The Best Homemade Salsa Canning Recipe (2024)

This recipe is seriously the best homemade salsa for canning. Full of garden fresh vegetables, ripe tomatoes and the perfect combination of spices!

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When I’m craving chips and dip, but still want to make healthier food choices, my go-to is Eve’s Crackers with this tomato salsa. A good zesty salsa is a delicious way to satisfy the dip craving and still feel good about what I’m putting in my body.

Of course the kids love this when made into our famous campfire dip and served with tortilla chips. It definitely fills their chip craving while camping and bonus that they get a few vegetables and protein too!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

With that in mind, today I want to share the best homemade salsa recipe with you. It’s a great way to use all of the fresh tomatoes and other fresh ingredients that you’ve been growing in your garden this summer.

But wait! If you are not interested in canning salsa, you should check out our classic salsa recipe or yummy mango salsa recipe.

Let’s talk about tomatoes!

Tomato plants are a common sight in backyard gardens. Whether you choose to grow beefsteak, Roma, or cherry tomatoes, the different varieties of tomatoes each have properties that make them better suited for some uses than others.

Smaller ones are great for easy snacking. Many kinds work well in salads and sandwiches.

Denser types of tomato work particularly well for tomato sauce, salsa and canning (Romas are my personal favorite). Also, with any canning recipe, it’s important to consider the acid levels in the produce you are using.

Whether you grow your own garden tomatoes, or pick up several pounds of tomatoes at your local farmer’s market, this is the perfect salsa recipe to use them.

If this is your first time trying home canning, be sure to follow the rules of home food preservation. The recipe needs enough acid, processing times need to be long enough, and the canning jars need to be sterilized and sealed properly.

You want to make certain to avoid any contamination or spoilage after putting in all that work! An excellent resource to check out is my Complete Guide to Canning for all of the tips and tricks.

Canning Supplies:

• 12 Quart Water Bath Canner with Lid – best for foods with high acidity like salsa, tomatoes and fruit.
• Ball Mason Jars – sterilized pint sized jars work best for this recipe.
• Snap Lids and Rings – new, unused snap lids are needed to get a good seal on your jars.
• Canning Jar Lifter – this is used to lift the hot jars safely out of the boiling water bath.
• Magnet Snap Lid Lifter – this makes pulling the snap lids from the water after being sterilizer much easier.
• Jar Canning Funnel – perfect for pouring the salsa into mason jars.
• Ladle – for scooping salsa into the jars.
• Over the Sink Strainer – this is my go-to strainer for processing a lot of tomatoes.
• Rubber Tongs – for grasping hot jars and lids when sterilizing.
• Tea Towels – used for cleaning and handling hot jars.
• Stock pot – for blanching the tomatoes and cooking the salsa.
• Wooden spoon – to stir the salsa.
• Cutting board – used to chop up the vegetables.
• Sharp knife – these are my favorite for slicing and dicing.
• Can opener – for the tomato paste.
• Slotted spoon – to lift the tomatoes with.
• Measuring spoons and cup – for measure ingredients.
• Paper towel – perfect for wiping down the jars and clean up.

Homemade Salsa Canning Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 5 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 mild chilies, diced*
• 6 hot chilies, diced*
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Tip: Seeds may be removed from chilies for a milder salsa or left in for a hot salsa. Be sure to use gloves when handling hot peppers and don’t touch your face.

How to Can Salsa:

1. Bring water in a large stock pot to a boil.

2. Pour cold water into a large mixing bowl or sink.

3. Carefully drop each of the tomatoes into the boiling water.

4. When the skin begins to split, use a slotted spoon to remove the tomato and place it in the bowl of cold water.

5. Peel the skin from the tomatos, remove the core and dice.

6. Dice and chop up all of the vegetables and put them into a large stock pot.

7. Add remaining ingredients (except cilantro) and mix well.

8. Bring the salsa to a boil over medium heat.

9. Turn the heat down and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

10. Add cilantro, stir and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

11. Using a ladle and funnel, pour the mixture into sterilized jars leaving 1 inch of space from the rim.

12. Wipe the rims of the jars clean with a damp paper towel.

13. Seal with snap lids and rings.

14. Fill the processor half full of water and bring it to a boil.

15. Place the jars in the processor, making sure that they are covered in water and process at a boil for 20 minutes.

16. Remove jars from the canner with a jar lifter and place on a towel on the counter to seal. Snap lids will “pop” and be indented when the cans have sealed.

