Bravas Sauce Recipe – A Spanish Condiment With a Kick! (2024)

Published: Oct 21, 2023 by Melissa Haun · This post may contain affiliate links ·

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If you've been to a Spanish tapas bar, you've probably experienced the joy ofpatatasbravas.This classic, cheap tapa is a simple combination of fried potatoes and bravas sauce (salsabrava): a bright red, slightly spicy condiment that elevates it to the next level. Here's how to make this sauce at home!

Of course, use your homemade bravas sauce for patatas bravas. You can also serve this tapa with garlic alioli for a delicious touch!

Bravas Sauce Recipe – A Spanish Condiment With a Kick! (1)

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Introduction
Ingredients
Variations
How to Make Bravas Sauce
Recipe FAQs
Serve
Expert Tips
Other Spanish Sauces
Bravas Sauce Recipe (Salsa Brava)

Introduction

Authentic bravas sauce relies on a few key ingredients, like Spanish olive oil, but the real secret is pimentón (paprika). Spanish paprika comes in sweet (pimentón dulce) and hot (pimentón picante), and a combination of both is ideal for bravas sauce.

Bravas sauce (and patatas bravas) most likely originated in Madrid at the now-closed bars Casa Pellico or La Casona. However, others claim that Calle Álvarez del Gato is the real source, which is where the Las Bravas bar serves their legendary bravas sauce.

Regardless of the exact origin of bravas sauce, both the sauce and the fried potato tapa are iconic symbols of Madrid's culinary scene. Get a taste of Madrid by making your own bravas sauce!

Ingredients

Bravas Sauce Recipe – A Spanish Condiment With a Kick! (2)

Wondering what ingredients you need to make your own bravas sauce? Fortunately, you only need 6 simple ingredients! Let's talk about them.

Olive Oil: Like most Spanish recipes, this is a key ingredient! Choose a Spanish olive oil if possible; otherwise, use a good-quality extra virgin olive oil for an excellent flavor.
Paprika: For bravas sauce, you'll need both sweet paprika (pimentón dulce) and hot smoked paprika (pimentón picante). Adjust the balance between sweet and hot paprika based on your taste.
Chicken Broth: Not only does this add a rich flavor to the sauce, it also stretches it. I recommend using homemade chicken broth if you have some in the fridge or freezer.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

Can't find hot smoked paprika? Use cayenne pepper, order it online, or check at a specialty food shop.
Gluten Free: Replace the 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour with 1 ½ teaspoons of cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Mix it with a little cold water to make a slurry before adding to the sauce to prevent lumps.
Vegetarian/Vegan: Use vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth.

How to Make Bravas Sauce

If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.

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Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. (image 1)
Add the hot and sweet smoked paprika to the oil. (image 2)

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Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of flour and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute to lightly toast the flour. (image 3)
Gradually add the chicken broth. The sauce will thicken as it continues to cook. Add a little extra flour if needed to give the sauce a pourable but velvety smooth consistency. (image 4)

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Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer the sauce until it's thick and smooth, about 5 minutes. (image 5)
Season with salt to taste, then pour the bravas sauce into a bowl to cool. (image 6)

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If you're not eating the sauce right away, store in the fridge until you're ready to serve it. (image 7)
Enjoy on hot fried potatoes to make patatas bravas! (image 8)

Recipe FAQs

What is bravas sauce made of?

Bravas sauce consists of Spanish olive oil, hot and sweet smoked paprika, flour, chicken broth, and salt to taste. These simple ingredients combine to make a mouthwatering spicy sauce!

What does bravas mean in Spanish food?

Bravas means "spicy" in Spain, so bravas sauce would translate to "spicy sauce."

How long does bravas sauce keep?

Leftover bravas sauce will keep for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Make sure to stir it well before serving. I wouldn't recommend freezing it, as the texture of the sauce won't be the same when defrosted.

Serve

Traditional Spanish chefs don't usebravassauce for any snack other than patatas bravas. However, what you do in your own kitchen is up to you. If you want to slather bravas sauce over anything, I support that!

I'd recommend serving patatas bravas with a variety of popular Spanish tapas, such as fried calamari (calamares fritos), pimientos de Padrón, fried eggplant with honey, bacon wrapped dates, or boiled shrimp (gambas cocidas).

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Expert Tips

Bravas sauce should be bright reddish-orange and neither thin nor creamy—perfect for artistic drizzling.
Adjust the level of spiciness by increasing the ratio of pimentón picante, or by adding a bit of hot sauce.
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a few days; just make sure you stir well to restore the original consistency.

