Habanero Salsa
This homemade habanero salsa recipe is fiery in all the right ways, made with habanero peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red wine vinegar, a bit of lime juice, and a few select seasonings. Break out the chips for some habanero heaven.
Salsa time, my friends! But not just ANY salsa. We’re making some super fresh, nicely spicy Homemade Habanero Salsa, and this particular recipe seriously ROCKS.
Why?
Because we have some delicious heat packing today. We just had a party for some friends and I made this habanero salsa for them, and it was definitely a hit. I DO have to apologize to some of the folks who aren’t used to the heat level of the wonderful habanero pepper.
They weren’t QUITE prepared for the amazing blooming heat that follows after several bites, but you know? That’s how chiliheads are created. That blooming heat is addictive, and soon you find yourself craving that wonderful warmth.
You Need This Habanero Salsa Recipe
Why? It really is rather addictive, but the beauty of it is in its simplicity. It’s SUPER easy to make, and for a slow cook like me, easy is awesome.
You’ll need maybe 10 minutes of prep time for chopping up a few ingredients, gathering things up, and about 20 minutes of cooking.
We’re doing 2 rounds of cooking, actually, the first to cook down the initial ingredients, and the second for simmering the processed salsa.
Let’s talk about how we make the salsa. Bust out the habaneros, my friends!
How to Make Habanero Salsa – Recipe
First, heat up a pan and cook down your chopped tomatoes, habanero peppers, onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. It should only take about 5 minutes or so. Like this.
Next, scoop the mixture into a food processor or blender along with the vinegar, lime juice, salt and optional seasonings. Blend it until nice and smooth. If you prefer a chunkier salsa, just pulse it a few times to combine everything.
Next, heat the same pan back to low heat and add the remaining olive oil. Pour the salsa into the pan and let it simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavors develop.
Finally, cool it a bit and store it in the refrigerator in a covered container.
I think it is BEST served nicely chilled. You can leave it overnight to let the flavors develop even more.
Such a great salsa!
How to Serve Habanero Salsa
Pour your habanero salsa into a big bowl and serve it with a side of tortilla chips. That’s the no-brainer way. No better way!
Except it is ALSO great used as a sauce. Consider spooning it over grilled chicken or fish, or topping grilled sausages. Keep some around for super quick meal toppers.
That’s it, my friends! I hope you LOVE this salsa as much as I do. It’s TOTAL party food, so go throw a party just so you can serve this! Everyone will love you. Just wait and see.
Check out my other Salsa Recipes, too. See: How to Make Salsa – a Guide.
If you make this, take pics! Post it on social media. Just don’t forget to #ChiliPepperMadness so I can check it out. ROCK ON!! — Mike H.
Try Some of My Other Popular Salsa Recipes
- Xni-Pec – Yucatan Habanero Salsa
- Fresh Mango Salsa
- Salsa Criolla – Argentinian Salsa
- Homemade Picante Sauce
- Salsa Roja
- Chile de Arbol Salsa
- Salsa Verde
- Fresh Ghost Pepper Salsa
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Habanero Salsa – Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 pound tomatoes chopped
- 3 habanero peppers chopped
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- Salt to taste
- OPTIONAL SEASONINGS: chopped cilantro Mexican oregano, dash of chili powder, pinch of cumin
Instructions
- Heat a pan to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the chopped tomatoes, habaneros and onion. Cook them down, stirring a bit, about 5 minutes to soften.
- Add the garlic and stir. Cook another minute, until you can smell the awesome garlic.
- Scoop the contents into a blender or food processor along with the vinegar, lime juice, salt, and optional seasonings. Blend until smooth.
- Heat the same pan back to low heat and add the remaining olive oil. Pour the salsa into the pan and let it simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavors develop.
- Cool and store in the refrigerator, covered. It is best served chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
44 comments
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I’ve made this 4 times now and it’s perfect each batch. My twist; I de -seed and scrape the habanero membranes really well and end up with a mild sauce that anyone can eat. It still has a good heat but I can apply it like ketchup.
Excellent!! Thanks, Andy!
Great recipe! I just harvested a ton of Habanero peppers, too many to last putting on eggs or sandwiches so I decided to try some salsa. I doubled everything to make a bigger batch. It’s absolutely delicious. I couldn’t help but grab the tortilla chips to “taste test” as it was simmering…over and over again lol.
I still have a lot of peppers so I’ll be coming back to this recipe. Thank you for this!
Very nice!!
Amazing! i spiced it up a little by adding 3 reapers 2 ghost peppers and a extra 5 habaneros
Nice! That’ll really spice things up. Love it!
When you say three peppers, can you relate that to ounces? There is some variation in the sizes I grow in my garden. Thanks.
Don, use about 1 ounce, but really it is to your preference. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!
I was excited to use my first home grown habaneros and this salsa was great. Fabulous taste, flavor and while I’ve tried other recipes I come back to this one as it’s the most flavorful. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Yvonne! Super happy you enjoyed it!
