Learn how to make easy Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde, packed with so much flavor! Perfect with corn chips, enchiladas, tacos and more. With this homemade recipe, you’ll never want store-bought salsa verde again!
This is the best tomatillo salsa verde recipe, thanks to the flavor from charred and roasted tomatillos, poblanos and jalapenos!
First published May 2016
This is by far one of my favorite dips to eat with corn chips. Once I started making my own homemade salsa verde, I did NOT want anything to do with store-bought salsa verde ever again. Thanks to the simple cooking technique of oven roasting or charring, this spicy roasted tomatillo salsa has so much flavor. Even better, it’s super simple to make.
Why I love this recipe
- I share how to make this easy roasted salsa verde recipe step by step.
- I also share how to adjust for a roasted tomatillo salsa verde canning recipe, which involves a few extra steps.
- Since we are roasting the tomatillos first, you don’t have to use tomatillos in their prime. You can use slightly overripe and slightly bruised tomatillos too. So it’s great to reduce food wastage.
- This recipe can be used as a dip, topping, or sauce.
- The nice char on the tomatillos adds more flavor.
- A super easy and authentic salsa verde recipe, made with oven roasted tomatillos.
Ingredients
- Tomatillos (also known as Mexican husk tomatoes)
- Poblano
- Jalapenos (you can deseed the jalapenos if you want to tone down the spiciness)
- Garlic
- Onion
- Cilantro (leaves and stems)
- Lime
- Cumin
- Salt
How to choose tomatillos
The most important ingredient in this recipe is of course tomatillos. Contrary to what they look like, these are NOT small, unripe tomatoes. Tomatillos have an identity of their own. They are small, bright green tomato-shaped fruits, that have a thin husk around them. They are more acidic and not as sweet as tomatoes. They are also more firm and dense than tomatoes.
While they can be eaten raw, and you can make raw tomatillo salsa, I find the raw salsa verde to be too tangy. By roasting the tomatillos, the acidity is less pronounced, and you get more flavor from the tomatillos as well. Plus, the added charring yields even more flavor to this spicy salsa verde.
For this recipe, I use green tomatillos. You can also find yellow and purple tomatillos in other parts of the world. But unfortunately, I only have access to green tomatillos.
If you’re using raw tomatillos to make salsa verde, you absolutely need to buy the best tomatillos you can find.
This includes,
- Beautiful bright green tomatillos,
- Firm to the touch,
- The husk should be tightly wrapped around the entire fruit (with only the bottom visible), and with no tearing.
- Skin that is lighter in spots and fruits that are soft can mean that the tomatillo is overripe.
Here’s the good news!
Since we are oven roasting these tomatillos for the salsa verde, we don’t need to purchase picture perfect fruits. It’s OK to have some light spots on the skin (i.e. overripe). It’s OK if the tomatillos are a little soft. And it’s absolutely OK if the husks are a little torn up, as long as the fruit inside still looks good.
So by making roasted tomatillo salsa, you can use up tomatillos that are a little old, or a little “ugly”, and still have a ridiculously delicious dip and sauce.
You don’t need to purchase the freshest tomatillos to make this homemade salsa verde! This is a great recipe to use up slightly overripe, “ugly produce” tomatillos.
How to make oven roasted tomatillo salsa verde
The first step is to prep the tomatillos. Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse them well in warm water to remove the sticky residue on the surface of the fruits.
Wash the poblano peppers and jalapeno peppers as well. Once rinsed, pat dry the tomatillos, poblano peppers and jalapenos. By drying them, it’ll be easier to get a nice char on them.
I like making spicy tomatillo salsa, so I keep the jalapeno seeds, but if you don’t like spicy – you can deseed the jalapenos.
Peel and slice the onion. You can simply halve it or quarter it too. Peel some garlic cloves and wrap them in foil. (Here’s my recipe for roasted garlic.)
Line a baking tray with foil and place all the ingredients on the baking tray. Toss them with some oil and salt. Place the baking tray in the oven and roast the tomatillos until you get a nice char on the tomatillos and peppers.
When the tomatillos and all the other ingredients have a nice char on them and have softened, remove the tray from the oven and let it cool down a little.
Then, simply put all the ingredients in a food processor, along with some cilantro, cumin and salt, and pulse until you have a smooth oven roasted tomatillo salsa, made with charred tomatillos and peppers. All of that charring will add plenty of flavor!
Finally, add a little lime juice and more salt to taste and you end up with the best salsa verde you’ve ever made!
Can I can this salsa verde recipe
Yes, but you absolutely MUST add a little extra vinegar to make this safe to can. You cannot can this recipe as is. That’s because salsa isn’t acidic enough on its own to be canned safely.
