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).
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.
NOTE: according to the USDA, it is safe to substitute bottled lemon 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.
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:
Update: Use a Food Processor
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 β 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 mentioning the botulism outbreaks in plain tomatoes in the 70s that resulted in the recommendation to always add citric acid or lemon juice. 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 I 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.”
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 jalapeΓ±o 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 jalapeΓ±os and use all milder peppers. If you’d like it spicier, decrease the mild peppers and increase the jalapeΓ±os. 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. 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!
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 jalapeΓ±os was needed to be standard since the sizes of jalapeΓ±os 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!
Favorite Canned Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 cups chopped cored, peeled tomatoes (if using a food processor, no need to peel)
- 1Β½ cups chopped onion
- 1Β½ cups mild chopped green chili peppers *anaheim, ancho, or even red/yellow sweet for a milder salsa
- 1/2 cup jalapeΓ±os ** finely chopped (and seeded if you'd like - leaving the seeds makes it spicer)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 6 oz. 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
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
Other easy tomato canning recipes you may like:
Safe-to-can Roasted Tomato Sauce
Perfect Homemade Canned Pizza Sauce
Homemade “Rotel” Canned Tomatoes and Chilies
This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in September of 2009.
Patricia says
Hi Jami,
Love, love,love your easy ideas for putting up and preserving fresh produce. I did send a note previously to say learning from my mom( bless her heart) was awesome, but tedious. Now, with your site, I can still do a lot of preserved foods, without all the work. That to me means the world. Thank you again,
Patricia
Jami says
I really glad to have helped you, Patricia! Easy is good. π
Lori says
I would like to know if any of your recipes that are for canning can be prepared for the freezer instead
I would love to have some fresh frozen salsa on hand
Jami says
Yes, Lori! Any canning recipe can be frozen from a safety standpoint (texture changes are the main concern), and salsa is a good choice for that. I’ve frozen leftover batches before and the only thing I’ve noticed is that it might be a bit more watery after thawing, but I just drained it a bit and we still enjoyed it.
All tomato sauces, chutneys, jams, etc. are good freezer candidates. I wouldn’t freeze pickled things, is about the only thing of my recipes I wouldn’t freeze because of texture changes.
Shelley says
Jami,
I made the salsa this last weekend with tomatoes from the garden about half slicers and half roma. I followed your easy method which works great for a working mom. But for some reason it turned out not very tomatoey, good spice, thickness, beautiful. I went ahead and canned it because I thought it might get better with time, and was scared to add tomato paste putting everything off balance. Were my tomatoes not ripe enough?
Jami says
Not tomatoey? I’m not sure what that means, Shelley – if it was not all those things, what was it? Was it too watery, is that what you’re saying? Your tomatoes may have been too juicy? You can always squeeze the tomatoes some after quartering before adding to the processor. I’m not sure about the spice, though.
Shelley says
Yes, it tasted more watery and I think that my roma tomatoes were not ripe enough to develop good flavor. I’ll drain next time and wait until the both the romas and slicers are at their peak. Thanks.
Lisa Engel says
One more salsa question. How about using canned chipotles in adobo? I know they are very hot, but unsure of the acidity level, and how to adjust salsa recipe. Thanks again!
Jami says
They are low acid, so again it would affect the ratio. You could cut them up to fit the measurement of the jalapeΓ±os and replace them as an option, but not just add them to the recipe.
Debbie says
I am going to try this recipe today using roma tomatoes. I just wanted to add, most recipes call for de-seeding and squeezing out all tomato juice from the tomatoes. I have learned that you can cook down the juice and seeds, ( one year I had 2 quarts of tomato liquid …slowly cooked down to 1 half pint ) this way all my ingredients were fresh garden and not canned. The thickened tomato seed juice was so close to paste that it thickened the salsa I made. I just incorporated it into my tomatoes measurements. Trying that with your recipe. Ty
Jami says
Wow – how long did that take to cook down, Debbie? It does sound like a good solution, though I have a hard time waiting for regular sauce to thicken, ha!
