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Of all things that are better made fresh at home, Habanero salsa is wayyyy at the top of the list. I mean, for real, have you ever had store-bought salsa that tasted magical? No, I didn’t think so. That’s because all of the manufactured stuff is made using a special robot that sucks the soul and sparkles out of the salsa.
But this habanero salsa recipe? It ain’t like that. It’s fast to make, easy to customize to your preferred heat level, and has the splendor of fresh roasted veggies that turn nachos, tacos, or burritos into the stuff dreams are made of.
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The roasted peppers, juicy tomatoes and the crisp bite of onion and garlic, all get more robust tasting and mellowed by roasting. It’s an easy way to level up some freshly toasted tortilla chips with vegan nacho cheese, and it makes a great partner in crime to balance the sweet cool flavors of homemade vegan sour cream on your plant-based taco bowl.
Super-silly-excited to make this? You should be! This recipe has been tweaked to be as straightforward and easy as possible, making it nearly impossible to mess up, even on your first try. With just a handful of fresh ingredients, you’ll whip up a salsa that's both authentic and here to rip the roof off your Super Bowl, Taco Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo thingy, or wherever.
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🥰Why you'll love this habanero salsa recipe
✊ Vegan AF SF & GF: You already know that all of my vegan Mexican recipes are stupid good, But get this: This spicy salsa recipe also happens to be one of my completely soy and gluten-free vegan recipes too! So basically anyone in the galaxy who ✅ Has a Mouth and ✅ Loves Spicy Stuff can eat It. (Sorry people with no mouths. I’ll try to put together an IV sauce for ya someday…)
🧄 Whole Roasting Ritual: I am really into creating vegan sauces that have multiple dimensions of flavor. I know that sounds really fluffy, but here’s what I mean by that: when you roast the whole cloves of garlic, large pieces of ripe, fresh tomatoes, large sections of onions, and whole peppers for just a short while like this recipe has you do, something really cool happens. The external part of the veggies gets sweeter and more mellow, while the internal part maintains a little bit of its semi-raw bite. When blended together, you get a wider flavor spectrum from the ingredients, giving you a more nuanced, better tasting salsa.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: After rigorous tweaking and perfecting, I sent this spicy salsa recipe out to a diverse team of recipe testers around the world. This is how I make sure ALL of my vegan recipes can be replicated perfectly in any kitchen anywhere on the planet. I’m not a fly-by-night scumbag who just publishes any garbage chat GPT coughs up.
💣 Learn the bomb vegan Mexican recipes
This guide to my most popular vegan Mexican recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🌶️ Habanero salsa recipe ingredients
Olive Oil
Are you an oil-free whole food, plant-based (WFPB) person? Don’t sweat it, as you can make this recipe without the tiny amount of oil to help the veggies caramelize better while roasting. You can also substitute just about any neutral-tasting high-heat oil in place of the olive oil if you are out of the darned stuff.
Tomatoes
Look at the tomatoes in the ingredients photo above. See how they are gorgeous and belong in a dang museum? Using awesome tasting, ripe, in-season tomatoes is the way to go with this recipe. The great thing is you can freeze or can the salsa, making it possible for you to make a big batch at peak tomato and pepper season and then enjoy the stuff all year round, when tomatoes are kinda terrible.
Jalapeño
But wait, isn’t this a habanero salsa recipe? Don’t worry, they are here too, but Jalapeño peppers, being lower on the Scoville scale, add a mild to moderate heat and certain hard-to-put-my-finger-on flavor that complements the fieriness of the habaneros. Rich in vitamins A and C, they contribute spice and nutritional value to the salsa. If you are trying to make this salsa less spicy, you can swap ’em out with green bell peppers. Want to make the salsa more spicy? Well, that is where I would switch these out for green Hari Mirch chilies. They are a variety used in a lot of my vegan Indian recipes like cilantro chutney, Punjabi bhindi, and Hari Mirch Achar (the spicy pickled green chilies that I can never EVER stop eating…)
Habanero Peppers
Well, this would be a pretty sad habanero salsa without these wouldn’t it? These aren't for the faint of heart, but you are the one making the recipe, so if you are a little scared of spicy food, tweak it to your taste. Scale down the heat a bit by just using one, or be an absolute freak like me and make it with two! Scotch bonnets (popular in Jamaican and Trinidadian cuisine) are a great tasting alternative with a similar fruitiness, but slightly less heat.