To make canned roasted salsa verde, once you have added just a touch of lime juice to the recipe, you must add
- About 2 – 3 tbsp of white vinegar, OR
- 2 – 3 tbsp BOTTLED lime juice. This is the only time I recommend using bottled lime juice for a recipe, because it’s more acidic than fresh lime juice.
It’s best to use tomatillos that aren’t over-ripe, and are bright green and firm to make salsa verde for canning. I also recommend at least doubling this recipe, so that you have a larger amount to can. Or use the recipe here for canning.
Canning roasted salsa verde
Make sure that you use canning jars that have been designed for heating and sealing. Ball canning jars are excellent
Make the salsa verde according to the recipe, but transfer the salsa into a medium pot and add the vinegar or bottled lime juice. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Place the jars in a canning rack to prevent the jars from touching the bottom of the pot. Preheat the jars in simmering water (180 F/83 C). Drain the water and place the jars on a flat surface.
Transfer the hot, roasted tomatillo salsa verde into the jars, making sure there is a 0.5 inch gap between the salsa and the lid. Tap the jars to get rid of any air bubbles in the salsa.
Wipe the rims with a clean damp cloth, as there should not be any salsa on the lips of the jars.
Close the lids until finger-tip tight. The Ball jars usually come with a lid and the ring.
Place the jars in the canning pot, with water 1 – 2 inches over the top of the jar. Bring the water to a rolling boil over medium heat, and let the jars sit for 15 – 20 minutes.
Then switch off the heat and allow the roasted salsa bottle rest in the water for 5 minutes.
Finally, remove the jars from the canning pot and let them rest on a flat surface for 12 – 24 hours. Check for the pop on the lid to make sure the salsa is sealed properly.
To make a canned roasted tomatillos salsa verde recipe, you need to use firm tomatillos and add extra acidity to make sure it preserves well. Also processing the recipe with appropriate canning equipment will ensure that it lasts longer.
Storage instructions
Storage instructions will change depending on how you make the homemade roasted tomatillo salsa verde.
Freshly made salsa verde storage
This can be stored in the fridge for about 10 days. You can also freeze the salsa verde and keep it frozen for up to 3 months.
Canned salsa verde storage
If the canning worked (pop test on the lid), then you can place them in a dark and cool place for about 12 months. Once opened, it must be consumed within 10 days and be refrigerated.
Recipes to use with this salsa verde
As a dip for corn chips or regular potato chips.
As a topping for tacos, nachos or rice bowls.
You can also use this roasted salsa verde to make enchilada sauce by adding some chicken broth or carnita broth (my favorite) to thin it out.
You can also add this salsa verde to chicken or pork while cooking to make green chile chicken or pork!
Add it to soup to make green chile chicken soup or even a stew.
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Easy Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Ingredients:
- 455 g tomatillos 1 lb, about 8–9 medium-sized tomatillos (see recipe notes)
- 3 poblanos
- 2 jalapenos for an extra spicy kick
- 1 medium red onion cut into quarters / wedges or thick slices. Yellow or vidalia onion can also be used
- vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- Handful of cilantro leaves and stems
- 1 lime you may not need to use the whole lime
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp white vinegar only if you're canning the recipe
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde (makes about 1½ cups)
- Remove the husks from the tomatillos and wash them in warm water to remove the sticky residue. Also wash the poblano and jalapeno peppers.455 g tomatillos, 3 poblanos, 2 jalapenos
- Place the tomatillos and peppers on a napkin and pat dry.
- Peel and cut the onion into quarters.1 medium red onion
- Preheat the oven to 450 °F / 232°C. Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil and brush it with some oil.
- Place the tomatillos, poblano peppers, jalapenos, and onion on the lined baking sheet. Drizzle some oil on top and a generous sprinkling of salt and toss to mix and coat evenly.455 g tomatillos, 3 poblanos, 2 jalapenos, 1 medium red onion, vegetable oil, Salt to taste
- Wrap oil-coated garlic cloves in a small piece of foil and place it on the baking sheet as well.4 garlic cloves
- Roast the tomatillos in the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes, flipping them once half way through. The time is a guideline – the tomatillos and peppers should be roasted until there is a nice char on them, and are softened.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it cool.
- Remove the stems from the poblano and jalapeno peppers (de-seed the jalapeno peppers if you prefer a mild salsa verde). Unwrap the softened garlic cloves from the foil and let them cool.
- OPTIONAL – Remove the skins if you like (I don't do this).
