Rose Harissa - a Smoky, Spicy Kitchen Condiment with Magical Floral Notes

by Beth Lee · Published: Jun 22, 2019 · Modified: Apr 29, 2022

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You'll love this easy-to-make rose harissa recipe, if you're a fan of North African flavors, spicy heat, and/or Ottolenghi cookbooks! Rose harissa is hard to find in stores but oh so simple to make at home.

Want to learn more about Middle Eastern cuisines and ingredients? Read our other Tasting Jerusalem posts.

Some great recipes using harissa are my roasted harissa potatoes with preserved lemon gremolata or harissa chicken with preserved lemons.

Rose harissa in brown bowl on burlap with peppers, lemon and rose petals.

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Why you’ll love this recipe!

If you enjoy adding spice to your food and like to explore new variations, then you'll love this rose harissa recipe. Originating in Tunisia in North Africa, you might be familiar with harissa, possibly even noticing it on the shelves in Trader Joe's!

But what about this rose-infused version? When Chef Yotam Ottolenghi suggested rose harissa as one of his 10 must-have ingredients in his 2018 cookbook Simple, it created a bit of a stir. In many parts of the world, this sauce is not readily available and, quite frankly, is unknown.

Use this recipe as a much easier (and cost-effective) way to get your hands on rose harissa. It’s the easy solution to avoid ordering from the a jar of rose harissa from the UK on Amazon or through the Ottolenghi store.

Ingredients you’ll need

Ingredient shot for rose harissa with ingredients on a wooden cutting board.

Once you gather your ingredients, which pack a powerful punch of flavor, the rest of the cooking process is very quick!

Caraway, Cumin, Coriander Seeds: Note that these are whole seeds, not ground. You'll want the whole seeds to heat them in a pan to release the flavors.
Chile de Arbol: We like the flavor and spice level of this variety. Easily found at any store that sells a deep variety of Latin, Mexican, or Hispanic ingredients. Can't find them? Try red pepper flakes. ¼ - ½ teaspoon of flakes is equivalent to one chile de arbol.
Serrano peppers: We also love fresno chiles for this but they are usually harder to find. Whichever you find will work nicely.
Rose Petals and Rose Water: Both available either online or at your local Middle Eastern market. They are both relatively inexpensive (purchased in the market) and will last a long time stored properly.
Smoked Paprika: Give the rose harissa a class smoky undertone. No need for spicy smoked paprika - the serranos and arbol will provide plenty of heat!

How to make this recipe

Gather and measure all of your ingredients. This recipe is fairly simple but having everything ready will make it even easier. The dried chiles need about 20 minutes to rehydrate.

1. Pan fry the spices in a touch of olive oil.

Whole spices for rose harissa in a frying pan.

2. Let the spices cool and grind them up in an old coffee grinder, small food processor or mortar and pestle with the dried rose petals.

Spices and rose petals in mortar and pestle.

3. Then add in the smoked paprika.

Dried spices for rose harissa combined with rose petals and smoked paprika.

4. In the same pan you used for the spices, sauté your shallots, garlic, and peppers.

Peppers, shallots and garlic in saute pan.

5. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend/process until well combined. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt or rose water as needed.

Rose harissa ingredients in mini food processor.

6. Put in a sterilized jar, top with olive oil, and store in the refrigerator.

Rose harissa beauty shot on burlap with ingredients surrounding a brown bowl.

See my rose harissa web story for a quick visual guide of how to make this recipe.

Expert Tips and FAQs

As mentioned above, prepare all of your ingredients before proceeding with the recipe. It will make this harissa come together so easily.
As with almost any spice blend or spice paste, feel free to try different levels of heat, more of one ingredient, less of another. Some variations are already included, like alternative peppers, but feel free to play with other elements as well. My rule of thumb - follow the recipe the first time, then play as much as you want!
A coffee grinder that you've dedicated to be a spice grinder is a great tool. But as you can see in the pictures, I used a basic mortar and pestle with great success.

What is the difference between harissa and rose harissa?

Harissa is a spice sauce of Tunisian (North African) origin. There are many variations to the recipe, but the basic building blocks are spicy dried or fresh peppers, caraway, cumin, garlic, olive oil and an acid – usually lemon juice. There are ground harissa spice blends, too, for sprinkling on dishes.

Rose harissa includes dried rose petals and/or rosewater to both soften the kick of the chilies and add an unexpected floral counterbalance to the spicy, smoky peppers.

Can I buy the rose-infused version if I don't have time to make it?

You can but I've personally yet to see it in the United States. It is available online and I've seen it in the Ottolenghi shops in London.

Are harissa and rose harissa interchangeable in recipes?