Lisa Engel says
I love cilantro in my salsa. How do I incorporate this while still keeping in “safety” balance? Ratio or measurements?
Thank you!
Jami says
You’d have to take away some of a fresh ingredient, Lisa, to add anything else fresh. Like substitute 1/4 cup of cilantro for 1/4 c. of the onions. Another suggestion is to add cilantro when you open a jar, since cilantro is best fresh anyway.
Lisa Engel says
That’s really smart! Thank you!
Sandi says
Thanks so much for this recipe. This is my first year of canning. It’s so much fun but I still get a little nervous. Haha. I was just wondering if this recipe would still be safe if I only cooked it on the stove for a few minutes as we like our salsa a bit more chunky. I would still use the recommended processing time in the canner. Thanks.
Jami says
You just want to make sure it has come to a boil so it’s thoroughly hot when adding to the jars. You may want to do the peeling and hand-chopping of the tomatoes and hand-chop the peppers and onions to be bigger, bring to a boil and then heat for 15 minutes.
Debra Seipelt says
Going to try this Sunday
Jami says
Hope you like this, Debra!
Lola says
I can’t wait to try your recipe for the salsa. It is really beriatric friendly too! thank you
Betsy in MN says
I have been using your recipe for several years now. We love it!!! My husband especially. I usually can between 35-50 pints of this salsa. I grow my own tomatoes, onions, peppers, jalapenos, and garlic. Can’t wait to make some more soon. I am down to 3 jars from last year. I need to start rationing!
Jami says
Yes! I kindred spirit. π
Theresa says
Best salsa I have ever canned. So much flavour. Thank you so much!!!
Jami says
So happy to read this, Theresa, I’m glad you like it- we obviously agree with you. π
Angela Hightree says
Hi! Thanks for posting this great salsa recipe! I have made over 40 pints this year. I have made another kind for over 20 years and wanted a change. I found where you got this recipe. It is from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, page 203. I like your version better! Thanks!
Jami says
Thank you, Angela! Yes, I switched around some of the ingredients to keep the acid the same but increase the heat from the peppers. π
Katie says
How long does this salsa keep?
Jami says
Hi Katie, the standard recommendation for home-canned foods is to use it within 1 year. That said, we have eaten salsa that’s been up to 1-1/2 years old and it was perfectly fine. I’m not as concerned with foods that have added vinegar or a natural high acid content (like fruits) – we regularly eat them at more than a year old.
Jen says
Jami I am a new canner and i have been researching the 15 pints of salsa i recently canned. I did not put lemon juice in, I did not measure ingredients and I used fresh cilantro, and parsley, and then I did all this in a water bath. The more research I do, the more I think I might have to dump all this out and try again.
I would appreciate any thoughts or opinions.
Jen
Jami says
You’re right, Jen, that’s not considered a safe-for-canning method. You should always use a tested recipe with measured ingredients to keep your acid-to-low-acid ratios in check (higher acid being tomatoes, lemon juice or vinegar, lower are peppers, onions, cilantro/parsley, garlic).
However, if you recently canned them, you’re okay to keep it – you don’t have to throw it away! Being improperly canned just means they can’t be stored at room temp for months and months. Just move the cans to a refrigerator for storage for a month or two. For longer storage, transfer the salsa to freezer-safe containers (leaving room to expand) and freeze. Salsa freezes well! If you have more ingredients, definitely try again using this recipe and the updates I now use in preparation if you have a food processor. π
Jen says
So even if the jars have been sitting in a cool dark pantry for two weeks I can put them in the fridge now and still eat them?
Jami says
Well, I feel funny giving you advice like that since I’m not a certified expert.
Here’s what I know and I’ll let you make your own decision:
-Tomatoes have been (and still are in many places around the world) considered high-acid and are fine to can and leave on the shelf.
-I’ve met many people who’ve canned their family’s untested salsa recipes for years and never had problems.
