Salsa Recipes: 12 Homemade Salsas

Salsa, Spanish for “sauce,” is a staple across Latin America; it can be sweet, spicy, smoky, garlicky, or a combination of fresh flavors. There is no standard version of salsa. Some salsas in Mexican cuisine use fresh tomatoes or red or green chiles as a base and include a variety of vegetables, spices, and herbs. Chimichurri in Argentina is not spicy and features parsley and cilantro.

The vegetables and spices in salsa vary by region, but other ingredients you may find across Latin American salsas include jalapeño peppers, cumin, bell peppers, poblano peppers, white onions, and lime.

Salsas come in several textures. Some are smooth and easy to drizzle atop dishes, while others are chunky and better suited as dips. There are a few salsas that land somewhere in the middle. Here are a few ways to make different types of salsas:

1. 1. Shred, purée, or blend with a food processor: A food processor is a versatile tool you can use to make a variety of sauces. For example, you can use the kitchen appliance to blend canned tomatoes, jalapeños, red onions, and garlic into the chunky restaurant-style salsa often served as an appetizer.
2. 2. Grind in a mortar and pestle: With a mortar and pestle, called a “molcajete” in Spanish, you can grind ingredients into a sauce.
3. 3. Mix by hand: Some salsas come together quickly and only require that you mix ingredients together with a spoon or fork.

You can make many homemade salsa recipes with minimal prep time. The best salsa recipes will depend on your own tastes, but adding them to your dishes can add heat, acidity, or sweetness to your meal. Whether you’re an experienced salsa maker or it’s your first time, here are twelve salsas you can make at home:

1. 1. Ají verde: Popular in South America, particularly in Peru, the yellow chile and garlic gives this green sauce spice and flavor. Add it to chicken and fish or various vegetables.
   
2. 2. Chimichurri: Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce made with herbs and varying degrees of oil and acid. Learn how to make chimichurri, which often accompanies meat.
3. 3. Guacamole: Guacamole is an avocado dip that you can prepare in various ways. Some cooks make a simple guacamole of avocados mashed with fresh lime juice and sea salt; others add spices (like cumin) and vegetables (like diced tomatoes and white onion) for a more flavorful dish.
4. 4. Habanero salsa: This spicy salsa uses cherry tomatoes, habanero peppers, and jalapeños as a base. After blending these three ingredients into a purée, mix in garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cumin for an extra smoky flavor. Serve the salsa with black beans, grilled steak, pork chops, tacos, or burritos.
5. 5. Mango salsa: This is a colorful, refreshing salsa perfect for a hot summer day. This easy recipe uses mangoes—rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium—instead of ripe tomatoes. Chopped red peppers, red onions, and cilantro balance out the sweet flavor of the fruit. Mix in fresh lemon juice and serve with carbohydrates like tortilla chips or on top of grilled chicken. Add green chilis or Anaheim peppers for a spicier version of this fresh salsa recipe.
6. 6. Mole Poblano: Mole is a Mexican chile sauce. The word “mole” comes from the Nahuatl word “molli,” meaning “mixture” or “sauce.” Mole describes a wide variety of sauces (including guacamole). Mole Poblano is a dark red-brown sauce from Puebla made with ancho chiles (dried poblano peppers) and chocolate.
7. 7. Pico de gallo: A raw, fresh salsa—also known as “salsa fresca” (“fresh sauce”) and salsa cruda (raw sauce)—pico de gallo is a tomato salsa that includes raw onion, citrus juice, and chili peppers, and an herbaceous note from cilantro leaves. You’ll often find pico de gallo served with tortilla chips at Mexican restaurants, as a sauce with famous Baja fish tacos, or as a garnish on top of warm quesadillas.
8. 8. Salsa brava: The raw habaneros featured in this recipe are spicy. Salsa brava is a quick-pickled salsa with a bright, fresh flavor that pairs well with seafood and Mexican foods like tostadas, sopes, and tacos. Salsa brava brings more pungency to the table than something like salsa verde, which typically relies on jalapeño peppers and fresh cilantro for its flavor.
9. 9. Salsa criolla: This is a good salsa to make if you’re short on time. The Peruvian condiment only requires a few fresh ingredients—ají amarillo chiles, onions, lime juice, and cilantro. You can use the spicy salsa in sandwiches, along with rice and chicken, and more.
10. 10. Salsa roja: A favorite salsa throughout Mexico and parts of the United States, this sauce uses Roma tomatoes, yellow onion, serrano chilis, and cloves of garlic to make a red sauce commonly served with huevos rancheros, a Mexican breakfast dish made of scrambled eggs. Mexican salsa roja also uses ground cumin, salt, and cilantro for seasoning.
11. 11. Salsa tatemada: All the ingredients in this rich, smoky salsa tatemada blister on a hot comal before you combine them in a molcajete. Salsa tatemada traditionally consists of dried and fresh serrano peppers, morita chilis, but you can substitute serranos with jalapeños and morita chilis with dry chipotle chilis in this roasted salsa.
12. 12. Salsa verde: This salsa gets its name from a lush profile of green ingredients: green tomatillos, green chilis, perfectly ripe avocado, a handful of aromatic cilantro, and crisp lettuce. Salsa verde adds a spicy-but-cool, brightly herbaceous character to everything from tacos to tamales and beyond.

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