This creamy Salsa de Cacahuate (Peanut Salsa) is a traditional Mexican salsa very popular in the southern states of Mexico. With only 4 ingredients, it comes together in less than 10 minutes!
***This post was originally published on Dec 2015. It has been updated to be more helpful.
The best Peanut Salsa is lusciously creamy, yet somehow light and fluffy. It’s deliciously smooth and swirled, and begging to be scooped with a tortilla chip. It’s nutty and spicy, thanks to the chile de arbol.
If you can’t handle heat very well, it can be made with less chiles de arbol or substituting some of them for Chile Japones. This is a Japanese chile and it’s milder than chile de arbol while maintaining the same flavor profile.
Before we start the recipe notes, let’s get this straight… can you say cacahuate? No worries if you don’t! Hey, my hubby still can’t say it lol! Here is the correct pronunciation, say it with me: kakaˈwate.
You can hear the pronunciation on the “how to pronounce website“. It’s pretty close!
Ingredients
This Peanut Salsa recipe has very few simple ingredients and that’s what makes it so easy to make. Before you start cooking, gather all ingredients as the process goes very quickly.
- The oil – Use avocado, grapeseed or vegetable oil. The key is to use an oil that stands high heat.
- The nuts – 1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts.
- Garlic clove
- The chiles – About 20 dried arbol chiles are needed for a spicy salsa. You can use less if desired. See notes below how to control the spiciness.
- Kosher or sea salt
***Make sure to scroll all the way down to the recipe card to get the full ingredient list and written recipe.
How To Make Salsa De Cacahuate
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; sauté the peanuts and garlic for about a minute. Constantly stir for 1 minute.
- Then add the chiles and sauté for less about 45 seconds. Be careful not to burn the chiles since the salsa will taste bitter if you do.
Blend the peanut/chile mixture along with one cup of water and it’s ready to eat! Adjust the water level if you want to make it as creamy as you want.
Enjoy with tortilla chips, on tlacoyos, seafood tacos and more!
How To Control The Spicy Level
This Salsa De Cacahuate recipe calls for 20 arbol chiles and it comes out very spicy! So if you like things hot, keep things as is.
For a milder sauce use from 10 to 12 chiles de arbol and add 1 guajillo chile to enhance the flavor and for texture. Or as mentioned earlier, you can also substitute some of the chile de arbol with japanese chiles. They are much milder.
MORE EASY…
Mexican Salsas To Try:
Try any of my delicious salsas…. Always authentic, easy & delicious!
I hope you like this recipe! Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, please contact me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
Print Recipe:
Salsa de Cacahuate (Peanut Salsa)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado or vegetable oil
- 1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1 garlic clove peeled
- 20 dried arbol chiles stemmed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup water or more if needed
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; add peanuts and garlic. Stir for 1 minute.
- Add the chiles and sauté for about 45 seconds. Being careful not to burn the chiles.
- Transfer to a blender and the salt and water; blend until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Muy Delish Notes:
Add Your Own Private Notes
Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.
Nutrition
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
NITPICK: Although the recipe itself is clear, the step-by-step recipe is confusing:
“Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; sauté the peanuts and garlic for about a minute. Constantly stir for 1 minute.”
Do you cook the peanuts & garlic for one minute, then stir constantly for another minute (2 minutes total) or should it read “[h]eat oil in a skillet over medium heat; sauté the peanuts and garlic for about a minute, stirring constantly”?
I love this salsa! I made mine very spicy so I think I’ll add less chiles next time. Very good tho!
Thanks for your review Charles! I’m so glad you liked it! I think I’m making mine more spicy next time LOL! Have a good one!