Harissa Paste (Small Batch)
Homemade harissa paste instantly adds North African flavors to a variety of dishes. Just like pesto and curry paste, this quick and easy sauce, dip, or marinade comes together in a food processor in 15 minutes with widely available jalapeño chilis. This small batch recipe creates a super vibrant paste thanks to the fresh chilis. It offers plenty of heat but you can easily adjust the level to suit your taste.
Making your own harissa paste not only lets you control the heat level and the quality of ingredients used, it means you’ll have the freshest paste possible and it might also save you money.
While I enjoy harissa’s complex flavor, my German salt & pepper palate is sensitive to heat. That’s why I make it at home, allowing me to easily adjust the spice level to my preference. This recipe offers medium to high heat that you can easily adjust by increasing or decreasing the quantity of the chilis, removing the seeds and membranes of the chilis which reduce their intensity.
This small batch recipe makes about 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons of harissa paste but you can easily scale the recipe up using the 2x and 3x toggle. 2 tablespoons of paste flavors a 4-person allowing you to have fresh paste on hand without excess food waste.
I use the paste to make my harissa yogurt, Turkish eggs, as well as a dry rub for grilled lamb. The paste adds complex flavors to a variety of dishes including pasta sauces, soups, and stews, and makes a spicy side, dip, or sauce.
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Harissa Paste
Ingredients
- 1 long red pepper red bell pepper
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp caraway seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 3 jalapeños or more for extra heat
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Char a pepper by applying direct heat from a gas burner, broiler, grill, or torch until the skin blackens and blisters form on all sides, turning it frequently. Alternatively, you can use store-bought charred peppers.1 long red pepper
- Toast seeds by heating them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until they become fragrant and lightly golden.1 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tbsp caraway seeds, 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- Add everything to the food processor bowl apart from olive oil. Blend to your desired consistency scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. Alternatively, you can use a powerful stand up blender or pestle and mortar to combine the ingredients.3 jalapeños, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp salt
- While blending, drizzle in the olive oil to smooth out the paste.2 tbsp olive oil
- Pour the harissa paste into a sterilized jar and cover it with a lid tightly. Use it to instantly flavor a variety of dishes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chilis – This recipe uses widely available fresh jalapeño chilis for convenience but harissa is traditionally made with dried red chiles. Dried baklouti peppers are traditionally used to make classic Tunisian harissa. Dried Guajillo and New Mexico chiles are popular choices as they’re milder.
- Pepper – A charred long red Cubanelle pepper adds sweetness and smoky flavors to the paste but a red bell pepper works too. You can buy roasted peppers in a jar for convenience or char them yourself at home over a gas burner, torch, or BBQ.
- Spices – I use toasted whole cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds. You can use pre-ground spices as well for convenience. Sea salt rounds out the flavors.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves work best but you can also substitute those with 1 tsp of garlic powder.
- Lemon – Freshly pressed lemon juice preserves the color and balances the heat of the chilis.
- Oil – Extra virgin olive oil emulsifies the chili peppers and spices and creates a smooth paste that can be easily incorporated into a variety of dishes.
How to use harissa paste
Just like my homemade harissa powder, harissa paste is super versatile and can instantly flavor a wide variety of dishes.
Marinade: Harissa paste makes an excellent marinade, particularly for grilled chicken and lamb. Create a yogurt-based harissa marinade to tenderize meat further.
Dry Rub: Use harissa paste as a flavorful dry rub for meats such as chicken, lamb, or beef before grilling, roasting, or pan-frying. It also flavors seafood dishes like shrimp or scallops.
Sauces and Stews: Stir harissa paste into tomato-based sauces, stews such as my lamb stew, and tagines to add a spicy depth of flavor.
Dips and Spreads: Blend harissa paste with yogurt, mayonnaise, or hummus to create flavorful dips and spreads, or mix it with olive oil for a delicious dipping oil.
Vegetables: Toss harissa paste with roasted vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, or cauliflower, to add a spicy kick.
Eggs: Harissa paste is a great addition to egg dishes, adding instant flavor to Turkish eggs, lamb shakshuka, and scrambled eggs.
