Spices & substitutes
Substitute for Harissa
Harissa — the fiery North African paste of chilli, garlic and spices — adds heat and depth to soups, tagines and marinades. If you don't have a jar, you can improvise something close from ingredients you probably already have, because its flavour profile is fairly straightforward to rebuild.
At a glance
- Quick paste: chilli flakes/paste + garlic + cumin + coriander + caraway + tomato purée + oil
- For a simple heat hit: hot chilli sauce or crushed chillies with garlic and cumin
- Chilli-garlic pastes (sambal oelek) plus caraway and cumin are decent pantry swaps
- Best option with time: blend soaked dried chillies with garlic, spices, salt and oil — real harissa
Guide
The essence of harissa is chilli heat plus garlic, warm spice and a little acidity or richness. A quick stand-in: mix chilli flakes or a spoon of chilli paste (or cayenne) with crushed garlic, ground cumin and coriander, a pinch of caraway if you have it, a little tomato purée for body, salt and enough olive oil to make a rough paste. A squeeze of lemon brightens it. It won't have the deep, rehydrated-dried-chilli complexity of real harissa, but it delivers the same heat, garlic and warm-spice character where a recipe needs it.
Simpler swaps work for simpler needs. If a recipe just wants a spoon of harissa for heat and warmth in a soup or tagine, a mix of a hot chilli sauce or crushed chillies with a little garlic and cumin does the job. Sambal oelek or another chilli-garlic paste plus a pinch of cumin and caraway is a reasonable pantry substitute. Gochujang or sriracha will add heat but bring their own distinct flavours, so they're a further-off match.
For the best homemade version when you have a bit of time, soak dried red chillies until soft and blend them with garlic, toasted-and-ground caraway, coriander and cumin, salt and olive oil — that's essentially real harissa and far better than any shortcut. Whatever you use, remember the Moroccan approach is moderation: add heat gradually and taste, since Moroccan food is warmly spiced rather than blazing, and you can always serve extra chilli on the side.
Practical tips
- 1
Caraway is the spice that makes a substitute taste properly North African — add it if you can.
- 2
A little tomato purée gives body and mellows raw chilli heat.
- 3
Add any chilli substitute gradually and taste — Moroccan food is warm-spiced, not blazing.
- 4
Sriracha or gochujang add heat but bring their own flavours — use as a last resort.
- 5
If you have dried chillies and time, real homemade harissa beats every shortcut.
Frequently asked questions
What can I use instead of harissa?
A quick paste of chilli flakes or paste with garlic, cumin, coriander, a pinch of caraway, a little tomato purée and olive oil comes close. For a simple heat hit, a hot chilli sauce with garlic and cumin works.
What spice makes harissa taste North African?
Caraway, along with cumin and coriander, gives harissa its characteristic warm, North African flavour. Adding caraway to a chilli-garlic base is what nudges a substitute closer to the real thing.
Is sriracha a good substitute for harissa?
Only loosely — it adds heat but has a distinct sweet-tangy flavour that isn't North African. A chilli-garlic paste plus cumin and caraway is closer; real soaked-chilli harissa is best of all.
Try the recipes
Put the tip into practice with these free step-by-step recipes: