Home » Recipes » Bravas Sauce Recipe (Salsa Brava)
by Mike Hultquist · · 16 Comments · Jump to Recipe
This bravas sauce recipe, or salsa brava, is a Spanish spicy tomato sauce made with hot paprika, perfect for topping the popular tapas dish, patatas bravas.
We're heading off to the great nation of Spain today, my friends, to bring to you a wonderful new sauce for your cooking repertoire. I love sauces, and a good, spicy sauce is always welcome in my kitchen. The secret to many a great recipe is in the sauce, so for me, the more the merrier.
This particular sauce is a Spanish recipe, a sauce called Salsa Brava, or Bravas Sauce, and I think you're going to love it. It's a tomato-based sauce that incorporates chili peppers and spiced with paprika along with a few other flavor building ingredients.
It is typically served with a popular Spanish tapas dish, Patatas Bravas, which are fried potato wedges. The sauce is served over the potatoes or on the side, but it's really a versatile sauce you can use in so many different ways. It's tomatoey and spicy in all the right ways, and I love it.
Let's talk about how we make Salsa Bravas, shall we?
Salsa Brava (Bravas Sauce) Ingredients
- Oil. Use 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil, for cooking down the vegetables.
- Chili Pepper. Use 1 red pepper of choice, chopped. Choose according to your heat preference.
- Onion. 1 small onion, chopped, or use 1-2 shallots.
- Garlic. I used 3 cloves garlic, chopped, though you can easily add more garlic if you'd like.
- Paprika. I use 1 tablespoon smoked paprika and1/2 teaspoon hot paprika, though I often include more hot paprika for my own preference. You can also use cayenne in place of hot paprika.
- Tomatoes. Use 1 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes, or you can use the equivalent of fresh diced tomatoes.
- Vinegar. I use 3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar are good options, too.
- Salt. Salt to taste, or salt and pepper to taste, if you prefer some cracked black pepper.
- Sweet. 1 teaspoon sugar or honey is optional if you prefer a touch of sweet to your bravas sauce.
How to Make Salsa Brava (Bravas Sauce) - the Recipe Method
Cook the Vegetable Base. Heat the oil in a pot or saucepan to medium heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook them down for 5 minutes to soften.Add the garlic and cook another minute, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Seasonings and Tomatoes. Add the smoked paprika, hot paprika (or cayenne), diced tomatoes, vinegar, salt and sugar if using. Stir.
Simmer for Flavor. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors develop.
Blend Until Smooth. Transfer the bravas sauce to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Serve!
Boom! Done! Your amazing Bravas Sauce is now ready to serve. Easy enough to make, isn't it? How are you serving yours up? I love this stuff.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- For the Chili Peppers. For a milder bravas sauce, use a bell pepper or Spanish piquillo pepper. For a bit of heat, Fresno peppers are a great option, or even a red jalapeno pepper. For more of a hot sauce, use cayenne peppers or even hotter. Yes, you can make this with superhots, my crazy chilihead friends.
- Heat Factor. Aside from the chili peppers, you can adjust the overall heat with your choice of paprika or cayenne. Skip the cayenne or hot paprika for a milder version, or adjust your ratios with more hot paprika for a spicier version.
- Thicker, Creamier Bravas Sauce. You can thicken your salsa brava by starting with a light roux of flour and butter, or by mixing in a few tablespoons of mayonnaise.
Serving Bravas Sauce
Salsa Brava is an important component for Patatas Bravas, the popular tapas dish in Spain, though this is an incredibly versatile sauce. It is essentially a spicy tomato sauce, so consider it as your next pasta sauce. It also makes for a great dip with toasted bread, or slathered over vegetables. And yes, you can also serve it as a salsa.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my bravas sauce recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Extra hot paprika for me, please! Maybe I'll make a superhot version.
Check out my Patatas Bravas Recipe. So good!
Storage & Leftovers
Storing yourBravas Sauce (Salsa Brava)in anairtight containerin the fridge may allow you to store the leftovers for up to 1-2 weeks (4-6 months in the freezer). To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate them promptly.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Mojo Picon - Canarian Red Pepper Sauce
- Spanish Romesco Sauce
- Red Chimichurri (Chimichurri Rojo)
- Homemade Harissa
- Sweet Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Sambal Oelek
- Peri Peri Sauce
- Ajvar
- Muhammara
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Bravas Sauce Recipe (Salsa Brava)
This bravas sauce recipe, or salsa brava, is a Spanish spicy tomato sauce made with hot paprika, perfect for topping the popular tapas dish, patatas bravas.