-There haven’t been many (if at all) cases of food poisoning from home-canned tomato products, though the USDA has spent the last 30 years telling us that tomatoes are on the edge of acid now and aren’t ‘safe.’
-I err on the side of safety, since food isn’t worth it to me…BUT in this case, I’d probably save the salsa because it’s a probably perfectly fine, there’s so much of it.
However, I would probably dump it all into a pot and bring to a boil again, just to make sure, and then transfer to freezer containers and freeze.
But we each have to make our own decisions about stuff like this, so do what you feel comfortable with – and then make your next batch with a tested recipe. π
Lucas says
Hi On this salsa recipe can I leave the 6oz can of tomato paste out? Or can I substitute an extra 12 oz of chopped tomatoes?
Jami says
You can leave it out, Lucas, it just won’t be as thick. And you can add more tomatoes, since they are higher in acid, just don’t add more low acid ingredients like onions, chilies, and herbs like cilantro.
Holly says
This recipe is the best canned salsa I’ve had. Perfect seasonings too. Tastes a lot like Mexican restaurant salsa. My food processor is broken, but my blender worked great.
Jami says
Yeah! So glad you liked it as much as we do, Holly. π
Christina Neumann says
I just made this recipe, but halved it. Now I’m kinda freaked about the vinegar I added and if it’s enough. I had 5 cups of tomatoes, 1/2 onion, 1 jalepenos , and 6 ounces of the canned paste. I added 1/3 cup white wine vinegar ( all I had) and a squirt of lime juice.
Help… Do you think it’s okay the ratio ? It tastes good. But I’m not sure about keeping on the pantry shelf.
Jami says
Salsa very rarely causes problems or spoils (and I’ve known people to ‘create’ their own canned recipes that are WAY out of balance), so no cause for freaking out, Christina! That said, I always like to err on the side of safety, which is why I talk about it and do my best to make sure my recipes are safe. Your ratios sound okay (and any type of vinegar is fine, as long as it’s 5% acidity), since you use more tomatoes which are higher acid and less low-acid things like onion and peppers (did you add garlic?) and your ingredients are all less than half to match your vinegar, so go ahead and enjoy your salsa. π
Christina Neumann says
Thank you for your quick reply. I checked the vinegar bottle and it was 5% .
I did add 2 cloves of garlic using a garlic press. I think we will use these quickly and then use your full recipe for the next batch!!!
Thanks again!!
Rose says
This looks like a great Recipe, been trying to find One that wasn’t sweet. I did have a question, I would like to add cilantro but I wasn’t sure how much add??
Jami says
Fresh cilantro would decrease the acidity, Rose, so I’d be careful – maybe 1/4 c. but then decrease the onions or peppers by a couple tablespoons or increase the vinegar by a tablespoon? I like to play it safe – I know many people can salsa that’s full of fresh ingredients, but food is just not worth playing with for me, so I try to go by the book. Personally, if we want cilantro, we add it when we use it – it tastes fresher then, too. π
Trina R. says
Thank you so much for sharing such a GOOD recipe! I just made it today and it is yummy! I did, however, swap out the jalapenos for Serrano peppers because that is all I had in my garden. I also swapped out cayenne peppers for ancho chile pepper. I do have a question. I noticed some air pockets and wondered if you ever had an issue with that. I wondered if I somehow made it too thick. I used roma tomatoes. Thank you, again!
Jami says
I’ve never had air pockets, Trina, but you could run a non-metal spatula through it before attaching the lid in the next batch, just to be sure. Glad you’re enjoying the salsa!
Pete says
GREAT salsa recipe. My first time making salsa from my own tomatos and peppers, read many different recipes online and in books, decided to try yours first. So good!! This salsa is also amazing before it’s cooked. I filled a container and put it in the fridge and then cooked, canned four pints. Just personal taste, I cut way back on jalapeΓ±os, used about two, and really let’s the taste of the tomatoas and green peppers shine. Thanks very much for sharing this!
Jami says
Thank you, Pete! I’ve almost got 30 pints put up for this year – just a few more to go. π