Harissa Sauce Recipe
Made from a basic mix of fresh ingredients, homemade harissa sauce is a simple recipe that will infuse any dish with spicy, smoky, and subtly tangy flavors. Plus, it not only tastes better but it is also cheaper than its store-bought alternatives.
Servings: 1 cup
Ingredients
- 8 dried chilis I used 3 guajillo chili peppers, 3 Ancho chili peppers, and 2 Arbol chili peppers*
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 whole roasted red peppers from jarred - drained
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika you can use sweet Spanish paprika or smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste optional
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Place the dried chilies in a medium-sized bowl and add the boiling water.
- Place a small plate on top to keep the chilies submerged and to rehydrate them. Let them steep for 30 minutes, and then drain.
- Remove the stems and deseed all the chili peppers. You can remove all of the seeds or keep some for added heat, depending on your preference.
- Place the chili peppers in the food processor (or blender). Add the ground cumin, coriander, caraway seeds, roasted red pepper, garlic, kosher salt, paprika, tomato paste, lemon juice, olive oil, and cayenne pepper.
- Pulse until pureed and smooth.
- Place in an airtight container and refrigerate if not using right away.
Video
Notes
- Yields: This recipe makes approximately 1 cup of harissa. The values below are for the whole recipe.
- *Dried chilies: Use this recipe as a starting place, but feel free to use different types of dried chilies to make this sauce.
- Storage: To store your harissa sauce, transfer it to an airtight container or jar and store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. I also recommend pouring a thin layer of olive oil over the top of the sauce before storage to prolong its shelf life, as this layer will help limit exposure to oxygen and bacteria.
- Freezing: This red harissa recipe can be frozen for up to one month in an airtight, freezer-safe container. For easier portion sizes, pour your sauce into an ice cube tray, freeze until solid, and then transfer the individual cubes into a Ziplock bag.
- Thawing: To thaw frozen harissa, place it in the fridge overnight or until ready to use.
- A note on consistency and texture: In its original Tunisian form, harissa has a smooth and thick consistency. However, harissa has since taken on other commercialized forms, like “harissa sauce” (which has a thinner, sauce-like texture) and “harissa paste” (which is thicker and less liquidy). Though these terms technically refer to the same thing, you can still adjust the consistency by adding more or less olive oil, depending on your desired thickness. During my recipe testing, I compared my homemade version to commercial brands (like Trader Joe’s Harissa, NY Shuk, and Mina ) and thought ⅓ to ½ cup of olive oil was a good place to start, but again, feel free to adjust it to your taste buds.
Nutrition
Calories: 717kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 74g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 53g | Sodium: 2505mg | Potassium: 483mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2550IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 4mg
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