The Best Homemade Salsa
With over 2,000 5-star reviews you can trust that this is the best salsa recipe ever. It can be served fresh or canned to be shelf stable.
Included in the post is a step-by-step canning guide with tons of tips for proper home canning safety so you can store up jars upon jars of this salsa to last you all year.
Homemade Tomato Salsa Ingredients
For proper canning safety, this list of ingredients needs to be strictly adhered to. If there are variation options, I have listed them below.
- 10 cups peeled, chopped and drained tomatoes: any variety of tomato can be used; it’s important to let the tomatoes drain after chopping and then measure the tomatoes after draining.
- 3 cups chopped onion: white or yellow onions can be used.
- 1 ¾ cups chopped green bell pepper: any variety of bell pepper can be used. Do not increase the amount of bell peppers in the recipe as it can reduce the pH levels and affect canning safety.
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups finely diced jalapeños: leave the seeds and membranes in for more heat. The amount of jalapeños can be decreased (but not increased above the 1 1/4 cup amount).
- 7 cloves garlic, finely minced: the amount of garlic can be reduced, as desired.
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 ½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 ½ tablespoons canning or pickling salt: if you don’t have canning or pickling salt and would prefer not to buy it, you can use coarse, kosher salt (or experiment with table salt) but make sure it doesn’t have added iodine or any other additives.
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro: do not increase the amount of cilantro; alternatively, it can be omitted or reduced.
- ⅓ cup sugar: the sugar is optional in this recipe and the amount needed will largely be dependent on the sweetness of the tomatoes and your personal taste preference.
- 1 ¼ cups apple cider vinegar: Don’t alter the amount of acidity (vinegar). You CAN substitute some of the vinegar for bottled lemon or lime juice (keep in mind this will affect the overall flavor; I’ve had good luck subbing in half bottled lime juice for half of the vinegar). DO NOT USE FRESH LEMON OR LIME JUICE.
- 16 ounces tomato sauce: this ingredient is necessary for safe canning/proper pH and is NOT optional (despite what other recipe reviewers have said).
- 12 ounces tomato paste: this ingredient helps thicken the salsa; however, it is OPTIONAL. You can add a reduced amount of tomato paste or omit it completely.
Reminders for Homemade Salsa:
- Use a tested recipe. Canning is a great way to preserve food and keep it on your shelves, but there are many food safety concerns related to canning and it’s important to use a recipe that’s been tested to ensure the pH levels are safe over time. This recipe has been tested for home canning safety in a proper lab.
- The variety of tomatoes doesn’t necessarily matter for this recipe, but the method does. This recipe calls for draining the peeled, chopped tomatoes and you’ll definitely want to follow this step otherwise your salsa will be watery.
- Peeling tomatoes is essential for this recipe (both from a texture and bacteria standpoint). See my easy method for peeling tomatoes below.
- Canning the salsa can be done with a water bath or steam bath canner. This recipe has not been tested (and is not recommended) for pressure canning.
The Easiest Way to Remove Tomato Peels
The easiest way to remove the peel/skin from tomatoes is as follows:
- Cut the tomatoes in half and place them cut-side down on a baking sheet
- Preheat oven to broil and place an oven rack 8- to 10-inches away from the broiler element.
- Place the pan of tomatoes in the oven and BROIL for 3-4 minutes (watch closely!). You’ll know the tomatoes are ready when they swell and look taut and begin to bubble just a bit.
- When the pan is removed and as they cool, the tomato skins will wrinkle and peel off very easily.
The oven broiling method to remove tomato skins is so much easier and less messy than plunging the tomatoes into a water bath.
Notes About Salsa Flavors
As written, this salsa is not overly spicy. You can increase the heat level by leaving the seeds and membranes in the jalapenos or use peppers with more heat, like serrano or habanero peppers.
IMPORTANT: the flavors of this salsa get better and balance more evenly with time. So if it has an overly strong vinegar taste after canning, let it rest on the shelf for a week or so.
