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Romesco sauce is about to become your new favorite condiment. I want to slather it on everything, and I can’t believe how easy it is to make at home.

spoon in a jar of romesco sauce

What is Romesco sauce, you ask? Romesco is a roasted red pepper sauce that originates from Tarragona in Catalonia, a region in Northeastern Spain. It was originally intended to be eaten with fish, but once you taste it, I think you’ll agree that it’s delicious on practically anything.

Ingredients You’ll Need

What is Romesco sauce made of? Traditionally, Romesco is made from roasted tomatoes and red peppers, nuts, garlic, and olive oil. It gets its zippy flavor from red wine vinegar, and a slightly smoky flavor with a touch of smoked paprika.

romesco sauce ingredients on white surface

I’ve tested this sauce a variety of different ways, using sun-dried tomatoes to skip the roasting process, tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, and even with no tomatoes at all, to see if any extra effort is necessary.

Honestly, it’s delicious either way, as I think the predominant flavor here is the roasted red peppers and garlic.

roasted red peppers in jar and on plate

I make this sauce almost weekly now, and usually skip the tomatoes all together, but it is delicious with a small handful of sun-dried tomatoes, too, if you happen to keep them on hand. I’d hate to ask you to buy something extra for this recipe if you don’t normally use them, because the flavor is truly addictive either way.

Here are the basics you’ll need:

  • Roasted red peppers (use jarred for convenience)
  • Garlic
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Almonds (or any other nut)
  • Olive oil
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Red pepper flakes (optional)

I’ll share a few modification ideas in the recipe below, but if you have these main ingredients, you can make the best Romesco sauce you’ve ever tasted.

How to Make It

To make Romesco sauce, you’ll need to start with roasted red peppers. You can buy these in a jar at the grocery store (I usually find them near olives), or here’s how to roast red peppers, if you want to try it at home.

Once you have the ingredients on hand, all you have to do is toss them in a blender! It’s literally ready to eat in just minutes.

romesco ingredients in blender

What does Romesco sauce taste like? Romesco has a lightly sweet and zippy flavor, with hints of garlic and smoky flavors, and a touch of spice. It’s once of those sauces that adds the perfect amount of flavor to almost any dish.

Adding this sauce to your meals will simply elevate the overall taste, making you feel like you’re dining at the best restaurant in town.

romesco sauce on veggie wrap

How to Serve It

What can you put Romesco sauce on? Literally, everything.

Here’s what I’ve tried it on so far:

It makes everything taste like it came from a 5-star restaurant, if you ask me. I hope you’ll love it just as much!

romesco sauce in jar with spoon

spoon in a jar of romesco sauce

Romesco (Roasted Red Pepper Sauce)

5 from 5 votes
This Romesco Sauce makes everything taste better! All you need is a handful of simple ingredients to make this zippy, falvorful sauce that you'll want to slather on everything.
prep5 mins cook0 mins total5 mins
Servings:16

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 large roasted red peppers (8 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup whole almonds (73 grams; or any other nut)
  • 2 garlic cloves (10 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (15 grams)
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (use more for more spice)
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (54 grams)
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley (14 grams)
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (6 grams)
  • 1/4 cup water (or 1 fresh Roma tomato)

Instructions

  • In a high-speed blender, combine all of the ingredients. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides, as needed.
    romesco ingredients in blender
  • Taste and adjust any seasoning, as needed. You can add up to 1/4 teaspoon more salt, for extra flavor, or more red pepper flakes, if you want a spicier flavor. You can also add more water, just a tablespoon at a time, until the consistency is as runny as you like. Transfer to an airtight jar and store in the fridge until you're ready to use it. You can store this sauce for up to a week in the fridge.
    romesco sauce in jar and on wrap

Notes

Nutrition information is for roughly 2 tablespoons of sauce. This is automatically calculated and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
For a nut-free sauce, replace the almonds with cooked chickpeas instead.
If you don't want to buy jarred roasted red peppers, here's how to roast red peppers easily at home. 

Nutrition

Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 752IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: sauce
Cuisine: vegan
Keyword: romesco, romesco sauce

If you try this Romesco sauce, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from your experience.

Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite sauce to make?

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. I create healthy recipes made with simple ingredients to make your life easier.

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Comments

  1. Such a delicious, quick, and easy sauce. I used jarred roasted red peppers and I didn’t have fresh parsley so I used dried. It’s so good! I could eat it by the spoonful. Makes a great salad dressing or sauce for meat. I put it on chicken tonight. So good.

  2. Love this! I used cashews that I had soaked for an hour and cilantro instead of parsley. We also like some spice, so added the additional red pepper flakes and a splash more red wine vinegar. So good!!!!

  3. I just made this to go with dinner and it was fantastic. A very easy recipe to make and one that adds a lot of flavor (and nutrition) to any meal. It’s a keeper.

  4. I just made it, and no kidding, it’s the best sauce I’ve ever tasted! Thank you Megan, your recipes are amazing! 😊

  5. So good and so easy to make! I followed the recipe exactly and it was so quick to throw together. The sauce is flavorful! I had it on an egg white and cauliflower wrap with arugula with tomatoes and cucumbers. And I also had it on grilled chicken. So good!

  6. Megan, I don’t see the link for how to roast your own peppers. Thank you for this recipe! Can’t wait to try it!