Yes! Harissa adds a spicy zing to recipes. With the addition of the rose flavor, the harissa becomes more prominent in dishes—because rose is a less common flavor. So your palate picks it up more.

Take that into consideration when adding the rose to this recipe or using the spicy mixture in a dish you're preparing. We actually like to use rose harissa in recipes that call for traditional harissa because it gives dishes that extra dimension of flavor.

How long will the rose harissa last in the refrigerator?

When you make it, be sure to use a sterilized glass jar for storage to help extend the life. You’ll use it up before it will spoil, but the refrigerated shelf life is about two weeks. You can also freeze it in one or two tablespoon amounts for a quick spice infusion anytime you need it.

Is there a shortcut method to make rose harissa in a pinch?

If you have a jar of store-bought or homemade harissa in the house, add some rose water or dried rose petals or both to add the rose flavor. Remember to add rose water in small increments – ½ teaspoon or less at a time. Too much is not a good thing. (Think soapy.)

For store-bought harissa, we like Trader Joe’s, though note that it’s spicier than some store-bought versions.

Substitutions for harissa?

Use your favorite spicy red paste such as sriracha, Chinese chili-garlic paste, Korean gochujang, Southeast Asian sambal oelek. If you have any of these, add some preserved lemons to give it a North African flair.

How to use this flavorful condiment!

Murad Lahlou likens harissa to sriracha in his New Moroccan cookbook and suggests using it as a finishing touch to dishes – soups, stews, grains, proteins.

Other ideas:

Mix it with some preserved lemons, rub it on chicken and bake it – it’s fantastic.
Roast carrots and chickpeas with the rose harissa – no need to even add extra oil.
Or how about the spice in a Bloody Mary?
The kick in a tomato sauce
Or a topping for Sunday brunch scrambled eggs or omelettes
Or on top of store-bought or homemade hummus

Recipes to try:

Shakshuka - an easy egg dish for brunch or any meal of the day

face down view of shakshuka in pan ready to eat

Preserved Lemon Hummus

One-pan Harissa Chicken with Preserved Lemons

Top down view of harissa sheet pan chicken.

White Bean Hummus-style Dip

White bean basil hummus style dip with pine nuts and meyer lemon

Lahmajoun - a vegan version of a traditional Armenian flatbread

Ottolenghi's Pappardelle with Rose Harissa

Reader Rave!

"One of the challenges of living in Tbilisi is that you have to make a lot of stuff yourself ... I used rose harissa many times in the US and always bought a small jar from Amazon. Here, no such solution. This is great! I had to “make do” with local peppers ... I have never seen serranos or Fresnos here ... However, great rose petals and rose water from Iran are common, as well as fresh spices. I only wish I had quadrupled the recipe!"

Tad D

Reader & Harissa Lover

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Rose Harissa

Beth Lee

Rose harissa, a brick red spice paste mellowed by a touch of rose, will become your favorite kitchen condiment. And if you have Ottolenghi's SIMPLE cookbook, now you can find one of his must-have ingredients - rose harissa.

4.79 from 14 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Course Condiment

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Servings

Calories 32 kcal

Ingredients

4 Dried chili de arbol rehydrated
4 teaspoons olive oil divided use
2 serrano chilies chopped and seeded (preferable to use Fresno Chilies if you can find them)
1 ½ teaspoons coriander seeds
¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon rose petals
1 teaspoon rose water
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons shallot rough chopped
4 cloves garlic rough chopped
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch of sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Fry coriander, cumin, caraway in 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Remove spices and reserve oil.
Grind spices with rose petals with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder. Add smoked paprika.
Heat reserved olive oil and 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet until very hot. Add shallot, garlic and Serrano or Fresno chilis and hydrated chili de arbol. Saute until golden.
Place sauteed mixture, remaining olive oil, spices, tomato paste, lemon juice, rose water, pinch of sugar and salt in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Add additional salt and rose water, if needed.
Store in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a layer of olive oil poured over the top, if desired.

Video

Notes

As mentioned above, prepare all of your ingredients before proceeding with the recipe. It will make this harissa come together so easily.
As with almost any spice blend or spice paste, feel free to try different levels of heat, more of one ingredient, less of another. Some variations are already included, like alternative peppers, but feel free to play with other elements as well. My rule of thumb - follow the recipe the first time, then play as much as you want!
A coffee grinder that you've dedicated to be a spice grinder is a great tool. But as you can see in the pictures, I used a basic mortar and pestle with great success.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoonCalories: 32kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 179mgPotassium: 84mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 410IUVitamin C: 7.3mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 0.5mg

Keyword condiment, North African cuisine, spice sauce

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