- Place the roasted tomatillos, poblano, jalapeno, garlic, onion, cumin, cilantro, sugar and juice of ½ lime in a food processor.¼ tsp ground cumin, Handful of cilantro, ½ tsp sugar, 1 lime
- Pulse until everything is evenly chopped. Taste and add more lime juice if needed, and season with salt. Pour the salsa into an air-tight container or glass jar and store in the fridge until needed.1 lime, Salt to taste
- Pour into a serving dish and serve.
OPTIONAL – For canning salsa verde (preferably, double the recipe)
- You can use the recipe here for canning, or follow the following steps.
- Once the salsa verde is processed in the food processor, transfer the salsa into a pot.
- Stir in the white vinegar and bring the salsa verde to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes, stirring frequently.2 tbsp white vinegar
- Place the canning jars in a canning rack and submerge them in the water in your canning pot. Simmer the water at 180°F / 83°C to preheat the jars.
- Pour the hot salsa into the warmed canning jars, leaving ½ inch gap between the salsa and the lid. Gently tap the jars on the counter to remove any trapped air bubbles.
- Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp, clean cloth to remove any salsa.
- Close the jars with the lids until finger-tip tight.
- Place the jars in the canning pot and fill with water, until there's 1 – 2 inches of water above the lid. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, and let the water gently boil for about 15 – 20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the water for about 5 minutes before removing them from the water. Rest the jars for a further 12 – 24 hours at room temperature.
- Test the lids to see if they have sealed properly. If properly sealed, they can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 12 months.
Tips & Tricks
Choosing tomatillos
The best tomatillos are firm and bright green. But since we are roasting these first, it’s OK if the tomatillos are a little soft, and have some discoloration on the skin. Make sure they are not TOO soft, or have gone bad. For canning – it’s preferable to use firm tomatillos to reduce any chance of spoiling.Tips for canning
At least double the recipe for canning. This will yield about 24 fl ounces or 3 cups of salsa.Storage
Roasted salsa verde will last in the fridge for about 7 – 10 days with proper refrigeration. I prefer to store salsa verde in the freezer, which will keep for about 3 months.Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Robin K says
The flavor was great, a little spicy, but I’m good with that. Only problem I had was that it was very thick, I added the juice of two more limes. Still very thick. Any thoughts on what I could thin it with without losing the flavor>
Dini says
Hi Robin
This is a salsa recipe, so it is meant to be thick and a little chunky so it can be scooped up. It is not meant to be a thin sauce.
Also, since the ingredients are oven roasted, this means that some of the water content evaporates during the roasting process to enhance and concentrate the flavors.
If you wanted a sauce like salsa, then you can reintroduce the water that is taken out during the roasting process. This can affect the flavor a little by diluting the concentrated flavor.
Hope that helps.
cjdesai says
Keep the seeds, double the cumin and garlic, all to your own liking, because this is a great recipe. Even a bell pepper would be great in here.
judy mitchell says
Really great salsa..been looking for ways to make it, and this turned out to be the one I was looking for. Thank you
Dawn says
Love love this one a little spicy but very tasteful
Robin says
This is the best recipe & simple to make!
Deb says
Excellent recipe! I made the salsa and went ahead and used it to make the green enchilada sauce recipe but not before I kept a little of the salsa aside to eat with chips. It was nice and spicy and so very full of flavor.
A real keeper. I’ll be making more of this very soon!
Andrea says
Wow! This was my first time making a green salsa. This was FANTASTIC!! We tested it without the cumin and garlic, and for sure it needed it. We added the roasted garlic and the spices. Wowza! Just incredible. I had never used tomatillos before either. The whole shopping and then peeling and washing and then roasting was really cool. Brushing the peppers and tomatillos really helped get the roasted color on them too. We ended up with some juices in the roasting/broiler sheet. We scraped and went ahead and added it for more flavor. This gave us exactly 1 mason jar, 160z, of green salsa. Tomorrow we will use it to make poblano quesadillas! But it’s so delish all by itself with chips. Thank you for this awesome recipe and experience!!
Vicky torres says
I loved this recipe
Sid says
Made a short (1/3) batch and it came out perfect. Reminded us of the salsa verde we had in the streets of Mexico. Brilliant
Jennifer says
Delicious! The best salsa verde I’ve ever had, it makes amazing enchiladas! I used homegrown tomatillos, pablanos, onions and jalapenos. I will definitely be making more and canning it.
Rene says
Fantastic recipe !! i added some red asian tia bird chillies ,cheicken stock and roasted a tomato with all the other stuff and added it all together and pureed. Thank you so much and im happy i found your on google images .
Regards,
Rene , Florida
JJ says
This recipe is great! So ridiculously easy and as the author said, packed with SO MUCH flavor! I made 2 batches and am so happy with the results that I am going back to my local organic farm stand to buy more ingredients to make more before the seasons ends. I’m going to be canning them too! This has now made me want to see what other sauces are offered here on the Flavor Blender. Thank you!
