Learn how to make an easy and flavorful salsa for canning that's safe, uses all-natural ingredients, and is thicker than typical canned salsas. It's our family's favorite and I know it will become yours, too!
Our family LOVES salsa - if we don't eat it everyday, at least I think it's safe to say we eat it every other day. So of course I would want to make our own salsa for canning from the garden tomatoes, peppers, and onions we grow. It took a number of years, though, to find a safe salsa recipe that was "the one."
When I finally did find my favorite salsa for canning, there was no going back - every August and September I make enough batches to see us through to the next season. Store-bought canned salsa can't hold a candle to this!
Finding a Safe Salsa Recipe to Can
The one thing I learned when teaching myself to can salsa was that in order to use a water-bath canner to make salsa shelf stable, it's important to use a recipe from a trusted source that uses USDA guidelines.
This is because there are so many low-acid ingredients in salsa (peppers, onions, and garlic) that it creates a delicate balance between the acid (tomatoes and usually another ingredient like vinegar or lemon juice) and the low-acid ingredients.
So I started testing recipes from a Kerr canning book, the Ball Blue Book, the Oregonian newspaper, and some preserving books from the library that all used safe guidelines. While they all had good flavor (I was using wonderful produce, after all!), they were usually really watery and/or vinegary. Boo.
I think others felt the same way, because a recipe soon appeared on the USDA website for a Tomato-Tomato Paste Salsa. It called for two 12-oz cans of tomato paste and 2 cups bottled lemon juice instead of vinegar, which produced a thick sauce and minus the overly vinegar taste.
Sadly, my search for the best recipe wasn't at an end, though. We found that the salsa wasn't very spicy and when I took the time to look at the ingredients of bottled lemon juice (it must be bottled - fresh lemon juice doesn't have the consistent acid level for canning) I saw that it's full of preservatives!
Great. I've got all these organically grown vegetables and I'm adding preservatives. Boo again.
The Best Salsa Recipe
I continued looking for the perfect canned salsa recipe and finally found the one that is now our favorite in a book from the library that published only tested recipes (I wish I had the title, but I just copied the recipe all those years ago before blogging).
UPDATE: A commenter shared that my base recipe is the same as this recipe on the Bernadin Canning website! You can see what I changed and added, especially standardizing the jalapenos since they can differ so much in size from year to year and variety. ALSO - you can add fresh cilantro if you want, even though I've suggested to not in the comments (I never add it and forgot it was originally included...).
It used just one small can of tomato paste and only 3/4 cup of vinegar, so it's still thick and the vinegar doesn't overpower the flavor (since the recipe calls for vinegar you can substitute bottled lemon or lime juice - I'd look for organic that doesn't have all the preservatives in it).
IMPORTANT NOTE: according to the USDA, it is safe to substitute bottled lemon juice OR bottled lime juice for the vinegar in this recipe if you wish, but NOT the other way - it is not safe to substitute vinegar for lemon juice in other recipes, since lemon is more acidic than vinegar.
I adapted the recipe by increasing the peppers by 1/2 cup, and then decreasing the onion by a 1/2 cup to keep the recipe in balance. This makes the salsa a bit more spicy, which we like.
I also added a few more dry seasonings which is okay to change in canning recipes since it doesn't affect acidity.
You can NOT add any other ingredients to this recipe, including things like mango, pineapple. It has not been tested with these ingredients.
NOTE: if your spice level is lower, use 1/2 cup more onions and 1/2 cup less peppers!
This salsa is really easy - the majority of time is spent prepping the ingredients, though a food processor makes it quicker. It cooks for only 30 minutes, which gives you just the right amount of time to get all the canning equipment in order and jars cleaned.
Perfect, right?
Salsa for Canning Tutorial
1) Start with 5-6 pounds of washed tomatoes.
I use about 1/2 slicing tomatoes and 1/2 paste tomatoes- the slicers have some of that great flavor and the paste tomatoes add thickness, so I like to include both.
