By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 4
222 cal · 25 min
Piri Piri Sauce
Recipe GLPRca81ebf95e9b7a
A fiery and aromatic hot sauce made from African bird's eye chillies, medium-hot red peppers, and garlic, finished with white wine vinegar and whisky. This versatile condiment brings intense heat and complex flavor to grilled meats, seafood, and vegetables. The sauce mellows slightly as it sits, making it perfect for batch preparation. Prepare it fresh and store refrigerated for up to one month.
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Ingredients
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 large medium-hot red chilli peppers, seeds and ribs removed
2 piri piri or African bird's eye chillies, seeds and ribs removed
2 red bell peppers, halved with seeds and ribs removed
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon piri piri chilli powder (optional)
2 tablespoons whisky
Directions
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Wash a heatproof glass jar and its lid thoroughly with hot soapy water, then rinse completely. Place the clean jar and lid in the oven for 15 minutes to sterilize and dry completely.
While the jar sterilizes, add the minced garlic, white wine vinegar, medium-hot red chillies, piri piri chillies, red bell peppers, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice to a blender.
Blend the mixture until roughly combined, then taste carefully. If you prefer more heat, add one or two additional fresh chillies (the sauce will mellow during storage). Blend again until completely smooth and homogeneous.
Add the whisky and the optional piri piri powder if using, then blend briefly to incorporate fully.
Carefully remove the sterilized jar from the oven and allow it to cool for 1–2 minutes. Pour the blended sauce into the jar while still warm, seal tightly with the sterilized lid, and let cool to room temperature.
Store the sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one month. Use as a condiment on grilled meats, vegetables, or seafood.
Comments
This is a special-occasion condiment, not a weeknight staple for Charlotte shoppers. The two main hurdles are piri piri chillis (fresh, not powdered) and piri piri chilli powder, both of which require a stop at a specialty store like The Spice House, Pepper Palace, or an ethnic market—standard grocers stock neither. Beyond that, garlic, bell pepper, vinegar, lemon, and oil are everywhere, and the actual blending takes ten minutes; the stated time is honest if you're shopping and prepping at once. A small batch yields concentrated sauce that stores weeks refrigerated, so one cook feeds many meals. Budget the extra errand and plan ahead—it's worth making when you know you'll use it on grilled chicken or fish repeatedly.
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