Other Spanish Sauces

Easy Spanish Alioli Recipe: Homemade Garlic Mayonnaise
Mojo Picón Sauce Recipe
Canarian Mojo Verde Sauce Recipe

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Bravas Sauce Recipe (Salsa Brava)

This spicy, 6-ingredient bravas sauce is an essential element of the popular Spanish tapa patatas bravas. Adjust it to your taste by varying the level of spiciness!

4.93 from 65 votes

Print (images optional) Pin Rate

Course: Tapa

Cuisine: Spanish

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 189.72kcal

Author: Lauren Aloise

Ingredients
US Customary - Metric

▢ ⅓ cup olive oil
▢ 1 ½ teaspoons hot smoked paprika pimentón picante
▢ 1 ½ teaspoons sweet smoked paprika pimentón dulce
▢ 1-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
▢ 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
▢ salt to taste

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the hot and sweet smoked paprika and stir until combined.
Add 1 tablespoon of flour and stir until combined. Keep stirring for about a minute to toast the flour slightly.
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Over a medium-low heat, add the broth very gradually, stirring constantly. The flour will absorb the liquid and leave you with a delicious sauce.
The sauce should start to thicken as you incorporate the broth; add more flour only if necessary to achieve the right consistency. It should be velvety and smooth, but not so thick that it holds its shape alone.
Reduce to low heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt to taste.
Drizzle over some fried potatoes and enjoy!

Notes

The finished product should be bright reddish-orange and neither thin nor creamy—perfect for artistic drizzling.
You can adjust the level of spiciness by increasing the ratio of pimentón picante, or by adding a bit of hot sauce!
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a few days; just make sure you stir well to restore the original consistency.

Nutrition

Did you make this recipe?Tag @spanishsabores on IG and hashtag it #spanishsabores!

More Sauces

Traditional Spanish Sofrito Recipe
Spanish Tomato Sauce Recipe (Salsa de Tomate)
Traditional Spanish Pisto Recipe
Black Olive Tapenade Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

James levett
February 01, 2023 at 2:50 pm
Hi this sauce was great. I spend a month in Andalusia every summer and this is as good as any sauce I have had there, often better. Please recommend recipes other then potatoes that use this sauce
Reply
Katy
August 06, 2022 at 9:01 pm

Delicious! I've always made a reduced down tomato sauce before and this is SO much better! Thank you!
Reply
BobS
August 27, 2021 at 11:44 am

Perfect! This came out silky smooth and flavorful.
Reply
Joanne McWey
July 29, 2021 at 5:46 pm
Hello,
I am struggling to create a paste with the quantity of 1/3 cup of olive oil and 1 tbsp of flour, maybe Irish cups are more generous? I have tried adding more flour but don't want to ruin the sauce either, could you tell me in fl.oz. or tbsp how much oil you use please,
Reply
- Lauren Aloise
  August 10, 2021 at 4:03 pm
  It should be about 80 ml if that helps!
  Reply
mitzi
October 18, 2020 at 7:15 pm
Wonderful recipe, worked perfectly as written and tastes like Barcelona to me. Very similar to the way enchilada sauce is made. Funny that,
Reply
Reh
August 22, 2020 at 3:16 pm

Thanks for the easy recipe. Tried is first time around as I'm hosting a Spanish tapas evening with friends and I couldn't be happier. I added hot paprika and a pinch of chilli powder to give it a kick and it tastes great. Consistency is perfect after adding half a tablespoon more flour. Yay! 😀
Reply
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DJ GRINDA
July 17, 2020 at 7:35 pm

Gorgeous one of the best recipes out there simple to do simple to cook
Many Thanks Dave
Reply
Kay
July 15, 2020 at 6:31 pm

Perfect! You just need to keep stirring as you are adding the stock a little at a time, at first it curdles a bit but then comes together if you persevere thank you so much for this recipe it takes me back to Spain ❤️❤️
Reply
Olive
June 18, 2020 at 7:26 am
Hi! If I only have hot paprika on hand is it find to just use that paprika for both callings of paprika? We often eat spicy so the heat won't be a concern, I'm more worried about the flavor. Thanks!
Reply
- Lauren Aloise
  June 18, 2020 at 6:41 pm
  It should work fine!
  Reply
Joe T
May 25, 2020 at 11:03 pm

Hey, this was great and super easy. I added some chili lime seasoning at the end and it really worked!
Reply
Jim
April 30, 2020 at 10:56 pm
Would chicken stock work as a substitute for chicken broth?
Reply
- Lauren Aloise
  May 02, 2020 at 4:10 pm
  Absolutely!
  Reply
Tom
April 10, 2020 at 11:33 pm

