I got this recipe for salsa for canning from my friend Kristan, and it has been our favorite salsa recipe ever since. In lazy summers where we don’t can anything else, we ALWAYS make a batch of salsa.
Another Friday, another salsa recipe, but this one happens to be our favorite! A few summers ago, my friend Kristan and I both spent a weekend at our houses canning salsa. Mine was so-so–watery and thin, and decidedly lacking in punch and panache. Kristan’s salsa was sublime–chunky and colorful, and full of deep, vibrant flavors!
I begged her for the recipe and patiently waited until the following summer so I could make jars and jars and jars of delicious salsa. I think my husband and I canned close to 50 pints of salsa that summer!
I don’t know what it is that makes this salsa recipe so amazing. It has tomatoes and peppers and onions and spices like you’d expect, but they all come together to make a rich, satisfying salsa that captures the flavors of warm, sunny weather, and lets you enjoy them even in the dead of winter!
Kristan's Salsa (for canning)
I got this recipe for salsa for canning from my friend Kristan, and it has been our favorite salsa recipe ever since. In lazy summers where we don't can anything else, we ALWAYS make a batch of salsa.
Ingredients
- 7 pounds tomatoes
- 10 anaheim peppers
- 1/3 cup chopped jalapeños
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons garlic salt
- 2 Tablespoons canning salt
- 1 Tablespoon onion salt
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Chop and cores tomatoes and place them in a colander for 30 minutes to drain.
- Transfer drained tomatoes to a large pot and simmer, stirring frequently, for 1 hour. Blend with an immersion blender until mostly smooth.
- Seed and coarsely chop anaheim peppers. Place all peppers, onions, cilantro, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until mostly smooth. Add pepper mixture to tomatoes.
- Add all remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Ladle into hot pint jars, leaving 1/2" head space. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.
Notes
- For anyone who hasn't canned before, you can find wonderful directions on canning HERE on the Ball website. It is pretty important to read through the steps on jar sterilization and what-not before you start.
- Lots of people ask if the amount of salt is correct. Yes, it is. This recipe makes over a gallon of salsa.
Looking for more canning/preserving recipes? CLICK HERE and visit my “canning” archives.
Salsa is my weakness! I need to buckle down and can some for this winter. Nothing like busting out some yummy salsa to bring sunshine to a dreary pacific northwest winter day. Thanks Lulu!
Agreed Analia! We had to try really hard last year not to eat it all during the winter!
I just made this today. I found your site from googling chunky salsa for canning. We have fallen in love and my husband even said this tastes better than pace salsa. Thanks for posting this.
That’s high praise Natalie!
Yum! my boyfriend made homemade salsa on Friday and we were talking about canning it. This recipe is perfect!
Hi Adriana! Once I tasted this salsa I stopped searching for recipes to can–it is perfect!
How spicy is this recipe? Sounds very good!
I remove all of the seeds from the peppers, so it is really mild. If you want it hotter, leave some of the seeds in.
Is this salsa have a strong vinegar taste? If so, can I substitute lemon/lime juice?
Hi Carol. I don’t think it has a particularly strong vinegar flavor. If you want to substitute lemon or lime juice for the vinegar, I don’t recommend canning it, but you could still eat it fresh.
I didn’t see a step where you remove the skin from the tomatoes. Do you not get bits of skin throughout the salsa?
Hi Sadie. Because the tomatoes cook for so long and get chopped up by the immersion blender, you don’t have to remove the skins.
If you don’t have an immersion blender can you still make this if you remove the skin first?
Hi Katie! I think that would work, although the finished salsa will probably be chunkier than mine is. You could always put it through the regular blender is batches if you want it smooth. Good luck!
Can you freeze the salsa instead of canning?
Hi Jo. I’ve never tried freezing it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. As long as you have space in your freezer!
This is a very tasty recipe. I left the tomatoes, pepper and onions a little chunky. I like mine a little spicy so I doubled the peppers. Thanks for the recipe though.
Steve, I’m so glad it was a hit!
Tastes like our favorite mexican restaurant… a perfect use for all the tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro from the garden! Thank you so much… I made two batches yesterday:)
It does taste just like good restaurant salsa, Amy! I always make double batches too. We actually plant our garden with this salsa in mind!
