeten it. The onions will be enough. Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      October 17, 2017 at 9:08 AM

      Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  28. Rahul Digital

    April 23, 2017 at 4:43 PM

    I”ve never tried per peri sauce but by looking at ingredients I already know that I will love this sauce! Pinning!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      April 26, 2017 at 10:42 AM

      It is a much-loved recipe in my household. I’m sure you’ll love it too! 🙂

      Reply
  29. karien buter

    November 14, 2016 at 5:49 PM

    Alida thank you so much. i cannot wait to buy another one of your cookbooks when i am home in africa and i enjoy your recipes and blogs so muchxx

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 15, 2016 at 8:55 AM

      Thanks so much Karien! 🙂

      Reply
  30. Mary Ann @ thebeachhousekitchen

    November 14, 2016 at 5:25 PM

    Count me in Alida! This sounds delicious! And I totally LOVE the video! I’ve got to get moving on those myself!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 15, 2016 at 8:57 AM

      Thanks Mary Ann. I think you’ll love creating videos, we have so much fun with it.

      Reply
  31. Clinton

    August 2, 2016 at 5:36 AM

    Thanks for the recipe. You will be glad to know that it has made it as far as Melbourne and my work colleagues LOVE IT.

    I did though make 3 changes to it because I am trying to cut out sugar.
    I doubled the amount of garlic ( love garlic )
    Removed the sugar
    Halved the salt.

    Still a good recipe and it fitted the Peri-Peri hole in our lives down under (you can’t get decent peri-peri here)

    Reply
  32. ilmamemon

    June 9, 2016 at 1:00 PM

    Awsm recipe

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      June 10, 2016 at 8:09 AM

      Thanks!

      Reply
  33. Antoinette Pretorius

    March 4, 2016 at 11:20 PM

    Hi Alida! This is awesome! I asked my son Leon, restaurateur/ owner of The Countess Restaurant at 27Boxes Melville for his opinion, and he was equally impressed! He has already cooked up a batch. Thanks for sharing this fool-proof recipe.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      March 6, 2016 at 8:51 PM

      Oh I’m so pleased!! So glad you liked it.

      Reply
  34. Lynne

    February 20, 2016 at 10:55 AM

    Good one Alida 🙂 Various hot sauces are a staple in our house too. My hubby has it on EVERYTHING too, just about, (I draw the line when I make a roast dinner though…lol…he dare not ! )
    Looking forward to making your sauce, got to get those chillies 🙂

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      February 22, 2016 at 9:15 AM

      I also draw the line with certain things. Especially stews/curries where I’ve spent hours to get the depth and balance perfect. 😉

      Reply
  35. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

    February 19, 2016 at 9:08 PM

    We love it hot!hot!hot! Can’t wait to whip up a batch. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      February 22, 2016 at 9:16 AM

      Then you will LOVE this Marisa. It is very hot but so, so good!

      Reply
  36. Sabrina

    February 19, 2016 at 7:36 PM

    I first heard about this sauce last year and definitely would love to try it! Your version sounds amazing!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      February 22, 2016 at 9:16 AM

      Thanks Sabrina! You must give it a try. It’s a goodie!

      Reply
  37. Kankana

    February 19, 2016 at 7:33 PM

    Love the color of the sauce and it’s always so better to make it at home!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      February 22, 2016 at 9:17 AM

      Thanks so much Kankana. Definitely, sauces and condiments are just always so much better when made fresh.

      Reply

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