2) Peel, Core & Chop
You can peel, core, and chop the tomatoes by hand OR use the food processor method to cut your prep time drastically:
After many years of blanching to peel and hand chopping, I now just core and quarter the tomatoes and use the food processor to chop them- peel and all!
No one can tell there are peels in the finished salsa and it takes SO much less time. This is awesome - do it and you won't be sorry.
Either way you chop, you want to measure out 7 cups. There are both large and small tomato chunks in the processed option, but it's not a big deal.
The One Drawback to Processing
When hand-chopping tomatoes, you can drain any water that accumulates while cutting them, which helps make a thicker salsa. However, this doesn't work with the quicker processing method, so the resulting salsa is a bit thinner, but the savings in time totally makes up for it, in my opinion.
UPDATE ON SAFETY OF USING SKINS IN CANNED PRODUCTS:
After a number of readers mentioned that they wondered if it was safe to keep the tomato skins on, I reached out to the Oregon State Extension Office about it. The professor I emailed with spent quite a bit of time researching this, in fact saying, "this one has been killing me – very difficult to track down any reliable information."
It basically boils down to this:
"Due to the consistent history of using peeled tomatoes in canning recipes, processing conditions using skin-on tomatoes have never been evaluated. It is possible that the skins have minimal to no impact on the thermal transfer, but this has not been verified." Joy W., Associate Professor, Oregon State University Extension
She cited the studies that have been done on tomatoes, finding some bacteria in the cores but that the remainder of the tomato was low in bacteria, as well as the recommendation to always add citric acid or lemon juice since the 1970s. There's nothing else, the NCHFP mainly states removing the peels are for texture reasons.
So here's my take that I wrote back to her:
"With modern appliances like food processors, we can chop the tomatoes and skins for products like chutney and salsa and have no issues with taste and texture. The tomatoes are still cored, so the root and stem ends that might have bacteria in them (according to the study you mentioned) are removed. Also, my tomatoes are grown and harvested by me using no pesticides.
Since we eat the skins of my peppers grown right next to the tomatoes and can them with the skins in jellies and chutneys, why not the tomatoes?
Because of this, I'll keep processing the tomatoes for chutney and salsa with the peels because it saves so much time, but I will mention the caution to my readers with your recommendation and let them make their own decision."
So - you choose!
Option: one commenter said he has been canning tomatoes for 40 years with skins - he simply gives them a bath in a bowl of white vinegar and water before coring. So if this makes you feel better, go for it!
3) Once you have 7 cups, place the prepped tomatoes into a large stockpot.
4) Prepare Peppers
You'll want to break out gloves for this next step - trust me, you will want gloves for this part. The one time I didn't use them I couldn't sleep that night because of the burning sensation in my hands that no amount of washing could remove!
Once you're gloved up, cut in half and seed enough Anaheim chilies to equal 1-1/2 cups chopped. You can use other mild, long green chilies or even add some sweet peppers if you'd like. It's okay to change the variety of peppers, just not the total amount in canned recipes.
Note on the photos: I was doubling the recipe when taking these photos, so there is more in each one than a single batch would call for - so yes, you can double the recipe!
You can simply cut the peppers in large chunks and put them in a food processor to do the rest, or chop them by hand. I like the way the processor chops them mostly fine, but also leaves a few larger pieces so that there are some peppers in every spoonful.
Once chopped and measured, put the mild peppers in the stockpot with the tomatoes.
Then chop jalapeño peppers to equal 1/2 cup, seeding if desired (leaving the seeds will result in a spicer salsa). Add them to the stockpot.
TIP: if you want a milder salsa, you can skip the jalapeños and use all milder peppers. If you'd like it spicier, decrease the mild peppers and increase the jalapeños. You can play around with the types of peppers you like best, just not the amount - a total of 2 cups of peppers for one batch is the limit for safety.