Hi, Lulu! Sounds like a great recipe – for the highly detailed of us, would you mind estimating how many cups of chopped tomatoes you end up using? Depending on how one cores/chops their tomatoes, there could be great variability in the “usable” quantity yield. I am so excited to try this recipe, and I just don’t want to mess it up. 🙂 Thanks so much, Lulu!
Hi Kato. Uhhhh…. I hate to guess at how many cups of tomatoes 7 pounds equals, and I always put it straight from my kitchen scale into a pot, so I can’t even ballpark it. BUT, what I usually do is core and coarsely chop my tomatoes, and then measure out 7 pounds. That should give you the perfect amount every time. Maybe buy or pick a bit more than 7 pounds to make allowances for the cores being removed. Good luck!
Lulu this recipe sounds so good can ‘t wait to try! Do you know how many pints this recipe makes?
Hi Carol! The recipe makes about 9 pints of salsa. Sometimes we get a little more, sometimes a little less. And I usually make a double batch. Good luck!
My salsa separated. Is it still ok? We made a batch yesterday and this didn’t happen.
Yes! We’ve been making this for a few summers now, and some batches separate. Maybe the tomatoes we’re just juicier in those batches, who knows! Give it a little shake before you open it, or stir it before you use it. Happy salsa-making!
I love this recipe! I’ve been looking for a yummy salsa recipe to make and this hit the nail right on the head! This is so DELICIOUS. I added cucumbers to it cause thats what my grandma does and it made it even yummier! Thanks for the recipe.
It is definitely our favorite too! I don’t think we’ll ever try another salsa recipe again–why mess with perfection?
Just made and canned the whole batch and realized I forgot the vinegar!! Ahh! Is it safe to can like this? If not do you think I can dump it out, simmer with the vinegar and then recan?
I don’t like taking chances with canning, so as much as I hate to say it, I think you need to dump it out and add the vinegar, then re-process it. I know that stinks! The alternative is to keep all of it in the fridge and eat it quickly!
I just made this salsa, can’t wait to try it! My first time canning and I used the NO WATER BATH method I found on youtube. So easy!
You heat the jars in your oven at 215 degrees and heat your lids and bands in a boiling pan of water. Pour your boiling salsa into a hot jar directly out of the oven and put a lid on. It worked! My lids all sealed perfectly and it was SO much faster and easier!!
Bethany’s, I can all my tomatoes using this open kettle method. I learned from my Mom 50 yrs ago who I’m sure learned from her Mom. Everything needs to be scalding hot, so I’m going to try this recipe and can as I normally do.
Thanks for posting.
What could i substitute for the immersion blender? Just a normal blender? I don’t have one. Should i take the skins off if i don’t have one?
Hi Sharla! A normal blender would work just fine. I wouldn’t bother taking the skins off because I’m super lazy and cut corners as often as possible, lol. A food processor would work too.
Do you have a specific tomato you use with every batch?
I usually just use whatever I can find in bulk, but my favorite tomatoes to use for this are paste tomatoes (romas, san marzanos, etc.). They don’t have a lot of liquid inside, so they make a nice, thick salsa that doesn’t separate. But it tastes delicious either way!
I just made this recipe! There are hundreds out there but I chose this one because it was straightforward and easy. It is amazing! The smoky flavor from the cumin is different from store bought for sure and is just right. My husband and I ate some while it was warm and it was even better! I can see eating this on grilled chicken or fish too. Thank you for sharing this! We had grown our own tomatoes, jalapenos, oregano, and basil so it was even better knowing it was organically grown in our back yard!
Hi Kathy! I’m so glad you liked it! We grow tomatoes and peppers in our garden just to make this salsa! xoxo
I tried this recipe because peeling tomatoes is The Worst Thing. However, after cooking and thoroughly blending the tomatoes, there were large pieces of peel in the mixture. I tried a spoonful for taste and was very put off by the peel. So I strained the mixture twice to remove the peel and ended up with a ginormous mess, and something I could proceed with. Despite the rave reviews here, and my wishes to the contrary, to get the product I want, I’ll have to stick to peeling tomatoes. Which is The Worst Thing, but maybe not quite as bad as a big mouthful of tomato peel. Your ingredient list was perfect and I love how it tastes.
