Organic turmeric powder is made from the dried and ground roots of the turmeric plant, which is native to Southeast Asia. It is known for its vibrant yellow color, earthy flavor, and potent anti-inflammatory properties. This makes it a popular ingredient in cooking, traditional medicine, and beauty products.

All you need is a heavy-bottomed saucepan, your collection of ingredients, and 15 minutes until this fantastic sauce is drizzled over everything in sight. Follow my simple step-by-step instructions below to become a master at making garlic chilli sauce!

In the vibrant palette of culinary spices, the color red takes a prominent spot—embodying both the allure and the promise of heat that can kick the flavor of any dish up a notch. Although these spices share a common color, their origins, taste profiles and uses in cooking are distinct, making each one an indispensable ingredient in its own right.

How is paprika used? The most popular form of paprika is sweet paprika, meaning it has no heat. This spice is a rich red color, and is used to add sweet and earthy flavor to meals. Common dishes that use paprika range from authentic Hungarian goulash, to chicken paprikash, rice dishes, chili con carne, eggs, soups, and stews.

What Is Paprika Used For?​

To recreate the spice of hot paprika, the best substitute is another dried chilli, like ground cayenne, aleppo pepper powder, crushed red pepper flakes, red chilli powder, or even a dash of hot sauce. If your recipe calls for smokiness and sweetness, try chipotle chilli powder or ancho pepper powder. Chipotle powder has a smoky taste, but is hotter than paprika with a more earthy flavour, lending itself to barbecue sauces, rubs and chillis. Due to the difference in heat, use a ¼ teaspoon of chipotle powder for every teaspoon of paprika and adjust depending on your taste buds.

If you’re looking to replicate the flavour of sweet paprika add a pinch of sugar or some honey. Adding mild chilli powder or tomato powder works too. Bell peppers are another great substitute for sweet paprika and they come from the same Capsicum annuum family. Mild, sweet and aromatic, bell peppers give the same delicious taste and aroma, while adding a splash of colour too. When buying your bell peppers, make sure they’re nice and ripe.

One of the best substitutes for paprika is cayenne pepper. It’s a spicy chilli pepper, used to flavour many different cuisines and quite similar in colour. It’s a lot stronger and hotter than paprika, so if you’re using it as a substitute in your cooking, make sure you use a lesser quantity. If you have a lower tolerance to spicy food, you can add salt, cream, chopped tomatoes or more liquid (water or broth) to try and dial down the heat.

Like paprika, chilli powder packs a lot of flavour and is another worthy substitute. It’s also not as spicy as cayenne pepper, so you can use the same quantities.  The same goes for cajun spices. A combination of black and white pepper, plus other herbs and spices, it can work as a good substitute for smoked or sweet paprika, offering a similar flavour. But you won’t get the same beautiful red colour – more of an orange, warm hue.

You can also use cumin instead of paprika. But it’s a lot hotter, so go easy on the quantities. Like cajun spices, you won’t achieve the gorgeous red colour of paprika, as cumin has more of a yellowy-brown colouring, but you’ll still get an earthy flavour with hints of bitterness and sweetness.

Although sriracha currently has no parallel in the culinary world, it’s spicy cousin sambal oelek is slowly giving it a run for its money. These two chili-based sauces have a lot in common, from chili, salt, vinegar and water, so much is the same. The difference comes down to the garlic and sugar used in sriracha sauce and of course in the cooking methodology.

What Customers Say: “This sits alongside our salt and pepper at the table. A delicious sauce that goes well with everything.” 

Paprika is made by grinding dried red peppers from the Capsicum annuum family. These peppers can be sweet (like bell pepper) or spicy (like chili pepper). Different varieties of paprika use different types of peppers, as well as various parts of the plant.

Unless a recipe specifies otherwise, you’ll maximize your flavor with paprika by adding it later in the cooking time. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can degrade both the color and the flavor from paprika, creating a less attractive dish.  

Homemade Chili Sauce Ingredients

Dried red pepper pods are not only prized for their flavor but also for their health benefits. Red peppers are rich in vitamins A and C, as well as antioxidants that help boost the immune system and promote overall health. Additionally, the capsaicin found in red peppers has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and metabolism-boosting properties.