Cumin Seeds
Cumin Seeds ("semillas de comino" in Spanish) impart a warm, earthy flavor that complements the natural sweetness of the roasted vegetables. If I had to choose one variety of cumin seed to walk down the aisle with and live out the rest of my life in a cottage with, without a second thought it would be the wild mountain cumin from Burlap and Barrel.
I use it 'in'em everything from arvi sabji, and nourishing yellow toor dal to condiments like tamarind chutney, red curry paste and bumbu bali. They are insanely fragrant and packed with way more flavor than your ordinary cumin seeds (which, of course, you can get away with using in this recipe if the basic seeds are all you’ve got).
Get my fave cumin seeds for free!
Using this link, add the wild mountain cumin to your cart, spend at least $15 on some of the other absurdly good spices from Burlap & Barrel (they all seriously slap) and the bottle of this bangin' wild mountain cumin becomes FREE, and you will love it so much.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯A few habanero salsa recipes you need to try:
Yucatan Xnipec Salsa:
This great salsa includes the addition of bitter orange juice and chopped radishes. Bitter orange (or a mix of orange and lime juice as a substitute) provides a unique citrusy tang that balances the habanero's heat, while radishes (you can use red radishes or even the daikon that you use in recipes like Korean sundubu jigae and Vietnamese vegan banh mi) add a crunchy texture and a peppery freshness.
Salsa Verde Vibes:
Suuuuure, you can just straight up follow my salsa verde recipe if you are gonna make chilaquiles verdes... but what if you want some downright fiery tomatillo sauce?
Turn this spicy salsa recipe green by using tomatillos instead of red tomatoes. You will need to use a few more because they are a little smaller than tomatoes. Roast the green tomatillos and the green habaneros, and add a small piece of raw avocado to the roasted veggies when you blend them for creaminess. This may be the perfect salsa choice for my vegan taquitos as the salsa verde!
Habanero pineapple salsa:
Once the salsa has been blended, simply add up to a cup of diced fresh pineapple to the salsa, and then pulse it a few times. Pineapple habanero salsa can be a little sweeter depending on the pineapple's ripeness. So balance it if needed with a squeeze of lime juice. Serve it inside a hollowed-out whole pineapple with homemade tortilla chips.
📖 How to make habanero salsa
The best habanero dip you ever dreamed of having is yours by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
What Are We Making a Darned Salad?
Preheat your oven to 400°F. (205°C). Combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and habanero peppers in a big bowl and drizzle with olive oil to coat everything nicely.
Step Two
Spread the Love:
Lay out the oiled veggies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Arrange them in a single layer to ensure they roast evenly, and pop them into the oven. Let them roast until they turn soft and get a nice char, which should take about 25 to 30 minutes.
Step Three
Spice Whisperer:
Heat a small skillet over medium heat while your vegetables are transforming in the oven. Once the pan is hot, add the cumin seeds and toast them for just a minute or two until they begin to pop and become fragrant. Then, take them off the heat.
Step Four
Cooling Down:
Once your roasted veggies are done, pull them out of the oven and let them cool a bit so they're easier to handle and blend safely.
Step Five
Blend It Like Beckham:
Transfer the cooled vegetables to a blender or food processor. Toss in the toasted cumin seeds, fresh cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
Step Six
The Perfect Mix:
Pulse the blender or food processor until the salsa reaches your preferred texture, smooth or a little chunky. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt or lime juice if needed. Now, it's ready to serve!
💡Serving Ideas
This easy habanero salsa brings a more fiery flair to your table than a blowtorch and a highly-flammable fake fruit-basket centerpiece made of foam and whatnot.
Imagine having the best habanero salsa recipe at your fingertips to drizzle all up into a burrito stuffed with tofu chorizo? It also pairs beautifully with vegan fajitas that are packed with incredibly steak-like lion’s mane mushrooms.
Spoon your new favorite salsa over vegan tamales filled with ancho chili jackfruit, or simply serve the salsa with vegan elotes or some corn chips as an effortless side to a warm bowl of sopa de lentejas.
👉Top tips
- Proper Pepper Handling: Habanero peppers are known for their intense heat, and even jalapeños can be hot if you get lucky. If you have sensitive skin, wearing gloves while handling these peppers is a good idea. Luckily the only real handling you need to do of them in this recipe is removing the stems, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, am I right?