I’m considering short cutting next time with a few cans of peeled san marzanos. 🙂
Hi Shelley. I agree–peeling tomatoes is the pits! I’ve never had trouble with the peels in this recipe, but I’m sorry you had such a hard time. I had a friend in college who made killer salsa with canned tomatoes, so it IS possible! Good luck!
This is our second year making this salsa (we’ve also done the fresh which is delish as well!) I chose not to core and drain the tomatoes as we like a more watery restaurant type salsa. We threw the tomatoes in a food processor and then cooked for an hour. I then added all the other veggies, etc as the recipe suggested; it turned out great and was a time saver!
I’m not sure we’re going to have time to make any this year. Sadness!!!
I made this recipe twice last year and we LOVE, LOVE, LOVED it. But I made it again this year and it is sooooo vinegary? Help! What did I do wrong? I followed your recipe exactly. Is there such a thing as bad vinegar? ?
Hi Bethany! I’m not sure why your salsa was too vinegary this time. Did you try it again after letting it cool? Sometimes it tastes a little weird to me if I eat it hot, but once it has cooled/had a day in the fridge, it usually tastes fine. I’m not sure if vinegar goes bad!
Hi! could you use green peppers in place of the anaheim peppers?
Hi Lauren! I wouldn’t use green bell peppers, but maybe mild green chilies would work.
Hi! I can’t find Anaheim peppers where I am; how many cups of chopped green pepper do you think would equal 10 of the anaheim peppers?
Can’t wait to make this salsa!
Hi Dana! I’m not sure what to have you use as a substitute. I wouldn’t use green bell peppers in their place because they have such a different flavor. Maybe mild green chilies? I would probably use 15 mild green chilies in place of 10 anaheim peppers.
Hi Lulu, I don’t have green chilies here either, just red hot ones. It’s more the quantity of peppers I’m concerned about as there needs to be the proper ratio of acidic vs. non- acidic. If you chop 10 Anaheim peppers, do you know roughly how many cups that iis? Made the salsa today and I think with all the additional spices it won’t make too much of a difference what peppers I use. Iused 2 green bell peppers from my garden but it is clearly not enough 🙂
Thanks for your thoughts,
Dana
Hi Dana. Anaheim peppers get pretty big, so I’d say 7 or 8 green bell peppers would probably give you about the same amount of chopped pepper as 10 anaheim peppers. Again, they really don’t taste the same though. Good luck with your salsa, and please let me know how it turns out.
I used poblanos instead and it turned out delicious
Thanks for the great recipe. I really liked it but it tasted a little salty to me. I weighed the whole tomatoes to make 7 pounds but I noticed you chopped them first and then measured. Maybe I would have had more tomatoes if I measured after chopping and it wouldn’t seem so salty. I’m thinking of reducing the canning salt to 1 1/2 Tbsps. Any suggestions?
Hi Cindy. 7 lbs of tomatoes is 7 lbs of tomatoes, whether they are weighed before or after they are chopped, so no worries there! I have found that the salsa tastes saltier when it is hot, but that after it has been canned and has had a chance to cool down, the seasoning is perfect for us.
I used green bell peppers from my garden because I can never find the Anaheim peppers. Used the same amount of bell peppers and my family love’s it. I even forgot to put jalapenos in one batch, and my “mild” salsa lovers love it too. ?
What kind of tomatoes did you use?
Hi Amy! I usually use Romas or any other kind of paste tomato I can find. They have less juice in them, so the salsa ends up thicker. It will turn out delicious either way, but that’s what we do. Best of luck!
I can’t wait to try this. When you say core, do you mean digging out the top of the core or actually cutting the middle of the tomato out? Apparently there are a couple techniques that use the same word. Thanks!
Just getting that top part out is plenty.
Can you use store bought tomatoes and chilies, I want to try this recipe but it’s May, will it taste different if there not fresh out of the garden? Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar?
Hi Mariana! You can definitely use store-bought tomatoes and chilies. The salsa might not have quite as much flavor as it would otherwise, but you won’t have any problems with the recipe. I’ve never tried substituting vinegars.
