Best Harissa Substitutes: Easy Swaps & Tips

What is harissa, and what are you trying to replace?

Harissa is a chilli paste associated especially with Tunisian cooking and used more widely across North African and other kitchens. The BBC Good Food harissa overview offers general culinary context, but recipes vary. UNESCO’s description of Tunisian harissa includes dried chilli peppers, salt, garlic and coriander; other household and commercial versions may add spices such as cumin or caraway, olive oil, or other ingredients.

That variation matters when choosing a substitute. Some jars are mainly hot chilli paste; others are garlicky, oily, smoky, acidic or spice-heavy. Read the label if you have it, then choose the replacement around the job harissa was doing in your dish: heat, paste texture, garlic, aromatic spices, or a little of each.

Harissa is not a single standardised ingredient with one dependable Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) figure. New Mexico State University extension guidance explains that pepper heat varies with genetics and growing conditions. A mixed condiment’s heat depends on the peppers, the recipe and the product, so a precise SHU score for “harissa” or a sauce substitute would be misleading without testing that specific product.

For a primer on ways to cook with the original paste, see our guide to what harissa is used for. For ingredient alternatives and pantry context, browse the MPT ingredients hub.

Seven useful harissa substitutes

These options are ranked for practical pantry usefulness and how easy they are to adapt—not as laboratory measurements or a claim that they taste identical to traditional harissa. The best choice depends on the dish and the product you have.

Choose a substitute by flavor and dish

The same swap will not behave identically in every recipe. A long-simmered stew can absorb a flavor change differently from a cold dip or a quick marinade. Start small, stir well, taste, and add the remaining amount in stages.

If you’re choosing dried chiles for a homemade blend, these guides may help with their distinct flavor profiles: guajillo vs. ancho chiles, our serrano pepper substitutes guide and the cascabel chile guide.

Quick homemade harissa-style paste

This is a flexible pantry-style alternative for when you do not have a jar of harissa. It is not presented as a definitive traditional Tunisian recipe; harissa preparations vary between households and products.

Ingredients

• 4 dried red chiles, such as guajillo or chile de árbol, adjusted to your preferred heat
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more if needed
• 1 small garlic clove
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• Optional: ¼ teaspoon caraway and a small pinch of salt
• A little lemon juice to finish, if the dish needs brightness

Method

1. Cover the dried chiles with hot water and leave them to soften for about 15 minutes, or until pliable. Remove the stems; remove seeds if you want to reduce the heat, taking care because the heat varies by chile.
2. Drain well and blend the softened chiles with the olive oil, garlic, cumin, coriander and optional caraway. Add a teaspoon of the soaking water only if needed to help the blender move.
3. Taste before adding salt or lemon. Use a small amount in the recipe, then increase to suit the dish.

The soak alone takes around 15 minutes, with a little extra time for blending and tasting; total time depends on the chiles and equipment. Because this blend includes fresh garlic and oil, make it fresh, refrigerate any leftovers promptly and use them within 3 days, or freeze them. Do not store this homemade paste at room temperature or assume it is shelf-stable. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service gives this precaution for mixtures of garlic, vegetables or herbs in oil.

For ideas using the original ingredient, see what harissa is used for and our Middle Eastern chicken recipes.

Oman souk to Da Nang pantry: our kitchen notes

We first rebuilt harissa from Nizwa souk cumin and local dried chilies when Maghreb paste was hard to find in Oman. Blooming spices in oil — not water — carried the heat the way banquet kitchens expected beside grilled meat.

Natalia’s fermented chili pastes from Eastern Europe added depth to our alternative harissa tests. In our Da Nang kitchen we still reach for sambal or chili-garlic hot sauce when tubes run dry, scaling heat before Victor taste-tests sheet-pan chicken.

How to get a better result from any harissa substitute

• Start below the full amount. Strong chilli sauces can overwhelm a dish quickly. Add more after tasting rather than trying to undo too much heat.
• Match the role. Choose a paste when the recipe needs body; use chilli oil when you only need heat and infused oil.
• Account for salt, sugar and acidity. Prepared sauces contain different combinations. Taste before adding salt, sugar, lemon or vinegar.
• Build flavor only where it fits. Cumin, coriander, caraway or paprika can make a simpler chilli paste more aromatic, but you do not need every spice in every dish.
• Adjust while cooking. Long-cooked dishes and cold sauces respond differently. Re-taste after the substitute has been stirred through or simmered briefly.

For a related example of combining spices in a cooked dish, visit our Massaman curry recipe. The goal is a dish that tastes balanced, not a substitute that wins an invented score for “authenticity” or “texture match.”

A note on heat and personal tolerance

Chilli strength differs between fresh peppers, dried chiles and prepared sauces, and people experience heat differently. Use a smaller amount when cooking for a mixed group, keep the product label in mind, and offer the hotter condiment separately where practical. No medical or reflux-treatment advice is implied by these cooking suggestions.