This Mexican salsa macha recipe is the perfect condiment, made with crispy bits of toasted chili peppers, garlic, peanuts and sesame seeds in oil. Ready in 25 minutess Spoon it over everything!
Who is up for salsa macha? I am! If you are a salsa lover, this salsa macha recipe is everything you need for flavorful snacking or drizzling onto just about anything.
I know all of you spicy food lovers out there are going to fall in love with this salsa. While it doesn't offer much heat, it makes up for it with a delicious savoriness that will add some zip and zing to all sorts of meals. You can, of course, up the heat factor to your own desire.
What is Salsa Macha?
Salsa Macha is salsa from Veracruz, Mexico, made with a variety of dried peppers, nuts and oil. It is different from classic salsa. It's slightly spicy, nutty salsa, with a touch of tanginess, used more as a topping for dishes like quesadillas or tacos rather than a traditional salsa served with tortilla chips.
You'll find variations of them all over Mexico in terms of ingredients and cooking method, varying from region to region and cook to cook.
Crushed peanuts are traditional, though some recipes call for other nuts and even seeds.
What's great about it is not just the flavor, but the crunchy element it offers, with its dark sludge of crispy bits, a bit like a cross between a chili oil and a chili paste.
I offer a number of possible ingredient variations in the Recipe Notes and Tips section below.
I recently made a chili crisp recipe with more traditional Asian ingredients, and salsa macha is actually quite similar in appearance and preparation, though with quite a different flavor. Both are outstanding. You could easily call this Mexican chili crisp.
Let's talk about how to make salsa macha, shall we?
Salsa Macha Ingredients
- Large Ancho Peppers.
- Large Guajillo Peppers.
- Chile de Arbol Peppers.
- Peanuts.
- Garlic Cloves. Chopped.
- Sesame Seeds.
- Vegetable Oil.
- Apple Cider Vinegar.
- Salt.
- Mexican Oregano.
How to Make Salsa Macha - the Recipe Method
Remove the stems and seeds from the anchos, guajillos and chiles de arbol. Chop or cut them into very small pieces, about 1/4 inch or smaller. Set them aside for now. See the recipe notes section for other peppers you can use.
Next, add the peanuts, garlic, sesame seeds and oil in a medium pot or large saucepan. Heat the pot to medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes, or cook until the garlic starts to crisp up and the seeds turn golden brown.
Remove from heat and stir in the chili pepper bits. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Stir in the vinegar, salt and Mexican oregano.
Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and pulse several times until the salsa is nicely combined. Don't over-process the salsa macha, as you want to have nice crispy bits, not a puree.
Serve!
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy your salsa macha! It really is crazy delicious. Let me know how you wind up using yours. Send pics!
Boom! Done! Salsa macha is pretty easy to make, isn't it? I love this stuff. It is packed with flavor!
This recipe makes about 2.5 cups, though you can easily upscale it.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- The Chili Peppers. I am using ancho chiles, guajillos and chile de arbol peppers for this recipe, though you can use other dried chiles as well. Try it out with morita peppers, chipotle peppers, pasilla peppers, puya peppers, mulato peppers or any other dried Mexican peppers. They're all good!
- The Nuts. Peanuts are traditionally used to make salsa macha, though the recipe is great with other nuts. Try it with pecans or almonds. Very good!
- Other Possible Ingredients. You can add other ingredients to your salsa macha pretty much to your own taste preference. Some popular options include cocoa nibs, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, shallots or onion, and chili powder, such as chipotle powder.
Heat Factor
Medium as written, but you control the heat here, my friends. The anchos and guajillos bring smoky, fruity flavor with very little heat. The chile de arbol peppers brings all the heat. To adjust to preference:
- Mild: Use just 2-3 arbol peppers, or skip them entirely.
- Medium: Go with 5-6 arbols and keep some of their seeds.
- Hot: Swap one of the anchos for 2-3 morita peppers and use 10-12 arbols.
- Wild: Add a few dried habaneros, or stir in a teaspoon of ghost pepper flakes with the vinegar and oregano.
Taste it after it cools, since the heat builds as it sits. You can always stir in extra chili flakes later, but you can’t take heat out.
Serving Suggestions for Salsa Macha
There are so many wonderful ways you can serve up salsa macha. The garlic and oil and all those flavorful crispy bits can be used to add some punch and pizzazz to just about anything. Consider it your new wonder condiment.
Serve it on crusty bread as a dinner side or a snack. Spoon it over all of your favorite Mexican dishes like street tacos or burritos, tortas, enchiladas, chorizo con huevos or huevos rancheros and so much more. I love drizzling some over pizza. So good!
Storage & Leftovers
You can store your salsa macha in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It will last 3-4 weeks.
More Spicy Salsa Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. 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.
Salsa Macha Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large ancho peppers
- 2 large guajillo peppers
- 5-6 chile de arbol peppers
- 1/4 cup peanuts
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 cups vegetable oil (use 1 cup for less oily - see notes below)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Salt to taste I use 1/2 teaspoon
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
Instructions
- Remove the stems and seeds from the anchos, guajillos and chiles de arbol. Chop or cut them into very small pieces, about 1/4 inch or smaller. Set them aside.
- Add the peanuts, garlic, sesame seeds and oil in a medium pot. Heat to medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes, or until the garlic starts to crisp up and the seeds turn golden brown.
- Remove from heat and stir in the chili pepper bits. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the vinegar, salt and Mexican oregano.
- Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and pulse several times until the salsa is nicely combined. Don't over-process the salsa macha, as you want to have nice crispy bits, not a puree.
- Serve!
Notes
Nutrition Information
FAQs
What is salsa macha?
