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A good salsa can make any meal better, and this tomatillo green chili salsa is outstanding! It’s perfect for Taco Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, as well as elevating everyday meals. This flavorful green salsa is a fresh and herbal twist on a traditional red salsa.
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Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love this Tomatillo Green-Chili Salsa Recipe!
- Ingredients for Green Chili Salsa
- How to Make Green Chili Tomatillo Salsa
- Toni’s Recipe Tips for Tomatillo Salsa
- FAQs for Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa
- Variations on Tomatillo Salsa
- Storage Instructions for Green Chili Salsa
- Serving Suggestions for Green Chili Tomatillo Salsa
- More Homemade Salsa Recipes to Try!
- Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa Recipe
Why You’ll Love this Tomatillo Green-Chili Salsa Recipe!
Nothing quite beats the fresh flavors of a homemade salsa. Homemade salsa not only saves money over store-bought salsa, but is quick and often easy to prepare. You can make this tomatillo green chili salsa on the stovetop within 20 minutes!
The tomatillos bring a light, fresh citrus and herb flavor to the salsa, which is a refreshing change from a tomato-based salsa. Or it makes a great option to serve alongside your favorite red salsa and this creamier avocado tomatillo salsa! Plus, you can adjust the flavors to your preferences. Make it as spicy or as mild as you enjoy!
Just like other salsas, you can serve this one with all your favorite Mexican recipes such as tofu tacos, vegan bean quesadillas, or veggie fajitas!
Ingredients for Green Chili Salsa
Simple ingredients come together in this green tomatillo salsa. Find them in your local grocery store or farmer’s market.
- Tomatillos: Use fresh tomatillos when making this tomatillo salsa recipe.
- Roma tomatoes: Melds with the tangy, tart flavor of the tomatillos making a perfectly balanced and delicious salsa.
- Chilies: Jalapeño and anaheim chilis give this salsa a little heat and flavor.
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic works best when making homemade salsa.
- Red onion: The crisp, pungent flavor of red onion works great in this recipe but you could also use a white or yellow onion.
- Seasoning: Dried cumin and fresh cilantro provide the signature flavor to fresh salsa.
- Lime juice: Freshly squeezed juice is essential to the bright flavors of this salsa.
What Are Tomatillos?
This fruit is related to the tomato and sometimes is called a Mexican green tomato. It even resembles a small green tomato just a bit.
The main difference is that a tomatillo is covered in a husk which you must remove before cooking. Inside, tomatillos are generally less juicy, have smaller seeds, and have a much more tart flavor than tomatoes with some hints of apple, lemon, and herbs.
You can find tomatillos in many large grocery stores at different times of the year. Select tomatillos that are firm to the touch with tight-fitting husks.
Be sure to wash them well after removing the husks. Cooking tomatillos brings out their flavors but they can also be eaten in salsas and salads raw as well. When added to salsas, they bring a more acidic flavor than tomatoes.
How to Make Green Chili Tomatillo Salsa
This easy salsa is ready in about 20 minutes and requires only a handful of steps.
Step 1: First, roughly chop the tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic, chilies, jalapeño, and onion. Then, place them in a saucepan or pot about three-quarters cup of water, salt and cumin.
Step 2: Cook for about 15 minutes (or when it’s all cooked down and everything is soft). Next, turn off the heat and add the cilantro and lime juice along with salt to taste.
Step 3: Transfer everything to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Finally, serve immediately or store until ready to serve.
Toni’s Recipe Tips for Tomatillo Salsa
- Cook the veggies until soft to ensure the salsa blends up perfectly.
- Adjust the spiciness to your own taste!
- Want a raw tomatillo salsa? No problem, skip the step of cooking and blend everything up in your food processor. When uncooked, green salsa is likely to be a bit tangier in flavor with a chunky texture.
- Want a greener tomatillo salsa? Ditch the tomatoes and add more tomatillos.
