Romesco Sauce in 5 Minutes

Make this easy Romesco Sauce in 5 minutes with only 5 pantry ingredients! Just roasted red peppers in a jar, raw almonds, garlic, smoked paprika and extra virgin olive oil. Perfect if you want a quick sauce to liven up a weeknight dinner.

Romesco sauce originates from the Catalonian region of Spain. It is usually made with ingredients such as roasted tomatoes, garlic, nuts and olive oil.

This recipe is inspired by the traditional version. However, I simplified it to use ingredients that you can keep on hand in your pantry. That way, you can make it anytime without having to go shopping.

This Romesco Sauce is delicious served alongside meats, fish or roasted vegetables. It’s also great served with eggs for breakfast, as a spread in a sandwich or just on its own as a dip.

When I’m really trying to dial in my nutrition, this Romesco Sauce is a great substitute for other sauces that might not be as nutrient-dense. It has a relatively low energy density, but comes with plenty of flavour and nutrients.

The sauce contains good fats from the almonds and extra virgin olive oil. It also contains a selection of micronutrients. You can check out an estimate of the nutritional information for the sauce under the recipe below.

Romesco sauce recipe using roasted red peppers

I use roasted red peppers in a jar in this recipe instead of the more traditional roasted tomatoes. You can buy some great jars of roasted red peppers these days, so why not let someone else do the hard work?

I used a jar of roasted red peppers that came in a liquid marinade containing vinegar and salt. I drained and rinsed them in some fresh water before adding to the sauce, but I found that they still retained a sharp flavour from the vinegar and salt.

As such, I didn’t need to add any vinegar or salt to the sauce. However, if you want to make this recipe using homemade roasted red peppers that have not been marinated, I would suggest adding a splash of vinegar and some sea salt to taste.

After blending the sauce, have a taste, then add the vinegar and salt as needed. I would use a white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, but any vinegar should work.

Ingredients for Romesco Sauce

Roasted red peppers: I used roasted red peppers in a jar, that have been marinated in a mixture of vinegar and salt. See my notes above for adjustments if you want to use homemade roasted red peppers.

Raw almonds: Almonds give the sauce a beautiful flavour and add some healthy fats. You could use another nut such as cashew nuts, hazelnuts or pine nuts if you prefer.

Garlic: Fresh, minced garlic gives the sauce a kick. I use around 1/2 a small clove, but feel free to start with less and adjust to taste!

Smoked paprika: This adds delicious depth of flavour to the sauce. I highly recommend using smoked paprika. It’s also a key ingredient in my Shakshuka with Fresh Tomato and Spinach. If you only have sweet paprika, you could use that instead.

Extra virgin olive oil: To bring the sauce together. It’s worth using a good quality extra virgin olive oil here since we’re not heating the oil and the flavour profile will be better.

More easy sauce recipes

I make this Easy Hummus weekly. It’s made with basic pantry ingredients and you can blend it using a hand blender.

This Homemade Vegan Burger Sauce is a handy dairy-free alternative to traditional burger sauce without the refined oils.

I love this Creamy Vegan Tahini Ranch Dressing on salads, or as a dip. It’s super quick and easy to make.

You can find all of my dips and sauces on the Sauce Recipes page.

Romesco Sauce Recipe