Salsa macha is a Mexican chili oil from Veracruz, made by frying dried chilies, garlic, peanuts and sesame seeds in oil, then pulsing everything into a crunchy, oily salsa. You spoon it over tacos, eggs and grilled meats rather than scooping it up with chips.
Is salsa macha spicy?
Traditional salsa macha is more smoky and nutty than hot. Most of the heat comes from the chile de arbol peppers, so you can make it as mild or as fiery as you like. See the Heat Factor notes above for a full heat ladder.
What’s the difference between salsa macha and chili crisp?
They look similar, but the flavors are very different. Salsa macha uses Mexican dried chilies like ancho and guajillo, plus peanuts, vinegar and Mexican oregano. Chili crisp is Chinese-style, made with Sichuan peppercorns, fried shallots, soy and warm spices. Try my homemade chili crisp recipe to taste the difference.
NOTE: This post was updated on 10/14/26 to include new information, including FAQs and heat adjustments. The same great recipe was not changed.
Jesse says
I love this stuff. I always check recipes before I do another batch, so I'm inconsistent. I'm still trying to replicate a "salsa macho" prepared by a woman in Tucson, dark ancho and mildly spicy, and I may never get there. My Oklahoma friends don't get it because all they hear is "salsa." Anyway, thanks for directing my next batch.
Mike H. says
My pleasure, Jesse. Thank you and enjoy!
Jesse says
I'm trying to balance ancho and morita, plus other ingredients. I didn't know how much I like moritas! I have arbol for heat, which is effective, and then all the usual suspects. For my Sonoran friends I want to use chiltepin, but I've decided that is better used in stews (whole). We'll see. Thanks again.
Mike H. says
You are very welcome, Jesse. Enjoy!
Julie Moe says
I am trying to save this recipe for myself and the save button does not seem to be working.
Can you tell me what I am doing wrong?
Thanks very much.
Mike Hultquist says
Julie, I use a Grow plugin to help you save recipes. You can sign in here: https://app.grow.me/bookmarks
Ange says
I first had salsa macha at this lovely Mexican restaurant, and became obsessed with its complexity. So, I decided to try to make my own. Your recipe looked approachable and the reviews were really good. And wow, you didn't disappoint! It was sooo great! I did reduce the oil as you and others suggested, but other than that, made no edits. Thank you for sharing it. I have no need to try any other salsa macha recipe. This one was perfection!
Mike H. says
Happy to hear it, Ange. Thank you so much for the review!
Banks says
Mike, this is ridiculous. We made your carnitas recipe for Cinco and then scooped this on them. So good! Can't wait to try it with eggs, too.
Mike Hultquist says
Boom!! Another winner! Thanks, Banks! I appreciate it. Seriously, this is fantastic stuff.
Linda says
I've been doing variations of this for a while, and I acknowledge my addiction! I have never put vinegar in it, though - I'm guessing it doesn't cause a loss of crunch?
Mike Hultquist says
An easy one to get addicted to, right, Linda! The vinegar won't affect the crunch. It balances out some of the flavors and helps preserve, but totally OK to skip. Glad you're enjoying it!
Linda says
Thanks for that note, I think I'll try it with the vinegar. I also make it more spicy so it's more like a Mexican chili crisp than a traditional salsa macha—but excellent whatever you call it! Thanks for all the great recipes!
Mike Hultquist says
Glad to help!
Deborah says
Loved this recipe.Going to make it a bit hotter cause I enjoyed it a bit too much. I only used 1 cup of oil and added bit more sesame seeds. Delicious. I am in Mexico for the winter and bought Sala macha.This recipe was just as good if not better.
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! So great to hear, Deborah!! Thanks so much! Very happy you're enjoying it.
Troy Warren Stallard says
The recipe says 'peanuts', but doesn't specify roasted or raw. Does it matter?
Mike Hultquist says
Use roasted for this, Troy. Enjoy.
Tim says
How long will this keep in the fridge?
Is the kcal for the whole recipe or a tablespoon?
Mike Hultquist says
Tim, this information is in the Recipe Cards Notes: Serving size estimated at 1/4 cup.
Storage: You can store your salsa macha in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It will last 3-4 weeks. -- Enjoy!
Travis says
I made this 100% as instructed and I loved it. I might add more arbols to the next batch for an added punch but this was just right for my friends.
Mike H. says
Absolutely do that next time, and glad you had fun with the recipe!
Kate Valenzuela says
Hi Mike, after having my salsa macha confiscated at the Dallas airport coming from Oaxaca I thought I’d make my own. You are my go to guy so I followed your recipe and it was superb!!
I didn’t use a lot of the chili’s seeds because I have a “delicate” husband but since he showed no interest in, next batch is full steam ahead!
I also loved the oil and used it generously in lots of dishes.
Thanks for all your great recipes!
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding! Glad you enjoyed it, Kate! I do love this stuff. What a bummer to have it confiscated!
Joyce says
What’s a good & flavorful alternative nut to use in place of peanuts? I’m allergic! Cashew? Almond?
Mike Hultquist says
Joyce, this will work with any nuts that you enjoy. Best is to pick your favorite. Enjoy.
Jen says
I've made this with cashews when I turned out to be out of peanuts, and it worked really well.
Brian says
The flavored oil makes spectacular croutons!
Mike Hultquist says
I love this!! Great idea!
Beth says
absolutely delicious! I used grapeseed oil instead of vegetable oil and added dried orange peel and the zest and juice of one cara cara orange.
Mike Hultquist says
Nice!! I love it!! Thanks, Beth. Glad you enjoyed it.