Homemade Salsa for Canning

With hundreds of 5-star reviews, this really is the BEST homemade salsa for canning.

If you have fresh tomatoes, then you’ll want to make this salsa, either hot or mild. Enjoy it now or can it for later. It’s so delicious and inexpensive to make!

This homemade salsa for canning is one of the best things that’s ever come out of my kitchen.

I can 75 pounds of tomatoes each year, which usually means 2 days of non-stop homemade salsa making.

The hours are worth it. My entire family love this salsa, and my husband and kids usually go through a jar or two a week. Yes, this salsa really is drinkable.

This recipe is written to be canned, but you don’t need to. It will make a lot of salsa but you could also pour it into jars and gift it to friends without canning.

However– don’t be intimidated by the canning process. It couldn’t be simpler, and you don’t need any fancy equipment to do it. I walk you through how to can this salsa with step by step directions in the post below.

The hundreds of 5-star reviews speak for themselves!

Salsa Ingredients

For this salsa canning recipe, you’ll need the following:

• Peeled and chopped tomatoes: Peeling the tomatoes is necessary for a better salsa texture and safety in canning. I use the boiling water method to peel the tomatoes, and I have a tutorial on how to do that or see below.
• Green bell peppers: You can use other colors, but I like the color of the green bell peppers with the tomatoes.
• Chopped white onion: Make sure to use white onion and not red onion as it will color the salsa, especially when it’s canned.
• Jalapeños: You can increase the amount of jalapenos or decrease the amount, depending on spice preference. I share how to do this safely below.
• Garlic: If you plan on making several batches at one time, like I do, then I recommend grabbing the already peeled cloves of garlic for ease.
• Canning salt: Canning salt is fine and dissolves into the salsa better; iodized salt can be substituted. However, as salt doesn’t affect the pH level when canning, you can use as much or as little salt as you’d like to taste.
• White vinegar: This homemade salsa doesn’t taste like vinegar! Some readers have used bottled lime juice (see the comments) but I use vinegar and prefer it. If you do want to use another acid, it must be 5% acidity or higher.
• Tomato paste: This is necessary for both thickening the salsa and for adding additional acid as commercial tomato paste contains citric acid.

You can make slight adjustments to this recipe, but as this recipe has been verified and tested for safety, I do not recommend making any other adjustments other than what is listed below. If you are making this recipe as homemade salsa and not for canning, then you can make any adjustments to taste.

How to make a spicier salsa

Depending on the heat of your jalapenos, this recipe is mild to medium, as written. If you would like it hotter, note that you cannot add more peppers, but you can substitute the type. This salsa recipe for canning uses 2 1/2 cups of chopped bell peppers along with 3-4 medium jalapeños.

If you want more heat, then I recommend subbing in some of the chopped bell peppers for spicier peppers. When I make this hot, I usually add 2 cups of chopped bell peppers and 1/2 cup of chopped jalapeños with the seeds. If you want a very mild salsa, make sure to remove the seeds and ribs from your jalapenos before adding them, or you can omit them altogether.

Using other acids instead of vinegar

You can use bottled lemon juice instead of vinegar for this recipe in the same amount, though I highly recommend the vinegar option and note by the hundreds of reviews that this salsa does not taste vinegary. Fresh lemon or fresh lime juice is not pH standardized to be used in this recipe, but bottled lemon is safe. However, as you can see from the comments, even if you dislike vinegar in your salsa, it doesn’t taste like vinegar! I love and recommend the original version posted here, but bottled lemon juice is also OK.

Adjusting the amount of salt

This recipe uses canning salt, the same consistency as table salt. As salt does not change the pH, you can use more or less salt. I find the amount of salt perfect, but if you are salt sensitive, I recommend adding as you go and tasting. It’s always easy to add more salt, but you cannot take away salt once it’s added.

Lastly, if you prefer fresh herbs in your salsa, I recommend adding them once you open a jar. This is for taste and appearance, as fresh herbs, like chopped cilantro, will turn very dark green once canned. You can use a small amount of dried herbs if you’d like.

How to Can This Salsa

Prepping all of your ingredients first will make canning salsa much easier in the long-run.
The only difficult thing is removing the skins from the tomatoes ahead of time (this is how to peel tomatoes). If you are making a hot salsa, then I highly recommend using gloves when chopping the hot peppers.

Step 1: Make the Salsa

Put all of your ingredients into a large stock pan and simmer for at least 30 minutes until it thickens. I highly recommend grabbing a few spoonfuls and enjoying it with chips while it cooks.

Taste it, and know that the flavor will develop as it sits. You can adjust a few things here depending on taste — you can add more salt (if you are salt-sensitive, then I recommend starting with 3-4 teaspoons and adding from there.) You can always add more.

You can also add in spices, like cumin, cayenne, coriander, etc. I personally don’t think this salsa needs any additional spices, but some readers like to do this.

Step 2: Pour into clean jars

Pour salsa into clean jars. This recipe will make about 7-9 pints of salsa, depending on how thick your salsa is. As long as you followed the ingredients, then it’s OK if you get more or less. It will depend on how long your salsa simmers.

If you are new to canning, see my tips below for how to clean your jars before adding in the homemade salsa. I use a funnel to keep things clean, but ensure you wipe the top of the jar before putting the tops on. Place the tops on the jars and seal to close.

Step 3: Process in a water bath

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Place the filled jars into this hot water bath and process for 30 minutes, ensuring the jars are submerged in hot water the entire time.

I use a canning pot with a rack so the water gets around all sides of the jar. You can use a pasta pot if you don’t have a canning pot.

Step 4: Remove and let cool

Carefully remove the jars from the hot water bath canner and place on a rack or a kitchen towel until cool to the touch.

I use this jar lifter to remove the jars and then place them on a kitchen towel to cool. Let them sit for 24 hours before checking to see if they have sealed. Any that haven’t, you can reprocess!

It’s a little bit of work upfront, but the results for this homemade salsa are so worth it. Plus, good salsa is ridiculously expensive, and if you can make your own for just a dollar or two a jar, it’s worth it!

Store cooled homemade salsa in a dark place, like a pantry, for up to 18 months.

Can I make this homemade salsa without canning?

Yes! This recipe is written as safe to can, but it’s also a fantastic homemade salsa recipe without canning! If you are going to make it as a homemade salsa recipe, then you are free to make more adjustments in the ratio of tomatoes to peppers and onions. Note that I don’t think you need to do this as the recipe is fantastic as is. However, there is more leeway based on taste preference as opposed to safe canning practice.

If you prefer a smaller batch of homemade salsa, you can halve or even quarter this recipe if you plan on enjoying it immediately. You can also freeze any leftovers without needing to follow the canning process.