Homemade Green Chile Salsa Recipe
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on Dec 08, 2020, Updated Mar 09, 2025
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This Homemade Green Chile Salsa Recipe is made with roasted green chiles and canned whole tomatoes, bringing bold, smoky flavors to your table in minutes. Whether you prefer it chunky or smooth, this versatile salsa is packed with authentic flavor and comes together in just minutes, making it a perfect addition to any meal.
Table of Contents
What is Green Chile Salsa?
This is an authentic, homemade salsa casera recipe featuring roasted green chiles, jalapeños, and canned tomatoes. It’s a quick and easy way to enjoy bold, smoky flavors with minimal effort.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick & Easy: Ready in just minutes using a food processor or blender.
Versatile: Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Freezer-Friendly: Make a big batch and store it for later.
Authentic Flavor: A traditional recipe passed down in my family.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Every year we stock our garage freezer with bushels of fire-roasted long green chile from Pueblo. It’s a tradition now since I’ve been living in Colorado. In El Paso, we always bought Hatch green chile. I honestly can’t tell the difference, but I’m not a green chile connoisseur. Both are amazing, and depending on the season, one may be spicier than the other.
- Roasted green chile peppers – Pueblo, Anaheim, or Hatch, roasted and peeled. Pueblo chiles are known for their rich, earthy flavor and a heat level that can range from mild to extra hot. Anaheim chiles are milder and slightly sweet, making them great for those who prefer less spice. Hatch chile peppers vary in heat and have a deep, smoky flavor that intensifies when roasted. Any of these chiles work beautifully in this salsa, so choose based on your preferred spice level and taste.
- Roasted jalapeño peppers – Jalapeños are optional for extra spice. For more heat, leave the seeds in. For a milder salsa, remove them before blending. Swap jalapeños for serrano peppers for extra spice.
- Salt – Adjust to taste, especially if using a saltier canned tomato brand.
- Garlic cloves – Fresh garlic enhances the bold flavor of the salsa, but you can substitute with ½ teaspoon garlic powder in a pinch.
- Canned whole tomatoes – Whole tomatoes create a rich, smooth texture. My mom was the first one to simplify grandma’s salsa recipe by using Hunt’s whole tomatoes. For a smokier depth, opt for fire-roasted canned tomatoes. If you want to go old-school (and bless you if you do!), you can absolutely opt to make your own canned tomatoes. My grandma had a garden and would home grow tomatoes and can them herself, too!
- Tomato sauce – Tomato sauce adds richness and helps bind the salsa together. If omitted, the salsa will have a chunkier consistency.
The complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
How to Make Green Chile Salsa
Step 1: Roast & Prep. If you haven’t already, roast and peel your green chiles and jalapeños. Learn how to roast chile peppers.
Step 2: Blend. Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Pulse until your desired consistency is reached.
Step 3: Serve & Enjoy. Use immediately or store for later!
If you’d like more of a visual representation, you can watch this video showing how to make my favorite salsa recipe.
Serving & Topping Suggestions
This salsa recipe with green chiles is delicious on just about everything. Enjoy it with a bowl of homemade corn tortilla chips for an easy appetizer, drizzle it over Mexican tamales for a burst of flavor, or spoon it onto squash blossom quesadillas, and ground beef tacos for extra spice.
It also pairs beautifully with Mexican chicken soup or alongside breakfast eggs, like authentic huevos rancheros. No matter how you serve it, this salsa will add a smoky, spicy touch to any dish.
Green Chile Salsa Expert Tips & Tricks
Keep the juices: Don’t drain the canned tomatoes; the juices help create the perfect consistency.
Roast in advance: Prep a big batch of roasted chiles and freeze them for easy salsa-making.
Chunky vs. Smooth: For a chunkier texture, pulse instead of fully blending. You can also make this salsa in a molcajete for a more rustic, traditional consistency with extra depth of flavor.
Spice Control: Remove seeds for a milder salsa or add extra jalapeños for more heat.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Keep in freezer-safe plastic containers or glass mason jars for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, green chile salsa and salsa verde are different. Green chile salsa is typically made with roasted green chiles and tomatoes, while salsa verde is made with tomatillos for a tangier flavor.
Chile verde is a dish made with beef or pork simmered in a green chile sauce, whereas green chile refers to the type of chile peppers used in sauces, salsas, and other Mexican dishes.
Mexican green salsa (salsa verde) is made with tomatillos, green chiles, garlic, onion, and cilantro. It has a tangy and slightly sweet flavor, different from green chile salsa, which is tomato-based.
“Chile” with an “e” refers to the pepper itself, while “chili” with an “i” typically refers to a dish, like chili con carne. This recipe is made with roasted green chiles, which give it an authentic Mexican flavor.
more salsa inspiration
If you tried this Homemade Green Chile Salsa Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Homemade Salsa with Green Chiles and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 6 to 7 green chile peppers, Anaheim or Hatch, roasted and peeled
- 1 jalapeño peppers, roasted (optional), or 2
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic, finely diced, or ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 14.5-ounce can whole tomatoes
- ¼ cup tomato sauce, (optional)
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, pulse the roasted and peeled chiles, jalapeño peppers (optional), salt, garlic, canned tomatoes, and tomato sauce for a few seconds.
- You do not want to puree it—chunky is best with this flavorful salsa.
Video
Notes
- Learn how to roast chile peppers.
- Chunky vs. Smooth: For a chunkier texture, pulse instead of fully blending. You can also make this salsa in a molcajete for a more rustic, traditional consistency with extra depth of flavor.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Keep in freezer-safe plastic containers or glass mason jars for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Jenna Sparks
Originally published: February 2013. This recipe is also published in the Muy Bueno cookbook and also shared over on Today.com: Skip the jar and get creative with easy, homemade salsa.
My first attempt a full on Mexican meal…Green Chili Salsa and your Chicken Tinga! Both a success!! I am loving your recipes!!
Woohoo! I love hearing that Sara! Thank you!
Can fresh tomatoes be used, rather than canned?
Absolutely, I would recommend maybe lightly roasting tomatoes or blanch them, but fresh will do the trick as well. Enjoy!
Just made this and it is THE BOMB!!! I’ll NEVER buy that store-bought junk again!! I did add a small onion and extra garlic (I’m a garlic fanatic). Thanks so much for this recipe!!
I don’t have fresh garlic. Can o use garlic powder? If so, how much?
Have made this quite a few times as I love it. Have made it s written; have made it with whatever peppers are on sale or are in the store: have made it with fresh or canned tomatoes (if using canned I prefer the fire roasted) and this is always good. If a little to tame I have some dried, powdered datil pepper and a little of that heats it up very well. Only hassle is I don’t like peeling the peppers and also explaining to people why there is no onion! Great as written!
I made the salsa using whole (not canned) tomatoes and local Pueblo chilies. The consistency was just right by pulsing the tomatoes briefly in the blender. A couple of adjustments I will make next time around: add more salt. Canned tomatoes have salt as an ingredient, so the 1/2 teaspoon the recipe calls for may not be enough. Also, decide how hot you want your salsa to be. Mine was very hot because the Mirasol (Pueblo) chilies I used were hot. All in all, this recipe is flavorful and easy to make.
Hi, Yvette! I have jarred roasted Hatch green chiles…about how much should I use for the 6-7 chiles you mention above? 1 cup? 2? Thanks so much! Love the recipes and just got your cookbook! 🙂
Hi Cindy, I roast and can my own Hatch chilies. 6 to 7 chilies is approximately 7 ounces.