Easy-to-make salsa packed with the deliciousness of ripe tomatoes, garlic, onions, fresh cilantro, and a creamy surprise ingredient — ripe avocado.
If you love Mexican food, this salsa is a must-try.
There’s nothing like homemade tamales, tacos, and burritos smothered in fresh roasted salsa — it’s the perfect topping.
When I first started including healthier foods in our kitchen, I struggled with how I could still enjoy our beloved Mexican foods without all the excess sour cream, cheese, and oil.
I knew I needed to find a way to recreate healthier alternatives for our favorites if I was going to make a healthier lifestyle work.
Thankfully, I’ve been able to recreate many of our favorite Mexican foods without sacrificing flavor. They’re still delicious — just different.
This easy and delicious fresh-roasted Mexican salsa has it all. Once you try it, you’ll never look at store-bought salsa the same — fresh ingredients make all the difference. And charring them in a cast iron pan adds a smoky, complex depth of flavor that’s sure to please.
It’s one of our favorite recipes.
Fresh tomatoes, jalapeños, garlic, avocado, cilantro, and onions — these simple ingredients are a nutritional powerhouse.
It’s flavorful, easy, and delicious. And the best part — you get to choose just how much and what goes into the salsa. It’s completely adaptable and open to your modifications.
This fresh salsa recipe also offers many health benefits. It’s a guilt-free indulgence you can feel good about.
- Tomatoes: Antioxidant-rich, loaded with vitamin C, potassium, and fiber
- Jalapeños: Anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects
- Garlic: Antimicrobial, supports the immune system, reduces inflammation
- Onion: Antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory
- Avocado: Superfood, heart-healthy, omega-3 fatty acids
- Cilantro: Antioxidant-rich and a good source of vitamins and minerals
There are many benefits to including salsa in your diet, especially when it comes to your health. But one of the most compelling reasons is that it turns a good meal into a great meal.
I love using this delicious salsa with fresh avocado and black beans wrapped up in a corn tortilla. This is also the best salsa ever for special occasions, game day, or just because get-togethers.
It’s also a perfect pairing for the once-in-a-while treat of homemade tortilla chips .
Optional toppings
- Diced green onions
- Diced red onion
- Diced green chiles
- Diced avocado
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice
- Mix in ½ to 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 20 turns of black pepper
- Drizzle of olive oil
Perfect pairings
- Taco salad
- Tacos
- Homemade tortilla chips
- Corn or flour tortillas
- Soup
- Gorditas
- Any Mexican recipe!
If you love Mexican food as much as I do, this recipe is for you.
The fresh flavors and ingredients make all the difference. Ripe tomatoes, creamy avocado, and fresh cilantro offer a delicious burst of flavor that's sure to please.
There’s nothing quite like fresh-roasted homemade salsa with tamales, tacos, and burritos— it’s the perfect pairing.
Whether it’s game day or just because — this salsa has you covered. Plus, it’s healthy, which means you can indulge — guilt-free.
Whether you’re a salsa fanatic or not, this easy and delicious fresh-roasted salsa is a must-try.
I hope you love it! 🙂
📖 Recipe
Fresh Roasted Salsa
Ingredients
- 8 fresh roma tomatoes
- 2 fresh jalapeño peppers, remove seeds for less spiciness
- Head of garlic, left whole and unpeeled
- 1 large yellow or white onion, quartered
- Avocado, pitted
- ⅓ bunch of 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 cast iron pan 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 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!
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.
- I prefer using ripe tomatoes for this recipe; it offers a sweeter and richer flavor. Season depending, I love growing my own or purchasing them at our local farmer’s market.
- Once salsa has cooled to room temperature, store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. We love using a mason jar.
- If it’s not hot enough, you can add some cayenne or next time, add in 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 surprising 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 to smooth perfection.
- I’m a very enthusiastic garlic lover — feel free to reduce. 🙂
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!