The best batch of this salsa I’ve ever made used half apple cider vinegar and half bottled lime juice. I will make it like that from now on!
For a step-by-step visual on making this salsa, scroll below the recipe for a tutorial. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Made this this morning. It is by far the best homemade salsa I have ever had. Perfect!
—Diane
Canning Tools For Homemade Salsa:
*several products below are affiliate links to Amazon
- this over-the-sink colander is perfect for draining the tomatoes
- food processor – I’ve had this machine for over 10 years
- steam canner – this is the only way I can at home (approved by the National Center for Home Food Preservation)
- this simple canning toolset has just about everything needed for filling and handling the jars
The Best Homemade Salsa
Ingredients
- 10 cups peeled, chopped and drained tomatoes (see note)
- 3 cups chopped onion
- 1 ¾ cups chopped green bell pepper
- 5 medium jalapeños, finely chopped, membranes and seeds removed (leave in for extra spice) – about 1 to 1 1/4 cups
- 7 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 ½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 ½ tablespoons canning or pickling salt (see note)
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ⅓ cup sugar, optional, depending on sweetness of tomatoes
- 1 ¼ cups apple cider vinegar (see note)
- 16 ounces tomato sauce, NOT optional – necessary for safe canning/proper pH
- 12 ounces tomato paste, optional if you want a thicker salsa
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Fill sterilized pint-size canning jars within 1/2-inch of the top. Wipe the rim of the jar clean and seal with a lid and ring.
- Process in a water or steam bath canner for 15 minutes (add 5 minutes if you live at 1,001 to 3,000 feet; add 10 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 feet; add 15 minutes for 6,001 feet to 8,000 feet).
- Remove the jars carefully from the water or steam bath and let cool to room temperature. Check to make sure the jars have sealed correctly (lightly press the top of the lid; it should be firm – if the center bubbles up and down when you press on it, it hasn’t sealed correctly and will need to be refrigerated or re-processed).
Notes
Tomatoes: peel the tomatoes and let them drain first before measuring. The exact weight of the tomatoes varies GREATLY depending on tomato variety and how much the tomatoes drain. I tend to err on the side of over-draining the tomatoes so the salsa isn’t runny. A *general guideline* is to plan on about 20 pounds Roma/paste tomatoes OR 22 to 25 pounds non-paste tomatoes for a single batch of this recipe (or a combination of different types of tomatoes).
Salt: if you don’t have canning or pickling salt and would prefer not to buy it, you can use coarse, kosher salt (or experiment with table salt) but make sure it doesn’t have added iodine or any other additives.
Peeling the Tomatoes: I don’t like messing with a water bath and bowl of ice water to peel the tomatoes; instead, I cut them in half and place them cut side down on a large baking sheet (really cram them in there in a single layer). I broil them for 3-4 minutes until the skins begin to pucker. Once they come out of the oven, the skins will wrinkle and peel right off and the baking sheet is easily cleaned. For this recipe, I use about three sheet pans of tomatoes (again the exact amount will depend on variety).
Chopping: for easy and fast chopping, I throw the onion, green pepper, jalapeños and garlic in the food processor and process until chopped to the desired size.
PH: as with all canning recipes, this recipe has been developed and tested specifically to make sure the pH level is safe for canning. Don’t alter the amount of acidity (vinegar). You CAN substitute some of the vinegar for bottled lemon or lime juice (this will affect the overall flavor). DO NOT USE FRESH LEMON OR LIME JUICE; it is not acidic enough. Dried spices won’t affect pH, so you can also experiment with those, but the amount of vegetables and tomatoes and acidity need to stay the same.
Canning Method/Jars: this recipe can be water bath or steam bath canned. It is not recommended to pressure can this recipe. Additionally, it is not recommended to make and process this recipe using quart-size jars.
Quantity: this recipe can be doubled or tripled (make sure you have a big pot ready!) or halved.
