Nando's is the reason most Australians know what peri-peri sauce is. That is not a criticism — Nando's built a genuinely significant brand around a flavour profile that most of the Western world had no relationship with before they arrived. They deserve credit for that.
But Nando's is a restaurant chain producing sauce at commercial scale. STOKE is a small-batch artisan sauce made by hand in Sydney. They are both called peri-peri sauce. They are not the same product.
The Ingredients — Side by Side
Nando's Peri-Peri (Hot)
Water, spirit vinegar, red chilli (8%), onion, modified maize starch, lemon juice concentrate, garlic, salt, colour (paprika extract), acidity regulator (citric acid), xanthan gum.
STOKE Peri-Peri Smoked
Roasted red capsicum, pickled chilli, vinegar, pickle water, roasted garlic, red capsicum seeds, lemon juice, water, vegetable oil, bird's eye chilli, smoked paprika, oregano, black pepper, sea salt.
The differences are immediate. Nando's uses modified maize starch and xanthan gum as thickening agents and stabilisers. STOKE uses neither. Nando's water is the first ingredient — meaning there is more water than anything else. STOKE's first ingredient is roasted capsicum. Nando's uses lemon juice concentrate. STOKE uses fresh lemon juice. Nando's uses paprika extract for colour. STOKE uses smoked paprika as a flavour ingredient from actual charcoal smoking.
Nando's — The Process
Produced at commercial scale in a manufacturing facility. The process is standardised to ensure consistency across millions of bottles. This is not a criticism — at that scale, consistency requires industrial processes. The sauce will taste identical in every bottle, in every country, every time.
STOKE — The Process
Made in small batches in Sydney. Every capsicum is placed over a real charcoal fire and smoked until the skin is fully blackened — a step that takes 15 minutes per batch and cannot be automated. Garlic is roasted in a dry pan for 10 minutes. The sauce is blended, strained by hand, heated to 85°C, and hot-filled into bottles that are then sealed and inverted. Around eight bottles per batch. Every batch is the same recipe. Every bottle is made with the same care.
The Flavour — What the Difference Tastes Like
Nando's peri-peri sauce is consistent, accessible, and well-balanced. It tastes like what most Australians expect peri-peri to taste like — mildly smoky, tangy, with a clean heat. It is a good commercial sauce.
STOKE tastes like the capsicum was actually cooked over fire — because it was. The smoke is not a flavour note, it is a flavour foundation. The roasted garlic adds a depth and sweetness that raw garlic cannot replicate. The pickled chilli gives a complexity that most peri-peri sauces do not have. The fresh lemon juice gives a brightness that concentrate cannot match.
Side by side, the difference is significant. STOKE tastes like it was made by someone who cared about every ingredient. Nando's tastes like it was made by a manufacturing process. Both are true.
The Verdict — Which Should You Buy?
If you want a reliable, accessible peri-peri sauce available at any supermarket at any time — Nando's is a strong choice. It earned its reputation.
If you want the best peri-peri sauce available in Australia — made from real fire-roasted ingredients, by hand, in small batches, without stabilisers or artificial flavours — STOKE is the answer. It is not available in supermarkets. It is available at stokeit.com.au, shipped directly to you, for $8.99 a bottle.
One bottle. Order it. Taste the difference. You will know immediately which category it belongs in.
Want to learn more about what makes peri-peri sauce special? Read our complete peri-peri guide or discover 5 ways to use it beyond chicken.
TRY STOKE — THE ARTISAN PERI-PERI SAUCE MADE IN SYDNEY
$8.99 · 250ml · Ships Australia wide
ORDER NOW — $8.99