Whip up the authentic salsa roja bursting with fresh, zesty, and smoky flavors in just 20 minutes for your next dinner party. This Mexican salsa is perfect for Taco Tuesday and Cinco de Mayo cookouts.
Making your seasonings and salsa from scratch makes a big difference in flavor. It is much healthier, always cheaper, and rather satisfying. If you love Mexican food, you surely have tried salsa roja – they serve it with pretty much all the dishes.
Gina’s Recipe Rundown:
Texture: Salsa roja is silky smooth, juicy, there are nice little bits of onion, tomatoes, garlic, and peppers in every bite.
Taste: Delicious salsa to pair with your favorite Mexican dishes, full of spicy peppers and juicy tomatoes. Very balanced and refreshing taste.
Ease: This appetizer is so easy to make – just roast and blend. Super simple – which is what makes it great for any occasion.
Why I love it: I love cooking with simple ingredients, and when the flavors are clean and complement the food beautifully. And that’s exactly the case with this salsa roja.
And now you can make it at home in under 30 minutes! My best piece of advice for you is to use organic fresh ingredients and never skip charring the tomatoes and rehydrating the spicy peppers – trust me!
Elevate your party with different salsa recipes for dipping tacos, quesadillas, and burritos, or scooping with tortilla chips. I love my creamy guacamole with tomatoes, corn salsa recipe (better than Chipotle!), and corn and black beans salsa.
What Is Salsa Roja?
Salsa Roja, or “red sauce,” stands out as a classic Mexican salsa recipe with its vibrant color and rich flavor.
This flavorful salsa combines fresh tomatoes, dried chiles such as guajillo and arbol, along with garlic, onions, and spices.
Its mild heat and smoky undertones from charred tomatoes make it ideal for pairing with tortilla chips, tacos, or any favorite Mexican restaurant-style meals.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made with fresh ingredients, it will always taste better than any store-bought salsa!
- Versatile. You can have it with anything, not just tacos and tamales! From steak to scrambled eggs (or Mexican-style chilaquiles), salsa roja just hits the spot.
- Restaurant-style salsa – it is really that good! Just like Mexican and Tex-Mex places serve it, or even better.
- Easy to customize. You can adjust anything here: how spicy you want it, how watery or thick, zesty or not.
Ingredients Notes
- Roma tomatoes. Pick the ripe tomatoes, we need them juicy! You can use fresh or canned tomatoes to make homemade salsa.
- Guajillo chiles. Use dried peppers, remove the stems and seeds.
- Chile de Arbol (for heat, adjust as needed), also dried. A must-have in the salsa roja recipe
- Garlic cloves
- White onion. You can substitute it with a yellow onion, too.
- Salt (to taste)
- Ground cumin. Cumin is technically more of a Tex-Mex spice, but it is just great in the recipe. You can skip it.
- Vegetable oil. Olive oil is a reliable choice, but you can also use avocado oil.
We will also use water to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
Kitchen Equipment
How To Make Homemade Salsa Roja
1: Char The Tomatoes and Chiles
- Heat a dry skillet over medium heat.
- Place the tomatoes in the skillet, cut-side down, and roast until charred, about 5 minutes. Don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Flip and cook for another 3–4 minutes, then remove and set aside.
- Working in the same skillet, toast the dried chiles for 30 seconds per side until fragrant.
2: Soak The Peppers
Remove and place them in a bowl. Cover the toasted chiles with hot water and allow them to soak for 5 minutes.
3: Blend All The Ingredients
- Combine the roasted tomatoes, rehydrated chiles, garlic, onion, salt, cumin, and ½ cup of water in a blender. Puree until smooth.
- Don’t worry about the skins – the original salsa roja recipe keeps them.
4: Simmer The Salsa Roja
- Heat the vegetable oil in the skillet over medium heat, then very carefully pour in the salsa mixture into the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (add more salt, black pepper, or chili powder if you want). Let it cool slightly before serving.
- I recommend letting the salsa rest for about an hour to help the flavors mix together.
Storage
Store homemade salsa roja in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. The flavors will be even better the next day.
You can freeze salsa roja in individual containers for up to 6 months.
Substitutions & Variations
- Pick peppers to adjust the heat. You can use any pepper from jalapeño peppers to serrano peppers. If you remove the seeds and skin, they can be milder. A common choice is also Ancho chiles (dried poblano peppers).
- I also love adding fresh cilantro and lime juice (from 1 lime) to brighten up the flavors. You can also use vinegar (apple cider vinegar or regular distilled white vinegar) instead of lime juice.
Expert Tips To Make The Best Red Salsa
- You can also roast the veggies in the oven at 400°F. Just spread them on a baking sheet and sprinkle with some seasoning.
- Tomatoes and peppers can be boiled instead of roasted. Use a vegetable stock to cook them.
- We cook the fresh vegetables, but I still suggest picking the organic veggies if possible. If not possible, make sure to wash the produce really well to make sure no pesticides end up in our dish.
- I love pouring salsa roja into a squeeze bottle – it will be easier to serve with meals. It is possible to skip the last simmer, but I think it really adds to the flavor and thickens up the sauce.
- You can use a mesh sieve to remove all the skins from the sauce and make it super smooth.
Popular Questions
What Is The Difference Between Salsa And Salsa Roja?
Salsa is a general term for a variety of sauces used in Mexican cuisine, often made with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and other fresh ingredients. It can be red, green, crunchy, or even creamy, depending on the ingredients used.
What Are Some Common Mistakes When Making Salsa Roja?
In my opinion, one common mistake when making salsa roja is not roasting the ingredients properly—roasting tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chiles adds a deep, smoky flavor that’s important for a good salsa. Boiling or roasting just doesn’t add the same flavors!
Another mistake is using too much raw onion or garlic, which can overpower the salsa and make the taste less balanced.
Lastly, blending the salsa for too long can make it foamy, which is not how classic salsa roja should be.
What Tomatoes Are Best For Salsa Roja?
To make an authentic salsa roja, you use Roma tomatoes or vine-ripened tomatoes for a tangier, juicier result. You can use other varieties like Heirloom tomatoes or Tomates de milpa, too, but make sure to always adjust for water content—juicier tomatoes may need longer roasting or less added liquid and make the sauce thinner.
If you love this easy salsa recipe, you’re going to love these other recipes to pair it with too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
More Great Salsa Recipes
Corn Salsa Recipe from Chipotle
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Salsa Roja
Ingredients
- 4 Roma tomatoes ripe and halved
- 2 guajillo chiles dried – stemmed and seeded
- 2 arbol chiles for heat, adjust as needed, dried – stemmed and seeded
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- ¼ white onion small – roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ cup water adjust for desired consistency
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Heat a dry skillet over medium heat.
- Place the tomatoes in the skillet, cut-side down, and roast until charred, about 5 minutes.
- Flip and cook for another 3–4 minutes, then remove and set aside.
- Working in the same skillet, toast the dried chiles for 30 seconds per side until fragrant.
- Remove and place them in a bowl. Cover the toasted chiles with hot water and allow them to soak for 5 minutes.
- Combine the roasted tomatoes, rehydrated chiles, garlic, onion, salt, cumin, and ½ cup of water in a blender. Process until smooth.
- Heat the vegetable oil in the skillet over medium heat, then pour in the salsa mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Let it cool slightly before serving.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Created by Gina Kleinworth
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