Recipe Source: adapted slightly (increased all the quantities appropriate for canning safety) from this recipe I found on the awesome GardenWeb site
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I have never made or canned salsa before so I was a little bit nervous about trying it. Your recipe is fabulous! The instructions were super easy and the comments were really helpful. My family loves it. They all requested more jalapenos next time after being really worried about the 5 I put into this batch! Your recipe is definitely going in to my canning repertoire. Thanks again for sharing.
Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe! This was the first time I have attempted to make salsa and it turned out AMAZING! I had a bunch of garden tomatoes to use up (not sure the variety that hubby planted but they weren’t roma). Anyone who doesn’t like this recipe has not followed it or did something very wrong!!
Thanks Mel! Just finished and put in the canner. Smelled and looked wonderful. Can’t wait to try it. Used a few extra jalapeños for bite.
I plan on making this recipe this weekend, but i have a question on the sweetness of this salsa. Is it pretty sweet? Im not very big on sweet salsa, so can i leave the sugar out?
Yes, you can leave the sugar out.
Hi Jaymie…. I don’t like to add sugar either but it was a bit tart without. I slowly added until I liked the taste. Ended up using 1/3 cup as per the recipe!
I made and canned Mel’s tomato Salsa…I’m 82 years old,…..it was so good! My husband and I ate 1 pint between us. Today , l made another 10 pints… Wish there was more.. Made 2o quart tomato juice and 20 pint of Salsa. This is the best recipe that we have ever eaten that is canned……Sincerely Ssndra J.
This is definitely one of the most unique salsa recipes online.
I will try adding apple cider vinegar to my recipe to see how it tastes. The bell pepper will add body to the salsa, but won’t add much taste. But what the heck, I’ll throw some in too. But no tomato sauce or paste.
Love the recipe! I’ve been canning for 51 years now — and worked at my local extension. To answer a few questions — you can use 1/2 lime juice and 1/2 vinegar. But DO NOT reduce the acid or you will have to pressure can. DO NOT add any other veggie – corn, zucchini, more peppers – or you have to pressure can. The ratio of acid to tomatoes must be correct or botulism can result (and that’s a bummer). You must process for the veggie with lowest acid — and you can’t water-bath corn or peppers.
My biggest hint is how to peel tomatoes. Rinse them off, put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer, or even in a plastic bin in the freezer, and FREEZE OVERNIGHT. Then run under warm water – VIOLA!!! skins slip right off and no roasting or burnt fingers. You never complain about peeling tomatoes again. However, the roasting method does give a nice smoky flavor, too.
I love the freezing tip- it would help break down the cell walls so the lycopene would be more available, but still taste like fresh raw tomatoes. It would also release water from the tomatoes making them easier to drain excess water out I always do the boiling water method, but it introduces water, and its messy and a little more dangerous-( at least for a klutz). I really like my salsa to taste as,” raw “as possible.
So I think of my salsa as being more of a starter mix- and like to add some fresh diced tomatoes/cilantro/garlic after I open the jar
Love the recipe!! Third year using it We tweak it just a bit for more heat. Family loves it Can’t make enough!!
This was the blandest, worse salsa I have ever made. Way too sweet with the apple cider vinegar. I didn’t add the sugar, and it was still too sweet. No flavor at all. I am going to try to rescue it by adding pineapple or mango when I open the jars. Just terrible.
We obviously have different tastes which is what makes life interesting. I don’t see any reason to be so harsh in your reply. A simple – I think its bland and I would change it this way would suffice. Come one people – where did civility and the respect for differences of opinion go? Hope the Pineapple and Mango give you want you want.
great response, Scott, however, for some people, nothing will make them happy
the old adage still rings true–if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing. How would you like it if you spent a lot of time putting a recipe on the Internet only to have someone like you trash it and try to make you feel bad? That was very much uncalled for and you should apologize.
I started using your recipe about 3 years ago and I must say it’s FANTASTIC !! My husband takes jars on golf trips , son takes it to work at LG&E to share, the young lady that does my hair can eat more than I can make, lol , I hide a few jars for myself.
Thanks for sharing your recipe – you have made a lot of people in Kentucky very happy.
