This Spicy Green Peruvian Sauce will win over any spicy food lovers out there. It contains only 6 ingredients, is vegan and gluten-free, takes only 5 minutes to make, and will leave you begging for more!
When developing sauces, I typically have an end use in mind or pair them up with another recipe.
This particular Spicy Green Peruvian Sauce was an exception. I created it with absolutely no end use in mind other than to simply enjoy it with some fresh bread or chips. It’s THAT good.
Of course, after a few times of making it, I have no doubt that you’ll find multiple ways to incorporate it into your meals, especially if you like spicy and flavorful sauces!
What Is Peruvian Sauce Made Of?
This easy 6-ingredient Spicy Green Peruvian Sauce is like no other, and I bet you’ll be surprised at what it’s made out of…LETTUCE!!!
I’m not talking 1-2 pieces of lettuce, I’m talking about an ENTIRE head of iceberg lettuce. I can’t even remember the last time I bought iceberg lettuce since I typically use either spinach or romaine for my greens, but wow…who knew lettuce blended into a Vitamix could produce such a delicious sauce!
Ingredients – Here’s What You Need To Make It
- Iceberg Lettuce
- Romaine Lettuce
- Serrano Peppers
- Garlic
- Lemon Juice
- Olive Oil
- Water
- Salt
This recipe was inspired by a Peruvian restaurant I visited a while back in my pre-vegan days. When I tried their starter green sauce, I was instantly HOOKED! It was so delicious, flavorful, and packed a nice punch.
I knew I had to recreate my own version of this green sauce at home, which leads me to this easy recipe!
Green Peruvian Sauce Minus The Dairy
This sauce at typically contains dairy when found at restaurants (either cheese or mayo of some sort). So I was intent on developing a vegan version of it with the same flavor profile.
My Serrano peppers from the yard needed to be used, so I threw them in along with some romaine lettuce and a few other simple ingredients.
After 2-3 trials, I had the perfect tasting sauce…bold in flavor, nice and spicy, and very unique in taste. This is the first time I’ve ever blended lettuce to make a sauce and it was delicious!
This Sauce Takes Only 5 Minutes To Make!
What you need to do. Take 5 minutes out of your time at the grocery store next time to make sure you have the simple ingredients to make this sauce. Next spend about 5 minutes prepping and blending so you can taste this delicious vegan creation for yourself! It’s really that easy AND you can freeze the leftovers.
Serving Suggestions
Take this Spicy Peruvian Sauce along with a french baguette to the beach or park this weekend for Labor Day it makes a delicious appetizer! It’s also great to drizzle on some tacos, burritos, or even spread on a sandwich (I already have some recipes in the works for you guys).
More Healthy Dips And Sauces You Might Like:
- Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip
- 5-Ingredient Garlic Basil Vegan Tofu Ricotta
- Easy Thai Pra Ram Tofu (Peanut Butter Sauce)
- Spicy Toasted red Bell Pepper Sauce
It’s quick and easy to make, and I guarantee it will leave everyone hovering over the sauce! I’d love to see how you use it, so be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook, @vegetariangastronomy #vegetariangastronomy if you try it out!
Spicy Peruvian Green Sauce
INGREDIENTS
- 1 whole iceburg lettuce
- 2-3 leaves romaine lettuce
- 2 serrano peppers , stems removed and de-seeded
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp lemon juice , freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 teasp salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut the iceburg lettuce into large pieces so it fits in the blender.
- Add all the ingredients into a blender (such as a Vitamix).
- Adjust the amount of salt and lemon juice if needed. For more or less spice, adjust the amount of serrano peppers.
- Chill the sauce for about an hour and store in the fridge.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Now that’s a way to get in the greens!! This sounds so good!!! A total must try!
anjali
Haha thanks Rebecca! You’ll love it!
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit
ICEBERG!?!?! No way! I have been seriously underestimating that leafy stuff then. Wow who knew lettuce sauce could work! Plus it makes for such a super healthy sauce–pretty much like salad in dip form 🙂 It’s funny, I actually love making sauces with no end use in mind and then using them as a dip for anything and everything. I just love dips so much. This looks beautiful and I’m sure tastes really flavorful! Such a neat idea 🙂
anjali
I know right?! Me too…I’ve dismissed iceberg for so long now haha! Spinach and romaine and other leafy greens have taken it’s place. I was even laughing as I was recipe testing since I couldn’t believe i was BLENDING an entire head of iceberg lettuce haha! But this sauce is so delicious!! Flavorful and packs a nice punch. I know you don’t like spicy, so I’m curious how this would be without the spice, but I imagine it’d still be delicious!
