Romesco sauce is something I discovered a few years ago when writing our Everyday Cooking Cookbook.
We had a lovely market near our apartment at the time that had this creamy, dairy-free red sauce called romesco. I was shocked. I’d never seen something so beautiful that tasted so creamy and wonderful that didn’t have dairy! I had to investigate.
Origin of Romesco Sauce
Like many foods, it’s unclear where exactly romesco was first created. But the version that most resembles those seen today is believed to have originated in Spain in the 16th century.
Romesco is a simple sauce that’s incredibly versatile and typically starts with roasted tomatoes. But because I’m a sucker for a sweeter sauce, our version uses roasted red peppers instead.
How to Make This Romesco Sauce
For those short on time, roasted red peppers in oil can be bought at the store, which would make this more of a 5-minute recipe.
But for those roasting, this is still a 30-minute, 7-ingredient recipe.
While your red peppers are roasting, toast some shaved or slivered almonds in a pan (whole almonds may be used, too) and chop your garlic.
Once your peppers are charred, steam for a few minutes, then carefully remove the charred skin, seeds, and stems, and add to a blender.
To round out the sauce you’ll need a pinch of salt, a little olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of red pepper flake — that’s it.
I think romesco is so charming because it can be made virtually any time of year with ingredients you likely have on hand right now.
Even the texture is customizable. You can blend until completely creamy and smooth, or pulse until only small bits of almonds remain. We prefer somewhere in between: mostly smooth with a few pieces of almond and garlic intact.
We hope you LOVE this sauce! It’s:
Creamy
Salty-sweet
Bright
Vibrant
Versatile
& Delicious
This would make the perfect sauce for just about any roasted vegetable — especially potatoes, such as in this Simple Patatas Bravas. It also pairs beautifully with pasta dishes, like this Chili Garlic Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower. Or, use it as a flavor-booster in Buddha Bowls and Breakfast Bowls with roasted vegetables, a fried egg or vegan scrambled egg, and plenty of avocado.
Into sauces? (Us, too!) Be sure to check out our 10-Minute Chimichurri Sauce, 5-Ingredient Peanut Sauce, 3-Ingredient Tahini Sauce for Everything, 5-Ingredient Vegan Caramel Sauce, and Easy DIY Harissa Paste.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Easy Romesco Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 medium red bell peppers, left whole
- 4 Tbsp slivered or flaked almonds (if avoiding almonds, try another nut or seed)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (if avoiding oil, sub water)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1/4 heaping tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp red chili flake (reduce or omit for less heat, but it does help balance the sweetness)
Instructions
- Heat an oven to 500 degrees F (260 C) and line a baking sheet with foil (avoid parchment paper, which will burn and disintegrate at higher temps). Roast for about 20 minutes, or until nearly blackened on all sides. (Alternatively, roast your pepper over an open flame on a grill or gas stovetop until tender and charred on all sides — about 5 minutes). Then wrap in foil to steam for a few minutes (this will help the skin come off more easily).
- In the meantime, toast almonds over medium-low heat in a dry skillet, stirring frequently, being careful not to burn. Toast until light golden brown — about 3-5 minutes. Set aside.
- Unwrap bell peppers and carefully remove charred skin, stems, and seeds (be careful as they’ll still be hot). Then add to a small food processor or blender along with toasted almonds, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and chili flake.
- Either blend until creamy and smooth, or pulse / blend for a few seconds for a chunkier texture. We like a texture that’s somewhere in between: mostly creamy with a few bits of almonds and garlic intact.
- Add more olive oil or water to make it creamier. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lemon for acidity, garlic for zing, salt to taste, or chili flake for heat. We added a bit more of each.
- Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator up to 5-7 days. Freezer safe up to 1 month, but best when fresh. Delicious on things like poached eggs or hummus over avocado toast, vegan scrambles, roasted vegetables, pasta, and more.
Video
Notes
*Adapted from Madeleine Shaw’s cookbook, Ready Steady Glow.
VICKY says
I made this sauce many times, this is the first time I used my blender to obtain a smoother texture, but it was kinda dry..Idk why, I added some almond milk to make it more runny. Any other suggestions? Or any idea of why this happened? I did add more olive oil but that didn’t help much I also didn’t want to make it super oily.
Hi Vicky, hmm! We wonder if maybe the peppers were on the smaller side and not contributing enough moisture? You could try adding a little water to this batch.
