Easy Romesco Sauce
This romesco sauce is the best! This simplified romesco recipe is made with basic pantry ingredients and ready in 5 minutes. It's bold, zippy and delicious!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Romesco sauce is an unforgettable sauce. It’s bold, zippy and full of roasted tomato and pepper flavor. You know how much I love sauces, and romesco is a great one.
Romesco originated in a city called Tarragona in Catalonia, the northeastern-most region of Spain that touches France. Tarragona is a port city, and the fishermen there made romesco sauce to liven up the day’s catches. I enjoy romesco sauce on roasted and grilled vegetables, and much more.
I know I said this already, but I love sauces. Sauces have the power to bring together basic staples, like leftover cooked rice and vegetables, and turn them into a meal you can get excited about.
I especially love sharing sauce recipes from around the globe. Sauces offer us insight into other cuisine’s key flavors, and make me want to travel to taste the originals. Sauces can transport you to another place, whether that’s another part of the world or tasting the next best thing in your own kitchen.
As you’ll read, I made a few substitutions to make this romesco sauce easy to make with basic American grocery store ingredients. I think you’ll love it.
Romesco Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy romesco sauce. I bet you have all of the ingredients already!
- Roasted red peppers: Specifically, use high quality jarred roasted red peppers. My favorite brands are Divina and Whole Foods 365. I tried roasting my own peppers (here’s how), but I couldn’t taste the difference in the finished sauce.
- Whole almonds: Choose unsalted almonds if you can. Either raw or roasted will work. If you only have salted almonds, you could omit the salt from the recipe and add salt to taste at the end. Other traditional options include hazelnuts or pine nuts.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Traditional romesco sauces are made with roasted tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes offer a similarly rich depth of flavor, without the work.
- Raw garlic: Garlic offers some pungency and funk. The vinegar tempers its bite a bit.
- Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar: Vinegar’s acidic flavor livens up this sauce.
- Smoked Paprika: This adds extra smoky flavor, which would traditionally be found by roasting the tomatoes.
- Cayenne pepper: Just 1/4 teaspoon adds another boost of flavor. I wouldn’t call this sauce spicy, but you can omit it if you’re very sensitive to heat.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Olive oil makes this sauce rich and creamy. You’ll blend the other ingredients together at first, then drizzle in the olive oil to finish it off.
You’ll notice that this sauce differs somewhat from the romesco sauce you would enjoy in Catalonia. Traditional romesco is made with roasted tomatoes and bitxo peppers (Wikipedia says that these are similar to New Mexican chili peppers) or nyora peppers (a small sun-dried variety of red bell pepper).
I essentially swapped the roasted and sun-dried elements by using roasted red bell peppers and sun-dried tomatoes. With the addition of some smoked paprika, this pantry-friendly version tastes quite similar!
Watch How to Make Romesco Sauce
Uses for Romesco
Romesco is traditionally served with fish and other meats, like chicken or steak. I love it on roasted or grilled vegetables (especially eggplant, cauliflower and potatoes).
Romesco is also a delicious dip for flatbread or crusty bread. Or, serve it as a dip for raw veggies. Lastly, it tastes great on eggs cooked any which way (fried eggs, frittatas, scrambled eggs, you name it).
Please let me know how your romesco sauce turns out in the comments! I can’t wait to hear what you serve it on.
Craving more bold sauces? Here are a few of my favorites:
- Chimichurri
- Basil Pesto
- Aji Verde (Spicy Peruvian Green Sauce)
- Zhoug (Spicy Cilantro Sauce)
- Shatta (Middle Eastern Hot Sauce)
Easy Romesco Sauce
This romesco sauce is the best! This simplified romesco recipe is made with basic pantry ingredients and ready in 5 minutes. It’s bold, zippy and delicious. Recipe yields about 2 ½ cups.
Ingredients
- One 16-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained
- ½ cup raw or roasted almonds (unsalted)
- ¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and drained
- 2 medium-to-large cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vingar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a blender (preferably) or food processor, combine everything but the olive oil. Securely fasten the lid and blend, starting on low and increasing the speed as you are able to gain traction.
- Once the ingredients are mostly blended, start drizzling in the olive oil while running the blender. Blend until you reach your desired consistency (I like my romesco sauce pretty creamy, but you might prefer it with a more chunky texture).
- Taste, and add additional salt (up to ¼ teaspoon) if it doesn’t quite knock your socks off yet. Serve immediately, or store in a jar in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.
