Chile de Arbol Salsa + Video
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on Apr 12, 2021, Updated Apr 12, 2025
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Smoky, spicy, and downright addictive, my Mom’s recipe for Chile de Arbol Salsa is a family favorite. If you’re someone who can handle serious heat, this delicious homemade salsa deserves a spot on your cooking list.
Perfect for grilling season, this yummy, spoonable sauce pairs especially well with beef, pork, and eggs.
I must have inherited my Mom’s and Grandma’s cast-iron stomach, because I never get a stomachache from eating too much salsa or spicy chile. I have to confess that I have eaten an entire bowl of this chile de arbol salsa with a bag of chips in one sitting on more than one occasion. If you can handle the heat, you’ll soon understand why I guzzle this stuff by the bowlful.
What Are Chiles de Arbol?
Literally translated to “tree peppers,” chiles de arbol are also known as bird’s beak chiles or rat’s tail chiles. The bush itself grows like a tree, hence the Spanish name. The animal based names are because of their small, long and slender shape.
Also popular in Thai cooking, chiles de arbol have a distinctive smoky flavor that makes them a favorite for salsas and hot sauces. The vibrant red color of the pepper is retained even after drying, making my spicy salsa all the more enticing.
In terms of heat or spiciness, chiles de arbol have a Scoville rating between 15,000-30,000 SHUs. That makes them a whopping 6 times spicier than your average jalapeño, so this salsa is not for the faint of heart. (For comparison, this is a similar heat index to cayenne or serrano peppers.) Read more: An Introduction to Mexican Chiles.
You can find dried chiles de arbol by the plastic bagful in Mexican or international grocers, in regular grocery stores in the Hispanic aisle, or online.
Why I Love This Homemade Salsa Recipe
When you think of your own refrigerator, I’d bet there are some items that you always keep on hand. In my house, there’s always at least one kind of salsa available. I seriously put salsa on everything.
Salsa for breakfast on eggs or migas, salsa with chips when I need a snack, salsa on basically every savory meal I can think of like brisket, tacos de papas dorados, burritos, nachos, and soups. I sometimes joke that I’m 10% salsa. I’m certainly spicy enough LOL!
This chile de arbol salsa is especially near and dear to my heart because it reminds me of my Mom. I can always count on finding this salsa in her refrigerator. She and I like very spicy salsas, and we love the intensity of this one. This spicy salsa is a favorite of my husband’s, too.
I also love that making a batch only takes 10 minutes start to finish. With a recipe so easy, why would you ever purchase store bought salsa again? This stuff just tastes SO MUCH BETTER than anything you can get at the store.
I’d also wager that you already have most of the ingredients to make this delectably smoky and spicy salsa on hand. Onions, garlic, oil, canned tomatoes, and tomato sauce are pantry staples. All you need to get are some chiles de arbol and you’re ready to roll!
So go out and get some chiles de arbol and meet me in the kitchen, mmm-kay? We’re about to make your condiment shelf a heck of a lot more interesting.
How to Make Spicy Salsa with Chiles de Arbol
This salsa is so easy to make. Watch this video to see how simple it is!
Heat canola or olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add chiles and toast for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly so chiles are fried well and change color.
Add onion and garlic and fry for 2 minutes, again stirring constantly.
Transfer fried ingredients to a food processor or blender and add whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, and salt. Purée until salsa is smooth with specks of chiles. Add salt to taste.
Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Serve as a salsa dip or to top off your favorite tacos or tostadas. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
In the recipe below, I used dried chiles de arbol, which they sell at every Mexican grocery store. Look in the produce section, where they’ll likely be pre-bagged and ready to go.
Many grocery stores will carry them in the “ethnic” aisle, and you can always find them on Amazon.
To use dried chiles, there is no need to soak them in boiling water before use. Simply, lightly toast in a skillet. Do not over toast or the chiles might become bitter.
Absolutely! It should keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, or up to three months in the freezer. You can also go about canning it to give as gifts or to preserve your chile pepper harvest beyond the season.
Sure! I’d start by reducing the number of chiles by half. It’s easier to add more if needed. These peppers are quite small, and removing seeds is challenging.
If it’s still too spicy for your liking, I recommend you add more tomato sauce or check out some of my other homemade salsa recipes that are less hot like salsa de casera or salsa verde.
Need more heat?
Check out these other recipes that’ll set your mouth on fire:
Chile de Arbol Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 20 chiles de arbol, stemmed (do not remove seeds or veins)
- 1 small white onion, quartered
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup canned peeled whole tomatoes
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat canola oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add chiles and toast for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly so chiles are fried well and change color.
- Add onion and garlic and fry for 2 minutes, again stirring constantly.
- Transfer fried ingredients to a food processor or blender and add whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, and salt. Puree until salsa is smooth with specks of chiles. Add salt to taste.
- Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
- Serve as a salsa dip or to top off your favorite tacos or tostadas.
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes 2 1/2 cups.
- If it's too spicy for your liking, I recommend you add more tomato sauce.
- Serve as a salsa dip or to top off your favorite tacos or tostadas.
- Chile de arbol salsa can be stored in the refrigerator 3 to 5 days, or frozen for many weeks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Raemi Vermiglio
Originally published: January 2016. This recipe is also published in the Muy Bueno cookbook.
way too hot and i love hot…. =(
Lawdy it’s hot! So good, but I normally do chile de arbol salsa in a molcajete after seeding and toasting them. I figured the tomato stuff would temper the heat a bit, so I could skip the tedious seeding, but NOPE! Don’t get me wrong it is incredibly delicious, but I dipped a spoon into the puree and tasted it and it about blasted my face off. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Yep. Don’t eat with h a spoon. Use a tortilla chip or dribble on your tacos or rice.
I’m also from El Paso living in Ohio and love New Mex/Tex Mex cooking. I just made this recipe and came out delicious! It is so easy to make. FYI, I omitted the can of tomato sauce b/c the canned tomatoes had plenty of sauce. Also, I added some chile piquin (http://www.pequin.us) my mother in-law sent us from Phx to make it extra hot!
I stand corrected, I added Chiltepin (http://www.chiltepin.us/) to spice it up more, not piquin!
My husband and I made this tonight with some dried chiles we got from our Mexican grocery store. It is the second hottest salsa I’ve ever tasted! My mouth was burning but for some odd reason I kept wanting more! I added some sour cream to my bowl to cut the heat a little bit, but my husband didn’t to his bowl. Very good! Tip: if this is too spicy for you and you want relief from the burn, eat a couple spoonfuls of honey, drink some milk, or do both!
I’m totally new to Mexican Cooking! Do you use fresh chiles or dried ones? This sounds right up my husband’s alley!
You do use dried chiles : ) At our local Mexican grocery store a bag was $1.79 plus tax. There is enough to make many batches just from one bag because the chiles are very small.
Thanks for your delicious recipe,looking mouth watering,thanks for your recipe..
Arbol chiles are the best!!! You are serious leaving in the seeds, I bet that salsa is spicy. Yum!!
I never remove seeds from chiles unless I’m stuffing them — I love spice 😉
Oh!!! Delicious… I have tried and love to taste it many times… keep posting nice recipes…
http://foodmumbai.co.in
Thank you for this recipe – I have a bag of chiles de arbol that I partially used over the holidays – I’m going to try this today!
This is right up my alley. I LOVE spicy. These kinds of peppers make me sneeze when I’m cooking them but I have all of this at home so it will be done later on today. Thanks!