Love this recipe – it is excellent. It needs no tweaks or adjustments as it is written. I did however have an abundance of tomato’s and daughters who like to raid the salsa shelf for their college dorms. So, I made extra this year and played (that’s what we all do right? take perfection and twist it a bit). I roasted the Anaheim peppers and Jalapenos on my grill. Then placed them in a paper back until softened, cored and removed seeds than chopped in the food processor. I then mixed the Apple Cider Vinegar and White Vinegar at 3/4 cups white and 1/2 cup Apple. I added a 1/2 teaspoon more ground pepper to bring out the roasted accent and add a little punch. I added one more garlic clove as well. All I’m going to say next is WOW – Thanks for the great recipe Mel.
Yummy!- that sounds so good! I gussy mine up after I open it – I’m a cilantro junky. I wonder if anyone has a good green salsa recipe- I want to try using those little green things with the dry papery skins- I know how to say it but don’t know how to spell it- tomatios?
Can i cut this recipe in half as i dont not think i have enough tomatoes
Yes
I find the cumin quite overpowering in this recipe. Next time, I will cut it back quite a bit. However, my boyfriend loves it! Prep is tedious but definitely worth all of the work in the end!
If I’m not going to can this and just make it to eat over the next few days should I make any changes to the recipe?
You could change anything you want at that point since canning safety doesn’t matter. I’d probably cut down the vinegar just a bit.
About how many pints does this recipe make? I looked but couldn’t see it in your instructions. Excited to try this!
8-9 pints.
I made your salsa recipe and it’s really delicious. I’ve been looking for the one recipe and this is really where it’s at. I did something cool with the strained juice that I thought you might appreciate. Since I grew the romas from seed it seemed such a shame to drain off all that yummy juice which was a few quarts. So I put the juice in a glass pan in the oven overnight at 175. In the morning I had a thick condensed syrup that was sweet and incredibly flavorful. I then froze them in cubes that I will use in stir frys, soups, and bases for anything. I have pics to share if you are interested and if you want to incorporate it into your recipe!!
Such a great idea! Thank you for sharing!
Love this recipe.
Is it ok to simmer for longer than 10 minutes or will that affect the PH? I have found when I simmer recipes longer 30 – 60 minutes the flavor is much better.
Is it safe to do that with this recipe?
Yes, you can simmer for longer than 10 minutes.
I doubled this recipe and used 6 Carolina reaper peppers! (Hottest pepper in the world) all home grown ingredients!! Very good! Very hot!!
The tomatoes will break down more if you cook longer than 30 minutes. If you want break chunks of tomatoes, cook less (they’ll cool throughout the canning process too.) But if you don’t mind more of a mush type tomato you could cook for longer. I know what you’re saying though, if you simmer a pot of barbecue sauce or chili for longer the flavors really meld together.
Can you put tomatoes, etc. in a non stick pot to cook?
It probably depends on the brand of the pot, so I would check with the manufacturer (but I think it should be ok).
Do you a scale for the ingredients to make 7 pints?
For those who have made this recipe without changes, was there any heat to it? Our family doesn’t like ANY heat! Thanks!
We made this and there was heat to it. Our first batch we added the 5 jalapenos and then the next 2 batches we did 3. It was still a little spicy. Maybe do 2. Keep in mind if you taste it while it’s warm it was a little spicier than after it was canned and cooled.
Best salsa I’ve ever had!
I wanted to use up tomatoes I’d frozen last year so used those. Added 6oz tomato paste instead of 12. Perfect consistency.
Thanks for this salsa recipe! My husband LOVES it and cannot get enough of it!! The only difference I did was to also had a few chilies we had in our garden too, he likes the heat.
I like the recipe.
I do not like , whatsoever, at all, putting tomatoes under a broiler. The heat doesn’t get the sides of the tomato and I needed to use a knife to not waste half the tomato!!
I would NEVER recommend peeling tomatoes this way. Ridiculous. Won’t rate this, even though the recipe is good.
