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Mexican

Chipotle salsa (salsa de chipotle)

Vegetarian

Salsa de chipotle

Charred tomatoes, onion and garlic blended with chipotles in adobo, then briefly fried until deep red. A smoky, medium-hot table salsa.

Chipotle salsa (salsa de chipotle) is a Mexican sauce from Mexico, ready in about 25 minutes and made with tomato and chipotles in adobo. It serves 10 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
20 min
Total
25 min
Serves
10
Level
Easy
Calories
22

Ingredients

10 servings (about 55 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Roast the tomatoes (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab) slices and unpeeled garlic (opens in a new tab) on a comal or dry heavy pan over medium-high heat, turning with tongs (opens in a new tab), for 10–12 minutes until the skins are blistered and blackened in patches and the tomatoes are soft. (A hot overhead grill/broiler also works.) Peel the garlic.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Blend the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) with any juices, the onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), chipotles (opens in a new tab) with adobo and salt for 30–60 seconds into a slightly textured purée; add the water only if needed.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Pour in the salsa all at once (it will splutter) and cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes until it darkens to brick-red and thickens slightly. This step, sazonar, gives it a rounder flavour.

    Food safety: Salsa hitting hot oil spits fiercely; stand back and use a long spoon or a splatter guard.

  4. Step 4

    Taste and season. Serve warm or at room temperature.

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Central and eastern Mexico, Mexico · Commonly attributedChipotles (smoke-dried jalapeños) are traditional in Puebla and Veracruz; canned chipotles in adobo are the everyday shortcut.Also popular in United StatesMore food from Mexico
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Sauces · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Roasted, Blended, Pan-fried
Taste
smoky, spicy (chilli heat), tangy, savoury
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Tomato · Chipotles in adobo · Onion · Garlic
Techniques
Roasting · Broiling · Pan-frying · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

22 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 54 g · recipe makes 10

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 10%
  • Carbohydrate 51%
  • Fat 38%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy22 kcal40 kcal
Protein0.6 g1.1 g
Carbohydrate3 g5.5 g
Net carbohydrate2.2 g4.1 g
Sugars1.7 g3.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.8 g1.4 g
Fat1 g1.9 g
Saturated fat0.1 g0.2 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium193 mg358 mg
Salt equivalent0.5 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
137 mg
Calcium
8 mg
Iron
0.2 mg
Magnesium
7 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
39 µg
Vitamin C
10 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
9 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: water.
  • Chipotles in adobo: Canned hot red chilli peppers (FDC 170107) used as a stand-in; adobo sauce adds some sugar, vinegar and salt.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Start with two chipotles and taste, as tins vary a lot in heat.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the frying step, which leaves the salsa tasting raw and watery.

Serve with

  • Huevos rancheros and breakfast eggs.
  • Carnitas, cheese quesadillas and tacos.
  • Thin with stock to braise chicken for tinga-style fillings.

Storage

  • Refrigerate in a covered jar for up to 5 days; freeze for 2 months.

Variations

  • Salsa de chipotle seco (Mexico): Made with dried chipotle mora chiles, toasted and soaked, for a drier, deeper smoke.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Tomato, ripe plum tomatoes, whole500 g
Used in steps 1, 2

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

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