With only a few ingredients, some time under the broiler, and a blender... you can have a fresh batch of Restaurant-Style Fire Roasted Salsa right in front of you! I promise you'll never buy a jar of plain, boring salsa from the store again.
Having fresh, flavorful salsa right in front of you whenever you want is a game changer! This mild salsa is made with charred tomatoes for a smoky flavor that rivals your favorite dine-in spot. I love adding a few dollops to top my Spicy Shrimp Burrito Bowls - it's a must try!
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $0.30
- Total Cost (about 8 servings): $2.42
- Those Other Guys: $6.99 per serving
Ingredients
- Fresh Tomatoes - This recipe works best with ripe, in-season tomatoes. I usually use Roma tomatoes since they have a great taste and are also reasonably priced. You can also grab tomatoes on the vine.
- Yellow Onion - Grab a fresh yellow onion for a touch of sweetness. This is the standard onion used in most restaurant salsa.
- Fresh Cilantro - You can't have a salsa recipe without cilantro! Fresh is the key; we can't use the dried stuff this time.
- Lime - The citrus in freshly squeezed lime juice balances out our ingredients.
- Chipotle Peppers in Sauce - A few chipotle peppers in adobe sauce will give our salsa the perfect amount of spice, and it also deepens the flavor profile!
- Sugar - A little sugar balances out all the acidity of our tomatoes. Don't skip this ingredient.
- Garlic - Roasted garlic gives this salsa a subtle flavor boost.
- Spice Blend - A simple spice blend of salt, black pepper, and ground cumin finish off our salsa recipe.
Variations and Substitutions
5-Minute Medium Salsa: Need some salsa in a hurry? Try my no-cook version of 5-Minute Homemade Salsa. It's incredible!
Spicy Fire-Roasted Salsa: Roast a jalapeño or poblano pepper to blend into your salsa for a nice kick of heat.
Fire-Roasted Salsa Verde: Add fresh tomatillos and green chiles to your roasting pan instead of red tomatoes for a delicious fire-roasted salsa verde.
How to Make Fire-Roasted Salsa at Home
- Start out by adding halved tomatoes, garlic, and a halved onion to a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Broil the veggies and fruit on high for about 20 minutes until there is a nice char formed. You will most likely have to remove the garlic sooner - since the cloves are so small, they will roast quickly.
- Take the charred produce, lime juice, chipotle peppers, sugar, and blend of salt/black pepper/ground cumin and add everything to a blender.
- Blend thoroughly until the consistency is smooth, then transfer to a serving bowl and stir in freshly chopped cilantro. That's it!
Recipe Pro Tips
- Watch your pan for an even char. In the instructions, I make a note to mind your pan in the oven. The tomatoes take the longest to get a good char, so you may have to remove smaller items like the garlic cloves once they are done!
- You don't have to peel your garlic. I remove the outer, flimsy layers of garlic peel and leave the individual cloves wrapped. After they have roasted, you can just squeeze the garlic out of its peel into the blender.
- Stir in the cilantro at the end. Blending the cilantro is going to really mute the flavor of the herb. Instead, finely chop fresh cilantro and then stir it into the salsa at the end.
- Use a cast iron if you prefer! Instead of charring in the oven, you can manually char your veggies on high heat using a cast iron and tongs.
Recipe FAQs
You can try cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, or green tomatillos! Each tomato will give you a different flavor variety and/or color.
Sure! I would air fry at 400°F for about 4-5 minutes until the veggies have a beautiful char on them. You can also toast them on a grill or a cast-iron skillet.
This recipe will keep in the fridge for 5 days - if it lasts that long! Store in an airtight container.
The original recipe has no peppers included, so it's a mild salsa. If you like spicy salsa, you can roast a jalapeño or poblano pepper and add to the blender. Be sure to control the amount of heat using the ribs and seeds of the pepper.
I recommend having just a touch of sugar to offset the acidity of the tomatoes. You could substitute for agave if you prefer.
More Mexican Foods You'll Love!
If you tried this Fire-Roasted Salsa Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Restaurant-Style Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa
Equipment
- Food Processor or blender
- Chef's Knife
- Citrus Squeezer
- Can Opener
- Aluminum Foil
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 4 count Roma tomatoes
- ½ count yellow onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- ½ count lime juiced
- 2 count chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Cut each tomato in half and quarter the onion half.4 count Roma tomatoes, ½ count yellow onion
- Add the tomatoes, onions, and garlic cloves to the baking sheet.5 cloves garlic
- Broil on high for 20 minutes or until the veggies are charred.You will most likely have to remove the garlic early. Since they are smaller than the other items, they will roast quicker.
- Add the roasted produce to a blender, then add in the lime juice, chipotle peppers, sugar, ground cumin, sea salt, and black pepper½ count lime, 2 count chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, ½ tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ¾ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Blend thoroughly until the salsa is a smooth purée.
- Finally, stir in the freshly chopped cilantro. Serve warm or cold, and enjoy!1 handful fresh cilantro leaves
Millie Faye says
This salsa recipe is so delicious!! We roast our vegetables on the grill instead of in the oven, but other than that keep the recipe the same. Amazing!
Shani W. says
Love that! I'm asking my husband for a grill this summer so I can play on it. Thank you for commenting, Millie!