5) Prepare Onions
Peel and quarter onions, chopping enough to equal 1-1/2 cups, either by hand or in a food processor, and add to the pot.
6) Mince Garlic
Again, by hand or throw them in the processor, too.
NOTE: there are 6 cloves instead of the 3 the recipe calls for - remember I'm doubling the recipe, in order to get 10 to 11 pints out of each canning session.
7) Cook Salsa
Once the garlic is in the pot, add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and boil gently for 30 minutes. Stir often, making sure it doesn't burn on the bottom
TIP: cheap, thin-bottomed stock pots tend to burn, but thicker-bottomed pots don't - it's worth it to pay a few dollars more. #lessonlearned
Go here to see the canning essentials tools I use and recommend.
8) While the salsa is cooking, you can prepare your water-bath canner, jars, and lids. Here's step-by-step canning guide where I take you through the whole process if you've never canned before. And here is a video tutorial you can watch as well:
Wait, do I have to can it? Can I freeze salsa?
Nope, you don't have to can salsa - you can freeze salsa!
Just let the finished salsa cool enough to put into freezer safe containers and be sure to leave a good 2-inches headspace to allow for expansion.
TIP: If you are freezing, you can put as much peppers or other fresh ingredients you want in the salsa, including cilantro. You don't have to worry about low-acid food ratios or anything if you're not canning to make them shelf stable.
After 30 minutes, the salsa will have cooked down, looking nice and salsa-y, with flavors all melded into yummy goodness.
You can taste it at this point to see how spicy it is (every year my peppers are different, depending on our summer weather) and add cayenne pepper if you'd like to increase the spiciness.
You can also add salt, pepper, or dried herbs (again, dry ingredients are fine to add - you just can't add anything else fresh).
9) Can Salsa
Fill pint jars with salsa leaving a 1/2-inch headspace, attach lids and place in canner.
Bring to a boil and process pint jars for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let jars sit for 5 minutes. Remove jars from canner to a towel-lined surface. Cool completely, check the seals, label and store in a dark, cool pantry for a year to a year and a half.
Update: I now use and l.o.v.e the stainless steel, glass-topped canner I mention here. SO much better than the cheap enamel one shown here!
That's it - you've made and canned your own salsa!!
Having home-canned garden salsa in the depths of winter is always worth it. Not only do you save money, it can't compare with the typical flavorless bottled stuff!
Can I use quart jars to can salsa?
I've been getting this question more often, so thought I would answer it here.
Unfortunately, it is not recommended to can salsa in any jar larger than a pint (16 ounces) because there are no tested recipes that use quart jars.
That said, you can find recipes on Google that show canning in quarts, but they aren't official, tested recipes found in publications like Ball Blue Book of Canning and the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
In the end, it's up to you, but I can't recommend it - and definitely not for this recipe, as the processing times have only been tested for pint jars.
What Others Are Saying About This Salsa
More Easy Tomato Canning Recipes To Try
- Safe-to-can Roasted Tomato Sauce
- Perfect Homemade Canned Pizza Sauce
- Homemade "Rotel" Canned Tomatoes and Chilies
Favorite Canned Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 cups chopped cored, peeled tomatoes (if using a food processor, no need to peel)
- 1½ cups chopped onion
- 1½ cups mild chopped green chili peppers *anaheim, ancho, or even red/yellow sweet for a milder salsa
- 1/2 cup jalapeños ** finely chopped (and seeded if you'd like - leaving the seeds makes it spicer)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 3/4 cup white or apple cider vinegar***
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 to 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 to 2 teaspoons dry oregano
- 1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne powder to taste
NEW Option:
- 1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro this is a safe addition according to this site with the base recipe I used
Instructions
- In a large stainless steel stockpot, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
- Reduce heat and boil gently until thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning.
- Prepare canner, jars, and lids.
- Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rim and attach lids.
