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Make your own Mexican-inspired roasted salsa at home with this Homemade Roasted Red Salsa recipe! With only a few veggies and pantry staples, this mouthwatering salsa is a fiesta of savory, fiery, sweet, and tangy flavors.
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Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love this Roasted Red Salsa Recipe!
- Ingredients for Roasted Tomato Salsa
- How to Make Homemade Roasted Red Salsa
- Toni’s Tips for Roasted Tomato Salsa
- FAQs for Homemade Roasted Salsa
- Serving Suggestions for Roasted Red Salsa
- Storage Instructions for Roasted Salsa
- More Homemade Salsas to Dip Into!
- Homemade Roasted Red Salsa Recipe
Why You’ll Love this Roasted Red Salsa Recipe!
Called Salsa Roja by locals, this type of Mexican sauce or dip is traditionally made with tomatoes, chilies, onions, garlic, and cilantro. This roasted red salsa recipe adds a dash of sugar and splash of vinegar for more flavor dimension, then roasts the veggies in the oven. Often served with crunchy tortilla chips, this roasted salsa is also perfect drizzled over vegan tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and fajitas.
So next Taco Tuesday (or whenever you’re craving a delicious salsa!), skip the bottled stuff and try this unbeatable flavor (bonus: no preservatives!). It takes only 25 minutes to prep the veggies and throw them into the oven. Then toss everything in a food processor and blend away! Plus, it’s super affordable and saves money over the pre-made salsa. Even better, you can personalize the roasted salsa to your taste: from the spice level, to the sweet or tang.
Want to try more homemade salsas? Check out my garden fresh salsa, tomatillo green chili salsa, or roasted chili corn salsa!
Ingredients for Roasted Tomato Salsa
- Yellow onion: There is nothing like roasted, caramelized onions to add a savory and sweet flavor to the tomato salsa.
- Roma tomatoes: These are perfect when making salsa because they are tender and plump with less water content than most tomatoes! If you do not have this, you can use any type of big red tomatoes you can find. If they are too juicy, just press and drain them a bit before roasting.
- Jalapeno peppers: These will give your roasted salsa a zesty punch! If you like less spicy salsa, you can de-seed it first or use poblano peppers instead.
- Garlic: You can never go wrong with a little bit of garlic in your salsa!
- Brown sugar: For a touch of sweetness! You can also use agave or maple syrup as substitutes.
- Salt: To enhance the flavors all together.
- Apple cider vinegar: A splash of acidity that cuts through all the savory and spicy flavors and balances the flavors perfectly. White vinegar or lime juice are great alternatives.
- Cilantro: Adds a touch of freshness.
How to Make Homemade Roasted Red Salsa
Preparations:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Line a baking tray with aluminum foil.
- Slice your veggies into quarters/halves.
Steps:
Step 1: First, roast the veggies. Begin by placing all the sliced veggies in your prepared baking pan in a single layer. Then place the pan in the oven and roast the veggies undisturbed for 10 to 15 minutes until they start to turn a light golden brown.
Step 2: Once roasted, turn the oven off and remove the veggies from the heat. Then, allow the veggies to cook in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes. Next, place them into the food processor bowl. Then, add the rest of the ingredients and blend until you are satisfied with the consistency of your salsa.
Step 3: Finally, season salsa to taste and chill in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
Toni’s Tips for Roasted Tomato Salsa
- Even sized: Choose tomatoes of the same size as much as possible and slice them into equal proportions, so they roast evenly in the oven.
- Adjust texture: You can make your salsa chunky by reducing the blending time, or you can make it very smooth by blitzing the veggies longer.
- Add spices/smokiness: I like to add in a bit of chipotle pepper or smoked paprika for some smokey flavor. You can also roast veggies longer until you see some blistered, charred spots to add a natural smokey taste.
- Add fruit: You can also add some fruit to brighten it up. Mango and pineapple are both great. Simply cut them up and roast them with the veggies. However, if you are adding these to your salsa roja, omit the sugar to keep it from becoming overly sweet.
- Let it rest: Letting your salsa rest and chill is important to allow all the flavors to mesh together properly.
