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This roasted tomato salsa recipe is easy to make and packed with smoky, spicy flavor. Perfect with tortilla chips, tacos, and more!
This roasted tomato salsa has been one of my favorites for years, and once you taste it, you’ll understand why! Instead of using raw or canned tomatoes, I roast fresh tomatoes, onions, and garlic in a hot oven until they’re softened and lightly charred. Roasting brings out the tomatoes’ natural sweetness, mellows the onions and garlic, and gives the salsa a wonderful smoky flavor. (I use the same technique for my salsa verde, swapping the tomatoes for tomatillos.)
It’s easy to make, and the flavor gets even better after a day or two in the fridge, so it’s perfect for making ahead when you’re having people over.
What You’ll Need To Make Roasted Tomato Salsa
As you can see, this salsa recipe calls for three serrano peppers. Serrano peppers are similar to jalapeño peppers in taste and appearance but they are smaller and hotter. Feel free to substitute jalapeño peppers, if you like, but keep in mind that you’ll only need one or two, depending on how spicy you like your salsa.
How To Make Roasted Tomato Salsa
Toss the veggies with oil: Begin by tossing the quartered tomatoes (I don’t even bother coring them), onion wedges, garlic and whole peppers with the vegetable oil directly on a baking sheet.
Broil: Cook under the broiler until blistered and slightly charred, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add seasoning: Transfer the vegetables to a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and add the salt and cumin.
Blend: Process until slightly chunky. Taste and add the remaining chili pepper(s), if desired.
Finish: Add the cilantro leaves and lime juice and pulse a few times until the cilantro is finely chopped. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions
Make ahead: This salsa is perfect for making ahead, especially if you’re entertaining. Prepare it up to a week in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Give it a good stir before serving, and taste for seasoning. A squeeze of fresh lime juice can help brighten it up after a few days in the fridge.
Freezing: You can also freeze the salsa for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight, freezer-safe container, leaving a little room for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and give it a good stir before serving. The salsa may release some liquid as it thaws, so just drain off any excess if needed.
Roasted Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
- 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
- 2 small yellow onions, cut into wedges
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 serrano chili peppers, stemmed (use less for a milder salsa)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler and set an oven rack about 5 in (13 cm) beneath the heating element. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Place the tomatoes, onions, garlic, whole serrano chile peppers and vegetable oil directly on the prepared baking sheet and toss with your hands. Broil until softened and charred, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Transfer the vegetables and their juices to a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the salt and cumin and pulse until slightly chunky.
- Add the cilantro and fresh lime juice, and pulse until the cilantro is chopped. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and more lime juice if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and serve warm, at room temperature, or slightly chilled.
Notes
- This recipe is not meant for canning.
- Adjusting the heat: Serrano peppers can vary quite a bit in spiciness. If you prefer a milder salsa, start by blending in just one roasted serrano pepper. Taste the salsa, then add more of the roasted peppers, pulsing after each addition, until it’s as spicy as you like.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you’re following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
What to Serve with Roasted Tomato Salsa
Of course, this salsa is delicious with tortilla chips, but don’t stop there! I love spooning it over chicken fajitas, carne asada, or southwestern burgers. It’s also great alongside guacamole and chili con queso if you’re putting together a spread for a party. And don’t forget about breakfast: a spoonful on scrambled eggs is delicious, too!
More Salsa Recipes You May Like
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I’ve made this aboooutttt 100 times, usually when we have guests over. It seriously blows everyone away and I’ve given out the recipe each time we’ve served it. I always double it, and then ladle the leftovers onto whatever I’m eating the rest of the week. My only edit to the recipe is that I remove one of the serranoes for more of a medium spice.
My daughter told us about Jen’s website. It’s now my go to for everything! This salsa is so tasty. I love the easy preparation and texture. I use jalapeños because I am a wimp. Thanks, Jen!
I don’t have good processor, would it be the same if I use blender?
I think it should work, though the texture may be slightly different. Just make sure not to over-process it. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe was so quick, easy and tasty. I’ve tried other recipes in the past and they turned out too runny. I was so pleased at how thick and chunky this one was. It will definitely be my go-to salsa recipe from now on.
This was really good and love it warm….I will always warm it from the frig. I did add several tomatillos along with everything else and it was very good that way.
Thanks Jenn….I love your recipes. Wish you lived next door to me. Would yall consider moving to Boerne, Tx?
💕
Just tried this and there is way too much cumin and lime. Next time I’m going to try an eighth of cumin and no lime.
Could I use green tomatoes in this recipe?
Sure, I think that should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
Good Afternoon, Jenn!
Quick question: instead of serrano peppers, could I use jalapeños? It’s what I have the fridge at the moment. If so, how many would I need to use to achieve a similar level of heat? Thanks for all the great recipes 🙂
Glad you like the recipes! I’d recommend 1 or 2 jalapenos depending upon how much heat you want in the salsa.
I made your salsa today doubled everything. I should have added salt carefully and not just 4 teaspoons. It was way to salty. As well 12 cloves of Garlic was way to much. It is hard to taste anything but garlic. It tried to save it by broiling another 6 tomatoes as well as 4 more and added it to the mix. I think salt is okay now, but hard tell tell because of the garlic.
I still wonder why the garlic is so dominant. I poured all the juice from the rack into the blender, maybe I should not have done so? Dou you think I can still save it by adding more tomatoes tomorrow.
Hi J, I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy the doubled version of this! I don’t think you did anything wrong though by doubling all the ingredients. You could certainly try to tone down the garlic by adding more tomatoes though. Hope it helps!
Wowza…I only used one Serrano pepper and it was soooo hot. Was I supposed to de-seed the pepper?! I don’t think I read that. Love the consistency and the flavor other than the extreme heat.
Hi Sam, sorry you found it to be too spicy! No, you weren’t supposed to remove the seeds from the pepper but if you’d like to make this again, you can reduce the heat by deseeding the peppers. Hope that helps!
Looks amazing! Can this recipe be canned using the water bath method?
Hi Katarina, I didn’t develop this recipe with canning in mind, so I’m not certain it would be safe – sorry!
Excellent salsa! Consistency and taste were both a hit.
This is the best salsa I’ve ever made. Perfectly written recipe. I stirred in some chopped red onion after it cooled for a little added crunch. Just so good. I gave some to my neighbors.