- Place jars in canner, covering by at least 1-inch and bring to a boil. Process for 20 minutes, turn off burner, remove lid and let jars sit for 5 minutes before removing them to cool on a towel-lined surface for 12 to 24 hours. Check seals before labeling and storing.
Notes
Nutrition
2020 NOTE: Long time readers (as well as me) have been making this salsa since I first published it on the blog back in 2009. One of them alerted me to the fact that the amount of onions and peppers had been changed in the recipe. I honestly don't know why that happened, but do think the recipe is better as written with the onions and mild green peppers at 1-1/2 cups each, not the 1 cup each that was listed recently. So I've changed it back to the original pepper and onion amounts, though the change in the jalapeños was needed to be standard since the sizes of jalapeños vary greatly. I apologize for any confusion, the recipe now is what it always was, and is based off of the original tested recipe with only the changes I explained in the beginning, so you can be assured it's still safe!
This recipe has been updated - it was originally published in September of 2009.
T says
Do you use pickling salt or regular table salt?
Jami says
Use either pickling/canning salt or pure sea salt with no additives (like some table salt can have).
Sue says
Good morning Jamie I'm just trying your recipe and it's talks about bottled lemon juice in the notes but I don't see any in the recipe. Can you tell me when I should add it? And how much
Jami says
Sorry for the confusion - it's only as a substitute for the vinegar and listed in the notes section as:
***It is okay to substitute bottled lemon juice OR lime juice if you'd prefer (it must be bottled).
Some people prefer it over vinegar, but I always just use vinegar.
Kelly says
Can you adjust the seasoning? Can you add fresh or dried cilantro?
Jami says
Yes, you can adjust any of the dried seasonings (or leave out fresh, for instance if you're allergic to garlic - you just can add any MORE fresh than the recipe).
I've updated the recipe to reflect the cilantro question recently- you can add a bit fresh and you can always add dried.
Tess says
Made this recipe a couple years ago. Everyone loved it. I plan to use my food processor. However, I forgot what I did last time, i.e., do I put all of the veggies in the food processer, or just the tomatoes? If just the tomatoes, do I just use the pulse option, or? Please advise. Thanks!
Jami says
Hi Tess! You'll want to do batches of the tomatoes first, pulsing to the degree you want then chopped (some like chunkier, some smoother). After transferring them to the stockpot, then you can process the vegetables - again to the degree you want them chopped (I like the pieces pretty small, but you won't get them uniform, which isn't a big deal to me).
Hope this clears it up for you!
Darline Heatley says
I made this salsa for the first time this season and we love it! It really is thicker, and if it is a little watery when I open a processed jar, we'll just drain that off if need be! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Jami says
I'm so glad, Darline! Thanks for the review!
Laura Ryan says
Thank you for sharing this recipe Jami! It is delicious! 😊
Jami says
I'm so glad you liked it!
Jadyn Gulish says
Hello!
I've been looking for a good recipe to start my canning journey with. We recently received a LOT of tomatoes and banana and jalapeño peppers from a friend, and I thought salsa would be a great way to use them up! I found your recipe and had a few questions about it. First, the recipe calls for green chili peppers -- I was wondering if I could sub those with our banana peppers? And also, I have never canned before so I have a question about the acid business. The recipe says you can use bottled lemon or lime juice instead of the vinegar, but I was wondering if I could use a mixture of lemon AND lime instead of the vinegar. I saw a comment that said too much acid isn't a problem, but I just wanted to check. Also, I'm new to your blog so if you have any more posts about canning I would love to be pointed in that direction!
Thank you in advance for your time 🙂
Jami says
Good for you, Jadyn, for tackling something new to you! I think you will love having jars of your own salsa on the shelf.:)
Answers: Yes, you can use any type of peppers you want/have you just can't change the amounts. So use up those banana peppers!
Yes, you can use a mix of the lemon and lime juice, just make sure it is bottled, not fresh, and that you are keeping the total amount the same.