17. Mark with the date and contents.

18. Once cooled, store in a cool dark place.

This recipe makes 4-5 pints of salsa.

Tips and tricks:

• We often double and triple the recipe to make large batches of salsa!
• You can use a food processor to quickly chop and dice your salsa ingredients into small pieces.
• Make a chunky salsa by leaving your fresh veggies in larger pieces.
• Depending on how spicy you like your salsa, there are plenty of combinations of peppers you can use. You have so much more control! Use mostly mild chilies for a mild salsa. For hot salsa, include more hot peppers.
• Generally, a fleshier tomato, like Roma tomatoes, works best for salsa. They have less tomato juice and seeds, giving you a thicker salsa.
• Try out a green salsa, using only green tomatoes and green chilies.
• Store your homemade salsa in a dark place. Filled jars that have gone through the canning process will remain shelf-stable at room temperature for up to two years.

Alternate ingredients:

• Jalapeno peppers, banana peppers or anaheim peppers.
• Lime juice instead of the lemon.
• Substitute white vinegar for the apple cider vinegar.
• If you prefer, use two green peppers, and leave out the red bell pepper.
• Serve with tortilla chips or your favourite Mexican-inspired recipes all year long.

The next time you’re in the mood for chips and salsa, don’t bother with the grocery store. Grab a jar of your own homemade salsa.

More of our favorite canning recipes…

Easy Canning Recipes:

• Crunchy Dill Pickles
• How to Can Pears
• The Best Salsa for Canning
• How to Can Peaches
• Canning Tomato Sauce
• Easy Pickled Onions
• Apple Pie Filling

If you love this homemade salsa canning recipe, please give it a five star review and help me share it on Facebook or Pinterest so that others can enjoy it too!

Yield: 5 pints

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

This recipe is seriously the best homemade salsa for canning. Full of garden fresh vegetables, ripe tomatoes and the perfect combination of spices!

Ingredients

• 5 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 mild chilies, diced*
• 6 hot chilies, diced*
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Bring water in a large stock pot to a boil.

2. Pour cold water into a large mixing bowl or sink.

3. Carefully drop each of the tomatoes into the boiling water.

4. When the skin begins to split, use a slotted spoon to remove the tomato and place it in the bowl of cold water.

5. Peel the skin from the tomatos, remove the core and dice.

6. Dice and chop up all of the vegetables and put them into a large stock pot.

7. Add remaining ingredients (except cilantro) and mix well.

8. Bring the salsa to a boil over medium heat.

9. Turn the heat down and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

10. Add cilantro, stir and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
11. Using a ladle and funnel, pour the mixture into sterilized jars leaving 1 inch of space from the rim.

12. Wipe the rims of the jars clean with a damp paper towel.

13. Seal with snap lids and rings.

14. Fill the processor half full of water and bring it to a boil.

15. Place the jars in the processor, making sure that they are covered in water and process at a boil for 20 minutes.

16. Remove jars from the canner with a jar lifter and place on a towel on the counter to seal. Snap lids will “pop” and be indented when the cans have sealed.

17. Mark with the date and contents.

18. Once cooled, store in a cool dark place.

Notes

Seeds may be removed from chilies for a milder salsa or left in for a hot salsa.

Be sure to use gloves when handling hot peppers and don't touch your face.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 134Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 922mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 6gSugar: 18gProtein: 5g

All values are approximate and based on ingredients used by the recipe writer. Always calculate your own individual nutritional values for the most accurate calculation.

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