This fresh roasted salsa is creamy, bold, and perfect for topping tacos or scooping with chips— made with ripe tomatoes, garlic, jalapeños, onions, fresh cilantro, and a creamy twist of avocado.
Try it alongside my cast-iron red roasted salsa, creamy jalapeno sauce, or chile de árbol charred salsa for the ultimate salsa trio.
When I first started making more plant-based meals, I wanted to keep all the bold, vibrant flavors of our favorite Mexican dishes while lightening up the heavy toppings. Salsa was the easiest and most delicious place to start.
This version quickly became a staple in our kitchen. Fresh ingredients make all the difference, and charring them in a cast-iron pan adds a smoky depth that store-bought salsa just can’t match. Once you make it, you’ll never want to go back.
It’s flavorful, versatile, and completely adaptable — you can keep it classic or make it your own with extra spice, more avocado, or a handful of fresh herbs. Whether it’s taco night, a game-day vegan spread, or a simple weekday dinner, this salsa always disappears fast.
Suggested Pairings
- Taco salad or vegan nacho supreme bowls topped with quick pickled jalapenos and carrots.
- 7-layer vegan taco dip
- Homemade tortilla chips
- Corn or flour tortillas
- Slow cooker black bean soup, or this vegan enchilada soup
- Crispy vegan bean taquitos or vegan bean dip.
Optional Toppings
- Diced red onion
- Diced green chiles
- Diced avocado
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice
- Mix in ½ to 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- Drizzle of olive oil
Round out your spread with my vegan Mexican queso-inspired salsa, vegan nacho cheese sauce, fresh pico de gallo recipe, or this easy homemade guacamole a big bowl of this ultimate cowboy caviar recipe — all perfect alongside this salsa for your next Taco Tuesday.
📖 Recipe
Fresh Roasted Salsa
Ingredients
- 8 ripe roma tomatoes, or vine ripened
- 2 fresh jalapeño peppers, remove seeds for less spiciness
- Head of garlic, left whole and unpeeled
- 1 large yellow or white onion, quartered
- 1 avocado, pitted
- ⅓ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped with stems too
- 2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Wash and destem tomatoes and peppers
- Peel and quarter onion
- Slice jalapeños in half or quarters
- Roughly chop cilantro
- Remove pit from avocado
- Place all ingredients, except the avocado, cilantro, and salt into a large skillet and cook on medium-high heat, occasionally turning, evenly charring. This takes around 10 minutes.
- After the ingredients are charred to your liking, turn the heat to medium-low and allow everything to soften. This takes about another 10 minutes. The tomatoes will release their juices, but you can add ¼ cup of water at a time if it gets too dry.
- Once everything has softened, turn off the heat.
- Place all ingredients into a large bowl.
- Remove the garlic head from the bowl and use the flat end of the knife to remove the skins from the garlic.
- Place the garlic back into the bowl.
- Add roughly chopped cilantro to the bowl, along with the pitted avocado and salt.
- Use an immersion blender (see notes) on low to incorporate the ingredients.
- Adjust salt if needed.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can also use a blender, potato masher, or food processor. If you use a food processor or blender, just use a quick pulse; you don’t want to overmix.
- Once salsa has cooled to room temperature, store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- If it’s not hot enough, you can add some cayenne or more chiles.
- The white lines, or veins on the chile, are a great way to tell how hot a jalapeño is. The more lines the green chili has, the hotter it will be. It’s not foolproof, but it’s a great indicator.
- You can also use serrano chiles or a combination.
- I’ve also used cherry tomatoes for a delicious burst of flavor. Add them in towards the end as they don't take as long to cook.
- You can make this salsa how you like: mild or hot, thick and chunky, or blended smooth.
- I’m a very enthusiastic garlic lover — feel free to reduce.
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.
Gustavo Amadios says
This tasted delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Julie Gaeta says
I’m really glad you liked it, Gustavo. Thanks for letting me know!