Notes
Make it nut free: Your best bet would probably be to omit the almonds altogether. If you can tolerate pine nuts, they would work (technically pine nuts are seeds, but people with nut allergies are sometimes allergic to pine nuts as well).
Make it tomato free: Romesco sauces typically contain tomatoes, but you can omit the sun-dried tomatoes if necessary.
Recommended equipment: My Vitamix blender (affiliate link) can blend this sauce into creamy oblivion.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Chorizo in paella is a big no no here in Valencia!
I have a question. If you are adding olive oil in, why do you rinse the sundried tomatoes?
I find it works better to ensure proper amounts. I hope you try it!
O-M-G!!! I just made this to go over slices of roasted cauliflower. SO GOOD! I had tried this dish at a restaurant in Scottsdale, then decided to look up some recipes to duplicate it. This is definitely a keeper, and I can see how versatile it will be on protein as well.
This could be my comment exactly. I first had this at a restaurant in Scottsdale also with cauliflower and set out to replicate it. This recipe is perfect and easy. I have shared it with so many friends.
Very good! But I suggest not rinsing away all that delicious olive oil with the tomatoes. Just add less olive oil itself. A keeper!
I’m glad you loved it, Barbi! Thank you for your review.
So great; I could eat it straight up with a spoon! I served this with roasted potatoes, salad, and grilled chicken. The only change I did was used almond butter instead of almonds.
Thank you for sharing, Janka!
I roasted the almonds and tomatoes and added these to some sun dried, the flavour was amazing!!!
I’m glad you loved it, Douglas!
Hi Kate – I just got back from Spain, and I really missed the romesco I was eating almost every day. This is really delicious, but it does makes a lot, and I’m wondering if you are able to freeze this. If not, how long do you think it will last in the fridge?
Thanks! Traci
Hi Traci! Store in a jar in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.
We love this recipe, but it’s just me and my husband. Do you think it’s ok to freeze it? If not, how long will it keep in the fridge?
Store in a jar in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days. I haven’t tried to freeze it so I can’t say for sure.
How long will this delicious sauce last in the fridge?
Hi! Serve immediately, or store in a jar in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days
I am making this tonight! I can’t wait !
Superb. Mixed with pasta, shrimp and spinach. Used only 2 TBSP oil to cut fat some and it was still super creamy.
Thank you for sharing, Alex!
I love this dip/sauce! So does everyone who tries it. Tomato paste makes an excellent sub for sun dried tomatoes if you’re out like me.
I’m thinking of doing a slow cooker chicken and using this sauce in slow cooker. Will this yield good results ? or is it best to slow cook chicken and then pour over cooked chicken?
Kate,
Really excellent recipes came out great. Enjoyed it on cauliflower but I could see lots of uses for it. Thanks so very much. Your site is my “go to”,
Ken
I love to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Ken.
I have had a frozen meal that has Romesco sauce, and I love it, so I want to try this, as I’m sure it will be 100x better than what I can get from Healthy Choice. If I roasted my own red bell peppers, how many peppers would I use to make the equivalent of a 16 ounce jar?
I’m not sure, sorry! This recipe does make a good amount.
Absolutely delicious, very easy to make and tastes even better after a day or so letting the flavours develop
Great to hear, Nicky!
I can’t stop making and eating this…. Family favorite for sure! Good with potatoes at dinner. Delicious on veggie wraps for lunch. So yummy to dip pizza in. Great recipe!
Excellent dish–crispy and the Romanesco sauce is excellent as well.
I love this recipe and I have frozen the extra with no loss of taste or texture
I roasted fennel sausages, cut brussel sprouts and onion chuncks in oven for 40 min. Smoothed a layer of romanesco sauce on a platter and arranged sausages on the ends and veggies in middle. Served with bowl of pasta, sprinkled with parmesan. Easy Weeknight Dinner!
Thank you for sharing how you use it!
Delicious and sooo easy. We served the sauce with roasted delicata squash.
Sounds delicious, Jane!
I slice home-baked focaccia bread into thin sticks, stick them in a jar and the romesco in a bowl for dip. A great appetizer and a big hit where ever I bring them.
Love your site!
Thank you, J!
Delicious and easy! I served this sauce over pasta instead of tomato sauce and it was so good. Next time I won’t drain the sun dried tomatoes or the peppers, as the mixture was too dry for my blender. I have shared this recipe with many others.
This was excellent! Followed the recipe and while I wasn’t wholly sold on it when I tasted it on its own, it’s perfect as a dip/sauce. I had leftover risotto that I formed into cakes, dredged and fried; this was the perfect sauce on which to set and eat them.
