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 (Piri Piri Sauce)
Make your own peri peri sauce, also called piri piri sauce, at home with this easy recipe. It's a fiery, garlicky African chili sauce made with bird's eye chilies, lemon and fresh herbs, and it's the sauce you need to make classic peri peri chicken.
I've been making this exact sauce for well over a decade and love the versatility and how easy it is to make.
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.
What I love most here is the heat. African bird's eye chilies give it that real peri peri fire, though you can swap in whatever red chilies you have. I use it as a marinade for chicken before grilling, as a dipping sauce, and as a finishing sauce spooned over just about anything, from shrimp to grilled vegetables. If you want it a bit tamer, I've added a milder version below using roasted red bell pepper. Same flavor, less fire.
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 vs. Piri Piri: What's the Difference?
There is no difference. Peri peri and piri piri are two spellings of the same sauce, and the same chili. "Piri piri" is generally traced to Swahili, meaning "pepper pepper." The sauce began with Portuguese cooking in Mozambique and Angola using African bird's eye chilies, and from there it spread to Portugal and beyond.
You'll see "peri peri" more in South Africa and the UK, where Nando's made it famous, and "piri piri" more in Portugal. In other parts of Africa you'll also hear "pili pili." Whatever you call it, it's the same fiery, garlicky, lemony chili sauce.
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.
How to Use Peri Peri Sauce on Chicken
Peri peri chicken is the reason most of us look for this sauce, my friends. Here's how I use it.
- As a marinade. Set aside some of the sauce for serving first. Rub the rest all over the chicken, under the skin as well, and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight for the most flavor. The lemon juice is acidic, so don't push it much past 24 hours.
- As a basting sauce. Brush more sauce on during the last few minutes of grilling or roasting, so the garlic and herbs don't scorch.
- As a finishing sauce. Spoon the reserved sauce over the chicken right before serving.
- Spatchcock it. A butterflied whole chicken grills evenly and soaks up the most sauce. Bone-in thighs and wings are great too.
Never reuse marinade that touched raw chicken as a serving sauce. Set the serving portion aside before you start.
For the full recipes, see my Peri Peri Chicken and Grilled Peri Peri Chicken Wings.
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.
How to Make a Milder Peri Peri Sauce
This one is HOT, my friends. Bird's eye chilies don't mess around. For a milder sauce with the same flavor, swap some of the chilies for roasted red bell pepper.
- Medium heat: replace about half the chilies (1/2 pound) with 1 large roasted red bell pepper.
- Mild: use just a handful of chilies (2 ounces or so) and 2 roasted red bell peppers.
Roast the bell peppers yourself under the broiler or over a flame, then peel and seed them. Jarred roasted red peppers work too, just drain them and pat them dry. The roasted pepper adds a sweet, smoky flavor that's really nice on chicken. You can also remove the seeds and inner membranes from the chilies to cut the heat further.
Storage
Refrigerate in a sealed jar and use within 1 week, or freeze in small portions for up to 3 months. It freezes perfectly. It will last longer in the refrigerator if you use garlic powder instead of fresh raw garlic and dried herbs instead of fresh.
It is not recommended to process sauces with oil in a water bath.
This Recipe Is In our Cookbook - FLAVOR MADNESS
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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 (Piri Piri Sauce)
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
- Makes about 1.5 cups
- No cooking required.
- For a milder sauce, see the roasted red bell pepper variation in the post.
Nutrition Information
This sauce is gluten free.
FAQs
What is peri peri sauce made of?
Peri peri sauce is made from African bird's eye chilies, garlic, lemon juice, oil, and herbs, often with a little paprika. My version uses smoked paprika, cilantro and oregano. It's blended raw, so there's no cooking at all
Is peri peri sauce very spicy?
Yes, this version is hot. African bird's eye chilies pack serious heat, and a full pound of them makes a fiery sauce. For a milder version, swap some of the chilies for roasted red bell pepper (see the tips above).
What peppers can I use instead of African bird's eye chilies?
Thai chilies are the closest substitute and work great. Red cayenne peppers, red Fresno or red jalapeño peppers make a milder sauce. Habaneros or ghost peppers take it to the wild side.
Can I use dried chilies?
You can. Soak dried bird's eye or Thai chilies in hot water for about 20 minutes, drain, then blend as usual. The sauce will be deeper and a bit less bright than with fresh chilies.
Is this the same as Nando's peri peri sauce?
It's not a copycat, but it's the same style of sauce, with the same bird's eye chili heat, garlic and lemon. Nando's makes several heat levels and its bottled versions include vinegar. This homemade version is fresher and more vibrant.
How long does peri peri sauce last?
Keep it refrigerated in a sealed jar and use it within 1 week. For longer storage, freeze it in small portions (an ice cube tray works great) for up to 3 months. The oil may separate, just stir or shake it.
Can I can peri peri sauce?
