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Tunisian · Maghrebi

Harissa

Vegetarian

هريسة · harīsa

Tunisian chilli paste of rehydrated dried red chillies pounded with garlic, caraway and coriander and bound with olive oil — smoky, earthy and hot.

Harissa is a Tunisian condiment, ready in about 48 minutes and made with dried whole chillies, garlic and caraway seeds. It serves 16 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
3 min
Rest
30 min
Total
48 min
Serves
16
Level
Easy
Calories
42

Ingredients

16 servings of 12 g

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cover the chillies with hot water and soak for 30 minutes until soft. Drain well, keeping a little of the water.

    • 2 min

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile toast the caraway (opens in a new tab), coriander and cumin in a dry pan until fragrant, then grind them.

    Spices being ground in a mortar and pestle
    How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Blend or pound the chillies, garlic (opens in a new tab), ground spices and salt to a thick paste, adding a spoonful of soaking water only if needed.

  4. Step 4

    Work in the olive oil (opens in a new tab) and lemon juice (opens in a new tab). Pack into a clean jar, smooth the top and cover with a thin layer of oil.

About this dish

Origin
Tunisia · Well documentedAlso made throughout the Maghreb, especially Algeria and Libya.Also popular in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, FranceMore food from Tunisia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Sauces
Cooking method
Toasted, Blended
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), earthy, smoky, garlicky
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Dried whole chillies · Garlic · Caraway seeds · Coriander seeds · Cumin seeds · Lemon juice
Techniques
Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

42 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 13 g · recipe makes 16

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 5%
  • Carbohydrate 20%
  • Fat 76%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy42 kcal334 kcal
Protein0.5 g3.9 g
Carbohydrate2.2 g17.3 g
Net carbohydrate1.4 g10.9 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.8 g6.5 g
Fat3.7 g29.9 g
Saturated fat0.5 g4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium147 mg1179 mg
Salt equivalent0.4 g2.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
85 mg
Calcium
6 mg
Iron
0.5 mg
Magnesium
5 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
32 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
2 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Tunisians often dry their own chillies in the sun; good quality dried chillies with no musty smell matter most.

Common mistakes

  • Adding too much soaking water — the paste turns runny and spoils faster; it should be thick.

Serve with

  • Spread on bread with olive oil, stir into couscous, shakshuka, lablabi or soups.
  • Mix with yoghurt or mayonnaise for a quick dip; rub onto lamb or chicken.

Storage

  • Refrigerate, topped with oil, for up to 2 weeks. Re-cover with oil after each use.

Variations

  • Rose harissa: Add dried rose petals or a little rose water — a modern variation popular in Western kitchens.

History

In 2022 harissa and the knowledge and practices around it were inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for Tunisia.

Confidence: Well documented

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 3

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

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