5-Minute Romesco Sauce

Name: 5-Minute Romesco Sauce (With Almond Butter)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 roasted red bell pepper; 1 cup roma tomatoes (about 3 tomatoes); ¼ cup olive oil (60 mL); 3 Tbsp almond butter (48 g); 1 clove garlic; 2 tsp lemon juice (10 mL); ½ tsp smoked paprika; ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp ground black pepper

By Sarah Bond, BS Nutrition, MS Sensory Science, Published Jun 23, 2025

5 from 9 ratings

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5 minutes

Serves 8 servings

24 Comments

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A bowl of orange romesco sauce topped with black pepper, a red-handled spoon inside, slices of toasted bread and a side of easy romesco sauce, all set on a green tiled surface.

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This simple recipe will teach you how to make romesco sauce in just 5 minutes! While some recipes blend up fresh nuts, we’re saving time by using almond butter. This ensures an ultra-smooth sauce, no matter what blender or food processor you have.

A bowl of creamy orange romesco, topped with a sprinkle of red spices and a dollop of easy romesco sauce, with a spoon resting on the side. Toasted bread slices are visible in the background.

We’re big sauce people around here and strongly believe that no meal is complete without one.

And while I love ranch dressing as much as the next person, the world of sauces and condiments is so much bigger than the bottled stuff. Making your own sauces, whether it be a basic vinaigrette or a fresh tomato marinara, gives you so much flexibility in flavor and ingredients (and they just taste better).

This Is THE all-purpose sauce

It’s PACKED with smoky flavor
It’s easy to make (ready in 5 minutes)
It’s fresh and nutrient-rich

Reader rating

★★★★★

“The almond butter surprised me! A quick, easy and tasty sauce.” —Liane

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A bowl of orange romesco sauce topped with black pepper, paprika, and a hint of easy romesco sauce sits on a green tiled surface with a red-handled spoon inside. — I first tried romesco while visiting Barcelona, in the Catalonia region of Spain where this sauce originates.

Key Ingredients

Jump to the recipe card for the full quantities.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper: Roasting peppers quickly and easily brings out the pepper’s natural sweetness. You can roast them in the oven or the air fryer or use ones from a jar.
Ripe Tomatoes: I prefer to use Roma tomatoes because they are sweet and easy to find in stores. But really, any kind will work.
Almond Butter: Traditional romesco uses whole almonds, but I prefer almond butter so that any type of blender can create a smooth sauce (whole almonds require a strong high-speed blender).

Ingredients for an easy romesco sauce arranged on a green tiled surface: roasted pepper, oil, spices, lemon juice, garlic, almond butter, and tomatoes.

pro Tip

Almond butter can be expensive to buy, but making it at home is super easy and affordable.

A food processor bowl with easy romesco sauce sits on a green tiled surface next to two slices of brown bread. — Sauce too thin? Try adding a a slice of stale bread and blend until smooth! This will thicken it instantly.

What to serve romesco sauce with

Romesco sauce can be served with so many dishes. Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve it:

Drizzled over veggies like these air fryer vegetables
As a pasta sauce, like with zucchini noodles
With a cheese platter – oh hi, cheese board
As a dip for veggie chickpea fritters or on vegetable trays

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