Roasted Tomato Habanero Salsa
Roasting fresh tomatoes, onion, jalapeno and habanero peppers is what gives Roasted Tomato Habanero Salsa its irresistible flavor. This easy recipe creates the perfect dip for tortilla chips, and a spicy, flavorful addition to tacos, burritos, nachos, omelets, and wherever else you need salsa!
Roasted Tomato Habanero Salsa
You know one thing my household can’t live without? Hot sauce and salsa. Ok, that’s two things, but seriously, we eat a lot of salsa!
Obviously, we dip tortilla chips in it – I won’t tell you how many bags of tortilla chips we go through on a weekly basis. But it’s also a staple condiment that we add to…everything.
The San Diegan in me requires a lot of Mexican food, so we’re often having tacos, burritos, quesadillas, taquitos, nachos, you name it. With said Mexican food, we MUST have salsa.
Of course you can open a jar of the store-bought stuff, but it just isn’t the same! Once you taste the freshness and complexity of homemade salsa made with fresh ingredients, you just can’t compare.
There are 3 salsas already on the blog, Easy Homemade Salsa, Roasted Tomatillo & Avocado Salsa (shown below) and Chile de Arbol Tomatillo Salsa.
The #1 thing my kids request for dinner is “Grandma’s Burritos with salsa.”
Grandma’s Burritos are coming to the blog soon, but the salsa is usually Easy Homemade Salsa. It’s a fabulously easy salsa to make any time of year because it uses Rotel!
However, when summer has arrived and big, beautiful, ripe tomatoes are at their peak, I love roasting them and making salsa.
Habanero Salsa. The word, “habanero” will either make you run for the hills, or pull you in like a magnetic force. Since you’re here, I’m guessing you want a spicy salsa. Good call, let’s be friends.
This spicy, roasted salsa is probably my family’s new favorite salsa, which is really saying something.
The jalapenos add great flavor and a little bit of heat, but the habaneros add their own fruity, spicy wonderfulness.
The flavor you get from roasting all the veggies is absolutely what makes this salsa. It’s fiery, zesty, full of flavor, and downright addicting!
Ingredients needed for this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):
- Tomatoes
- Onion – white or yellow
- Garlic
- Jalapeno peppers
- Habanero peppers
- Cilantro
- Salt & pepper
How to roast the veggies in this salsa?
You can “roast” the veggies on a sheet pan under the broiler, as shown in the pictures for Roasted Tomatillo & Avocado Salsa, or you can char them in a pan on the stove.
I go back and forth on which method I feel like using, but both are great.
Some people char the veggies and then peel off the skin, but, no way, Jose, will you see me doing that. The charred skin is where it’s at!
Simply roast the veggies, throw everything in a blender with some fresh cilantro, salt & pepper, and viola, mouthwatering, homemade salsa is done! It’s so easy to make, and definitely worth the little bit of time that it takes to roast the veggies.
How long is homemade salsa good for? Can I freeze it?
Homemade salsa can be refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 4-5 days.
This salsa can also be frozen in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 4 months. The texture of the salsa may change since tomatoes contain a lot of water.
Looking for more dips or appetizers? Here are some favorites:
- Cheddar Jalapeno Taco Cheese Ball
- Harissa Garlic Hummus
- Avocado Pico de Gallo
- Pickled Mexican Hot Carrots (shown below)
- Ghost Pepper Cheese Ball
What to serve with Roasted Tomato Habanero Salsa?
- Slow Cooker Mexican Beef Barbacoa (makes the best tacos & burritos!)
- The Best Carne Asada
- Tortilla chips
- Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Tacos
- The Best Mexican Rice
NOTES:
- It will take some time for the salsa to cool down since we are scorching it in the roasting process. I recommend making this several hours or even a day before you need it.
- If you are making the stove top version, make sure you don’t cook the garlic too long or it will add a sweetness to the salsa.
Roasted Tomato Habanero Salsa
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 4 large vine-ripened tomatoes
- 1/2 large or 1 small yellow or white onion cut in half, outer skin removed
- 2 large jalapeno peppers stems removed
- 2 habanero peppers stems removed
- 1 garlic clove still in its papery skin from the bulb
- Cilantro to taste
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Broiler roasting method
- Add tomatoes, onion, and peppers to a foil-lined baking sheet, save the garlic for later. Set broiler to high if you have an option. Place sheet pan under the broiler and let it do its thing for about 5 minutes, then check it. If some things are getting darker than others, move things around on the pan so everything gets roasted evenly. Add garlic.
- Once everything has a nice charred color on top, flip the veggies over to broil the other side, then when done, add to blender or food processor with garlic (skin removed), cilantro, salt & pepper. Let come to room temperature, then refrigerate until cool.
Stove Top roasting method
- Add the tomatoes, onion, peppers, and garlic to a heavy-bottom pan. I either use a cast iron skillet or a thick stainless steel pan. Turn heat to high/med-high and wait for the magic to happen. After a minute or two, remove the garlic from the pan and set it aside (you don't want to cook the garlic too long or it will turn sweet). You'll hear sizzling and maybe even popping sounds. After about 5-7 minutes, check the bottom of the veggies, and once charred, turn them over and continue roasting until all sides of the veggies have been nicely roasted.
- Finally, add everything to a blender or food processor with cilantro and salt & pepper. Once room temperature, refrigerate until needed. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Let me know in the comments below! ♥
I also have a fun Facebook group for us foodies to share recipes and talk about food. I’d love to have you! Request to join HERE. Cheers!
This salsa is bussin’!!
Never tasted anything better than this salsa!!
This is an amazing salsa! Making for the third time, but tripled the recipe due to an abundance of jalapeños and tomatoes in the garden. Would it freeze well for future use? Thank you!
I’m so glad that you enjoy it! Thank you for the feedback! I have never frozen salsa before, but I read that you can for up to 3-4 months! :)
My mother born and raised in Mexico is the best cook in my life! She always freezes her salsas for future use or to give away to me, so when I visit from out of town I have some scrumptious salsa to take home to feel like home!! Also, she par boils or roasts an extra fresh peppers she may have at hand and blends that as well. She freezes that to use in a future salsa just adding tomatoes or tomatillos or both. Hope this helps.
I love this!
I’m so glad! Thanks for letting me know :)
A 10/10