Shatta (Palestinian chilli sauce)

Name: Shatta (Palestinian chilli sauce)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 250 g fresh red chilli, stems removed, roughly chopped; 2 tsp salt; 2 cloves garlic, peeled (optional); 60 ml lemon juice; 60 ml olive oil

Vegetarian

شطة · shaṭṭa

Fresh red chillies crushed with salt and loosened with lemon and olive oil into a bright, coarse hot sauce — spooned onto falafel, hummus and grilled meat.

Shatta (Palestinian chilli sauce) is a Palestinian condiment from Palestine, ready in about 15 minutes and made with fresh red chilli and lemon juice. It serves 20 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep: 15 min
Cook: 0 min
Total: 15 min
Serves: 20
Level: Easy
Calories: 30

Ingredients

20 servings of 18 g

250 g Fresh red chilli (opens in a new tab), stems removed, roughly choppedRipe red chillies; mix hot and medium ones.
2 tsp (12 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
2 cloves (8 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), peeled (optional)
60 ml Lemon juice (opens in a new tab)Swap: White vinegar
60 ml Olive oil (opens in a new tab)Plus a little extra to seal the jar.

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Pulse the chillies (and garlic (opens in a new tab), if using) with the salt to a coarse, wet mash — not a smooth purée.
- 5 min
- Food processor (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Wear gloves when handling a large amount of chillies.
How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels
2
Step 2
Stir in the lemon juice (opens in a new tab) and olive oil (opens in a new tab).
- 2 min
3
Step 3
Spoon into a clean jar, press down and pour a thin layer of oil over the top. Use straight away or let it mellow in the fridge for a day.
- 3 min
- Glass jar with lid (opens in a new tab)

About this dish

Origin: Palestine · Commonly attributedMade across the Levant and especially associated with Gaza; the word also simply means 'hot sauce' in much of the Arab world.Also popular in Jordan, Lebanon, SyriaMore food from Palestine
Dish: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Sauces
Cooking method: Raw
Taste: spicy (chilli heat), tangy, fresh, salty
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 · 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: Fresh red chilli · Lemon juice

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

30 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 19 g · recipe makes 20

Where the energy comes from

Protein 3%
Carbohydrate 17%
Fat 81%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	30 kcal	161 kcal
Protein	0.2 g	1.3 g
Carbohydrate	1.3 g	7.1 g
Net carbohydrate	1.1 g	6 g
Sugars	0.7 g	4 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	0.2 g	1.1 g
Fat	2.8 g	15.1 g
Saturated fat	0.4 g	2.1 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	234 mg	1266 mg
Salt equivalent	0.6 g	3.2 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 44 mg
Calcium: 2 mg
Iron: 0.1 mg
Magnesium: 3 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 6 µg
Vitamin C: 19 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: garlic.
“—” 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

Choose fully ripe, glossy red chillies — green or half-ripe ones make a bitter shatta.

Common mistakes

Leaving the surface exposed in the jar — always top with oil to keep it fresh.

Serve with

On falafel, ful medames, hummus and grilled meats, or stirred into eggs.

Storage

Refrigerate under a layer of oil for up to 2 weeks.

Variations

Fermented shatta: Salted chillies are left in a jar for several days to ferment before the lemon and oil are added; keep them pressed under their brine, discard if mould or off smells appear, and refrigerate once tangy.

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 removed, roughly chopped250 g
Lemon juice60 ml · 62 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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