Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This may be the best salsa yet! Smoky chipotle salsa is a magical blend of fire roasted tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo, and the fresh flavors of onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime.
How long it takes: 10 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: blender or food processor
Servings: 16
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Pin ItThis chipotle salsa is a perfect marriage of smoky tomato and chipotle chili pepper. Everyone loves my restaurant style salsa which is very similar to this recipe but without the smoky component so I can’t wait for you guys to try this one! Make sure you have lots of tortilla chips (maybe this calls for margaritas, too!).
Smoky chipotle salsa
Double the smoky flavor. You’ll use both fire-roasted tomatoes and a couple of canned chipotle peppers in adobo. Chipotle peppers are smoked and dried jalapeño peppers. They pack a little heat but won’t knock your socks off. The adobo sauce that they’re canned in is a tangy red sauce that complements the peppers.
Lots of freshness. Chopped onion, garlic, fresh cilantro, and lime juice are added to this salsa for lots of upfront sassy flavor. Blend the ingredients just until they are the right salsa consistency, perfect for scooping onto tortilla chips.
So little effort! You can mix this salsa up in about ten minutes. All you need is a blender or food processor. You’ll want to make a double batch because it freezes beautifully.
Recipe Tip
What to do with the rest of the can of chipotle peppers? Pack two peppers with some of the sauce into individual snack size resealable bags and freeze them. You’ll be all ready for the next batch of salsa, or use them for my chipotle chicken tacos (a slow cooker recipe) or this cherry chipotle BBQ sauce!
“This is outstanding…smoky and delicious…and so quick and easy! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!! I’ll be making it again and again.”
Ingredient Notes
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes: If you can’t find fire roasted tomatoes, regular diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes will work.
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: These are what sets this salsa apart. Don’t skip them! Experiment a bit and see how much smoky heat you like. We find that two chipotle peppers is about right for us.
- Onion & Garlic: You don’t have to worry about mincing them since they’ll got chopped up in the blender. You could use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder instead of fresh if you prefer a more mild garlic flavor.
- Cilantro: I always go heavy on the cilantro, but add as much as you like.
- Fresh Lime Juice: Lime juice balances out the flavors and really brightens up the taste of the salsa.
Recipe Variations
Add more heat. You can add a little more heat by increasing the amount of chipotle peppers. For a really fiery salsa, add ground cayenne pepper.
Make without cilantro.I love the flavor the cilantro adds to this salsa, but I don’t think cilantro tastes like soap. If you’re in that camp, you may leave out the cilantro and the salsa will still be delicious.
More Salsa Recipes
- Fresh alternative: If you prefer salsa with fresh tomatoes, try this pico de gallo.
- Green salsa: If you like green salsa with tomatillos, you’ll love my popular salsa verde.
- Cranberry salsa: Still have a can of cranberry sauce hiding out in your pantry? Try cranberry salsa. It’s so easy, with only two ingredients, and surprisingly delicious.
Refrigerate: Smoky chipotle salsa can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator. Give it a little stir before serving.
Freeze: Salsa can also be frozen for up to 6 months. Put it into a freezer-safe jar or container leaving a little head space for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Stir well.
More Dip Recipes
Chipotle Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 small onion (cut into quarters)
- 1 clove garlic (roughly chopped)
- 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) fire roasted tomatoes (undrained)
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, more if desired (from 7 ounce can)
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and small stems)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
- Pulse all ingredients in a blender or food processor until no large chunks remain, but not completely smooth.1 small onion, 1 clove garlic, 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) fire roasted tomatoes, 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, more if desired, ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Variations: If you’d like spicy salsa, add extra chipotle peppers or add ground cayenne pepper, to taste. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, it can be omitted. Instead of fresh garlic, you can substitute ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Storage: Chipotle salsa can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator. Stir well before serving. Salsa can also be frozen for up to 6 months. Put it into a freezer-safe jar or container leaving a little head space for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Stir well.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
My husband likes very spicy salsa. This was so easy and fun to make and he loved it!! Perfect for Valentines Day!!
I’m so glad to hear it! Thank you for leaving a review!
I plan on making this tomorrow. Wondering if I can put this in Ball jars and water bath it?
I don’t have a lot of experience canning so unfortunately I can’t advise on that topic.
I was skeptical of a recipe using canned ingredients and I should have stuck with my instincts. It does not taste fresh or homemade. Most canned salsas are much better than this. I was excited because it was really quick and easy….just not worth it
We absolutely LOVE this salsa. Did you follow the directions and ingredients as written? Omitting or changing an ingredient will drastically affect the flavor.
This is outstanding…smoky and delicious…and so quick and easy! After my husband tasted it, we decided to skip the burgers we’d planned for dinner and have chips and the salsa for dinner instead! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!! I’ll be making it again and again.
So glad you liked it! Chips and salsa for dinner is always a good idea.
I just made a batch, and 2 chipoltles made it VERY spicy. We eat a ton of spicy food, but this was a bit too much in a blender salsa. I just added more tomatoes and a bit of honey to mellow it out. Will definitely make again, but start with just 1 pepper before adding a second. (Maybe my peppers were just extra hot).
Thanks for the feedback! It does seem like some peppers are hotter than others, for sure. I’m glad you still liked it!
Made this for the first time the other night. I was sceptical how it would turn out with the canned goods but it was amazing! I did a half batch but did use a full clove or garlic and the juice of a whole lime :)
So glad you liked it! I have a batch in my fridge right now too :)
This was so delicious! I used fresh tomatoes that I blackened in a dry cast iron skillet. I didn’t have any cilantro unfortunately however I added some dried oregano and ground cumin. Super delicious on turkey tacos, made from leftover roasted turkey from Thanksgiving. Definitely will make again. and again.
So happy you liked it! This is one of our favorites too.
sounds perfect
I just made more last night!