I plan on making this salsa but was wondering if I can cut this receipe in half.
Absolutely!!
Have never made salsa before on my l life so I tried the recipe my crowd feel in love with it had to make more thanks for sharing your recipe. We all love it.
I’m so glad your group loved it, Doris!
fabulous recipe. just fabulous.
The Mexican restaurant in town has a secret in their salsa that nobody can put their finger on. I figured it out right away b/c I cook Indian food. They add Garam Masala.
So, I added 1 t of Garam Masala to this batch and it was over-the-top goodness.
Looking fwd to enjoying this all winter long! 🙂
I’ll have to try that sometime!
Hi! First of all, let me tell you that this is the best salsa recipe I’ve found for canning all of my garden tomatoes, so thanks! I’m currently making my 2nd batch and was wondering if you know an approximate cup amount for the Anaheim peppers? My husband was in charge of buying them and I have ten, but some are REALLY big and some regular sized. I’m wondering if I chop them all and save some, if the cup amount would make another 1/2 batch? Thanks in advance.
Hi Jennifer! I have no idea off the top of my head! What I would do in your shoes is cut up one of the normal-sized peppers and see how many cups that gives you, then go from there. Good luck!
Very salty. bummer.
Sorry you didn’t like it, Kim. I always find that it mellows after canning and ends up being perfectly salted.
Oh no, I made your salsa yesterday and forgot the vinegar. What do I do?
Hi Lori. The vinegar is essential to preserving it. I would open all the jars, add the vinegar, and reprocess everything. Otherwise, not only will it not taste as good, but it won’t last on the shelf!
This is the best salsa recipe ever!! I made 67 jars last year with our bumper crop of tomatoes! Yes we love it that much!! This makes wonderful client, family and friends gifts! I increase the heat on different batches and change up from Anaheim to Bell peppers on occasion but flavor is always amazing!! You Rock girl!
Hi Susan! I’m so glad you like it! And yes, it makes a great gift.
Hi -I found this website and recipe nearly 7 years ago. Since then, I make many batches of this salsa every summer in hopes to have enough to last through the year. I just wanted to let you know that in my small corner of the world this recipe has blown up. Anyone that tries the salsa begs for what they assume is my secret family recipe. I always share this link with them. It is simply the best! Thank you for putting it out in world for us all to enjoy!
Hi Shauna! I can’t take any credit for the recipe, but I’m glad you love it as much as we do. I’ll pass your compliments on to my friend Kristan and her family!
Made this today first time and I’m hooked!! I added more peppers and it was great. All but the powdered ingredients were home grown!! I’ll be making more!
I’m so glad you like it, Trenna! We make a huge batch every summer.
What is the shelf life for these canned salsa?
Hi Donna! The shelf life for home canned goods like this are typically 1 year. But I know we have had some last longer than that before.
Can I use frozen tomatoes?
Hi Jen! I’ve never tried, but since you’ll be cooking it, I imagine frozen tomatoes would work just fine. Good luck!
Have you ever tried using other peppers, like roasted hatch peppers? We have been making this salsa for years, and it is AMAZING! We want to shake it up and try different peppers, this year, though! Then again…why mess with perfection? 😂
Hi Michaela! I never change it up, but I’m sure you could! My only concern would be if it would still preserve OK. You could always call your local extension service and ask them for advice.
Is the garlic salt and onion salt actually garlic powder and onion powder? Seems like a lot of salt.
Nope, it is actually garlic salt and onion salt.
Would it hurt to leave out the cilantro? I have that “ugh – cilantro – tastes like soap” gene.
I try not to mess with canning recipes, but I’m not sure leaving out the cilantro would change it much. I can tell you that the finished product doesn’t have an overt cilantro flavor. You could always make up a small batch and just eat it without canning it to see if you like it.
Found this salsa recipe end of summer 2021. Absolutely love it! Everyone that has tried it has loved it!
So glad you love it!
Hi Melissa,
I was wonder if a person could use canned tomatoes. What are your thoughts?
Hi Sandra! I think you definitely could if you intended to freeze the salsa or just eat it right away. I’m not sure about canning it! Recipes for canning are so particular when it comes to acid content that I hesitate to tell you that’s a safe swap.