Habanero Salsa.. I used stewed tomatoes. This is absolutely delicious. I used three frozen habaneros, let it chill and used it on my breakfast burrito this morning.. Hat’s off to you for this recipe. AWESOME. Will use fresh peppers next time or maybe some scorpion for a bit more heat. Thank you
Thanks, Charlie! Yes, scorpions would be GREAT here. You are a true spicy food lover, my friend!
Can you use stewed tomatoes instead of fresh?
Yes, Charlie, absolutely. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!
Great recipe ! First time I added a few more Habaneros and it was almost too hot (almost). Second batch I had a slight oops and got too much cumin in it, but I blended it instead of using the food processor and it made an awesome “hot” enchilada sauce! Thanks for all the great recipes, I’ve got a bumper crop of peppers this year (Habanero, Ghost, Serrano, & Jalapeño). I’ll be experimenting more!
Excellent! Thanks, John. Good luck with the crop!
Do you recommend anything different for canning larger quantities other than multiplying the recipe?
Michael, be sure to check the pH to make sure it is 3.5 or lower for home canning. If it isn’t, add in some vinegar or citrus to lower it. Otherwise you’ll need to use a pressure canner.
Thank you for my new “go to” salsa recipe! Nice and firey, but not lip numbing 🙂
OH yeah!!! Winner!!
Do you recommend fresh or canned tomatoes?
Caryn, it will work with both. Fresh tomatoes are outstanding, especially when I pick them straight from my garden. However, with a good quality brand of tomatoes, the tomatoes are picked at peak ripeness and preserved right away, so they’re usually very good. Let me know how it turns out for you.
This post is going to sound strange. Go with it.
I contemplated this recipe.
I thought about your Hab-Cilantro recipe.
I considered your Hab-Garlic recipe.
So I did it my way, inspired by you, and my dreams came true!!
It’s unlikely I’ll ever duplicate this until I write it down BUT I managed to do something I’ve DREAMED of for years: make by own Yucateco Red Hab sauce!!!
Just know that you inspired greatness today, thank you.
That’s awesome, Brent! I love it! Happy to help inspire. Enjoy!
hello
Can you batch cook this salsa and store in sealed Mason jars? thanks
Tim, yes, you can do that. If you want to keep the salsa longer term, you should get the PH to 3.5 or below and process the jars in a water bath or use a pressure canner.
thanks for the reply. what would be the easiest way to get the ph around 3.5 or 4 without having to buy equipment to test?
Easiest is to add citrus or vinegar to the whole mix. PH strips are very cheap and will give you a good approximation. Good luck!
Seems to be an awesome recipe. I’m going to make it soon. Only thing I want to know is— for how long can it be stored?
Hi, Vineeta. Thanks. Salsa can usually be stored in the fridge for a week or so, though it can be frozen for a month. It will keep longer if you add more vinegar and get the ph down below 4.0. Keep it in a sealed container in the fridge. I hope this helps!
Can I substitute honey and apple cider vinegar?
Nancy, absolutely. I think that would be a nice version of this recipe. Let me know how it turns out for you.
I used this recipe with the proposed substitutions; using Carolina Reapers instead. The results were spectacular! Even my half Norwegian boyfriend could eat it 🙂 Everyone who tried it loved it! The sweetness from the raw honey created an excellent balance for enjoying the heat.
Excellent news! Thanks, Nancy. Glad everyone loved it. I love the use of reapers here instead. Extra spicy!!
I know I’m necroing an old post but Nancy, using the above guide, how much honey did you add? When did you add it?
Michael, this recipe is amazing. I love the flavor and the heat. I’ve loved it so much I’ve made 3 batches in the past 2 weeks.
Glad you enjoyed it, James!
Love this recipe, love the flavor and so does a some of my friends n family. I was wondering how long do you think it’s good for in the refrigerator? If someone would make a big batch.
Thanks, Rodney. Glad they love it! This should last a week in the refrigerator, but will be best if used within a couple days. Enjoy!
This is a very good chili rep.
Thanks, Cheryl!
This salsa is in my wheelhouse
Yeah there are hotter peppers out there (but not much flavor)
What a great recipe..:)
Am munching on it now….as we say in the Midwest WUNDERBAR!
Habeneros are a perfect blend of taste and heat
I love this recipe
Jeff
Greenfield Wis
Thanks, Jeff! Super glad you are enjoying it! This is definitely one of my favorite salsas. HUGE on flavor, and a perfect level of heat.
OML this was AMAZING. I actually upped the habanero count to five, and added two jalapenos as well. Very, very little pulsing was needed to get to a nice consistency in my food processor, so next time I make it I’ll be sure to try it in a little more chunky form. It’s amazing how so little habanero can make an entire batch of salsa so bright orange! Very pretty stuff. Be warned though, this stuff is HAWT.
Awesome, Harwant! Glad you enjoyed it!