A charred chile de árbol salsa recipe for those who like it hot.
If you're a salsa lover, try my creamy tomatillo salsa, cast-iron roasted red salsa, and my queso-inspired vegan Mexican salsa next.
This bold and spicy Mexican salsa recipe is one of our favorites.
It’s very open to substitutions and variations. You can boil, bake, grill, or roast the ingredients, all offering delicious results and flavors.
In this salsa, we use dried chile de árbol, which are fiery hot, but you control how much heat you want by adding more or less chile peppers.
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This easy recipe comes together quickly, and once you make it at home, there’s really no going back to store-bought salsa. A little goes a long way—its bold, intense flavor and heat add real depth to just about any meal.
We use it on almost everything. A few favorites: Instant Pot refried beans, this bean and rice tacos recipe, vegan enchilada soup, easy vegan chili, and of course, homemade tortilla chips.
It's also delicious drizzled over easy refried black beans with Mexican red rice or this Mexican rice with lime.
📖 Recipe
Charred Chile de Árbol Salsa
Ingredients
- ¼-1/2 cup charred dried chile de árbol
- 8-10 tomatillos, husked
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 fresh Roma tomatoes, quartered
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 cups water, or stock
- 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Turn on the fan over the stove or open the window.
- Warm a cast iron pan on med-high heat and add the chiles. Continuously stir the chiles until they’re blackened in spots, but watch them as they burn easy.
- Remove from pan and add to blender. Set aside.
- Add in tomatillos, tomatoes, and onions, frequently stirring until slightly softened and blackened in spots. It takes about 10 minutes or so.
- Add in water and peeled garlic.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a rolling simmer for roughly 10 minutes.
- Let cool and add all ingredients to your blender.
- Add salt.
- Blend in a blender or food processor until combined and smooth.
- Adjust the salsa to your liking. Taste and add more water or salt if needed.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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Nutrition
Julie Gaeta is a plant-based recipe creator, certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, and mom of nine who's been plant-based for over 20 years. She's cooked approximately 4,382 pots of beans and can't vacation without her juicer and pasta pot. Her work has been featured in HuffPost, Yahoo, YourTango, and other major outlets. She helps others simplify wellness and feel good again through her blog, coaching, and weekly newsletter.
Julie Gaeta says
This one’s bold and fiery in the best way. I keep a jar of this salsa in the fridge to spoon over tacos, rice, beans—you name it. It’s simple but packs serious heat and flavor—a favorite when I want something with a lot of kick. (A little goes a long way!)