Rashmi
This recipe is so simple and looks divine – I cant believe its made from lettuce.
Well-Done Anjali xx
anjali
Thanks Rashmi! Yes…lettuce is the key ingredient in this sauce, but the ones at restaurants typically contain dairy…so I made a vegan version =)
Reshana
WOW! You are kidding me?? Lettuce??? I am gobsmacked! This looks so delicious and I love the color! I am a sucker for spicy food so this is so up my alley! I cant wait to see how you have used this sauce. I would toss some pasta with it and add some fresh veggies like cherry tomatoes and some cheese shavings!
By the way, I love the layout of your recipe. I see there a new look 🙂
anjali
Haha…loved reading your comment Reshana! You crack me up…yes lettuce who knew right? It’s SO good though! This is totally up your alley with it’s spicy kick. I’ve done everything with it except pasta, so you have my mind thinking now =) Yes…I did switch recipe plugins the previous one was way outdated without any support. I need to go back and make sure all my recipes look ok, but hope you like it!
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite
Great color! Would be a fun dip for St. Patricks day! Love the flavors you have going on!
anjali
Thanks Sophia!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
I am so excited to try this sauce! I’ve seen it in Peruvian restaurants but had no idea what was in it. I’m so happy you have a vegan version!
anjali
Thanks Amy! Yeah it was my first experience at it and remember it being great…most of them have mayo or cheese in them, but when I tried a variation of it at home, it tasted great! Still spicy and packed with flavor! If you try it out let me know!
Platter Talk
This recipe looks very rich and tasty. Great way to kick off my new weight loss program! Thanks.
anjali
It’s a great way to season up any sandwich or side since it’s easy to make, healthy, spicy, and very flavorful!
Molly Kumar
WoW, this looks so good !! I’ve never used lettuce in sauce but what a cool idea and this looks light and flavorful.
Uma Srinivas
I like spicy and flavorful sauce! Actually my kind of sauce! Thanks Anjali for posting this:)
anjali
Thanks Uma! I thought you’d like this one =)
Cindy Gordon
This sauce looks amazing! It looks so light and delicious! It is on my to try list! I love trying new things!
anjali
The base is mostly just the water from the lettuce, so completely light and super delicious! You’ll love it!
Suchi @elegantmeraki
New way to use lettuce! I like how you have serrano peppers for spiciness!! Sauce which packs the punch!
anjali
Yes! Who knew it had such potential haha =) The spice adds a lot!
Marilyn
WOW!! I never had any sauce with blended lettuce!! I loved it!!
anjali
Thanks Marilyn! It’s a first for me too, but definitely not a last…so good!
Gin
Spicy sauce made from lettuce, I love it! Easy, healthy and full of flavor, right up my street. Plus that color! Thanks for posting this, it’s really unique and fun. 🙂
anjali
Thanks Gin!! You’ll love it…hopefully you get a chance to try it out!
Nicole Dawson
What a wonderfully simple and delicious sounding sauce
anjali
Thanks Nicole!
Pd
Lettuce?!? Such a unique combo!
Faviola
It looks good but I don’t think this Peruvian. I’ve never seen this in my country. The green sauce in Peruvian restaurants in Peru are ocopa.
anjali
Hi! Thanks for the tip! I probably made a version of an Aji-style sauce! I’m sure the sauces in Peru are slightly different than the possibly adapted Perivian sauces here in the US 🙂 I tried to recreate a sauce I had at a local Peruvian restaurant but decided to leave the cilantro out and have all the lettuce. But good to know…this sauce is definitely delicious, especially dipped with bread 🙂
blanca
This literally has NO ingredients that would make it Peruvian or even Peruvian style (adapted in the US)
Im not sure why you’re using the word “Peruvian” in the title at all. Bloggers write anything to come up in searches. Smh.
Anjali Lalani
I developed this recipe based on a green sauce I have always loved from a local Peruvian restaurant. After going vegan and getting to know the owner, he said he makes a dairy-free version of his Peruvian green sauce using some combination of these ingredients for his family member who has a dairy allergy. I don’t claim to know the Peruvian cuisine, and it definitely may have been adapted but felt the need to title it as such because of where the idea came from. Also, this recipe is an older one on my site that I haven’t updated in a while, so using the word ‘Peruvian’ in the title had NOTHING to do with keyword optimization for coming up in google searches since this post is not keyword optimized. So it wasn’t accurate for you to assume from this post that bloggers write anything to come up in searches.