This rich and creamy sauce with brilliant orange color is paprika sauce, owing its gorgeous color and flavor to real Hungarian paprika. Yes, paprika! Often overlooked as just a garnish for deviled eggs, it truly shines as the star of this fantastic and flavorful sauce. Ready in just 25 minutes, this versatile sauce pairs beautifully with lean meats, chicken, fish and seafood, crowning any dish with its beautiful flavor and color.
When Hungarian friends gifted me a bag of fresh, vibrant paprika straight from Budapest, I was blown away by its incredible color and fragrance. It was worlds apart from the dull, dusty paprika I was used to from the grocery store.
While I use a lot of smoked paprika in my recipes, regular paprika had been sitting on the shelf-until this game-changer arrived. Making paprika sauce is so simple, and its versatility will have you reaching for it again and again!
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Paprika sauce (also called paprika cream sauce) is easy to make.
- Versatile, for meats, chicken, fish, and seafood, even eggs and omelets.
- Makes the most of high quality paprika.
- It's authentic, approved by my Hungarian friends!
Chef's tip on buying paprika: Skip the clear bags or jars and buy real Hungarian paprika in tins or solid bags where it is protected from light to maintain color and potency. Store it away from light and heat.
If you love making homemade sauces, try this homemade cocktail sauce, or this gluten-free Hoisin sauce.
Recipe Ingredients
- Paprika: Buy fresh Hungarian paprika, also labeled sweet paprika. Check a speciality spice store and online sources versus the grocery store for best quality.
- Butter: Buy unsalted butter so you control the salt level.
- Onion: Hungarian cooking uses lots of onion. Use yellow, brown, or white onion, and avoid red onions, which aren't traditional and can overpower the sauce.
- Garlic: A clove of fresh garlic, it's used with restraint in Hungarian cooking.
- Tomato paste: Adds color, depth of flavor, and helps thicken the paprika sauce.
- Broth: Low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- Cream: Use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.
- Sour Cream: It wouldn't be Hungarian without sour cream! Get full fat sour cream; do not use low fat.
Please see the recipe card for measurements and salt.
Substitutions and Variations
This is one recipe where I do not use black pepper. I don't want black specks in the beautiful orange sauce. If you want to add pepper, try a little white pepper.
- Use smoked paprika powder for a smoky flavor variation (delicious but not traditional).
- Use part hot paprika for a spicy sauce.
- Use creme fraiche in place of full fat sour cream.
- If you want to spice it up afterwards, add a little of your favorite hot sauce.
For another delicious creamy sauce, try this roast pork tenderloin with mustard cream sauce.
Chef's tip on paprika: Sweet paprika (made from sweet mild red peppers) is the most commonly used in Hungarian cuisine. Hot Hungarian Paprika, made from hotter varieties of peppers (similar to cayenne pepper or a chili pepper) adds heat and is often used alongside sweet paprika for a more balanced flavor. Rose Paprika is a milder, slightly aromatic type made from the middle of the pepper. Smoked paprika is not traditional in classic Hungarian recipes, but can be used as a modern twist to add a smoky depth of flavor.
Recipe Instructions
Chef's tool tip: For making paprika sauce, I use a 3 quart sauce pan called a saucier. Unlike traditional saucepans with sharp corners, saucier pans have gently curved sides, making it easier to stir and whisk without food getting stuck in the corners. It's a terrific addition to your kitchen collection. It's also my go-to pan for risotto. Sauciers are good all-purpose pans that are easy to clean too.
Serving Suggestions
Because paprika sauce is rich and creamy, it pairs well with:
- A great way to dress up simple roasted or grilled lean meats, like this grilled flank steak or a simple seared pork tenderloin.
- Simple grilled, roasted, sautéed, or smoked chicken breast.
- Lean fish and seafood that needs some added richness such as halibut, cod, mahi mahi, or easy baked shrimp.
- It's even good with eggs such as poached eggs (instead of hollandaise), and omelets.
- Paprika sauce takes an easy chicken recipe to another level.
I generally make paprika sauce ahead of time and re-heat on a very low temperature in a small pan. Don't get the sauce too hot as it might break (separate). If it does, whisk it back together to serve.
