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.
Do you not use this sauce on pasta?
Sure, you could if you like. It’s traditionally used as a topping, dip, etc.
If I’m using pine nuts in place of the almonds do I use the same measurement, 1/2C? Thanks!
I really appreciate how you give a little cultural background on the recipes you give, as well as traditional uses and acknowledging the changes you make. It makes your posts more interesting and I feel like I learn a little something! Thank you!
Thank you! I do appreciate that feedback and I will keep doing it to the best I can.
Hi Kate/Cookie – I’m a sauce guy, and I’ve never heard of romesco sauce, but I’m not a world traveler type either, I just like sauces. Now your recipe sounds amazing, and with that, I’ll take a stab at it and see if I can make something tasty to go along with my pita chips and other crunchy snacks. Thanks!!
Sauces are pretty much the best to make anything taste even better! Thanks for sharing, Kevin.
This sounds amazing however I have a nut allergy, what would you substitute instead??
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).
Do you know if the almonds add any flavor? I also have a nut allergy (mine developed when I hit my teens) and I’m wondering if the almonds are being used more as a thickener rather than for additional flavor (which I suspect they are). If that is the case could we consider using panko crumbs to thicken instead? That way, we still get the delightfully thick texture but we don’t have to worry about ending up in the ER. Or maybe use cauliflower?
Almonds have tons of flavor. But if you can’t eat nuts it won’t taste the same. But there are so many lentils that might substitute for it but it won’t taste same but it might work
Why do people just want to always change the recipe. Just try it.
Fantastic romesco sauce! I love Spanish cuisine, and this recipe is as simple and zesty as I had hoped! I followed exactly, except used slivered almonds (that’s what I had) and I roasted my own peppers the traditional way, on the gas stove until charred and then covered until the skin steams enough to flake off. I served this gorgeous sauce dolloped on top of zucchini-corn fritters with lots of fresh cilantro. Thanks for another home run, Kate!
You’re welcome, Chisti!
Some of us have to modify recipes because we are allergic to an ingredient and if we just tried it, we could end up in the emergency room trying to get an epi injection because we’re fighting to breathe.
How about toasted bread crumbs instead of nuts?
Hi Kath, to get best results I recommend this recipe as written. I hope you try it!
You could also try pumpkin seeds for the crunch!
Excited to see this recipe! I’ve made romesco myself, and while it was delicious, it was a lot of work! I’m glad to see you’ve tested the shortcuts, and found they work out.
I also echo the comment about appreciating the way you put this recipe in a cultural context, and acknowledged the changes you made. It’s easy for recipe blogs to slip into cultural appropriation, but I think your approach helps reduce that risk!
Thank you, Frances! I do try to be as authentic as I can and give the appropriate information. I appreciate the feedback!
HI Kate. I enjoy trying out your recipes. I love your use of fresh, simple ingredients. I have several food sensitivities so I’m especially grateful for your substitution suggestions and nutritional content. I’m looking for ways to liven up sauces, dressings, and entrees without using garlic or onion. You seem especially adept when it comes to tasty options. Any suggestions?
Say ‘HI’ to Cookie and thank you.
Darla
Hi Darla! Thanks for the compliment. Unfortunately, off the top of my head I don’t have great substitutions since they both add such great flavor. I’m assuming you can’t have anything within the family? Garlic is a tricky one since it has such distinct flavor.
Hi Darla! I also have an intolerance to garlic and onion. While I haven’t found a true substitute for garlic yet (I can sometimes get away with some of the green bit of scallions but not much), I have used asafoetida as an onion substitute quite successfully!
Let me know what you think if you try it!
I have made chicken with green romesco sauce and my kids rave about it. I’ll try this one out and see if I can use this recipe instead (I found mine via a Sunbasket delivery and have been buying their green version!) I would much rather make my own.
Let me know what you think, Michelle!
Five-stars for this one! I skipped the olive oil and added 1-2T of fire-roasted canned tomatoes to thin the sauce. I skipped the cayenne and it was plenty spicy.
Thank you, Nancy!
Hello Kate:
I’ve been cooking increasingly seriously for the past 3 years while recovering from some disabilities. I’ve used cooking blogs more frequently than cookbooks (although I could do with a good baking blog). I discovered your blog a few weeks ago, and have made most of your new recipes since them. I made the Romesco sauce this morning — fantastic. Tonight I’m serving the halamuni tacos with Aji Verde sauce and a store-bought pineapple-mango salsa. These will be accompanied by roasted mixed vegetables with Romesco sauce. I’ve served your farrow kale salad several times to rave reviews. The Aji Verde sauce is great on sockeye salmon broiled in butter, olive oil, and white wine with dill. I plan to keep reading.