Jennifer says
Incredibly delicious! I roasted the garlic along with the peppers and used flaked almonds. I served it over Banza penne and topped with roasted veggies. I cut down the oil a bit and subbed in aquafaba. I want to make it again with pepitas. Easy, flavorful, and satisfying. Total yum! What’s not to love? :-)
YUM! That sounds like a wonderful meal! Thank you for sharing, Jennifer! xo
Beth Agosta says
Thank-you! Your recipes are great! I truly appreciate your noting substitutions for oil.
Thanks so much, Beth! We’re so glad it’s helpful! xo
Sophie Rau says
Well hello Minimalist Baker, it is an awesome recipe!!!!! I just replaced the chili flakes by sumac because my Piment d’Espelette was stale. It tastes delicious, thanks for this recipe and so many others!!! Merci :)
Woohoo! Thanks for the lovely review, Sophie! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes! xo
Gayle says
Oh my gosh – I just made it, and it is so good. Made a couple of minor adjustments – left out the oil and water to make a thicker sauce, and added a quarter teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika to give it even more depth of flavour. One of our local restaurants uses romesco sauce over lightly steamed asparagus and toasted hazelnuts – I will be doing the same with this sauce – absolutely delicious!
That asparagus dish sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing, Gayle! xo
Sarah says
We just made this for dinner, and it was SO good!! I had to make a few very tiny changes due to what we had on hand. I used jarred roasted bell peppers because I had an open bottle I needed to use, and I used toasted pepitas because we were all out of almonds. It came together so fast and was bursting with amazing flavor. We ate it over soy curls and angel hair pasta. I will definitely make this again!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Sarah! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Dom says
Would walnuts work well in place of the almonds?
Hi Dom, We think they would work well. Let us know how it goes!
Erin says
Super easy and delicious recipe. I was able to make simple substitutions for what I had on hand and I loved the end result. I served it over gnocchi with asparagus, as well as sautéed spinach with a splash of sherry vinegar. I look forward to trying this recipe out again.
Yum! Thanks for sharing, Erin!
Atiya Abbas says
Just made this and eating it right now with pasta. Increased the chili flakes to 1/2 tsp and it makes all the difference, the chunks of almond and garlic are so delicious! Cant wait to make again!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Atiya! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Jaime says
I don’t usually love roasted peppers, but this sauce was outstanding! It will be a new staple in our home.
Rosemary says
Made this recipe and served it with a potato, spinach, and mozzarella frittata. It was delicious! I subbed an orange pepper for one red pepper (that’s just what I had on hand) and it turned out very well.
Nora says
Second time I’ve made it, and absolutely love it. This time I used cashews instead of almonds and tossed it with fresh vegan pasta. Highly recommend adding chopped parsley on top, it really elevates the flavours of the romesco.
Yiftzi says
Sounds yum!
How does ist work when you use tomatoes?
For peeling the peppers you can also place them in a closed pot and let them cool down – you’ll need to clean the pot but it saves the Aluminium foil (environmental impact…). I’ve also been told you can place the grilled peppers in the freezer for a few minutes and then they peel easily but have never tried it and you need to be careful not to let them freeze…
Thanks for sharing! We haven’t tested this recipe with tomatoes.
Kaylie says
I did this using walnuts instead of almonds and it was amazing!! Another variation I tried was adding 1 can chickpeas so it’s a Romesco/hummus dip and I loved it even more :)
Gina says
Hello! I was wondering If i pair this with the chili garlic pasta recipe do i add it to the existing recipe? Or do i sub the garlic/olive oil/red pepper mix with the romesco sauce ?
I’m afraid I’m not sure which pasta recipe you’re referencing…
Mary says
How much roasted red peppers in oil should you use instead of roasting your own peppers?
About 1 cup?
phyllis says
Can this yummy looking sauce be frozen?
Hi Phyllis, yes, it can be frozen up to 1 month. Enjoy!
Carol Miles says
I cannot have any nuts and the only seeds I can have are chia or flaxseeds. Would either of those work? If not, what else could I use as a substitute?
Hmm, that’s tough! Maybe try flax seeds OR just leaving them out. I could also see hemp seed working…
Taff says
Im nut allergic i was going to Try pine nuts or sunflower seeds
We think pine nuts would probably work better.
Tee Robinson says
I’m allergic to almonds, what can I substitute them with?
Perhaps try cashews or hemp seeds?