Slow Cooker Salsa
Made with fresh tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, and lime, this recipe for Slow Cooker Salsa is a great way to use up summer produce! Thanks to the convenience of a slow cooker, there’s no turning on the stove or oven!
Usually when I make salsa, I either roast the veggies in the oven, cook them in a pan, or boil them. However, it has been so hot lately, warming up my kitchen to make salsa is not an option.
That’s why this recipe for Slow Cooker Salsa is so great – you just chop your produce and throw it in the slow cooker!
When it’s done, you can either put it in a blender or use an immersion blender right in the slow cooker to make it smooth!
Ingredients needed for this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):
- Tomatoes – I use a combination of plum/Roma and vine-ripened tomatoes
- Jalapenos
- Onion – white or yellow
- Garlic
- Habanero peppers (optional)
- Lime
- Cilantro
- Salt & pepper
How to make Slow Cooker Salsa:
1) Simply chop your produce and add it to the slow cooker (except lime and cilantro).
2) After it’s done cooking, either add it to a blender or stick an immersion blender right in your slow cooker to make it as smooth as you want.
3) Add the lime juice, cilantro, and salt & pepper and let it cool before placing in refrigerator.
How to serve Slow Cooker Salsa?
- Great for topping tacos
- On Fajita Burrito Bowls
- Chips & salsa
- Use in recipes calling for salsa, like Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Tacos
- In Mexican rice instead of tomato/tomato paste
What kind of tomatoes should I use?
I like to use a combination of fresh Roma/plum tomatoes, which are “paste” tomatoes and fresh vine-ripened, slicing tomatoes.
The tomatoes do not need to be peeled prior to adding them to the slow cooker. They will break down wonderfully while cooking.
This recipe was created to use up plentiful summer produce, so it has not been tested on canned tomatoes.
How long is homemade salsa good for? Can I freeze it?
You can store the salsa in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Make sure it has cooled down before you refrigerate it.
This salsa can be frozen in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. However, the texture of the salsa may change since tomatoes contain a lot of water.
How spicy is this salsa?
You can make this salsa as spicy or mild as you desire.
Omit habanero peppers to make it less spicy. Reduce or omit the jalapenos for a very mild salsa.
Looking for more salsa recipes? Here are some favorites:
- Roasted Tomato Habanero Salsa
- Chile de Arbol Tomatillo Salsa
- Easy Homemade Salsa
- Roasted Tomatillo Avocado Salsa (shown below)
NOTES:
- Please use real lime juice, not the juice from the store-bought, squeezable plastic bottles – they have additives that change the taste.
- Cilantro is a love/hate ingredient. Measure it with your heart ;)
Slow Cooker Salsa
Equipment
- 4-5 quart slow cooker
- blender or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 3 plum/Roma tomatoes chopped
- 3 large vine-ripened/slicing tomatoes chopped
- 3 jalapenos sliced, stems removed
- 1 yellow or white onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 habanero peppers stems removed
- 1 lime
- chopped cilantro to taste
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the produce except for the cilantro and lime to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours.
- Either ladle contents of slow cooker to a blender or use an immersion blender in the slow cooker to your desired consistency.
- Squeeze the juice of half of a lime into the salsa and add the cilantro, salt & pepper. Stir everything so it's combined and give it a taste. Feel free to add the juice of the other lime half, more cilantro, or more salt & pepper to taste. Let cool before refrigerating. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Rate it and let me know in the comments below! ♥