Did you try putting them in an oven on 525° until the skins are wrinkly? That’s what works for me. I’ve done it with large tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes with success.
Hi Jay – sounds like leaving the tomatoes under the broiler for longer will help.
This will be my first time making salsa. My question is: when measuring the onion, green peppers, garlic- do I measure before OR after I put them into the food processor?
Measure them after they have been chopped.
I found that if you leave enough space between the tomatoes it works very well. Just don’t crowd them. Waaaaay better than the water method which I did for years til I tried the oven method. I also notch the tomatoes ( take the stems off)when I cut them in half which may make a difference.
I’ve never made salsa before, but could we add tomatillos to this recipe? Would that affect the safety of it? Do you think the flavor would be good?
Unfortunately, I don’t know how adding tomatillos would affect the pH. Sorry!
I have a TON of cherry tomatoes from my garden. Could I use these? I don’t think it’ll be easy to remove the skins, so could I leave them on?
Thanks!
I don’t know how leaving the skins on will affect taste or pH so I can’t really give a good recommendation. Sorry!
This recipe was terrific! My neighbor had a ton of cherry & grape tomatoes she was giving away so I decided to put them to good use. Granted, the smaller sizes meant they took longer than full size ones to cut and take the skins off, but they were free and worked just fine! And they were sweeter so I didn’t even need to add any sugar).
I loved the step-by-step photo instructions and the tip about broiling instead of boiling was a huge time saver. You rock, Mel!
After the canning process is completed the jars should sit untouched for 12 hours. Then remove the rings or bands to see if the lid with the button on the top is sealed on. You should never push the button down if the water bath was properly done the button will automatically seal. You will hear it make a “bing” sound.
“don’t push the button down”
P.S. shouldn’t there be lime added to all tomato canning recipes?
Do you pressure can this or water bath? If pressure what pressure do you use?
Thanks can’t wait to try it.
I water bath can this salsa (I haven’t pressure canned it).
What do you use for “tomato sauce”??
It’s smooth, pureed tomatoes (comes in a can labeled tomato sauce here in the US).
I have a lot of Anaheims I want to use. How many can I add without changing oh levels?
I meant ph
I believe you can use them in place of the green pepper (adding additional Anaheim peppers on top of the green peppers in the recipe will change the pH).
Can you use homemade tomato sauce?
I’m honestly not sure – it really depends on what the consistency is and also if it has the same pH as canned tomato sauce so the recipe is still safe for canning. But my gut feeling is yes, it should work.
just use the juice that naturally drips from your smashed tomatoes… just put a container underneath. Seems silly to add canned tomato juice when it’s readily handy.
This is the perfect recipe to use up fresh tomatoes from the garden. Absolutely delicious! Perfect amount of salt, sugar, and acid. It addictive! I will definitely make this again. (Works in half batches as well)
Have you ever added lime juice?
I haven’t, but I believe others have experimented (detailed in the comments below).
How much does this recipe make?
8-9 pints.
I have canned for years, I have always made my family recipe of chili sauce. This year my youngest child let me know he doesn’t like the chili sauce “it’s too sweet” he said. Why don’t you make salsa? Honestly, I love salsa but I can’t eat hot spicey food and everyone else’s mild is way too hot for me, and I don’t like thin runny salsa. I read through the recipe and it just made sense…I made it and I absolutely love. I let my son try some and he accused me of “rebottleing” Pace’s salsa. Thank you for sharing your recipe it is going to be up there next to the several generations old chili sauce.
Kandice, did you put the jalapenos in? Our family doesn’t like ANY heat! Like you, other peoples’ mild is too hot! Was it hot at all? (I’m afraid of altering the PH if I leave them out.) Thanks!
The actual pepper is not hot at all just great flavor. The heat is all in the seeds. If you’re sure to take all the seeds out it will not be hot at all. I made half with seeds half without… it’s amazing =)
Hi I am going to can some sals tomorrow. Do you think lime juice would work instead of vinegar? Also can you add things to this recipe like beans or mango? Or should I just stick to the original recipe.
