Easy Hot Harissa Sauce Recipe for Tofu & Tempeh

An easy and quick no-cook sticky hot harissa sauce that's perfect for marinating tofu and tempeh or using as a hot sauce.

In the last couple of weeks, I've made about 5 jars of this rather moreish sticky hot harissa sauce.

It's just so easy to make as there is no cooking, and you can make it in a couple of minutes in a jam jar from some pretty basic ingredients.

It's very tasty stuff.

Perfect for marinating tofu and tempeh or just serving as a hot sauce.

Do try it yourself, you'll love it.

The first time I made it, my husband asked where I had bought 'that' sauce. He loves it.

Jump to:

• 🥄 Let's start with the harissa
• 🌶 What you need to make this sticky hot sauce
• 👩🏻‍🍳 A simple no-cook recipe
• 💭 Top Tip - Save your jam jars
• ♨️ Baked Harissa tofu
• 👩🏻‍🍳 How to use hot harissa sauce
• 🌶 Storing this hot sauce
• ⭐ Save your recipes for free!
• 👩🏻‍🍳 How to make sticky hot harissa sauce
• 📖 Recipe
• Comments

🥄 Let's start with the harissa

Harissa is a spicy North African paste with floral notes.

It's made with a mix of red chillies, garlic, warming spices, and caraway seeds. Sometimes rose petals are added too.

You can make your own harissa paste, but it's readily available in grocery stores, health food shops, and supermarkets.

The jarred stuff is usually really good quality too.

It's the starting point for this homemade hot harissa sauce.

🌶 What you need to make this sticky hot sauce

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this versatile spicy harissa sauce, which is the perfect flavour-packed marinade or spicy condiment.

• Harissa paste
• Tomato puree - tomato paste
• Mustard - I use dijon mustard, but American yellow mustard would work too, although it has less of a kick
• Maple syrup
• Soy Sauce
• Balsamic vinegar
• Paprika
• Chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) - these are optional. I don't always add them as the sauce is already hot without them, but if you want a hotter sauce, then do add them or chilli powder
• Salt and black pepper - to season

See printable recipe card at the bottom of this page for a full ingredients list, method, nutritional information, and notes.

You can read on, scroll down, or use the jump to recipe link above.

👩🏻‍🍳 A simple no-cook recipe

The best thing about this tasty hot sauce is that you don't need to chop anything, and no cooking either.

It's an easy and quick recipe where the ingredients are measured and mixed.

A quick flavour boost for your meals and it's plant-based, dairy-free and vegan.

💭 Top Tip - Save your jam jars

I save empty jam jars to keep my sauces, salad dressing and marinades in, in the fridge.

They are perfect as you can see at a glance what is in them and how much is left.

It's also easy to give your dressing or sauce a good shake to mix it before you use it.

No need for a food processor, blender, or stick blender when you make a jam jar marinade like this.

♨️ Baked Harissa tofu

I use this speedy but scrumptious sauce as a marinade and sauce for tofu more than anything else, but I have spread it on wraps before adding the other ingredients, drizzled it on tofu, and even added it to the filling mixture for some rather gorgeous homemade sausage rolls.

The sauce has such an intense warming flavour it can be used in so many dishes, but I do love it on tofu.

My son takes some hot harissa tofu with some hummus and cucumber slices for his school lunch and my husband loves it in a wrap with salad and an extra drizzle of the sauce.

Me, I can't resist nibbling on the spicy, chewy, crispy tofu when it comes out of the air fryer all golden brown.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to use hot harissa sauce

This harissa sauce can be used as an easy condiment or marinade, but here are some ideas.

Ideas for using hot harissa sauce

• Tofu - toss hand torn chunks of extra firm tofu (or pressed firm tofu) in the harissa sauce before baking at a high temperature in your air fryer or oven
  • I cook it in the air fryer for 15 minutes at 200c/400c (it may take longer in an oven), you can flip them and cook for a few more minutes for a more even crispness all round, but I rarely bother
• Harissa tofu bowls - once you have cooked your tofu, you could add it to a bowl with couscous and crunchy salad
• Tempeh - use it as a sauce or marinade as with tofu, but for a sticky harissa tempeh
• Roast vegetables - toss vegetables and chickpeas with the sauce and roast in the oven then serve on a wrap or with rice, couscous or even sausages, you can use it as a flavour in all sorts of sheet pan meals
• Lunch wraps - spread a wrap with it before adding the filling
• Chickpeas - dry off cooked chickpeas, coat in a little of the sauce then cook until crispy for a tasty snack, check out my pizza chickpeas to give you an idea of what you are doing
• Pizza - mix some of this sauce with pizza sauce to give it more flavour and a kick, then spread it on shop-bought pizza base, naan bread or flatbread and top it with vegan mozzarella and your favourite toppings
• Hummus - mix some in hummus for a flavour boost
• Yoghurt - swirl some through dairy-free Greek yoghurt and serve as a quick dip
• Roast potatoes - toss potatoes that have been pre-boiled in some sauce before roasting for the tastiest roasties
• Soup - add a dollop to homemade soup for a flavour booster
• Stew or casseroles - same again, add a dollop

I could go on, but you will have lots of ideas too.

This tasty stuff will not last long!

Sausages! Toss your favourite plant-based sausages in the sauce before cooking them in the oven or air fryer. Okay, okay, I will stop now!

If you love a hot sauce, also check out my quick buffalo sauce, smutty sweet chilli jam or my firecracker mayo.

🌶 Storing this hot sauce

If you're like me, you'll make this spicy sauce in a jam jar, so you can store it in that, in the fridge.

But any airtight container would do.

It can be stored in the fridge for at least a week.

There are no ingredients in it that will spoil, so it could keep happily in the fridge for longer.

⭐ Save your recipes for free!

Hit the heart (on the left) to save this and other recipes.

Once logged in, you can save your favourite recipes and access them by hitting the heart on any of my recipes or going to grow.me where they will be stored for you for free.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make sticky hot harissa sauce

These step-by-step photos will show you easy and quick it is to make this spicy marinade. The full printable recipe is below these photos.

Step 1

• Add the harissa paste, maple syrup, tomato puree and soy sauce to a clean jam jar or another airtight container with a tight lid.

Step 2

• Add the rest of the ingredients and season with salt and black pepper.
• Once the lid is on tightly, you can shake like mad to make sure it's well mixed.
• If it's not mixed well, just use a teaspoon, mini whisk or fork to mix it a bit more.
• Serve and enjoy!

📖 Recipe