Learn how to make an Oil-free Romesco Sauce with roasted almonds, pine nuts, bell peppers and red wine vinegar. This sauce is so creamy, rich in flavor and absolutely delicious!
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WHAT IS ROMESCO SAUCE?
If you’ve never had romesco sauce, you are missing out. It is a classic Spanish sauce that originated in Spain. Classically, it is served alongside fish, but can be used any way you like. Eating it with a spoon is perfectly acceptable in my house. The base of the sauce is pureed almonds and bell peppers with some flavor enhancers. So, if you love almonds and you love bell peppers, this is your new best friend. I love recipes that utilize a strong amount of bell peppers, like in this Vegan Hungarian Goulash and this Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
CHUNKY OR SMOOTH?
That is the question, do you like your romesco sauce chunky or super smooth? If you are a fan of romesco sauce, then you know it definitely varies per version and personal taste. My version is right down the middle. It is not as runny as a sauce, like a vegan alfredo for example, but it’s not a paste either. It is totally smooth, texture-wise, but due to the almonds, it is thicker and looks more textured, although there are no bits of almonds remaining.
HOW TO MAKE ROMESCO SAUCE OIL-FREE
Nearly every romesco sauce recipe calls for oil, usually olive oil. Since I don’t use oil, how did I make this just as buttery without any oil? Pine nuts! I mean, yes, the almonds lend to mega flavor and creaminess, but the touch of pine nuts really drives home that creamy taste and texture. Pine nuts are also the secret to this vegan Caesar salad dressing.
For this oil-free romesco sauce, you will need just 7 ingredients (+salt/water):
- raw almonds
- pine nuts
- 2 large red bell peppers
- tomato sauce
- garlic cloves
- red wine vinegar
- smoked paprika
First, you will roast those bell peppers until they become charred and juicy. This adds so much flavor. (full recipe details below)
Next, you will need to roast the almonds. Many recipes do not do this, but I find the flavor is lacking and using roasted almonds really enriches the creaminess and depth of flavor. Not to mention, they blend so much easier roasted. Bake them at 300°F for 15 minutes.
Add the roasted bell peppers, almonds, pine nuts, tomato sauce, garlic, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika and salt to a food processor. Process for several minutes until completely smooth or desired texture is reached. I like mine smooth with no bits of nuts remaining.
WHAT CAN I PUT ROMESCO SAUCE ON?
- Use as a pizza sauce for a twist on pizza! I’m all about new sauces on pizza, like this Vegan Garlic Alfredo Pizza.
- As a spread on a sandwich or burger. Mayo, step aside. This oil-free romesco will liven up any sandwich!
- Dolloped over tacos, because it has that wonderful Spanish smoky taste, it will be delicious on tacos.
- Served alongside potato wedges or fries, which is my favorite way.
- Delicious served with roasted veggies. Um, yes, please.
- Over a baked potato.
- And, of course, over pasta. Is there any sauce that doesn’t taste good on pasta?
I hope you love this oil-free romesco sauce, please make it and come back and rate it! Share your pics with me on Facebook or Instagram and use my tag #thevegan8!
Other Oil-free Vegan Sauce Recipes to try:
- Chimichurri
- Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde
- Easy Homemade Salsa
- Pimento Cream Sauce
- Red Pepper Curry Sauce
- Chickpea Tomato Ragu Sauce
- Best Vegan Garlic Alfredo Sauce
- Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce
- Easy Vegan Mexican Cheese Sauce
Oil-free Romesco Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 large bell peppers, sliced into strips (330g)
- 3/4 cup (114g) raw whole almonds
- 1 1/4 cups (300g) tomato sauce/puree (I literally just blended up diced tomatoes from a box into a liquid sauce and then measured. This way I could avoid the added salt.)
- 1 tablespoon (15g) red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (keep in mind raw garlic is very powerful, so start out with 2 medium-large cloves (8g) and add more if desired)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- optional-pinch cayenne peper
- I use this scale.
NOTE
- I used no salt tomatoes and the 1/2 teaspoon salt was perfect for me. If your tomato sauce is salted, you may need adjustment.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Place the almonds spread out on one pan and the sliced bell peppers on the other.
- Add ONLY the pan of bell peppers to the oven first and roast for 15-20 minutes until they are starting to look charred on the tips and edges. Remove from the oven.
- Turn off the oven to cool a bit before turning it back on to 300°F and add the pan of almonds. You do this because if you add the almonds while the oven is still so hot, they will burn. Bake for 15 minutes until smelling fragrant, be careful not to burn.
