Looking for a sauce to pair with savory foods? A simple piquillo pepper sauce can deliciously do the trick. The combination of sweet and smoke that piquillos bring to the table is hard to match. We double down on the smokiness here with a little hint of smoked paprika. Pair the sauce with chorizo or steaks for a perfect salty-sweet combo. Or use the sauce to bring life to simple chicken dishes.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Sweet, smoky roasted pepper with garlic, smoked paprika and a creamy finish. |
| Primary heat source | Piquillo peppers and smoked paprika. Piquillos run 500 to 1,000 SHU. |
| Heat level | Very mild. Add cayenne or hot smoked paprika if you want a kick. |
| Texture | Smooth and spoonable, like a thick cream sauce. |
| Best uses | Steak, chorizo, grilled chicken, potatoes and roasted vegetables. |
| Customization ideas | Hot smoked paprika, cayenne, a squeeze of lemon, toasted almonds, or Greek yogurt in place of the cream. |
| Before you start | About 30 minutes, including cooling. You’ll need a food processor or blender. |
Flavor notes
The sauce is not overly spicy. Piquillo peppers are mild in heat (500 to 1,000 Scoville heat units), and smoked paprika is relatively mild as well. If you want extra spice, add in a dash of cayenne pepper powder to fire up the sauce.
Piquillos are almost always sold already roasted and peeled, in jars or cans. They’re roasted over a wood fire before they’re packed, and you’ll often see bits of charred skin still on them, so there’s no roasting or peeling to do here.
Cook off most of the liquid from the jar before you blend, since that concentrates the pepper flavor and keeps the finished sauce from turning thin once the cream goes in.
Let the puree cool before you add the cream. Then you can serve it at room temperature or warm it gently over low heat, as long as you don’t let it come to a boil.
Smoked paprika comes sweet, bittersweet or hot, and Spanish pimentón labels them dulce, agridulce and picante. So use sweet to keep this sauce mild, or hot to give it a gentle kick.
Adaptation ideas
Most of these change the heat or the richness.
- Want more heat? Use hot smoked paprika, or add a pinch of cayenne along with the paprika.
- Want it lighter? Swap the cream for plain Greek yogurt, stirred in once the puree has cooled completely.
- Want it brighter? Finish it with a squeeze of lemon juice or a small splash of sherry vinegar.
- Want it nutty? Blend in a small handful of toasted almonds with the peppers for a thicker sauce.
- Want it dairy-free? Leave out the cream and add a little more olive oil, and you’ll get a looser, brighter pepper sauce.
Serving ideas
Use it anywhere you’d want a sweet, smoky sauce on the plate.
- With steak. Spooned over grilled steak or piled into a steak sandwich.
- With chorizo. Alongside grilled or pan-fried chorizo, with crusty bread to mop it up.
- With potatoes. As a dip for roasted potatoes or crispy fries.
- With chicken and seafood. Over grilled chicken, roasted fish or shrimp.
Storage notes
Keep the sauce in a sealed container in the fridge and use it within three to four days. It thickens as it chills, so take it out of the fridge about 15 minutes before serving or stir in a splash of cream to loosen it back up.
It’s a cream sauce, so it isn’t a good one to freeze, since the cream can separate as it thaws. But if you want to get ahead, freeze the plain pepper puree before the cream goes in, then stir in the cream once it’s thawed.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Spicy Romesco Sauce: Another Spanish pepper sauce, with roasted red peppers and almonds.
- Ajvar Sauce: A sweet, tangy and smoky roasted pepper spread from the Balkans.
- Red Pepper Aioli: A sweet and tangy red pepper dip with only a hint of heat.
50 quick, bold sauces and salsas: classic salsas and fun twists, BBQ sauces with a kick, and dippers with bang. Simple to make, big on flavor.
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Piquillo Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 jar piquillo peppers 8 to 10 ounces, with their juices
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika sweet or hot
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Don't let it brown.
- Add the piquillo peppers and all of their juices. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, stirring now and then, until most of the liquid has cooked off, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer to a food processor or blender, add the smoked paprika and process until smooth. Let it cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
- Scrape the puree into a bowl and stir in the cream and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