I don't recommend water bath canning this sauce. It's oil-based, and oil-based sauces aren't safe for home water bath canning. Freeze it instead.
NOTE: This recipe was updated on October 12, 2026 with new information, including a peri peri vs. piri piri section, tips for using the sauce on chicken, a milder roasted red bell pepper variation, and a FAQ. The recipe itself was not changed. Originally published February 10, 2016.
Bonita says
I’ve had Piripiri sauce at Nando’s and at Portuguese people’s places. I have never noticed it to be particularly spicy, but this appears to be very spicy to me. Am I missing something here?
No rating as I haven’t tried it yet. BTW, if I do try it, how long should you marinate your chicken in it? Or is it a dipping sauce?thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Bonita. Nando's makes different heat varieties, from mild to hot, depending on the peppers used. I used HOT chilies here, but you can adjust it to use milder peppers to your preference. I mention this in the notes section. I also change the herbs a little with my version, which I enjoy. It's not EXACTLY Nando's, but more traditional. See my Peri Peri Chicken Recipe here for using it as both a marinade and finishing sauce: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/peri-peri-chicken/. I hope you enjoy them both.
David says
Hi Mike, I have an abundance of serrano chillies left can I ferment these before making this sauce?
cheers from Spain
Mike H. says
Hi David, yes, definitely! Fermenting could add even more complexity and depth to the flavor.
Jeff says
Just found Birds Eye chilies but they are dried … planning on deseeding them but how much should I use given that they are not fresh?
Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Jeff, dried pods are 1/4 the weight of fresh, so you can use 4 ounces dried for this recipe, or make a smaller batch.
Anita Ingham says
Have just subscribed to your site as I am growing lots of different chillies and am looking for tasty ways of using and preserving. The piri piri looks right up my street but would love to preserve this in jars..you have no instructions other than you mention water bath..I have a pressure canner but am a novice and am overwhelmed by worries of botulism where oil is included. Could you give instructions please.
Mike Hultquist says
Anita, it is not recommended to home can foods that contain oil. FYI. I've amended that statement to make it clear. You can, however, freeze this sauce for longer keeping. Otherwise, I would just keep it refrigerated and it should last a few months. I appreciate it.
Diane says
I made this recently and it’ll be in our dinner rotation for sure. The sauce is full of flavour
Can the PeriPeri sauce be frozen? I don’t want to waste a drop of it, it’s that’s good
Mike H. says
I appreciate it, Dianne! And yes - you can absolutely freeze it!
Mike Anderson says
I live in South africa. I make chilly source using homegrown pepperdews and birds eye . do you remove the seeds or blend them in. I take most of the seeds out and boy it is still hot enough but with the pepper dew flavour . I really enjoy your recipes. thank you Mike
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Mike. I usually leave the seeds in, though it depends on the peppers. I deseed dried pods, as the seeds there can be bitter. You can remove them if you'd like. The heat doesn't really reside in the seeds themselves, but in the whitish innards of the peppers, which winds up getting removed when you remove the seeds. FYI. Many people like to remove the seeds because they tend to float around in the sauce.
Harry Vick says
Would you simply go heavier on the garlic using this recipe if you wanted to emulate a nando's garlic Peri Peri?
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, I would add more garlic, and maybe skip the basil. You can add a bit of rosemary, though, as Nando's includes rosemary extract in their ingredients list. Let me know how it goes for you.
Jerry van West says
What about any vinegar/ACV to get the ph levels down. This looks absolutely amazing btw.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Jerry. Yes, vinegar would definitely make it more acidic. Enjoy!
Peter Punky says
Where did you get the idea to add the basil? You say you were recreating Nando's, but that's sans herbs, even less powerful ones. I gave it a go with a bit less, and it's not bad, but it's definitely a different experience.
Mike Hultquist says
Peter, this is NOT claimed to be a Nando's Copycat recipe. Nando's uses a rosemary extract, whereas I chose basil out of preference. Of course this is not identical. You can obviously play with similar ingredients to get closer to the Nando's you prefer. Adios.
Michelle Barrett says
Hi - I made some of this sauce the other day, and left it on the side - it seems to have expanded in the jars - would you know why this is please?
thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Michelle, I'm not sure why it would have expanded, unless there was some type of fermentation starting, though I doubt that. Make sure there are no bad/off smells, like rot or infection. I've never had this particular issue.
Kristan says
We have an abundance of Portuguese green peppers in our garden...can we sub out the red chilis for these, or do you have a different recipe using Portuguese green peppers you'd recommend? Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Kristen, you can make this recipe with the green pods, though the flavor will be more "green", unripened. You can use them in many, many recipes here.
bob says
Made this the second time today - simple and oh - so tasty!
the jar gets gnarly after a few weeks but... I need to give some away sooner- sharing is good.
Mike Hultquist says
Haha, yes! Good to share, Bob! Glad you like it. =)
Sankalp Packaged Foods says
A truly remarkable sauce that adds excitement to every meal.