Others in the comment thread have added their experience and thoughts about using lime juice – I’m not sure how it changes the safety/pH levels to sub in lime juice for the vinegar so I can’t whole heartedly recommend the change. Also, adding other ingredients, particularly low acidity foods, will change the pH levels so that it isn’t safe for water bath canning.
just heard this weird thing about limes- It was a story about scurvy and how the sailors in the British Navy died of scurvy after the Navy stopped buying lemons because they could get limes for free- limes do not have the same amout of Vit C-
don’t know about how that would affect the ph, You could use ph paper to check the ph of your recipe.
I made this today, I only used 3 Jalapeños and left seed in 1 1/2 of them before I put thru my processor and added extra garlic. I used regular tomatoes so I had extra juice. As we like our Salsa a bit runny and chunky. I did add an extra 12 oz can of paste to thicken up a bit. The flavor is on point,
Also Thank You for the tip on peeling the tomatoes, so much easier!! This was my first time canning salsa I will definitely use this recipe when I make more
For me, the apple cider vinegar was so overpowering. None of the other flavors came through. What did I do wrong?
Do you know how long to water bath if using quart jars instead pints?
I don’t – but you could probably google a recommendation.
Salsa should never be made in quart jars to stay safe. ♀️
I have a question if whether you can substitute white vinegar for the apple cider vinegar?
Yes…it will change the flavor, but other types of vinegar will work.
Is it safe to leave out the bell peppers (I don’t like them).
I don’t know, the recipe as written has been tested in a lab for food safety so leaving out or altering any ingredient significantly can make a difference. I’m sorry I’m not more help.
This salsa is amazing!! I omitted the cilantro because some family members don’t like it. My three kids loved it!! And thanks for the tip with peeling the tomatoes, it works amazing!! Made doing batches of diced tomatoes significantly easier too!!! I would say it is a medium spice level with the called for jalapeños as well.
Hi Mel,
I am not new to canning but, would like to know if I can and how long to process this in a pressure cooker?
Thanks
I’m not sure – I’ve never pressure canned this. Sorry! You might try googling a recommendation.
You should NEVER pressure cook tomatoes.
why not?
I just searched the internet and didn’t find any information to validate your claim, Patty. Why do you say not to pressure can tomatoes?
Is it safe to change the type of peppers you add for the “5 cups of jalapenos”? I have a mixture of hot peppers in my garden I would like to use up as well as jalapenos. Thanks!
Yes, you can change up the type of pepper as long as you don’t drastically increase the quantity (also, the recipe does NOT call for 5 cups of jalapenos – just 5 individual jalapeno peppers).
Well, as a first time salsa canner I blew it. Prepped all my tomatoes, thinking I had more than enough, but ended up with just less than 4 cups and an overload of fresh cut up veggies. Now I’ll move on to making a batch of fresh salsa for the refrigerator. Should I cook up all the ingredients or just mix and cool?
I think this salsa tastes best after it has simmered.
I made this salsa last year and we loved it! I will absolutely be using this recipe again this year and making much much more. Thank you!
Could I use the “juice” for tomato juice if I didn’t put cooking spray on the pans when broiling them or do you think that there is to little pulp for it to be used as tomato juice?
I’d love to make more but am in a time crunch. Can whole peeled canned tomatoes be substituted?
You can try (I haven’t so I don’t know how it would affect texture and flavor)
Thx, i’m going to try it fresh first for taste but wondered if this would change the acidity. From what I have researched, canned tomatoes in tomato juice have the same acidity. BTW, my niece worked with your husband at a certain cheese company in Wisconsin years ago – she turned me to your recipes which really are foolproof!
Let me know how it turns out! And thanks for mentioning that…small world! So happy you found your way here. 🙂
I’ve been making salsa for years. Being from Texas I love it hot but also make mild because some people don’t want to burn their mouths. But, I’ve never peeled my tomatoes at all. I clean them and cut the butt end and core out, pulsate in Vitamix and then cool with jalapeños, Serrano’s, Anaheim, and some hot chili peppers, with cilantro, onion, garlic, salt, a little vinegar, and not much lemon juice. Cook it up, and can it. I like the skins and haven’t had any complaints.