I had an issue with the consistency of the sauce. The sauce got too thick very quickly. I ended up having to make a second cup of broth to thin it to a consistency that would drizzle. I didn't need all of the broth but simply stirring it didn't work. On the plus side everyone loved it. I'm hoping I can achieve the right consistency without the extra broth next time.
Reply
Roxana
February 22, 2020 at 11:31 pm
You have to add broth in over low heat to make the recipe work
Reply
Edward
August 31, 2019 at 8:39 pm

I added a splash of white balsamic to add a bit of sweetness and sour to flesh out the flavor profile.
Reply
Pop Spencer
May 19, 2019 at 11:10 am
I've been making bravas sauce like this for some time, since we first visited Spain 30 years ago, in fact. As my wife became Celiac a few years back I thicken it with chickpea flour, though. We moved to Spain, in the mountains of North Granada, 2 years ago and all the bars in the village serve their patatas bravas with ready made sauce, bringing the bottle to the table with the potatoes, but we have found a few places in nearby towns that make their own, though we have to check if it's gluten free first. We had delicious patatas bravas in a bar in Almeria recently that had jalapeno peppers in, which really gave it a kick.
Reply
Andrew
February 18, 2019 at 2:16 pm

Just made it.I only had normal UK supermarket paprika so thought I'd add some chilli powder. Next time I'm going to use less as it made it vindaloo strength. Nice flavour though and suprisingly easy to make.
Reply
Ben
January 30, 2019 at 3:18 am
This recipe doesn’t work at all. 0/5. Adding the dry ingredients to the hot oil does not make a paste of any kind, and adding the broth to that obviously won’t help. I even tried using less oil, more dry ingredients, hotter oil, etc and frankly I feel stupid thinking adding some spice to olive oil would ever work. Very disappointing.
Reply
- Lauren Aloise
  January 30, 2019 at 6:28 pm
  Hi there Ben -- did you add the flour as well? While adding the spices alone won't quite form a paste, once the flour is in there it definitely will, much like when making a roux for the base of any sauce. Then adding the broth little by little will thin our the floury paste (which on its own would be inedible). This is the classic way to make bravas sauce here in Spain, and it always works for me! Best of luck!
  Reply
- Lori
  February 08, 2019 at 4:49 am
  
  i had the same problem, follow the recipe exactly. The oil was quite warm to begin and sizzled slightly as i added the paprika and flour. It didn’t thicken until i put it back on the heat, so maybe next time try that. Even with that small boost of heat, the flour sucked up the oil and made the roux quickly. It definitely doesn’t have the same dark colouring as pictured though.
  Reply
  - Dave Big Chief
    August 19, 2020 at 12:39 am
    
    The recipe doesn't tell you to remove it from the heat. Watch a youtube video on making a 'roux'. This is the same except it has added paprika. Once the flour is fried off, you add the stock... as you would if you were making a white or cheese sauce. If it tastes of flour, you didn't cook the flour in the oil for long enough. It is really basic cooking 101. You're welcome.
    Reply
- RevW
  March 04, 2021 at 1:58 am
  Mine thickened as would a cream sauce. Try again, letting the olive oil warm until it shimmers slightly, then allow the paprikas to absorb the oil while stirring. As soon as they absorb the oil, take it off the heat, stir in the flour and return to lo -med- heat, still stirring. Whisk in the broth only after the paprika & flour has formed a paste - I used hot broth, not cold, which might make the difference.
  Reply
Lawrence Handley
January 27, 2019 at 3:06 pm

first had potatas bravas in Panama City. Have been trying to duplicate it for a year and your recipe nailed it perfectly.
Thank you.
Reply
- Lauren Aloise
  January 27, 2019 at 8:10 pm
  So happy to hear this!
  Reply
Phe Affleck
January 16, 2019 at 4:42 am
Hi I live in Sydney and am about to host a Spanish reunion party in two days time
Can I make the Bravas sauce ahead
Thank you for great recipes
Phe
Reply
- Lauren Aloise
  January 26, 2019 at 10:06 am
  Yes! A few days ahead is no problem.
  Reply
Brian
January 05, 2019 at 8:25 pm

Thanks for publishing this simple, authentic recipe. I just returned from a trip to Spain and Italy which included a much anticipated visit to 'Las Bravas' in Madrid, a place I used to haunt in my early teaching days in the city. Going back for 'una de bravas' was a highlight of the trip! I had always looked for a recipe that came close to their signature sauce, and yours is the closest I have found. Muchísimas gracias y aproveche!
Reply