This roasted tomato salsa is mouthwateringly addictive. It's made with roasted jalapeños and tomatoes for a hint of smokiness. You'll have restaurant-style salsa at home!
Homemade salsa is always way better than store-bought, and luckily it's super easy to make. Now you can bring the taqueria right into your kitchen.
Roasting the vegetables that go into this roasted salsa recipe concentrates the sugars in the vegetables. It gives this salsa a sweet smokey flavor that pairs perfectly with all kinds of Mexican food like tacos, burritos, and enchiladas.
Chips and salsa are my kryptonite. I can never resist crispy salty tortilla chips loaded with juicy salsa.
Best Peppers For Salsa
This roasted salsa recipe has a sweet and smoky flavor. You can adjust it to your liking. The spice level will vary with the types of peppers that you use.
What Goes Into Roasted Salsa
- Tomatoes. I like Roma tomatoes when making salsa because they have firm flesh and a rich tomato flavor. You can also use tomatillos. Sometimes I use both.
- Peppers. Peppers add the heat to salsa. Jalapeños are mild, Serrano peppers are spicier. You can use almost any variety of peppers in this recipe.
- Onions. White onions are my choice for most sals recipes.
- Garlic. A few cloves of garlic.
- Cilantro. Fresh cilantro.
- Salt and pepper.
- Fresh lime juice. Fresh lime juice gives the salsa a brightness.
Making Roasted Salsa From Scratch
- Preheat the oven to 450℉.
- Seed and remove the stems of the peppers and tomatoes.
- Peel the onion and the garlic. Quarter the onion.
- Place the vegetables on a sheet pan. I usually leave the garlic cloves out for the first 10 minutes and then toss it in. For easier clean up line your sheet pan with foil.
- Roast the vegetables for 20 to 25 minutes. Until they are charred and soft.
- Remove the vegetables from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Add the roasted vegetables plus one teaspoon of salt to your blender or food processor and process until the mixture is mostly smooth but just a little chunky in texture.
- Add fresh lime juice and fresh chopped cilantro.
Recipe Variations
- Roasted Salsa Verde. Swap out the tomatoes for an equivalent amount of tomatillos.
- Roasted Habeñero Salsa. Add in a few habañero peppers for an ultra spicy kick.
- Roasted Black Bean Salsa. Add ½ cup black beans.
- Roasted Corn Salsa. Add ½ cup corn.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Beefsteak and Roma tomatoes are my two favorite tomatoes for salsa.
I recommend using whatever tomato you can find that is the ripest and in season. The ripest tomatoes will give you the best-tasting salsa.
There are so many peppers to choose from.
Jalapeño and Serrano peppers are most commonly used in salsa. Especially in pico de gallo aka Salsa Fresca.
If you want a salsa that is milder, Poblano or Anaheim chilis can be used.
For a spicier kick, you can try habañero or ghost peppers.
You can freeze salsa.
Roasted salsas freeze well. Roasting breaks down the cellular walls of the veggies allowing the water to escape. When you freeze a roasted salsa, there's no need to worry about the cellular walls bursting upon freezing.
However, fresh salsa like pico de gallo doesn't freeze as well. While it is still safe to eat, freezing fresh tomatoes will burst the cellular walls, and when they thaw they will be mushy.
Homemade salsa will last in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. It will last longer if you have added acids such as lime juice or vinegar.
Yes, roasted or cooked salsa cans beautifully.
Make sure to sanitize the jars well before canning. Also, acid is essential for canning salsa to prevent the growth of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism.
If you are canning, use vinegar, lemon, or lime juice to add acid to your salsa.
If you plan to can salsa or keep it longer than a few days in the fridge, vinegar adds an acid component that helps to preserve it for longer.
Storing + Freezing Tips
How to store
You can store roasted salsa in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container.
How to freeze
To freeze salsa, place it in an airtight container. I like to use an 8-ounce plastic food storage container. You want to use the smallest container that you can for the amount of salsa that you have.
You'll want to leave a little bit of headspace in the container so that the salsa can expand as it freezes.
What To Serve With Roasted Salsa
Of course, crispy tortilla chips are a perfect pairing when it comes to serving salsa.
Spicy salsa makes a great party appetizer and a perfect side dish for all of your favorite Mexican food. Tacos, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, and carnitas.
Hungry for More Salsa
If you want to try more of my salsa recipes, then you're in luck. I have a ton of them. Fruit salsas like Mango Salsa and Pineapple Salsa are just the thing with spicy grilled chicken.
If you're in the mood for something savory, Pico de Gallo or Corn Salsa always hits the spot. You can also try my Guajillo Chile Sauce or my Pepper Sauce to give taco Tuesday a kick in the pants.
Roasted Tomato Salsa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ripe roma tomatoes halved, and de seeded
- 2 jalapeño peppers halved, and de seeded
- 2 serrano peppers halved, and de seeded
- 1 onion peeled and quartered
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- ¼ to ⅓ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lime juice optional
Optional Additional Peppers
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 poblano chile peppers
- 1 to 2 ancho chiles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450℉.
- Seed and remove the stems of the peppers and tomatoes.
- Peel the onion and the garlic. Quarter the onion.
- Place the vegetables on a sheet pan. I usually leave the garlic cloves out for the first 10 minutes and then toss it in. For easier clean up you can line your sheet pan with foil.
- Roast the vegetables for 20 to 25 minutes. Until they are charred and soft. Remove the vegetables from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Add the roasted vegetables plus one teaspoon of salt to your blender or food processor and process until the mixture is mostly smooth but just a little chunky in texture.
Laura's Tips + Notes
- Tomatoes. I like Roma tomatoes when making salsa because they have firm flesh and a rich tomato flavor. Another good choice is Beefsteak tomatoes. You can also use tomatillos. Sometimes I use both.
- Peppers. Peppers add the heat to salsa. Jalapeños are mild, Serrano peppers are spicier. You can use almost any variety of peppers in this recipe.
- Onions. White onions are my choice for most salsa recipes.
- Garlic. A few cloves of garlic.
- Cilantro. Fresh cilantro.
- Salt and pepper.
- Fresh lime juice. Fresh lime juice gives the salsa a brightness.
John R.
This roasted salsa is perfect!!! I made it this weekend after grilling some steak for tacos. It has the perfect balance of spiciness and rich roasted tomato flavor. Thank you! Will be making this salsa again.
Lisa Hatfield
A FANTASTIC salsa! I made it as the recipe calls, but will try some variations this summer. The pepper guide is so nice, I have poblanos growing in my garden and couldn't remember how hot they are...excellent information.
Laura Reigel
Yay! I'm so happy this salsa recipe came out great for you. I'd love to hear how the variations come out.