Chipotle Salsa (straightforward blender recipe)

At a glance

What stands out: This may be a standby salsa yet! Smoky chipotle salsa is a magical blend of fire roasted tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo, and the fresh flavors of onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime.

How long it takes: 10 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: blender or food processor
Servings: 16

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This chipotle salsa is a reliable marriage of smoky tomato and chipotle chili pepper. Everyone loves our restaurant style salsa which is similar to this recipe but without the smoky component so we can’t wait for you guys to try this one! Make sure you have lots of tortilla chips (maybe this calls for margaritas, too!).

Smoky chipotle salsa

Double the smoky flavor. You’ll use both fire-roasted tomatoes and a couple of canned chipotle peppers in adobo. Chipotle peppers are smoked and dried jalapeño peppers. They pack a little heat but won’t knock your socks off. The adobo sauce that they’re canned in is a tangy red sauce that complements the peppers.

Lots of freshness. Chopped onion, garlic, fresh cilantro, and lime juice are added to this salsa for lots of upfront sassy flavor. Blend the ingredients just until they are the right salsa consistency, reliable for scooping onto tortilla chips.

So little effort! You can mix this salsa up in about ten minutes. All you need is a blender or food processor. You’ll want to make a double batch because it freezes beautifully.

Recipe Tip

What to do with the rest of the can of chipotle peppers? Pack two peppers with some of the sauce into individual snack size resealable bags and freeze them. You’ll be all ready for the next batch of salsa, or use them for our chipotle chicken tacos (a slow cooker recipe) or this cherry chipotle BBQ sauce!

Amy Said:

“This is outstanding…smoky and rich…and so speedy and straightforward! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!! We'll be making it again and again.”

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What goes in

• Fire Roasted Tomatoes: If you can’t find fire roasted tomatoes, regular diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes will work.
• Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: These are what sets this salsa apart. Don’t skip them! Experiment a bit and see how much smoky heat you like. We find that two chipotle peppers is about right for us.
• Onion & Garlic: You don’t have to worry about mincing them since they’ll got chopped up in the blender. You could use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder instead of fresh if you prefer a more mild garlic flavor.
• Cilantro: We always go heavy on the cilantro, but add as much as you like.
• Fresh Lime Juice: Lime juice balances out the flavors and brightens up the taste of the salsa.

Ways to change it

Add more heat. You can add a little more heat by increasing the amount of chipotle peppers. For a fiery salsa, add ground cayenne pepper.

Make without cilantro.We love the flavor the cilantro adds to this salsa, but we don’t think cilantro tastes like soap. If you’re in that camp, you may leave out the cilantro and the salsa will still be rich.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Smoky chipotle salsa can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator. Give it a little stir before serving.

Freeze: Salsa can also be frozen for up to 6 months. Put it into a freezer-safe jar or container leaving a little head space for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Stir well.

Refried Bean Dip

• Yield: 16 (4 cups total)
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Total: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 small onion (cut into quarters)
• 1 clove garlic (roughly chopped)
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) fire roasted tomatoes (undrained)
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, more if desired (from 7 ounce can)
• ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and small stems)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• tortilla chips, for serving

Method

1. Pulse all ingredients in a blender or food processor until no large chunks remain, but not completely smooth.
2. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Variations: If you’d like spicy salsa, add extra chipotle peppers or add ground cayenne pepper, to taste. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, it can be omitted. Instead of fresh garlic, you can substitute ½ teaspoon garlic powder.

Storage: Chipotle salsa can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator. Stir well before serving. Salsa can also be frozen for up to 6 months. Put it into a freezer-safe jar or container leaving a little head space for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Stir well.