FAQs for Homemade Roasted Salsa
While both are made primarily from tomatoes, onions, chilies, and cilantro, Pico de Gallo, also called salsa cruda, is served chopped and raw. Meanwhile, salsa roja, either cooked or not cooked, is blended together to make a thick sauce.
Absolutely! Place all the veggies on the grill rack and cook until they are browned. A few charred spots are okay and will add a smokey flavor to your salsa.
Yes, you can. But it is not a necessary step unless your tomatoes are extra watery.
It can be because the tomatoes you used are the juicy variety. Alternatively, maybe you added too much vinegar into it. If this happens, adding a bit of cornstarch will help thicken it.
Serving Suggestions for Roasted Red Salsa
- Dip: Go the classic route and use it to dip air fryer tortilla chips or homemade tortillas!
- Burritos: Drizzle over or inside quinoa burritos, rice and bean burritos, or sweet potato burritos.
- Breakfast dishes: Serve on or alongside breakfast tacos, breakfast burritos, or tofu scramble.
- Tacos: Can’t be this roasted salsa for Taco Tuesday with tofu tacos, lentil tacos, cauliflower tacos, or even crunchy taco boats.
- Mexican food classics: Serve with sofritas, jackfruit carnitas, vegan quesadillas, and enchiladas.
- Salads: This roasted salsa could double as a dressing on taco salad, or even with southwest quinoa salad or edamame salad.
Storage Instructions for Roasted Salsa
Fridge: Place your salsa in a sealed jar or airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Do not leave it unrefrigerated for long to keep it from spoiling sooner. If your homemade salsa starts to smell funky and shows some discoloration, do not use it anymore.
Freezer: To keep it longer, you can also freeze it for a month or two.
More Homemade Salsas to Dip Into!
Vegan Appetizers
Mango Cucumber Salsa
Vegan Appetizers
5 Minute Restaurant Style Blender Salsa
Vegan Appetizers
Easy Peach Salsa
Vegan Appetizers
Avocado Green Salsa
If you tried this homemade roasted red salsa recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
If you’re loving my recipes and would like a more comprehensive resource, check out my cookbooks!
Homemade Roasted Red Salsa
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Ingredients
- ½ medium yellow onion cut into quarters
- 4 ripe Roma tomatoes halved
- 1 jalapeno pepper, halved (seeds removed if you like a mild salsa)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- ½ Tablespoon of brown sugar (or agave or maple syrup)
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar or lime juice)
- ¼ cup of fresh cilantro coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil.
- Lay all of the vegetables in a single layer on the prepared baking tray and bake undisturbed for 10 to 15 minutes until veggies are starting to brown.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Add all veggies and remaining ingredients to the bowl of the food processor and process until you reach ideal salsa consistency (some like it chunkier than others). Season to taste and chill for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Even sized: Choose tomatoes of the same size as much as possible and slice them into equal proportions, so they roast evenly in the oven.
- Adjust texture: You can make your salsa chunky by reducing the blending time, or you can make it very smooth by blitzing the veggies longer.
- Add spices/smokiness: I like to add in a bit of chipotle pepper or smoked paprika for some smokey flavor. You can also roast veggies longer until you see some blistered, charred spots to add a natural smokey taste.
- Add fruit: You can also add some fruit to brighten it up. Mango and pineapple are both great. Simply cut them up and roast them with the veggies. However, if you are adding these to your salsa roja, omit the sugar to keep it from becoming overly sweet.
- Let it rest: Letting your salsa rest and chill is important to allow all the flavors to mesh together properly.
Nutrition
Additional Info
Looks so amazing!
This is SOOOO good with chips!
Such a yummy snack!
Perfect for a party table! Thanks!
Yessss! Always a hit!
Such a delicious salsa! Freshly homemade just tastes 1000 times better 🙂
Nothing like a homemade recipe with no preservatives!
Yay for homemade salsa!
Nothing like it!
Nothing beats some homemade salsa. Love how easy this recipe is!
Seriously! So good!
So tasty and full of yummy flavor!