Janice Godfrey says
I forgot to add the 5 stars!
Cyndy says
Mixed with some coleslaw sauce and shredded cabbage on fish tacos……yum!
E&E says
We enjoyed the recipe! The poblano peppers roasted fine in the oven. I usually just rinse the peppers really well; sometimes I use a little soap diluted with water to clean then. My husband put them in a bowl and covered them with plastic wrap. I like to remove the black parts, too. [A lot of cooking is trial and error, yet that’s how new recipes are discovered:) By the way, roasted garlic was a amazing!]
Wesley Bielinski says
Do you remove the waxy coating on the Poblano’s before processing? I’ve always “burned” Poblano’s directly on the stove’s gas burners, once blackened you put them in a bowl and cover to allow them to steam and then rub all the black off, rinse and process.
Beth Adams says
Best salsa verde recipe I’ve come across, flavor was perfect.
Jenny Nellis says
I looove this recipe! One of the best Verde sauces I have ever had!
Made it to go with taco night and people couldn’t stop eating it. I am going to try and can it today. Hoping for the best! Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Dani says
Did you can this .?? and how long did you process?
Cindy Palmer says
OMG just made this I will never buy jar salsa verda again! Posted pic on face book!
Briana says
Made this tonight and it’s yummy! It was easy to make and the flavor is awesome! It is pretty spicy- which I like, but just be aware. 🙂
Kerry says
Have you ever tried freezing this to have on hand?
Dini says
Hi Kerry! I haven’t frozen it myself (it always gets used within a day!) but I wouldn’t have an issue freezing this, and using it within a week. I would freeze it in portions if you feel that you won’t use it all up at once, to prevent refreezing.
Hope that helps!
Dini
Jamie says
To have a cleaner texture after you char the peppers put them in a plastic bag to steam for 30 min and peel the skins. Growing up in California I use chard peppers in numerous recipes.
Dini says
Hi Jamie! 🙂 I usually steam for about 15 minutes to remove the skin for all my bigger peppers, but I don’t for the smaller ones like jalapenos. But I chose not to do that for the Poblanos for this recipe, because I like it with the skin on (extra char flavor!!), but steaming to remove the skins is definitely an option if you like a smoother sauce-like salsa verde!
Winnie says
WOWWW This Salsa Verde looks GOOD !!
I’m pretty lazy when it comes to cooking but I need to ask our housekeeper to make it. It will be a hit with my family
IGOR @ COOKING THE GLOBE says
This Salsa Verde looks amazing! I discovered tomatillos only few months ago when the Mexican soup recipe called for them. I actually loved the taste of these little guys so I am going to try this sauce, Dini. Thanks for the recipe!
Suzanne says
Looks incredibly delicious.
Just Jo says
Oh yum yum yum! I could think of so many ways to enjoy this salsa verde. It looks gorgeous 😀
Kristen says
Gosh, this looks really good. Salsa Verde is my husband’s favorite. I might try this for his birthday
Molly Kumar says
This looks so tempting Dini, I wish I could scoop some of the tomatillo salsa and chips right out of the computer screen 🙂
Dini says
Thank you Molly! 🙂 It’s definitely hard to stop eating this once you start! I have to ask my husband to hide the corn chips and salsa! 🙂
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says
Roasting always makes all vegetables taste so good doesn’t it? Tomatillos are not really a thing in the UK – but I do want to get some and try this.
Dini says
Roasting is the best! 🙂 Tomatillos were never a thing in NZ or Australia when I lived there, but thankfully I can find them everywhere here! Thank you for visiting my blog Helen! 🙂
Beth @ Binky's Culinary Carnival says
I agree with you, roasting the vegetables makes a huge difference in the finished salsa! Lovely!
Dini says
Thank you Beth! Yes, roasting makes all the difference to the flavor and texture of the Salsa! 🙂
Julie says
This salsa verde looks amazing! I love how thick it is. Usually, they are so thin that they just fall off your chips. This one is definitely scoopable! Pinned!!
Dini says
Thank you so much Julie! Isn’t that the worst? I hate salsa that doesn’t stay on the chip! Roasting the ingredients make the salsa thicker, and all the flavour is concentrated too 🙂 Hope you try this!
Bam's Kitchen says
Love roasted tomatillos. They are so vibrant and make the salsa so delicious. Gorgeous moody photos! Sharing everywhere my friend!
Dini says
Thank you so much Bobbi!! Aren’t roasted Tomatillos the best? I make Salsa verde whenever I can, and I actually like it more than regular salsa too!