Course: Appetizer, sauce
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Keyword: sauce, spicy, tomato sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Calories: 35kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 8
Tap or hover to scale
4.63 from 8 votes
Leave a Review
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red chili pepper chopped (mild or hot - see recipe notes)
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika or more to taste - cayenne pepper is a good substitute
- 14 ounce diced tomatoes 1 can, or use fresh
- 3 tablespoons vinegar use white wine, sherry, or red wine vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey optional, for sweetness
Instructions
Heat the oil in a pot or saucepan to medium heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook them down for 5 minutes to soften.
Add the garlic and cook another minute, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Add the smoked paprika, hot paprika (or cayenne), diced tomatoes, vinegar, salt and sugar if using. Stir.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors develop.
Transfer the bravas sauce to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Serve!
Notes
Makes about 1.5 cups bravas sauce.
For the Chili Peppers:For a milder bravas sauce, use a bell pepper or Spanish piquillo pepper. For a bit of heat, Fresno peppers are a great option, or even a red jalapeno pepper. For a hotter version, use cayenne peppers or even hotter. Yes, you can make this with superhots, my crazy chilihead friends.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 35kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 7mgPotassium: 138mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 551IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Rianne says
Tasty sauce, but not authentically Spanish, as the classic does not contain any tomato, but only uses a combination of sweet and smokey paprika for its colour.
As a red sauce / salsa in general, it is very flavoursome.Reply
Mike Hultquist says
Rianne, recipes evolve and you'll find that many cooks, even Spaniards, include tomato in their salsa brava. It's often in the form of tomatoes or tomato paste. You can absolutely make it with only paprika, but it is still bravas sauce with tomatoes, and it is very delicious this way.Reply
Joey says
One of the best Bravas recipes I've tried. My wife and I order patatas bravas every time we have tapas, and it's great to have the sauce on hand at home. I used Fresno for the "red pepper", added a half of a Serrano, and used Flat Iron's original 4 pepper flake blend in lieu of cayenne. It came out a lot like the "patatas bravisimas" we get at our favorite resort in Mexico, with a good hit of heat and flavor. The whole recipe made enough to freeze three generously sized packets for later use.Reply
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Joey! Super happy you enjoyed it! Glad to be helpful. I appreciate you sharing your comments. Cheers!!
Reply
Carol says
Mike, I made this tonight and the family absolutely loved it. Great recipe. Thanks SO much!Reply
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Carol! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Reply
Leah Quayle says
Can this sauce be made ahead & frozen...then reheated when you need it?
Reply
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Absolutely, Leah. Let me know how it goes for you. Enjoy.
Reply
Lilja Klempan says
Just got back from Spain and had an urge to throw a Spanish party for my family. I made paella, tortilla and patatas bravas! So of course I needed to find a good bravas sauce. I couldn’t find a fresh chili pepper so I bought a jar of chili preserves and used 1 tablespoon but it was just enough heat. Yummy on leftover rice bowls the next day too.Reply
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice!! Thanks, Lilja!
Reply
Scott Meneely says
This was a great recipe. The pepper flavor really comes through! We ate it on potatoes (patatas bravas) and had sauce leftover that is good on anything!Reply
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Scott! Glad you enjoyed it!
Reply
Damien C. says
Another great one for the house. It's just like we had in Spain, which is a great compliment. I made mine a bit spicier, as you suggested. Just right. Thanks for another keeper.Reply
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Damien! Glad you found another one you enjoy! Thanks again for sharing.
Reply
Tom says
This is a very nice sauce. I prefer heat so the more heat the better.I tried a different version and here it is
I used a Small can of chipotle peppers with sauce. I roasted some small sweet peppers Two jalapeños, two sorrono peppers.. the rest was the same as your recipe.
Smokey and hot. Great review from family and friends.Reply
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Tom. Your version sounds great. It sounds very much like my Ranchero Sauce Recipe: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/ranchero-sauce/. I believe the Spaniards might argue that the use of chipotle sauce disqualifies it from being a "Salsa Brava", but I'm sure the flavor is fabulous! Enjoy!
Reply
