Pili-pili sauce

Name: Pili-pili sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Ingredients: 150 g fresh red chilli, stems removed; ½ onion, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, peeled; 100 ml neutral vegetable oil; 3 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)

Vegetarian

A fiery Central and East African table sauce of bird's eye chillies, onion and garlic cooked gently in oil and sharpened with lemon — a few drops wake up stews, grills and rice.

Pili-pili sauce is a Congolese sauce, ready in about 22 minutes and made with fresh red chilli and neutral vegetable oil. It serves 20 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep: 10 min
Cook: 12 min
Total: 22 min
Serves: 20
Level: Easy
Calories: 46

Ingredients

20 servings of 15 g

150 g Fresh red chilli (opens in a new tab), stems removedBird's eye chillies; replace some with milder red chillies to tame it.
½ (55 g) Onion (opens in a new tab), chopped
3 cloves (12 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), peeled
100 ml Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)
3 tbsp (46 g) Lemon juice (opens in a new tab)
1 tsp (6 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
1 tbsp (16 g) Tomato paste (opens in a new tab) (optional)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Blend the chillies, onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and salt to a coarse paste.
- 3 min
- Blender (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Wear gloves and keep the room ventilated — bird's eye chillies are very hot.
2
Step 2
Warm the oil in a saucepan (opens in a new tab), add the paste (and tomato paste (opens in a new tab), if using) and cook gently, stirring, until the raw smell has gone and the oil turns red.
- 10 min
- low heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
3
Step 3
Take off the heat and stir in the lemon juice (opens in a new tab) until evenly blended. Cool and pour into a clean jar.
- 2 min
- Glass jar with lid (opens in a new tab)

About this dish

Origin: Central and East Africa · Commonly attributedPili-pili (the Swahili and Lingala name for small hot chillies) sauces are made from the Congo basin to the Swahili coast; there is no single origin.Also popular in DR Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Tanzania, Kenya, Belgium
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Sauces · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method: Blended, Simmered
Taste: spicy (chilli heat), tangy, garlicky
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Fresh red chilli · Onion · Garlic · Lemon juice
Techniques: Simmering · 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

46 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 16 g · recipe makes 20

Where the energy comes from

Protein 2%
Carbohydrate 11%
Fat 87%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	46 kcal	289 kcal
Protein	0.2 g	1.4 g
Carbohydrate	1.3 g	8 g
Net carbohydrate	1.1 g	6.8 g
Sugars	0.6 g	3.6 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	0.2 g	1.1 g
Fat	4.6 g	29 g
Saturated fat	0.3 g	2.2 g
Trans fat	0 g	0.1 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	117 mg	734 mg
Salt equivalent	0.3 g	1.8 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 33 mg
Calcium: 3 mg
Iron: 0.1 mg
Magnesium: 2 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 4 µg
Vitamin C: 12 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 3 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
Optional ingredients are not included: tomato paste.
“—” 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

Make sure the jar is topped with a layer of oil — it helps the sauce keep.

Common mistakes

Frying the paste over high heat — the chillies scorch and the sauce turns bitter.

Serve with

A few drops on moambe chicken, grilled fish, beans, fufu or chips.
Stir into tomato stews and soups.

Storage

Refrigerate in a clean jar for up to 2 weeks.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 29 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

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

Fresh red chilli, stems removed150 g
Tomato paste (optional)1 tbsp · 16 g

Used in steps 1, 2

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

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Reviews & corrections

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