Andaliman chili paste is a condiment made from andaliman (Zanthoxylum acanthopodium) that widely consumed as traditional food in North Sumatera, Indonesia. With the aim to improve the shelf life of the products, this research was done as a preliminary evaluation to understand the effect of citric acid concentration to chemical and sensory characteristics of andaliman chili paste packed in retort. The study design was completely randomized design with three citric acid concentration, such as 0, 1%; 0, 3%; and 0, 5%(b/v) with chili paste without citric acid as a control. The chemical and physical properties measured were moisture content, pH, water activity, and color. The result showed that addition of citric acid did not significantly affected (P> 0.05) pH and water activity. However, it revealed that moisture content and color parameter were significantly different (P< 0.05) among all the samples.