- Add the bell peppers, roasted almonds, tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, pine nuts, water, garlic, smoked paprika, salt and cayenne (if using) to a food processor. Blend for a minute, scrape down the sides well and process again for 3-5 minutes. Be patient with this so it can reach the smooth texture you see in the photo. I liked mine completely smooth, but thick, and no bits of nuts remaining.
- If you prefer more texture, process less. If you want it runnier, or milder in flavor, add a touch more water, adjusting the flavor if needed. Just know that classic romesco sauce is supposed to be on the thicker side, so it can be almost like a topping or dip, not meant to be a runny sauce.
- After it has reached the desired consistency, taste and add more salt or vinegar if desired. I found it to be perfect and 1/2 teaspoon salt was just right. Serve over pasta, as a dipping sauce for fries or potato wedges, top over a baked potato, tacos, alongside veggies or whatever you like. My favorite is with potato wedges!
Sorry if this is a dumb question but can you use roasted unsalted almonds if in a hurry instead of roasting raw ones?
Oh yes, definitely! Just don’t use raw, make sure they are roasted 🙂
I haven’t made this yet, but I’m just now printing out the recipe. This looks fantastic! So much of what we like about foods are the sauces we put on them! Sauces and spices can make the same simple foods taste different every time! Thank you.
Thank you RENEE! Yes, exactly! That’s why I create so many Sauces!
I love romesco! Such a great flavor and love the depth it has!! There is a vegan romesco based recipe at this restaurant we go to, I’ve actually posted it on IG long time ago, that is to DIE for. I dream about it. They use roasted almonds in their’s as well (I actually asked all the ingredients because I am remaking the dish for my blog but my go to line is I have allergies so I need to know what’s in it, LOL) and it is literally one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Can’t wait to share! Delish girl and your pics look so pretty and vibrant!
Thank you so much girl! Romesco is one of those sauces I could just eat by itself like it were a meal, LOL! Yup, roasted almonds is where it’s at for me too, gotta have it, the flavor is so much more rich and pronounced! Thank you, I switched to a new backdrop and it really made a difference, thanks girlie 🙂
Just made this sauce. Great flavour. Did not add cayenne. Easy to make. Serving it with roasted veggies tonight. Really appreciate that is does not include oil.
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed it!
This looks so delicious! What other nut do you recommend in this recipe, other than almonds?
Thank you so much 😊
Hi Kristina! Hmm, that’s a tough one. Almonds are the base of a romesco sauce and what gives it it’s distinct taste, so it won’t have quite that same flavor without them. You can try doing a blend of half cashews and half walnuts?? I wouldn’t do all cashews as it may make it overly sweet. Romesco has a slight sweetness from the roasted almonds and wine vinegar but all cashews might be overkill here. I’ve not tested of course any other version, but that would be my recommendation.
Yum yum yum!! This sauce looks so good- and I can also see myself diving into this with a huge plate of sweet potato fries already. Also can’t wait for your book in the UK!!! So happy for you Brandi! <3 xxx
Thank you so much Harriet!! The book became available on March 1st, yay, thank you so much!
Just make this sauce! It is amazing!!! My food processor never got it smooth enough for my liking, so I ended up dumping it all in the vitamix and reblending it. Now it’s perfect!
So happy to hear that Paige, thank you so much for making it! Yes, food processors can definitely vary. Mine always gets sauces 100% smooth but so glad you had a Vitamix to do it as well! Would you mind star rating the recipe as well, those are so helpful, thank you!
Oh, Brandi! This sauce is absolutely scrumptious! I topped a nut burger and your mashed potatoes with it and nearly licked the plate clean. Like Paige, I ended up needing to put it in my Vitamix to get the smoothness I wanted, while my husband enjoyed it a bit chunkier before the blender. Not a problem to enjoy such a decadent-tasting sauce!! I do have one quick clarifying question; do I leave the peppers in the oven while the almonds roast? You didn’t mention taking them out after they’re a bit charred so I left them in. Since everything tasted fantastic I’m guessing I did it right but I wanted to be sure. THANK YOU for this gem, Brandi! I will be making it again and again!
Hi Colleen, yippee! Love, love this review and oh my, that sounds incredible on top of a burger! So sorry about the confusion on that, I will edit it to be more clear. You roast the peppers for the 15-20 minutes and then remove them. Then you bake the almonds! If you have 2 ovens, of course you could bake them each at the same time separately, otherwise, you’ll need to bake one at a time, but not BOTH in the same oven. Glad it still tasted amazing though, charred does give a lovely flavor!
Loved it
Awesome, I’m so glad to hear that Paige!