This is honestly the Best Mexican Salsa Recipe for Canning you will find! Featuring fresh, ripe tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño, charred to perfection and mixed with lime, cilantro and salt. You can’t go wrong with this easy, simple salsa that can be canned if desired!
Looking for something to serve up with this great salsa? No problem, try these Easy Chicken Fajitas, Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas, and Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet.
Why This Recipe Works
Spicy & Tangy: The flavor combinations in my best Mexican-inspired salsa recipe are to die for. This is the perfect restaurant-style salsa that can be made exactly to your liking! The combination of charred tomatoes, jalapeños, onions and garlic with the fresh zing of lime and herby flavor of cilantro make for the perfect spicy and tangy salsa!
Easy to Make: This best Mexican salsa recipe for canning is actually so easy to make! The charring really brings out the flavors of all of the ingredients, so although it takes some time it is totally worth it. Once everything is charred, then all you do is mix it all together! You can make extra and can the salsa, too.
Ingredients
It is super important to use high quality ingredients in this best Mexican salsa recipe. Since there are few ingredients, the flavor of each ingredient will stick out to make the perfect salsa. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Roma Tomatoes: Use the best, most ripe tomatoes you can find. Roma tomatoes are generally easy to find, but really any fresh tomatoes will work. If fresh tomatoes are not in season, you can use canned tomatoes, just make sure to drain the liquid from them!
- Onion & Garlic: Onion and garlic are essential for lots of flavor here. When charring these under the broiler, make sure they don’t burn!
- Jalapeño: I used one whole jalapeño, but seeded it before I charred it. If you really like spice, you can add more, or you can just use half if you prefer!
- Lime: You need one half of lime juice from a fresh lime. This will also be charred to create a smoky flavor!
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro is added for a fresh, herby flavor.
- Salt: Don’t forget to salt the salsa to taste! Adding salt will balance all the flavors perfectly.
Here’s How You Make It
Step by Step Instructions
- Prepare the Baking Sheet: Toss all of the ingredients except for the cilantro and salt – including the whole half lime – together on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spread everything out, and make sure the lime is flesh side up. (photo 1)
- Broil & Keep an Eye Out: Broil the tray on high until everything has a slight char, but make sure nothing, especially the whole garlic clove or the onions burn, you will be able to taste it in the final salsa! Keep an eye on everything, turning items over with tongs and removing them from the tray and transferring them into the body of a high powered bullet blender or food processor as they’re ready. Everything will be ready at different times! The whole process can take from 10-30 minutes depending on the power of your broiler. (photos 2-3)
- Blitz & Enjoy: Once everything is in the blender, add 1/2 tsp of salt and the cilantro. Blitz until smooth, and season to taste with more salt, if needed. Serve immediately or proceed with your favorite canning method. Enjoy! (photo 4)
Expert Tips
My best Mexican salsa recipe is easy to make, but here are some simple tips to follow:
- Charring is key! The charring in this salsa recipe is key to getting a delicious and more authentic Mexican salsa. Don’t skip this part or the salsa might fall a bit flat!
- Don’t like spicy? You can skip the jalapeño and use a poblano pepper instead. The poblano pepper still lends a nice flavor but without all the spice!
- If you like a smoother salsa, use a blender. If you like a chunkier salsa, the food processor is the best bet.
- Give some time for the salsa to chill! Remember, after charring the vegetables they will be warm, so if you want a chilled salsa, make this ahead of time and let it chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving!
Frequently Asked Questions
Roma tomatoes are nice due to the small seeds and thick flesh, but truly any tomatoes that you have on hand will be delicious in salsa. If you garden and have fresh tomatoes in the summer, that is even better!
This salsa recipe is only slightly spicy since I used just one jalapeño and seeded it. You can cut the jalapeño in half before adding it to the food processor, taste, and add the other half if you want it to be more spicy!
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes to Try
- Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
- Tomatillo Ranch Chicken
- Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Baked Salsa Verde Chicken
- Mango Black Bean Salsa
Best Mexican Salsa Recipe for Canning
Ingredients
- 1 lb roma tomatoes - quartered
- ½ white or brown onion - peeled and quartered
- 1 peeled garlic clove
- 1 jalapeño - seeded
- ½ lime juice - from a fresh lime
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- small handful cilantro
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Toss all of the ingredients except for the cilantro and the salt- including the entire half lime – together on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spread everything out, and make sure the lime is flesh side up.
- Broil the tray on high until everything has a slight char, but make sure nothing, especially the whole garlic clove or onions burn – you will be able to taste it in the final salsa! Keep an eye on everything, turning items over with tongs and removing them from the tray and transferring them into the body of a high powered bullet blender or food processor as they're ready – everything will be ready at different times! The whole process can take from 10-30 minutes, depending on the power of your broiler.
- Once everything is in the blender, add 1/2 tsp of salt and the cilantro. Blitz until smooth, and season to taste with more salt, if needed. Serve immediately or proceed with your favorite canning or preserving method!
Notes
- Use the best, ripest tomatoes you can find. If they’re not in season, substitute 1 15 oz can of regular or fire roasted chopped tomatoes. Before you broil your vegetables (using only 1/2 tbsp of olive oil), set the canned tomatoes in a sieve over a bowl to drain off excess water for a better textured salsa. This method will yield 1 1/4 cups of salsa.
- Keep the salsa covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I love love love this. It is the first salsa recipe I have found that turned out as good as it sounded.
If I wanted to sweeten this up, with cherries or even corn – do you think that would keep the flavors. (I would add it as a stir-in once I have finished blending.)
Thanks for such awesome healthy recipes.
Hi Christina! Thanks for your sweet comment! You could definitely add corn or diced cherries at the end!
Awesome recipe, Tiffany! I made this for our BBQ this weekend and it came out great
Yes! So happy that you loved it!! 🙂
I have an abundance of cherry tomatoes. Can this salsa be canned in a hot water bath the way its written?Its delicious
Hi Karen!! I actually have never canned this recipe before, so I can’t say for sure. I think it could work tho, but from my understanding, you need something acidic like for preservation (such as vinegar or an alike) that this recipe doesn’t call for. Do a little bit of research on that first before using this recipe!
How do you fire roast the tomatoes if you can’t find them in a jar somewhere?
That’s a great question that I am not sure I know the answer to, sorry!
I see olive oil in the ingredients but missing where/how it’s used? Do you toss the ingredients in the oil before broiling or add it to the blender/food processor for mixing?
Toss all the ingredients together, including the olive oil but exclude the salt and cilantro (see step 1)