Homemade harissa red pepper paste is a healthy, oil-free recipe that's bright, flavorful, and easy to make with oven-roasted red peppers, chili, and spices in 30 minutes.
Harissa is a classic North African red chili paste. This particular recipe combines roasted red peppers, fresh chili with traditional harissa spices, and a few of my personal flavor twists.
The bold flavor with hints of fresh garlic and lemon makes harissa paste ideal for adding to smoky Instant Pot chickpea soup or tomato lentil soup or as an alternative to curry paste in Indian-inspired tomato vegetable curry, and more!
Table of Contents
⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Making harissa is easy. You'll need a food processor and spice grinder for the toasted whole spices.
- Pop leftovers in an ice cube tray and freeze for months to conveniently add to your favorite recipes.
- A healthy vegan recipe with simple ingredients, no added oil for fresh flavor, better than store-bought.
📋 Recipe Ingredients
Red bell peppers. The smoky flavor of roasted sweet peppers adds depth of flavor to roasted red pepper romesco sauce and harissa. You can use the jarred kind, but most are packed in olive oil. Gently rinse them in warm water.
Fresh chili pepper. Use red chili peppers or red jalapeno. Use whichever chili peppers you like. This is a great recipe idea for fresh New Mexico chiles.
Whole spices. I like using whole cumin, caraway, and coriander seeds for the freshest flavor. Ground equivalents are in the recipe card.
Red chili flakes. Or crushed red chili. Smoked paprika is my favorite substitute.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
📖 Recipe Variations
If you like spicy food and are looking for a hot chili paste, you can easily increase the heat levels. Add more fresh chilis and leave the seeds in. Or ramp up the red chili flakes or sprinkle a little bit of cayenne pepper or crushed red chili. If all else fails, add a dash of hot sauce.
⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions
The easiest way to make harissa is to blend the ingredients in a food processor. Or you can have a little fun and use a mortar (bowl) and pestle (grinding club). It's a great way to work out your arms (and aggressions).
Step 1: Roast the red peppers. Peel the skins after they cool.
Step 2: Toast the whole spices, then grind them.
Step 3: Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or layer them in a mortar and pound.
Step 4: Blend until smooth, or leave it chunky if desired.
🔪 Pro Tips
- Use an overhead fan when you toast the spices. Red chili flakes can be quite pungent as they toast. Remove the spices from the skillet immediately to stop the cooking process.
- If you use a pestle and mortar, layer the ingredients, starting with the red peppers and garlic.
Denise's Tip. Place roasted red peppers in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or a plate. The skins will become loose as they cool, making them easier to peel.
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🥄 Serving Suggestions
Harissa is a flavorful ingredient for a variety of recipes. It ramps up healthy oil-free hummus like a champ.
Add a flavor twist to favorites like vegan black bean and zucchini chili, or Italian white bean soup. Try it as an alternative to marinara dipping sauce with baked veggie meatballs or gluten-free baked pakoras.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Store harissa paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week or freeze for 3 months.
Turkish red pepper paste, biber salcasi, is usually made from sun-dried chili peppers and salt. The spiciness depends on what types of hot peppers are used.
Rose harissa has the distinctive flavor of rose water as well as the spicy flavor of harissa paste. Like regular harissa, the spice levels can vary depending on the amount of fresh chili or dried chili flakes used.
Red chili flakes or crushed red chili are made from dried red chiles that are sometimes roasted. Red pepper flakes can include dried chiles and other kinds of peppers for a milder flavor.
Cava is a specific brand of harissa paste with Greek-inspired flavors. It is made with tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, parsley and spices.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Homemade Harissa Red Pepper Paste (Oil-Free Recipe)
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Ingredients
- 2 medium red bell peppers
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds - ¾ teaspoon caraway flakes
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon sumac - or 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 medium red chili pepper - serrano or red jalapeno more if you want it spicier
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice - ½ a fresh lemon
- 3 tablespoons parsley - chopped
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C).
- Quarter the red peppers, clean out the seeds, and roast them, skin-side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes until the peppers are soft and the skins begin to char.
- Remove the peppers, place them in a shallow dish, and cover with plastic wrap or a plate over the top. This makes peeling the skins easier.
- Meanwhile, toast the coriander, cumin, caraway seeds, and red chili flakes in a skillet for about 1 minute. Stir them constantly as they toast. Immediately transfer them to a spice grinder or mortar. Add the sumac and grind the spices in or use a pestle to break them apart.
- Peel the skins from the roasted red peppers.
- If making harissa in a food processor, add the pepper, ground spices, and the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth or chunky, depending on your preference.
- If making harissa in a mortar, start adding the harder to softer ingredients. Pound as you add ingredients until you have a smooth paste.
- Next, remove the skins of the roasted red peppers and dice the flesh.
- Makes 2 cups of red pepper harissa paste.
Notes
- Store harissa paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week or freeze for 3 months.
- You can replace 3-4 pimento peppers with red bell peppers if you like.
- Fennel is the best substitute for caraway for this recipe.
- Add harissa red pepper paste to your favorite recipes like soups, stews, and curry. It also makes a delicious dipping sauce or taco topper.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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Rajma Sumayeh Ikrim Aremy
Not sure what you mean by “Tuscan inspired”…… since harissa is from North West Africa.
Denise
Thanks for your review - I could have been a bit clearer about why this recipe inspired me (that's where I first encountered it). Hope you enjoyed it.