This mouth-watering no-cook chipotle salsa recipe comes together in a blender in only 10 minutes! It’s made with the convenience of canned fire roasted tomatoes and chipotle chilis in adobo sauce for that mouthwatering smoky flavor. Completely adjustable to taste, make it mild, medium or hot, then share as a dip with tortilla chips and with all your favorite Mexican food recipes. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and easily gluten free.
The Tastiest Homemade Salsa
There’s no better accompaniment to Mexican food than salsa. Being from Texas, I’ve tasted a lot of salsas. From Roasted Habanero Carrot Salsa to this reader favorite Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde, you’ll almost always find fresh salsa in our home.
This Recipe Is
- spicy is adjustable to taste
- fresh and punchy
- smoky
Salsa pairs perfectly with these Black Bean Tostadas with Fajita Veggies, Sofritas Burrito Bowls, Tofu Tacos and Mexican Black Beans. But it’s also perfectly delicious shared with tortilla chips for scooping and dipping.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are the star chili in this salsa recipe. They’re smoky, spicy and have a unique flavor that give this homemade salsa that wow factor.
About the Key Ingredients
- Canned Fire Roasted Tomatoes: we’re using canned tomatoes to whip up this salsa double quick. They’re a delicious base for this recipe imparting just a touch of extra smoky flavor and acidity to the salsa.
- Chipotle Chilis in Adobo Sauce: find them in a small can on the Mexican food aisle of your local grocery store. Leftovers freeze easily. After opening a new can, pop the leftovers in a lidded glass jar and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze the chilis for up to two months.
- Pickled Jalapeños: offer spice and acidity. You can omit the peppers for a milder salsa, or if you love a good mouth burn, add more.
As written, this salsa is mediumish. For a hot chipotle salsa, increase the chipotle pepper, adobo sauce or jalapenos. For a milder salsa, reduce any of the three.
Traci’s Tips
- Adjust to Taste: the beauty of homemade salsa is you can completely adjust it to taste. Start out with a mild, and take it from there. Add a little heat up by adding more jalapeños or chipotles. Need more smoky flavor? Add a bit more adobo. More freshness? Add a few more sprigs of cilantro! Too acidic? Add a pinch of sugar.
- Double It: I do this quite a bit when making a Mexican food feast.
Mexican Chipotle Salsa Recipe
Servings:2.5 Cups (650 grams))
Calories:85kcal
This mouth-watering chipotle salsa recipe comes together in a blender in only 10 minutes! This no-cook salsa is made with the convenience of canned fire roasted tomatoes and chipotle chilis in adobo sauce for that mouthwatering smoky flavor. Completely adjustable to taste, make it mild, medium or hot, then share as a dip with tortilla chips and with all your favorite Mexican food recipes. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and easily gluten free.
Ingredients
Medium(ish) Salsa:
- 14.5 oz (411g) Fire Roasted Tomatoes canned* see note
- 1 C (105g) White or Red Onion large dice, about 1/2 an onion** see note
- 3/4 C (100g) Green Bell Pepper large dice, about 1/2 a bell pepper
- 1/4 tsp Cumin ground
- 1 Chipotle Chili from a can of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce. Look for gluten free if needed.
- 2 tsp Adobo Sauce from a can of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce. Look for gluten free if needed.
- 4-5 Pickled jalapeño Pepper Rings
- 2 Large Cloves of Garlic
- 1 Tbs Lime Juice from about 1/2 a large lime
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- Fist Full of Fresh Cilantro stems and leaves*** see note
Instructions
For Medium Salsa:
- In the pitcher of a blender (I use VitaMix), layer in the ingredients: tomatoes and all their juices, onion, bell pepper, cumin, chipotle chili, adobo sauce, jalapeños, garlic, lime, salt and cilantro. For chunky salsa, pulse only a few times. For a thinner sauce, pulse longer. Pulse until desired consistency is reached. Adjust salt to taste.
- Pour into a lidded storage container. Refrigerate for at least an hour before sharing to let the flavors marry. Refrigerate for up to four days.
For Hot Salsa:
- Prepare recipe as written, but add an additional 1/2-1 Chipotle pepper and 3 tsp of adobo sauce. Add a few more jalapeño pepper rings to taste.
For Mild Salsa:
- Prepare the recipe as written, but use only 1/2 a chipotle pepper, 1 tsp of adobo sauce and 0-2 pickled jalapeño pepper rings.
Notes
*For a looser salsa, use crushed fire roasted tomatoes. It’s not as chunky as diced tomatoes, but makes a fine salsa.
**Red/purple onions tend to be spicer than white, so for a milder salsa, go with white onion.
***If not much of a cilantro fan (some say it tastes like soap) only add a few springs. I add a lot, because I love it. But the amount is completely to taste. Play with it and see what you like best!
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2910mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 662IU | Vitamin C: 73mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
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This recipe is a winner! Easy, tasty and fresh … all with no cooking! Thanks Traci.
I roughly diced the onions and used a garlic press for the garlic – then used the Vitamix on low until ‘just’ combined. Think 10-20seconds on speed 2. Perfect results.
SO happy to hear Mark! Hooray for no cooking :D ! Lately I’ve been roasting a fresh jalapeno on an open flame, then adding it to the Vitamix… it offers such complex flavor and adds to the smoky of the chipotle. Talk about mouth water! Thank you for your note!