Just curious if you tried canned tomatoes and if it worked. If so, what size and how many cans did you use? Were they diced or whole?
I haven’t tried using canned tomatoes in this recipe but I think others have down below in the comments.
I am using my home grown produce for this recipe. However, my Jalapeno’s are much smaller than store bought. How can I be sure to use enough to be safe for canning?
Using less jalapenos won’t compromise the safety of the salsa.
How long will this last in the fridge?
Probably a week or so.
Amazing salsa!!! Now I need to make more because I loved it so much. I used 20# all Roma tomatoes, drained them very well and got 10 cups tomatoes. I also used 8 jalapeño peppers because I had them and the jalapeños seem much milder ( I still cut out the ribs and seeds). Otherwise followed the recipe and got 10 pints salsa with about a third of a jar extra for taste testing.
The tomato prep took me a long time – especially cutting out the white core. I had 6 cookie sheets of tomatoes too. By far the longest part of recipe but worth it.
I haven’t made the recipe yet but I have a question about the processing.
I put my washed canning jars in the oven at approximately 300F until they are very hot.
I would make the salsa in my big stock pot and bring it to a boil, then let it simmer.
I would take a jar out of the oven, fill it with the hot salsa and put the lid on.
The lids are in a pot of simmering water to soften the rubber.
When done, the jars start popping as they seal.
I always do my canned tomato’s this way and have never had a problem with any of them going bad.
Hi Deborah – the hot jars of salsa still need to be processed correctly in a steam or water bath to be considered “safe”
Hi! Its my first time canning Salsa.I forgot to process mine last night after making…..is it too late? The jars sealed & sat on the counter all night.
Hmmm, I definitely would process them – otherwise they won’t be food safe.
What can I sub for the apple cider vinegar?
You can try another variety of vinegar.
What an awesome recipe! The only changes that I made were to add a tiny bit more salt, an extra jalapeno pepper, and 1/4 cup of Splenda. I also was short by 2 cups of tomatoes, so I added two 28-oz cans of San Marzano peeled tomatoes (tomatoes only, no sauce). (I didn’t want to recalculate the other ingredients.)
The prep took me longer as I had very few Roma tomatoes and mostly regular, juicy ones, and I minced the jalapenos and garlic by hand. But it was worth every bit of effort. I got just about 9 jars of salsa and am getting ready to use the water bath to can them. Even my salsa-loving (and picky) husband approved!
Thanks so much, Mel!
This is the absolute BEST salsa recipe, hence the name 🙂 The first batch I made, I removed the jalapeno seeds and membranes. My family loved it! I made a comment that I can make it “warmer” which made it like a medium heat. Again, family loved it! Then I went all in and added the whole jalapeno, flesh and all of the seeds and membranes.
I gave out jars to friends and coworkers and they brought the jars back for refills!
One of my husband’s coworkers opened her jar at work and it was gone in less than 30 minutes.
Needless to say, made my 4th batch this past weekend and I’m sure I’ll be making more before the yummy tomatoes run out this fall.
THANK YOU!
When you added more jalapenos, did you still take the seeds and out? Or did you add in too? Wondering how many to put in for a medium-hot salsa.
5 jalapenos without inners and seeds is the perfect amount of spice for me. But spouse is looking for hotter. I’m wondering if just adding the inners and seeds of 5 is enough to bump up the slice level or if I should add more jalapenos too.
want to make this when our tomatoes are done in the garden, was curious, I like the flavor of green chilies, is there anything i can substitute to add green chilies from a can? dont want the ph to change, or will it not effect the ph, also, the green bell peppers, can i do colored peppers for these? like the orange yellow, etc?
Yes, you can sub in other colors of peppers for the green pepper. As for adding green chiles (from a can), that will affect the pH. I don’t know for sure how much or if it will still be safe for canning. Sorry.