FAQs for Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa
It depends on the type of chili used. Making it at home means you can adjust the spiciness. For a less spicy salsa, use milder chiles such as green chilies, anaheim chilies and some jalapenos. Additionally, you can remove the seeds and veins on the inside for a milder flavor. If spicy is your thing, you can use jalapenos, serranos or even habanero chiles for extra spiciness.
Yes, this will add a smokier flavor to your salsa especially if cooked over charcoal or on a gas grill. I recommend cooking the veggies on foil so they don’t fall through the grate.
Variations on Tomatillo Salsa
- Avocado tomatillo salsa has similar flavors but the preparation is slightly different.
- Pineapple tomatillo salsa: Mix in small diced pineapple to the final salsa for a slightly chunky version of the salsa or you can also add it to the blender to blend it all together. About ½ cup of pineapple is enough but you can adjust to your taste.
- Tomatillo habanero salsa: For an ultra spicy tomatillo salsa, swap out the jalapeno for habanero.
- Roasted tomatillo salsa: I find cooking in a saucepan a bit easier and makes a slightly milder salsa, but roasting the vegetables does add some additional flavor. To roast, spread out all the chopped veggies on a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 375° F for 15-20 minutes. Add water as needed to the blender to thin out the salsa to your liking.
Storage Instructions for Green Chili Salsa
- Refrigerator: Store in a jar or airtight container for up to five days.
- Freezer: This salsa is perfect for freezing so go ahead and make a giant batch. Divide it up and freeze in individual containers for up to three months.
Serving Suggestions for Green Chili Tomatillo 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: This salsa levels up breakfast tacos, breakfast burritos, or tofu scramble.
- Tacos: Include this salsa variation in your 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 green salsa could double as a dressing on taco salad, or even with southwest quinoa salad or edamame salad.
More Homemade Salsa Recipes to Try!
Vegan Appetizers
Homemade Roasted Red Salsa
Vegan Appetizers
Easy Peach Salsa
Vegan Appetizers
5 Minute Garden Fresh Salsa
Vegan Appetizers
Mango Cucumber Salsa
If you tried this easy Tomatillo Green Chili 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
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Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa
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Ingredients
- 5 tomatillos husked, washed and dried
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 1 jalapeño
- 1 anaheim chili
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ of a red onion
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- ¼ cup of cilantro
- juice from 1 small lime
Instructions
- Roughly chop your tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic, chilies, jalapeño, and onion, and saute them in a pan or pot with about ¾ cup of water and salt and cumin.
- After about 15 minutes (or when it's all cooked down and everything is soft) turn off the heat and add the cilantro and lime juice. Salt to taste.
- In a blender or food processor, process until smooth.
Notes
- Cook the veggies until soft to ensure the salsa blends up perfectly.
- Adjust the spiciness to your own taste!
- Want a raw tomatillo salsa? No problem, skip the step of cooking and blend everything up in your food processor. When uncooked, green salsa is likely to be a bit tangier in flavor with a chunky texture.
- Want a greener tomatillo salsa? Ditch the tomatoes and add more tomatillos.
Delish! Our family picked up a 70lb box of rescued farm produce yesterday that included a large number of tomatillos, Roma tomatoes, and caribe peppers. I was excited to make your salsa recipe and BOY did it deliver! I spent my afternoon making 8 batches of salsa to enjoy, save, and share. Thank you for your fantastic recipe post!
Love that! So glad you gave this recipe a go and enjoyed it! Toni has the best recipes 🙂
This salsa is sooo good!
Agreed! So flavorful!
Such a delicious salsa! One of our favorites for sure!
Same! So easy to make and so delicious!
The flavors in this are so good! Definitely making this often!
It’s a new staple in our household! So easy!
So yummy! Love adding it to my tacos and dipping tortilla chips in it too!
Yesss! It’s such a great addition to so many recipes!
Yum! Perfect for guests!
For sure! It’s always nice to have salsa ready to go!
Love how simple this salsa is to make! Perfect for gatherings!