Welcome, Jim! Thanks for sharing.I’m glad you are making so many recipes and they are working well for you!
I’m coming to your house!
Made this tonight! Absolutely delicious. Went with our corn, rice and chicken we cooked! A big hit with my kids too. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Kaitlin!
Delicious, super easy and very adaptable. It’s great with baked potatoes too
I love this sauce with potatoes! Thank you, Helen!
This was really delicious! I quick broiled/roasted my own red peppers since I had a few burning a hole in my fridge, but other than that followed the recipe as written. I’m looking forward to putting this on all the things this week!
Wonderful, Kelley!
Followed the recipe to a T and it was divine. Makes plenty.
Thank you for trying another one, Mary!
Made this tonight and couldn’t stop eating it out of the bowl thank you once again, Kate!
You’re welcome, Tracy! Thanks for your review.
Do you eat it cold, or heat it up? Room temperature? What works best?
I like it room temp or slightly chilled. I bet it could work warmed too.
I’m obsessed with this sauce. It’s AMAZING! I love all of your recipes…on the blog and in your book. Thank you for making my tastebuds so happy!
I’m glad you are so obsessed with it, Allyson! Thanks so much for sharing.
I first made this at the end of June for my birthday party and everyone raved!! I served it with fresh vegand bread, but everyone really loved scooping it up with green endive. My vegan friend literally wiped the bowl with her fingers, she loved it so much, and the full yield of the recipe was gone well before the party ended. During the rave reviews, several friends noted using it to marinate vegetables for roasting and putting them over rice would be good, so that’s what we’re trying tonight. Can’t wait!
Oh, one note… I used avocado oil rather than olive oil. I like the lightness and flavor better overall.
Final report… I oven-roasted carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower after coating in the sauce, and served with lemon ‘veg rice’ with kale. It was incredible! Super light, but huge flavor, and the lemon was a perfect acid to go with the roasted veg; the bitterness and slight crunch of the kale even more perfect. Kids loved it too, so it’s officially in rotation. I have a tasty pic as well, but not on the gram, sorry!
Thank you for sharing! Yes, this is great with vegetables.
This sauce was universally loved by my guests at a luncheon and by my family. I had done some research on recipes and chose yours for its simplicity – using ready made, but not really processed, ingredients. It is really an outstanding and versatile sauce. I love that you have made something that could have been so difficult (and is, in most recipes) into a truly easy success. Followed the recipe exactly! Thank you so much!
I’m so glad it’s a hit, Suzanne!
I am truly a fan of this site!! And this sauce is my most favorite! No fail, easy and tasty recipe!! I make it all the time! Yum, p! Thank you Cookie and Kate.
I’m so happy to hear that!
Absolutely fantastic!! Everyone loved it as a dip. Brought back memories of childhood summers in Tarragona. Thank you for a new go to recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m happy you liked it!
This was super easy and delicious. Great by the spoonful, spread on toasted bread, as a veggie dip. I could see it going well as a dip with baked or fried cocktail meatballs.
Fabulous, now a healthy staple that my husband loves!
Fantastic, Brenda!
This Romesco sauce is amazing. The flavor is the best! Can’t wait to try it with a variety of foods. Thanks so much Kate for this delicious recipe.
The best, I love it! Thanks for sharing, Lisa.
Just made this for 16 people over pasta and roasted veggies (parsnip/sellery)
Swapped cashews for almonds and cooked them for a few minutes before tossing them into the machine. Looooove!
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing, Eva.
We paired this with Roasted Cauliflower Steaks from the Love and Lemons site (https://www.loveandlemons.com/roasted-cauliflower-steaks/). Excellent and glad we have leftovers – the sauce goes great with a lot of things, like the rollup bean cake sandwiches we just had!
I made this last night as a dip for roasted shrimp – it was absolutely delicious. This morning, I spread it on toast then topped it with a fried egg and sauteed spinach – so good. I will use this recipe for my next tapas party.
Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Barbara!
I didn’t want to leave the house and needed a sauce for gnocchi that did not require cream, so I tried Romesco. I substituted walnuts, used garlic powder, a can of drained diced tomatoes instead of sun dried, and a freshly toasted red pepper. Once blended I mixed it with the gnocchi, Italian sausage and some black olives. Quite delicious… this will become a staple meal in my house. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing how you used this sauce, Katey! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Made this exactly as written last night and served over smoked chicken. It was amazing, and so easy! Will be making this again many times.