- Consistency Control: The texture of your salsa can make a big difference in its final presentation and (I hate this word:) mouthfeel. For a chunkier salsa, pulse the ingredients briefly in a food processor. If you prefer a smoother consistency, go for full-speed blending inside a good-quality blender. My faves are the Blendtec blenders which I have used both personally and professionally for over 20 years.
- Heat Adjustment: One of the benefits of making this from scratch at home right here! If you're sensitive to spice, you can adjust the amount of habanero used, or remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers to reduce the heat while maintaining the distinctive habanero flavor.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Unlike store-bought salsas, made with pasteurized ingredients and preservatives, this fresh salsa doesn't last forever! To keep your homemade salsa fresh, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to six days.
For longer storage, you can freeze the salsa too! When freezing sauces that you might just want to thaw little bits of at a time, here’s a trick I find really handy:
Just pour the salsa into an ice cube tray. Once frozen solid, move the cubes of frozen salsa to freezer-safe bags or containers for up to three months; just be sure to let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator before using.
I do this freezer trick all the dang time with my salsa macha, salsa roja, salsa verde, and adobo sauce recipes when I am not in the mood to get out my pressure canner and jar things up for year round storage.
Removing the seeds and membranes from the habaneros will significantly reduce their heat. Alternatively, using fewer habaneros or substituting them with milder peppers like jalapeno peppers or serranos can also help manage the spiciness. All made and just want it hotter? Stir in a little extra fresh minced habanero, or a dash of hot sauce.
The texture of your salsa depends on how long you blend the ingredients. For a chunkier salsa, pulse briefly. If you prefer a smoother consistency, blend the ingredients for a bit longer. If you want a slightly creamier salsa, add a few avocado slices to the blender.
Roma and beefsteak tomatoes are typical for making salsa. They are less watery than other varieties, which helps in achieving a thicker, richer salsa consistency. However, I love growing and using heirloom tomatoes and find that larger, sweeter, dark tomato works great in this recipe.
✌️You’ll love these salsa recipes too:
Master the art of vegan Mexican cooking in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Spicy Roasted Habanero Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
- 5 medium tomatoes quartered
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 jalapeño stem removed
- 2 habanero peppers stems removed
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems washed and chopped
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C). In a large mixing bowl, toss the quartered tomatoes, quartered onion, whole garlic cloves, whole jalapeño, and whole habanero peppers with olive oil to coat them evenly.
- Spread the veggies in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Make sure they are not overcrowded to ensure even roasting. Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the vegetables until they are charred and soft, about 25 to 30 minutes. This roasting process helps to develop a deep, smoky flavor in the salsa, and mellows out the pungency of the onions and garlic.
- While the vegetables are roasting, toast the cumin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the skillet frequently and toast the seeds until they start to pop and release their aroma, about one to two minutes. Remove from heat.
- Once the vegetables are roasted, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly for handling.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender or food processor. Add the toasted cumin seeds, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
- Blend the mixture until it reaches your desired consistency, whether smooth or slightly chunky. Taste and adjust the salt and lime juice before serving.
Notes
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Kimbi Walton says
I really liked how the blended salsa tastes after cooking it. Superb.
Wendy Wendy Cahill says
this tastes tremendous and isn’t as spicy as you would think. any idea what the shelf life is in the frig?
Adam Sobel says
About 5-6 days. Longer term, the best bet is to can it or freeze it.
Tammy says
How would you can this
Adam Sobel says
first, sterilize your jars and lids by boiling them for ten minutes. If you have a presseure cooker, I like that even better. Either way, place something like a kitchen towel at the bottlom of the pot to avoid the rattling jars cracking. After draining and cooling the jars, fill with the hot salsa, leaving half an inch of headspace, then seal tightly with the lids. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for fifteen minutes to ensure a proper seal.
Phil says
This was fantastic. I used 3 habaneros and very spicy and flavorful. Have you ever added pineapple to this? Thanks for this recipe!
hg says
My wife is not a fan of hot and spicy foods, so I had to dial down the heat a bit. The recipe and the accompanying notes , allows you to personalize the final outcome to your ( or your picky wife's ) liking.
Marna says
Perfect amount of heat...the flavor only improves if you have leftovers...I just scoop it up with tortilla chips and indulge.
sarah says
As is it was just the right spiciness for my husband but a little too hot for me. Cut the habanero to 1/2 pepper with no seeds and it was just right for me. Very good.