This easy Taco Salsa recipe is made with fresh vegetables and spices that are pulsed in a blender and cooked in a hot pan to make an authentic Mexican street taco sauce. With hints of smoky, spicy flavor complemented by fresh lime and cilantro, it's the perfect cooked salsa for tacos, burritos, or chips and dip. It's a true restaurant-style salsa that you'll love every time!
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If you're looking for a new restaurant-style, flavorful salsa that's easy to make and a deep red color, this Taco Salsa recipe is just for you! Traditionally, an authentic Mexican salsa recipe like this one could be called salsa roja, salsa de mesa, or roja salsa frita (fried salsa). Whatever you call it, this cooked salsa makes an ideal street taco sauce or appetizer for game day, Taco Tuesday, or Cinco de Mayo!
The original inspiration for the flavors and ingredients in this recipe came from Alton Brown’s Salsa Recipe, while the cooking method was inspired by the process in our Chicken Tortilla Soup. For another great salsa recipe, check out our Roasted Pineapple Habanero Salsa.
🍅 Ingredients for cooked salsa
A full list of ingredients is in the recipe card below, but here are some useful tips:
- Roma tomatoes: This recipe uses fresh tomatoes, not canned. The flavor just isn't the same, so I don't recommend substituting.
- Jalapenos: If you want extra spice, leave the seeds in. For a milder salsa, remove them.
- Red bell pepper: Adds flavor, but not spice.
- Guajillo chiles: These are mirasol chiles that, once dried, are called guajillo chiles. They add a delicious smoky flavor to the salsa. You can find them at a Mexican market or in the Mexican aisle at many grocery stores, or you can even get guajillo chiles (affiliate) online. You can also substitute with dried ancho chiles.
- Chili powder: This adds tons of flavor - don't skip it.
- Lime juice: Use freshly-squeezed lime juice (not the bottled kind). It honestly makes the biggest difference!
🔪 How to make Taco Salsa
This salsa can be made in 4 simple steps.
- First, chop the fresh ingredients into large chunks and throw them in a blender along with the dried chiles and chili powder. Blend until smooth.
- Next, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a deep pot or dutch oven (affiliate). Once hot, pour in the salsa and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often. The salsa will splatter and pop as it cooks, so be careful!
- Remove the salsa from the pan and let it cool to room temperature.
- Last, stir in the lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper.
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
When we invite crowds over for taco night, this Taco Salsa is one of the first to get devoured. Making an extra large batch is super easy - just double or triple the ingredients depending on the size of the crowd. I recommend blending one recipe at a time, then cooking it all together (most blenders aren’t big enough for 2-3 recipes).
🙋 Questions and Answers
Not all salsa need to be cooked. However, in this recipe frying the salsa in hot oil enhances the flavor, deepens the color, and helps bind the salsa together. Leaving it uncooked simply does not have the same results. Don't skip it!
If you are in a pinch and need the cooked salsa to cool fast, pour it in a thin layer on a cookie sheet and pop it in the freezer. Stir it every 5-7 minutes until it is cool.
If stored in an air-tight container, this street taco sauce should last up to a week in the fridge. But fair warning... it will probably all be eaten by then. 😉
This is a great salsa recipe for tacos, Mexican bowls, or burritos. We also love serving it as an appetizer with tortilla chips!
📖 Other Mexican favorites
- Taco Salsa (or Street Taco Sauce) is killer good on (you guessed it)... street tacos! Try this amazing Grilled Street Taco Marinade on chicken or skirt steak.
- Cilantro Lime Rice is a super easy Mexican side dish that can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stove with just a few simple ingredients.
- A go-to staple in our house, this Chicken Tortilla Soup is perfect for cold, wintery days. Super flavorful and healthy too!
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Use the best fresh ingredients you can find. The more flavorful the vegetables, the better the salsa will be.
- Cook the salsa in a very deep pot or use a splash guard/splatter screen. The salsa splatters and pops a lot while cooking, so this will save you some cleanup.
- To keep the lime juice and cilantro tasting fresh, wait until the salsa is fully cooled before mixing them in.
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📋 Recipe
Easy Taco Salsa (Street Taco Sauce)
Ingredients
- 6 roma tomatoes cut in half
- 1 red bell pepper cut into large chunks
- 2 jalapeños tops removed
- ½ medium red onion cut into large chunks
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 guajillo chiles dried (or substitute with dried ancho chiles)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Add tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapeños, red onion, garlic, guajillo chiles, and chili powder to blender. Blend until smooth.
- In a deep pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Pour in salsa and cook for 8-10 minutes, until salsa has reduced, thickened slightly, and deepened in color. Careful - salsa will splatter and pop.
- Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cool, stir in lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Serve on tacos, burritos, Mexican bowls, or with chips.
- We love comments! Please come back and leave us one after you’ve tried this recipe.
Notes
- Use the best fresh ingredients you can find. The more flavorful the vegetables, the better the salsa will be.
- Cook the salsa in a very deep pot or use a splash guard/splatter screen. The salsa splatters and pops a lot while cooking, so this will save you some cleanup.
- To keep the lime juice and cilantro tasting fresh, wait until the salsa is fully cooled before mixing them in.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Julie says
Bold Flavors, but yet easy to make. Definite must have w/chips!!
Misty says
Glad you like it! It's a little bit different, but really tasty.
Jeff W. says
Should I core the tomatoes?
Misty says
There is no need to core the tomatoes, but you can if you prefer to.
Mitzi White says
Looking at you taco salsa recipe and how you use the Guajillo pepper. Do you rehydrate the pepper?
Misty says
Hi Mitzi, since this salsa is blended there is no need to rehydrate the chilis. Just pop them in the blender and zoom really well. Enjoy!
Patricia says
This was sooo good. I substituted a heaping tsp of ancho Chile powder for each chile since that is what I had on hand. So yummy!
Misty says
Great tip! Thanks for sharing. Glad you liked it.
Martha says
Delicious!
Misty says
Glad you liked it!
Tammy says
This is one of the best salsas I have found on the internet thus far. I added a little cumin for my families taste buds, and used ancho chile powder, since that is what I had on hand. Thank YOU!
Misty says
So happy to hear how much you enjoyed it! The cumin sounds delish!
Nicole says
If you don’t add the cilantro and lime could this salsa be canned?
Misty says
Hi Nicole! To be completely honest, we really don't have enough canning experience to know. We've only ever made it fresh and stored it in the fridge. But we hope you enjoy it!
Dave says
So goooood!
Misty says
Yay, happy you loved it!
Melanie says
The flavor of this salsa is unbelievable. We ate all of it!
Misty says
So glad you liked it!