Paprika sauce holds for 4-5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It's not a sauce that freezes due to the dairy content.
Recipe FAQs
Traditionally, Hungarians make paprika sauce with sweet paprika. To make it spicy, add a little hot paprika. And while smoked paprika is not traditional, it does add a terrific flavor and modern edge to paprika sauce. Try them all!
Because paprika sauce is rich and creamy, serve it with lean grilled or roasted meats, chicken breasts, fish and seafood, or roasted vegetables. It's even good with eggs, especially in place of Hollandaise for Eggs Benedict, and omelets. It's terrific with pork tenderloin and pork chops.
Paprika sauce is even good served cold as a dip or spread as with the fat content, it gets very thick when refrigerated. Try thinning it down and using as a cold sauce.
Because of the sour cream, if you get paprika sauce to hot after adding the sour cream, it might separate or what is called "break". To fix it, whisk fast to re-incorporate the elements. If that does not help, put it in a blender on low speed.
Another trick for next time you make it is using creme fraiche instead of regular, full fat sour cream, as the higher fat content of the creme fraiche won't break in sauces.
Both made from ground dried peppers, but they differ in flavor, smokiness, and heat levels due to the types of peppers used and their production process.
Spanish paprika tends to be smoky, rich, and slightly sweet from drying the peppers over wood fires, giving it a rich, darker red color.
Hungarian paprika tends to be sweet, earthy, and slightly fruity, with a more vibrant pepper taste. It's typically not smoked, allowing the natural sweetness of the peppers to shine through. They are both terrific and hold an important place in your spice cabinet.
More Super Sauce Recipes
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Did You Make This Recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Paprika Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup chopped onion ½ medium onion
- 1 small garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ tablespoons paprika sweet paprika
- ½ cup chicken broth low sodium or homemade
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup full fat sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium (3-quart) saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 30-60 seconds, stirring.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the paprika and cook another 2 minutes, stirring, to bloom the spices and release their oils.
- Stir in the broth and increase the heat slightly. Simmer for 2-3 minutes to blend. Stir in the broth and increase the heat slightly. Simmer for 2-3 minutes to blend. Add the heavy cream and salt, stirring until smooth. Cook for 2 more minutes to thicken slightly. Puree the sauce in a blender to smooth it out, 20-30 seconds.
- To finish the sauce, add the puree back to the pan and stir or whisk in the sour cream until smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust with any additional salt for your preference. Sauce is ready to serve.
Notes
- Use smoked paprika powder for a smoky flavor variation (delicious but not traditional).
- Use part hot paprika for a spicy sauce.
- If you want to spice it up afterwards, add a little of your favorite hot sauce.
- Start with ⅓ cup sour cream, then taste. If you prefer a tangier, richer finish, add a little more to taste.
Nutrition
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Cindy says
A a very good recipe. But you need to have more consistency in how you write your recipes. In the photos of your recipe you show sour cream, but it's not in the written recipe. In both your photos and the written recipe, you show/list garlic but you never say when to add it in either the photo or the written instructions. Also in the written instructions you never say anything about adding the sour cream or the salt. I went back and forth and persevered and as I said the recipe is very good but it was a little frustrating when trying to put it all together.
Sally Cameron says
Hi Cindy, thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. I’m truly sorry for the confusion—you're absolutely right that the recipe card wasn’t displaying correctly. It looks like it dropped off mid-instruction, and I completely missed it when reviewing the post. I've updated the directions now, including adding the garlic after the onions (which is standard practice, as you probably know!) and stirring in the sour cream at the end, along with seasoning to taste.
I really appreciate your patience and resourcefulness in making the sauce work despite the hiccup, and I hope it turned out delicious in the end. I work very hard to make sure everything is tested, accurate, and correctly written, and I won’t let something like this slip through again. Please feel free to take another look at the updated recipe and let me know if anything still feels off.
Thanks again for taking the time to leave a comment—it's always helpful to hear from thoughtful readers.
Warmly,
Sally
Porsche Guy says
This is really tasty sauce, easy to make too. Served it with roast pork tenderloin. Nice ot have a new sauce recipe.Thanks.