Yesterday I was preparing to make a White Bean and Crispy Potato with Romesco Sauce. The recipe is from Rancho Gordo where I buy fabulous heirloom beans. Being short on time to make a a full-fledged Romesco Sauce I immediately looked to your website that I enjoy so much. Victory! Your Easy Romesco Sauce was just that! EASY & QUICK! I had no almonds, but did have blanched haazel nuts, so added them as a replacement to almonds. What a delight to take my first fingertip taste of the sauce….could have eaten the entire batch with a spoon. I will never again go to the trouble of roasting peppers & all the other time consuming things….this was outstanding. Friends for dinner loved it, so I printed Kate’s recipe out for them to take home. One of the reasons I rarely have made Romesco is that is takes a long time. Now I can have it in a matter of minutes after spinnning everything in my food processor. Many thanks, Kate, for this elegant but easy recipe. Both your recipes and website are topshelf!! Bonnie
Good recipe
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I was unaware of Romesco sauce until seeing your post. I didn’t have any sun-dried tomatoes so I followed the suggestion of another reviewer and substituted a can of drained fire-roasted tomatoes. We really enjoyed the sauce. Served over roasted veggies with chicken Italian sausage. Thanks, again!
EXCELLENT and super easy to make. I was craving one of my favorite dishes at a restaurant that is closed due to cover-19 so I decided to give it a try. Its roasted cauliflower over romesco sauce with a caper and golden raised vinaigrette. I quick searched romesco sauce recipes and this one looked perfect. I can’t believe how flavorful it is and I’m definitely adding it to my favorite recipes. Thank you!
I’ve made this sauce about half a dozen times. It is delicious every time. Romesco sauces I’ve made in the past were labor- and time-intensive. Oftentimes, “easy” means less flavorful. This recipe comes together quickly, and it is packed with flavor. I usually use the sauce with white beans and roasted red potatoes. It’s perfect. Thank you!
I have just made your romesco sauce AGAIN!YUM! I do go to the trouble though of roasting my own capsicum and tomatoes. A friend tasted it and loved it so much she’s been making and eating it on a daily basis haha. Thanks for your awesome recipe. Outstanding!
Would love to try this however I have everything but the sun dried tomatoes and I am on lockdown. I have fresh cocktail tomatoes or tomato paste. Do you think I could substitute them and if so, how?
Sun dried tomatoes really make this one delicious. I think your suggestions might provide too much tomato flavor. Possibly try without it, however the sun dried really help bring it together.
When I was an apprentice chef in a Mediterranean restaurant, we also used dried bread soaked in milk and then pressed the milk out…
When I was an apprentice chef in a Mediterranean restaurant, we also used dried bread soaked in milk and then pressed the milk out…
Wonderful recipe! Now I can make my favorite restaurant’s goat cheese platter with romesco sauce! Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Ashlee! Thank you for your review.
Perfect every time. Love the smokey, nutty flavor with roasted broccolini or asparagus, with grilled halibut or chicken, or on toasts, even by the spoonful on its own. It’s hard to stop eating this family fave.
Thank you for this recipe, this truly one of the best sauces I made. I have brought roasted shrimp and the romesco sauce to several parties and have received rave reviews. The other nice thing about this sauce is that it is very easy to make. Once again, thank you!!
Kate, I’m all over your site commenting with “my toddler loves this recipe” and here I am again with the same message! Have made this a couple times now as a sauce for grains and grilled veggies, and my little guy always says “more ‘mesco, more ‘mesco!”
This is the only romesco I make now! So well balanced and a huge crowd pleaser. Also so easy to make. Thank you!
I have made this sauce many times and love it’s versatility. Also smoked paprika could be my favorite spice. I have used it with crudites, eggplant ravioli, as a spread on a hummus sandwich, which got me to thinking. I have now used it as the spread on another of your recipes, the halloumi cheese BLT. The saltiness of the halloumi and the romesco pair well together, delicious. Love your recipes.
This recipe is fabulous. I served it alongside Patatas Bravas. It was easy to make. Since it is so rich a lot was left over. What is the consensus on freezing the Romesco for use at a later time with other dishes.
There is a restaurant that is currently closed, but they have a roasted date, chorizo, and romesco appetizer topped with manchego and served with toasted crostini. I’m going to try to recreate it at home with the help of this delicious sounding recipe. Thanks!
We really like your recipes and your dog! Your romesco is addictive.
Thank you, Betsy!
So easy and delicious! I love to keep some on hand since it goes with just about anything.
I agree! It is a versatile sauce. Thank you for your review, Maggie!
I first made this to put on top on baked cod, which was good. But even better was using the leftover sauce on Eggs Benedict. Oh my! Yum!
I’m happy you loved it!
The Remesco Sauce was perfect! and so very delicious. I will make this over and over again. It will also make a perfect gift. It was light, creamy, whipped with just the right amount of spice.
Wonderful, Gail! Thank you for your review.