Any thoughts on freezing or
Canning this for later?
You could try to freeze this. This recipe isn’t meant for canning. I hope you try it, Cara!
I make this often! For the person who asked if you can freeze it…YES you can. I use small mason jars and freeze. It defrosts in fridge and tastes great. 5 stars!
Great to hear, Millie!
So good! Another winner Kate. I served it with roasted chicken. Love your recipes.
Great to hear, Kris!
Omg turned out so good! Can’t wait to put it on EVERYTHING!!
Kate,
Do you have a “goto” brand of oil packed sun-dried tomatoes that you prefer for this recipe. I find some brands are stronger in flavor and will impact the final result of this Romesco either good or bad!
Hi Den! I tend to buy Whole Foods 365 organic.
This is so amazing and easy to make. I love it so much, I can’t quit eating it. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
You’re welcome, Penny!
I used my Kitchenaid hand blender and it did a great job. The sauce turned out delicious. I’ve used it in a couple of sandwiches and will be using it in pasta tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! Thank you for letting me know!
This is AMAZING! We finished it all super fast by putting it on anything and everything: crispy bread, dipping fresh bell peppers in it, and adding it to my alfredo sauce for dinner. Officially obsessed, plus it’s super easy! I will be making this again very soon! Thank you!! It’s cool to find out Kate lives in KC as well!
This is delicious, Kate. If anyone is reading this and on the fence, just make it!
I used a jar of (not-very-well-drained) roasted red peppers and half a jar of the sundried tomatoes from trader Joe’s. Didn’t drain off the sundried tomatoes because I love the flavor the oil they’re in imparts.
I roasted the almonds in the convection oven. Added the “hot and smoky” paprika from trader Joe’s, some garlic cloves, and two TBS of red wine vinegar. Pulsed it in the small food processor attachment that came with my immersion blender.
Could NOT stop “sampling” it. Lol. It didn’t need salt or cayenne pepper. Added a tiny bit of olive oil for good measure.
And then had to keep sampling it for quality control.
Way better than using chickpeas or stale bread. Letting it sit in the fridge for all the flavors to mingle a bit. I’m sure I’m going to have to take some more samples before dinner. Lol
I recently had romesco sauce at a restaurant and it was amazing. I just made this and is was exactly what I was hoping it would be. It tastes just like the sauce I had.
Amazing! I didn’t have smoked paprika, so i used smoky hot chipotle seasoning. Toasted sourdough, toasted, chunky romescu piled on top with sliced cucumber…mwah! My husband was scewing up his nose watching me make it, i made him try some on toast. He said ‘Can i have the same again? rather sheepishly. That’s the best form of feedback!
How long does this keep in the fridge? Only joking!
Best Romesco ever. Having this on Patatas bravas tonight with your divine cheaters aioli.
Love all your recipes. Love that you love dogs.
Love from our dog and us in central Victoria, australia
Delicious but it’s just my husband and I and we barely used 1/2 of the yield. Is it possible to freeze the rest?
Sure, this should freeze well. Let me know if you try it!
OMG. OMG. This is so so very delicious! Made exactly as written as a bread spread for a friends-over evening. YUM!!
I’m glad you loved it, Helen! Thank you for your review.
I am an avid gardener and have a bumper crop of Italian Marconi Hybrid peppers, sweet peppers that are almost a foot long. I halved them, put them under the broiler, then steamed and skinned them. Is this a lot of work? Yes of course, but when you have the real thing in the garden and have time, why not? Other than that I followed the recipe, and the Romesco was really good! I spent time in Spain when I was in my 20s, but never ate romesco sauce. Next time I will be looking for it for sure.
There are so many wonderful ways to use this sauce! Today I made a sandwich with homemade sourdough, roasted cauliflower, red bell pepper and zucchini, romesco sauce, watercress and arugula. It was delicious!
I love this recipe and having made other recipes for romesco this one is far superior! And it is so easy to make. I used to purchase this sauce from a food store but never again!
I’m excited you love it, Sharon!
Excellent sauce, spread, dip. I had a manchego baguette with romesco at a cafe. It was so good, so, I googled a recipe and came upon this. The recipe was a bit smoky the first day, but on the 2nd day, OMG, it was sooo good. I will from now on, start eating on Day 2, let the flavors kick in day 1. The only thing I changed was the cayenne- I just shook a tiny amount in, nowhere near the 1/4 tsp.