Make your own peri peri, or piri piri, sauce at home with this recipe. A traditional African sauce made from African Bird's Eye chilies, perfect for making Peri Peri Chicken and so much more!
Homemade Peri Peri Sauce Recipe
If you have not tried Peri Peri Sauce, this is one you need to put on the list.
What is peri peri sauce? Peri Peri sauce is a traditional South African sauce made by Portuguese settlers to the area made with spicy African Bird's Eye chili peppers. It is also known as piri piri, or pili pili. It's perfect for any spicy food lover.
What You'll Love About My Peri Peri Sauce
- I use African Bird's Eye chili peppers for authentic, fiery flavor, though you can use other peppers available to you as demonstrated in the video recipe. This sauce delivers genuine heat that's true to its roots.
- This sauce is incredibly versatile, perfect as a marinade, dip, or condiment. Its ready to help you elevate chicken, seafood, and more with spicy zest.
- It's simple and fresh! We're using fresh ingredients and minimal fuss, a quick and easy way to spice up your meals..
You may have heard of the world's most famous brand of Peri Peri sauce - Nando's. This is a homemade version that is fairly similar.
Homemade Peri Peri sauce (or should I say Homemade Nando's?) is simple enough to make.
It requires no actual cooking, just some chopping and processing of the ingredients. It's an oil-based sauce, at least it is with our version, ideal for dipping, and it goes GREAT with chicken and seafood.
Featured Reader Comment
"I LOVE this stuff! I made it with ripe red jalapeños with a few ghost chilis thrown it to kick it up a bit. My favorite so far is on fried chicken but it's great for cooking on the grill or broiler. Great mixed with Buffalo wing sauce!" -- Bob
Let's talk about how to make peri peri sauce, shall we?
Peri Peri Sauce Ingredients
- Chili Peppers. African Bird’s Eye peppers are traditional, but you can sub with other red peppers available to you, including red bell peppers. Roasted red peppers are wonderful here. Try it with fiery habanero peppers, ghost peppers, or a mix.
- Fresh Garlic.
- Smoked Paprika.
- Fresh Herbs. Cilantro, basil (or use fresh oregano, which is more common).
- Olive Oil. Or vegetable oil.
- Lemon Juice.
- Salt. To taste.
How to Make Peri Peri Sauce - the Recipe Overview
Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Process to form a smooth sauce to your preferred consistency. You can strain out some of the excess liquid if you'd like, or just use it as-is.
Enjoy! Refrigerate until ready to use.
BOOM! That's it. It's an incredibly easy recipe to make.
What to Serve with Peri Peri Sauce
Peri Peri sauce goes particularly well with grilled chicken of any kind. Peri peri chicken is the most common use for it, and I love it for peri peri chicken wings or peri peri chicken on the grill.
However, it's also wonderful with seafood, such as shrimp or whitefish. Try it on grilled vegetables!
Recipe Tips & Notes
If you can't source African Bird's Eye chilies, you can sub in an equivalent amount of red peppers of your choice.
I have made this with long red cayenne peppers, red jalapeno peppers, and fingerling peppers, even red habanero and ghost peppers, all to similar results.
Traditional ingredients also call for a variety of herbs, though ours incorporates basil and cilantro. You might try oregano, tarragon, or rosemary. Nando's uses a rosemary extract for their herb flavoring.
You'll find regional differences throughout Africa and Portugal.
Storage
Peri peri sauce should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer.
It's all about the acidity. To be technical, target level pH for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 pH, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 3.5 or so, to account for errors.
It is not recommended to process sauces with oil in a water bath.
This Recipe Is In our Cookbook - FLAVOR MADNESS
Did you know that you can find this recipe in our new cookbook FLAVOR MADNESS? It's waiting for you on PAGE 52.
Hot Sauce Bottles
Here is a link to some bottles I like (affiliate link, my friends!): Swing Top Glass Bottles, 8.5 Ounce - Set of 4. If you like the smaller bottles that most hot sauce makers use, here's another link: Hot Sauce Bottles, 5 Oz - 24 Pack.
Amazon Affiliate links, my friends! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Peri Peri Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound red chilies chopped – African Bird’s Eye peppers are traditional, but you can sub with red peppers available to you
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika you can sub in other chili powders
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup chopped oregano (I enjoy fresh basil as a substitute)
- 1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
- Juice from 1 lemon
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Process to form a smooth sauce to your preferred consistency.
- Enjoy! Refrigerate until ready to use.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
This sauce is gluten free.
This recipe was updated on 3/19/25 to include new photos and a video. It was originally published on 2/10/16.
Dave says
What is the resulting volume?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dave, this recipe yields about 1.5 cups. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Lamija says
What Chile can be used in place of the African BirdChile?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Lamija, dried pods are a good replacement, or you can use Thai peppers, or cayenne peppers. Let me know if this helps.
Francisco says
Good recipe Michael, but I must say that the sauce is portuguese in origin, the Nando's grilled chicken franchise was opened by a portuguese emigrant in South Africa. The piri-piri (or peri peri in several African dialects) pepper was brought to Africa by the Portuguese.
Debby Geffre says
YUM-0......we grow reapers, ghost, friars hat, lemon drop .....love me some HOT and or /sweet peppers!! thanks for sharing....never tried the African birds eye
Debby Geffre says
Did I say thanks for your time MIKE!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Haha, DOUBLE appreciation! Thanks!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Debby! I appreciate it!
Diane E Contreras says
how long can it last in the refrigerator and can you freeze this sauce?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Diane. This sauce will last easily a week in the fridge or longer if you include more citrus. Yes, you can freeze it up to 3 months. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Nyasha says
I especially love peri peri however I have only heard Nando's and not a more authentic taste of this sauce. Looks like I'll have to follow your recipe and get back to you.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I hope you enjoy it!
Damien C. says
Yeah, baby. This is basically kick a**. Really digging the flavor with the african birds eye chillies. This is one of my new easy go-to sauces.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Damien. Thanks!
Terry Black says
Great recipe - made it with some home grown hot chilli's - lasted a couple of months in the fridge until it was all eaten up - delicious and simple...
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Terry! Glad you enjoyed it.
Joanne says
Can I make a version without oil? I do Slimming World and would love syn free version
REPLY: Joanne, it won't be the same, but YES, you can omit the oil and use vinegar instead. If you do this, though, you might want to simmer the sauce a bit to mellow it out. Try it fresh and with a simmer and see which youprefer. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Mary Daly says
How long does this receipe keep. Thanks
REPLY: Mary, it should easily last a month in the fridge because of the lemon juice content, though if you'd like longer storage, add in some vinegar. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Jorge says
Correct name is Piri-Piri.
REPLY: George, I mention in the post it is also know by "piri piri" or "pili pili". -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Todd says
I have DRIED piri-piri peppers - not fresh, how can I change this recipe to use these?
REPLY: Todd, you can rehydrate them. Here is a link: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/how-to-rehydrate-dried-chili-peppers. You might need to use more of them, or use some of the steeping liquid. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Ilona @ Ilonas Passion says
I''ve never tried per peri sauce but by looking at ingredients I already know that I will love this sauce! Pinning!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Llonas!