Craving real Mexican food? Make this easy Salsa Mexicana! It’s packed with flavors and it's perfect for chips & salsa, or as a topping for any Mexican dish.
If I had to choose just one salsa to eat in perpetuity, it would be this Salsa Mexicana. It's an essential condiment for huevos divorciados, quesadillas, tacos, tortilla chips and more!
Keep reading to learn more about this traditional salsa of Mexican cuisine
In this post you’ll find:
Ingredients for Salsa Mexicana
The ingredients are very easy to find in any grocery store: tomatoes, onions, jalapeño peppers, serranos, garlic, & cilantro. I also like to add a tomato bullion cube for extra flavor but this is totally optional.
We'll keep it simple by using a food processor or blender to create the perfect chunky or pureed consistency that you prefer.
This salsa is very healthy and low in calories. There are only 16 calories for ½ cup of salsa!
How to make Salsa Mexicana
- Place the all of the ingredients, except the tomatoes, in a 2 quart saucepan.
- Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the chiles and onions begin to soften. About 5 minutes
- Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and their skin cracks.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables to a plate to cool at room temperature. Reserve ½ cup of the water.
- Place the tomate/chiles mixture and the cilantro in a food processor or blender. Puree until you reach the desired consistency.
- Transfer to a container and taste for salt & pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- The salsa will keep for up to 1 week.
How to control the spiciness level
So how do I make a cooked salsa less spicy you may ask? The spicy level depends on a few factors so here are a few to consider:
The heat comes from the pith and ribs of the pepper which contain capsaicin. This is the active component in peppers that causes the burning sensation. Some chile peppers contain more than others.
If you want your salsa less spicy just skip the Serrano pepper and add an extra jalapeño which tends to be somewhat mild. Or just remove the ribs from the serrano pepper to make it medium spicy.
Now, if you like it very spicy just add more serrano peppers or chile güerito since these are very spicy as well.
Also, the Salsa Mexicana will be spicier while it's hot (right off the stove) but once it cools off, it won't be as spicy. Sometimes it loses the spicy strength the longer it sits in the fridge. So if your salsa comes out too spicy just give it a day or two!
More Mexican Salsas
If you make this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment and a rating below ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ as it helps other users (plus it makes me happy!). This is one awesome way to support this blog so that I can keep creating good content for you! Enjoy!
Print Recipe
Salsa Mexicana
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 Lb Roma Tomatoess About 4 tomatoes
- 2 Fresh jalapeño peppers
- 1 Serrano pepper add two more if you like it spicy
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- ½ medium white onion
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- Kosher salt to taste
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 tomato bullion cube optional
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Place the all of the ingredients, except the tomatoes, in a 2 quart saucepan.
- Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the chiles and onions begin to soften. About 5 minutes
- Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and their skin cracks.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables to a plate to cool at room temperature. Reserve ½ cup of the water.
- Place the tomate/chiles mixture and the cilantro in a food processor or blender. Puree until you reach the desired consistency. Note: Add some of the reserved water if the consistency is too dry. Add a little bit at the time but make sure the salsa it's not too watery.
- Transfer to a container and taste for salt & pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in August 2010. It was updated in December 2019 to revise the content and photographs. The original recipe remains the same. This Salsa Mexicana was my first recipe ever on this blog!
sien says
Could I ask why is the tomatoes and onions and chilli all cooked in water? I've seen other recipes that ask for the tomatoes to be roasted together with the onions, and I'm wondering how this matches up to those that use roasted tomatoes. Always love to learn more about dishes and the reason behind why!
Ana Frias says
Hi Sien! It just cooks faster and then you can use some of the liquid when blending the salsa. I do them both ways actually but when I want my salsa to have a more cooked consistency then I boil it 🙂 I hope this helps!
janis says
I am a Salsa freak.. and love mine HOT! I also add onions and cumin to this base for added flavor and lime juice. I dont measure anytging I just keep adding peppers.cilantro and whatever til its to my liking 😉
Nici R says
Probably a silly question, but do you leave the peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic whole? Do you cook them whole and out then in the food processor or blender who as well? Or do you chop them at some point?
Victoria says
Homemade salsa is the bee's knees! I love how simple this recipe is to make! Yum.
Ana Frias says
Thanks for the feedback Victoria! I agree that this salsa Mexicana is very simple to make. I love it with my eggs!
Julia says
Love simple yet flavorful salsa recipes! This one looks delicious!
Ana Frias says
Thanks Julia! i think we all love simple and yummy salsas! I hope you make it!
Emily says
This is such a delicious version of authentic salsa! Love the easy to follow directions!
Ana Frias says
Thanks Emily! In Mexico is one of the #1 salsas to make at home. Specially for Carne Asadas!
Erika says
Salsa is a huge weakness of mine. It's so versatile too!
Ana Frias says
Me too! I can't get enough of chips and salsa lol!
Sue says
I could live on salsa, it's my favorite food group!
Ana Frias says
Yay! My kind of girl Sue lol! Mexican salsas are the best! Thanks for stopping by!
Monica L says
I've been making this salsa forever and it's my favorite too!
Ana C. says
PAB: Thanks so much for your review! It's such an honor that you will be my food critic. I'll be sure to post the good recipes only lol!
Stef: Thanks my friend! You'll get to taste it on Saturday if you can make it down to the house.
Stefanie says
Anyone who hasn't tried this recipe should. Ana makes the BEST salsa!! Yummy!!!
PAB says
Since I am the lucky beneficiary of my wonderful girlfriend's blog cooking recipes, I have decided to be a Blog Food Critic (THANKS Dave for the idea!). So what did I think of this salsa? Muy delicioso (I'm also bilingual). I had it on some great fish tacos that Ana made. Unfortunately that recipe and photos did not get posted because a certain photographer refuses to use artificial light and this meal wasn’t ready until it was dark outside! Stay tuned for more food critiques. I think I'll call my reviews "Fit, Fun & Finicky!"