Easy Homemade Salsa – a delicious tomato salsa filled with onion, garlic, spicy peppers, and cilantro. The perfect salsa recipe for home-canning and food storage.
This homemade salsa is filled with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and classic salsa spices. It can be enjoyed immediately or canned for later. This homemade salsa recipe is a melody of salsa flavors without being too spicy. Simple, fresh ingredients make this homemade salsa the best. Easy to make and delicious! After trying this homemade salsa you’ll want to ditch the store-bought salsa for good and grab a jar of this homemade salsa everytime you break out the tortilla chips. Without further adieu, grab the tortilla chips and let’s make salsa!
IF YOU LIKE THIS SALSA RECIPE YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY THESE OTHER RECIPES:
- Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Authentic Mexican Pozole
- No-Knead Jalapeno Bread
- Pepper Relish
WHAT KIND OF TOMATOES TO USE IN HOMEMADE SALSA:
There are so many different types of tomatoes out there it can be hard to know which kinds are best for salsa making. The type of tomato you use can drastically change your salsa outcome. Should you use the same kind for fresh salsa, homemade cooked salsa, and canned salsa?
If you’re looking to make a thick salsa or canned salsa, stick with paste tomatoes such as Amish Paste or Roma tomatoes. They offer a meaty interior with less juice and seeds.
If you’re looking to make a juicier salsa go with a large slicing tomato like celebrity or Amelia. These large slicing tomatoes work well in fresh salsas and pico de gello.
Do you grow your own tomatoes? That’s awesome if you do! We love fresh garden tomatoes and when we have a bunch of tomatoes come on at once we make this recipe. Even though the majority of our tomatoes aren’t a paste tomato variety this salsa recipe can still be made. By peeling and draining as much juice as you can before simmering this recipe will turn out amazing every time. You may need a few extra pounds of tomatoes if using a variety that holds a lot of water. Also, adding additional tomato paste (up to 12 oz total) will help thicken this recipe if using juicier tomatoes.
Bottom line, when you make this recipe I’d recommend using paste tomatoes that are less watery but any variety can be used. Sticking with paste tomatoes will help your salsa come out thick rather than
HOW TO PRESERVE HOMEMADE SALSA:
To preserve this homemade salsa, I use a water bath method. This process is used by placing the jars of salsa in a pot of boiling water and boiling to process. The processing time will vary depending on how high elevation you live. Process times: 15 minutes if you’re at sea level to 1000 feet elevation. Add 5 minutes if you live at 1001-3000 feet. If at 3001-6000 feet elevation add 10 minutes. Add 15 minutes if you live at 6001-8000 feet elevation.
I’ve never pressure canned this recipe although I’m sure you could. With the added acid (vinegar) in this recipe, the pH level of this salsa is safe for water bath processing. With that said, it’s important to keep the
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO ENJOY WITH SALSA?
I love this salsa on eggs and with tortilla chips! YUM!
Here’s the full printable recipe. I hope you enjoy!
Yield: 6 to 8 pints
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
A delicious tomato salsa filled with onion, garlic, spicy peppers, and cilantro. The perfect salsa recipe for home-canning and food storage.
Ingredients
- 10 cups tomatoes, peeled, drained (depending on the variety of tomatoes you'll need about 15-22 lbs)
- 6-12 oz tomato paste
- 1 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 4-6 jalapenoes, ribs and seeds removed (keep in for more spice)
- 3 cups onions, chopped (about 2 lbs)
- 1 1/2 cups green bell peppers, chopped (about 2-3 peppers)
- 1/4-1/2 cup sugar, optional, depending on how sweet your tomatoes are
- 3 tbs salt, pickling or canning is best (avoid iodized)
- 1 tbs cumin
- 2 tbs black pepper
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 bunch cilantro, (about 1/2 cup loose packed)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to large pot.Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Fill sterilized pint-size jars with salsa.Wipe clean rim then secure lid and ring on each jar.
- Process jars of salsa in a water bath or preferred canning method.
- When finished, remove jars from water and allow them to cool to room temperature.Once cooled, check lid for secured seal (gently press down the center of the lid.It should be firm.If it bounces back like a button, it did not seal.It will need to be refrigeratedand used within a week or reprocess).
Notes
- PEELING TOMATOES: to peel the tomato skins I've used to different methods.1) blanch them in boiling water (dip them in boiling water for a minute or so until the skin slides off easily). 2) Roast them in the oven. Cut tomatoes in half placing cut side down then roast at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until the skins slide off easily. After removing skins, crush and drain to avoid making the salsa to watery.
- CHOPPING VEGGIES: to speed up chop time I use my BlendTec blender and pulse until I have small chunks.If you don't have a blender that will do this a food processor works great too.
- THICKEN SALSA: you can add up to a total of 12 oz tomato paste to help thicken salsa.
- This recipe can be doubled or tripled if desired. Just make sure you have a VERY large pot.
- TOMATO VARIETY: any tomatoes will work for this recipe, just make sure you have 10 cups drained total.If you use roma or another paste tomato that has less water in them you will need less per pound (I'd guess around 15-18 lbs).If using a large slicing tomato or garden tomato you may need as much as 22 or 23 lbs because they will contain more liquid.
- WATER BATH PROCESSING: To process PINT jars-->15 minutes if you're at sea level to 1000 feet elevation (add 5 minutes if you live at 1001-3000 feet, add 10 minutes if you live 3001-6000 feet, add 15 minutes if you live at 6001-8000 feet elevation). QUART jars will need to be processed 5 minutes longer than pints.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 204Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 1277mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 8gSugar: 31gProtein: 8g
Recipe inspired by Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
