- We Learned to Cook
Best Homemade Salsa Recipe
This best homemade salsa recipe is fresh and bursting with flavor thanks to ingredients like perfectly ripe tomatoes, red onion, garlic, cilantro and our secret ingredient: guajillo chiles! You can make this salsa mild, medium, hot or any temperature in between.
We are HUGE salsa lovers! We've tried dozens of recipes over the years. We've made fresh salsa verde with fresh tomatillos from our garden. We've made SPICY salsa with habanero peppers. And we've made countless variations of traditional tomato-based salsa. This best homemade salsa recipe is by far our favorite.
Our homemade salsa is a hybrid between classic pico de gallo and salsa taquera or taqueria-style salsa. We wanted that fresh, citrusy flavor of pico de gallo with the consistency of a salsa taquera. Another thing we tried to steer clear of was a heavy tomato base like a Pace Picante Sauce like you'd find in the grocery store. We just feel like too much tomato and garlic doesn't let the other flavors like cilantro, chile and lime shine like they should.
SECRET INGREDIENT ALERT! We wanted to add some depth of flavor as well as some rich color to our salsa, so this year we started adding steeped guajillo chiles. Ok, ok, guallio chiles aren't really a secret ingredient. In fact, people have been using guajillo chiles in salsa for hundreds of years. But we hadn't used them in a fresh, pico-style salsa and the result was amazing.
Guajillo chiles are great too because they're rated at only 2,500-5,000 on the Scoville Scale so they won't overpower the flavor with heat. By comparison, a Habanero pepper is anywhere from 100,000-350,000 on the Scoville Scale...HOT, HOT, HOT!
Besides the canned, fire-roasted tomatoes, the guajillo chiles are the only ingredient in this salsa recipe that are cooked. We simply remove the stems, half the peppers and remove the majority of the seeds, then simmer for 10 minutes before adding to the food processor with the rest of the ingredients.
What we like about this recipe!
Nicole - I've never been a fan of salsas that are too tomatoey. This delicious salsa recipe is bursting with flavor, and every bite feels healthy and fresh.
Mike - Not bragging (Yes I am. Sorry babe.) but adding the guajillo chiles was my idea. I love the extra heat, flavor and color they bring to this amazing homemade salsa recipe.
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic
3 jalapeno peppers
1 bunch fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
2-3 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
15 ounces crushed fire roasted tomatoes
4.5 ounces diced green chiles
4-6 guajillo chiles
How to make the Best Homemade Salsa.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Remove stems and seeds from 4-6 guajillo chiles and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the chiles from the water and add to food processor.
Quarter the tomatoes and red onion and place in food processor.
Remove stems and half jalapeño peppers, then add to food processor.
Trim the ends of the cilantro and add to food processor.
Pulse the food processor to lightly blend ingredients and give yourself some additional space in the mixing bowl.
Add remaining ingredients including garlic, lime juice, cumin, salt, fire-roasted tomatoes and green chiles.
Pulse mixture until it reaches your desired consistency.
Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour and serve with your favorite tortilla chips!
Tips and Tricks
The great thing about really any salsa recipe is that you can control how much spice it has. The bulk of the spiciness in a pepper is from the white pith and ribs of the fruit. This is the part the seeds are attached to. If you want less spice, remove as much of the white bits as possible. If you want more spice, simply leave it.
This falls somewhat under the previous bullet, but feels like it should be addressed. There is a common misconception that the seeds in a pepper produce the spice. As mentioned above, the bulk of the spice in any pepper comes from the pith and ribs of the fruit. So don't get too worried about removing seeds from your peppers, they really don't have any effect on the spice.
We like to use fresh lime juice with this recipe. 3 tbsp of lime juice comes out almost exactly to be the juice of 2 large freshly squeezed limes.
Nearly all the guajillo chiles you'll find at the grocery store are dried. By simmering them for 10 minutes on the stove you're essentially rehydrating them and bringing the flavor back to life. Some chefs will even toast the chiles before simmering them for a smokier flavor.
FAQs
How long does this dish last in the refrigerator? This salsa will last for 7-10 days in the refrigerator. Just make sure it's stored in an air-tight container. We've also canned our salsa when the ingredients from our garden are fresh and enjoyed this beautiful salsa the next winter!
What are the best tomatoes to use for this salsa recipe? Roma tomatoes are kind of the gold standard when it comes to salsa. That said, if you can't get your hands on those, you can use Beefsteak Tomatoes, San Marzano Tomatoes or even Heirloom Tomatoes.
What if I don't have a food processor? No food processor, no problem. You can also use a traditional blender to make this salsa recipe. Just make sure not to over blend the ingredients, so the salsa retains a chunky texture.
