This Homemade Salsa Roja Recipe takes about 15 minutes to put together.
Made with fresh tomatoes and two kinds of chilis, this robust homemade salsa is bold, rich, and smoky, making it perfect as a dip for your next gathering or as a topping on your favorite meal.
What you will read about in this recipe.
What makes Salsa Roja good?
Unlike the usual tomato salsa that you may get at a restaurant with chips or purchase in a jar, salsa roja is made with ingredients that have been roasted for better flavor.
I like how simple this recipe is to make and how it is made with fresh ingredients.
Have you tried my recipe for Homemade Salsa Verde Recipe?
Made with tomatillos, jalapeño pepper, and garlic, that green colored salsa is savory, spicy, and somewhat tangy.
Both this recipe for salsa roja and that recipe for salsa verde are delicious homemade salsa recipes that are easy to make and are sure to impress.
Guajillo chiles give this salsa a sweet and somewhat smoky flavor. You can find guajillo chiles here.
Why you will love this classic Salsa Roja recipe.
This classic Salsa Roja is made with roasted tomatoes, chili peppers, and garlic for a bold, smoky flavor. The ingredients are fresh and easy to find.
Here is what else you will like about this recipe.
- It takes less than 20 minutes to make this recipe.
- Personalizing this recipe is as easy as adjusting the heat with the amount of chilis used.
- Salsa roja is perfect for dipping, drizzling over tacos, or mixing into your favorite dishes.
- This salsa tastes even better the next day after the ingredients have been allowed to mald together.
Ingredients you will need to make easy homemade salsa verde.
- Roma Tomatoes. Use ripe tomatoes that have been cut in half.
- Chilis. Use dried guajillo and arbol chiles. Remove the stems and seeds.
- Garlic. Cloves that have been peeled.
- Onion. Small white onion that has been roughly chopped.
- Seasonings Salt and Ground Cumin.
- Water. You can adjust the amount added
- Vegetable Oil. Used for roasting the salsa.
Expert Tip 👉 Other kinds of peppers that can work in this recipe include jalapeno peppers and serrano peppers.
How to make Homemade Salsa Roja from scratch
Prep Time: 5 minutes .
Cook Time: 10 minutes .
Servings: 2 cups or 8 servings, depending how it is used. .
- Prepare. Prepare your ingredients as indicated. If you have not done so, wash, dry, and slice the tomatoes and peppers. Also, peel the garlic and chop the onion. Also, you will need a bowl and hot water.
- Roast. In a dry skillet (no oil) over medium heat, carefully place the tomatoes with the cut side facing the skillet. Roast the tomato until charred (about five minutes) and then flip the tomato over and repeat with the other side. Set your roasted tomatoes aside.
- Chilis. In the same skillet, toast the dried chiles for about 30 seconds per side until fragrant, then place them into your bowl and cover with hot water. Let the chilis soak for five minutes.
- Blend. Next, place your ingredients into a blender (roasted tomatoes, rehydrated chiles, garlic, onion, salt, cumin, and ½ cup of water). Blend the ingredients until smooth.
- Heat. Heat the vegetable oil in your skillet over medium heat for one minute. Pour the salsa from the blender into the skillet and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Let the salsa cool to room temperature before serving.
Tips for making the best salsa roja.
Use ripe tomatoes that are still firm so that they can hold up to the heating process. I like Roma tomatoes for their flavor however, other tomatoes that are meaty and have fewer seeds can work too.
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More helpful tips for you.
- You can adjust the heat of your salsa by using more or less of the arbol chiles.
- You can thicken your salsa by simmering it a bit longer or thin it out by adding additional water.
- Refrigerating your salsa roja to sit an hour before serving can allow the flavors to meld and intensify.
How to store salsa roja.
Salsa roja should be stored in an airtight container such as a mason jar. When properly stored and refrigerated, salsa roja should keep for about five days, depending on the freshness of the ingredients used. Salsa roja can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to a few months.
Use you salsa roja with one of these recipes.
- Cheesy Sheet Pan Nachos
- Sheet Pan ‘Totchos’ (tater tot nachos)
- Loaded Air Fryer Nachos (with video)
- Easy Frozen Burrito Casserole
- Air Fryer Taco Meat Recipe
- Air Fryer Crispy Potato Wedges
Print this Homemade Salsa Roja Recipe.
Homemade Salsa Roja Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Roma Tomatoes. - Cut in half.
- 2 Dried Guajillo Chilis --Remove the stems and seeds.
- 2 Dried Arbol Chiles. --Remove the stems and seeds.
- 2 Garlic Cloves --Peeled.
- ¼ Onion. -Roughly chopped.
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin.
- ½ cup Water.
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil.
Instructions
- Prepare. Prepare your ingredients as indicated. If you have not done so, wash, dry, and slice the tomatoes and peppers. Also, peel the garlic and chop the onion. Also, you will need a bowl and hot water.
- Roast. In a dry skillet (no oil) over medium heat, carefully place the tomatoes with the cut side facing the skillet. Roast the tomato until charred (about five minutes) and then flip the tomato over and repeat with the other side. Set your roasted aside.
- Chilis. In the same skillet, toast the dried chiles for about 30 seconds per side until fragrant, then place them into your bowl and cover with hot water. Let the chilis soak for five minutes.
- Blend. Next, place your ingredients into a blender (roasted tomatoes, rehydrated chiles, garlic, onion, salt, cumin, and ½ cup of water). Blend the ingredients until smooth.
- Heat. Heat the vegetable oil in your skillet over medium heat for one minute. Pour the salsa from the blender into the skillet and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Let the salsa cool to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes
Also, please see the actual recipe post for further details on this recipe. Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that are used. See theairfryingdiva.com for details on this recipe.
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Nutrition
Please note: Nutritional data has been calculated using a tool that comes with this recipe card and not by me. This means that Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that you use. The accuracy of this tool may differ from other tools as expected. Also note that there is no instructional value to the video that may be attached to this recipe. It is only there for visual pleasure. For more information about the images in this recipe, please refer the the recipe instructions. Thank you!
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This Homemade Salsa Roja Recipe is a simple appetizer or condiment made with fresh ingredients in about 15 minutes.
Please see recipe post for further details on this recipe.
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