And here's a list of all things preserving on the site, including canning recipes!
Happy to answer any other questions you have.
Jadyn Gulish says
Awesome, thank you so much!!
Michelle H. says
I’m so excited to try this recipe for my first time canning! I am not a person that tolerates spice well, can the jalapeños be reduced or omitted safely?
Jami says
Yes, you can omit them!
Heather says
Made this with a ton of the fresh Roma’s I had. Ended up doing a triple batch. I added more Cumin and a little sugar (my family tends to like a little sweeter blend) DELICIOUS!
Jami says
Wonderful - thank you for the review!
Vista says
I didn't see in the recipe how much lemon or lime juice to add.
Jami says
It's the same amount as the vinegar, you can simply substitute bottled lemon or lime juice for the vinegar.
Steph says
Can I freeze fresh garden tomatoes first and make salsa later?
Jami says
Yes, though you may have to change a few things. Like you won't need to process them I wouldn't think, because they are so soft once thawed. And you can easily slip the skins off under water when frozen. I would weigh and core the tomatoes and mark the bags with the pounds. Then when you're ready, slip off the skins and thaw them in a pot with a little heat covered. When thawed enough add the salsa ingredients and cook the 30 minutes or so.
Brad Bruggemann says
Hi, thank you! COuld you use 3/4 cup vinegar and add fresh lime juice and remain safe? I assume extra acid isn't a problem? New to this... thanks!
Jami says
Yes, of course you could just add lime juice - you're right that extra acid isn't a safety issue. It may however make it more tangy than you'd prefer.
I realized when I looked at the recipe that I just listed lemon juice as a substitute for the vinegar as an option in the notes, but it should read lemon OR lime juice can be used instead of the vinegar. It just needs to be bottled lime juice, not fresh, since fresh wouldn't have the consistent level of acidity that bottled has. So you can just use lime if you'd like (I'm updating the recipe card).
Lloyd says
Hi Jami, I've been canning tomato based recipes for over 40 years and never peeled one lol. I do blanch them first though and cool them off and core them first. Alternatively I will give them a bath in a bowl of white vinegar and water before coring. I've never had an issue with either method. The food processor is such a great tool.
Jami says
This is good to know, Lloyd - thank you!
Patti says
So your salsa has the tomato skin in it when you cook it does it come off tomato in salsa? I like idea of using food processor not sure I want to leave skin on?
Jami says
You can certainly remove the skins, Patti, I just give the food processor with skins as an option. It's the only way I make it now because it's so easy. The skins are chopped so small I don't notice them at all - and no one else does either.
Maybe you could make a 1/4 recipe to eat right away and try it with skins and if you don't like it, make the bigger batch without the skins?
Rachelle says
I doubled this batch and cooked it all at once with doubling the recipe exactly and cooking it on boil for 30 minutes. Is that safe to do or should I have made two separate batches? I can’t really see the difference in that. I added 1 1/2 c. Apple Vinegar to it for the acid. I loved this salsa and made it last year!!
Jami says
Yes, you can double it safely! Sometimes I let it cook down a bit more if it's thinner just because larger batches take longer to cook down, but that's the only difference when I double it (which I usually always do).
Glad you enjoy this recipe!
Ann says
Hi! I'm in the Cincinnati area canning this. Do I need to adjust processing time for altitude? Thanks!
Jami says
No, you are under 1000 feet there so you can use any published processing time as is!
harvest says
hi thanks for this it is very similar to one posted on the Bernardin home canning site."Fresh Vegetable Salsa "
Theirs has a small amount of fresh cilantro in it!
I add 2 tbps sugar to the recipe to balance it out along with a bit of paprika. and use bottled lime juice (more acidic so safe) rather than vinegar and its so good! Im glad to hear that it can be safely doubled as one batch doesnt fill my canner.
thanks agian
Jami says
Oh, I'll have to look at that recipe!
Those are all safe additions - enjoy!