Creamy Jalapeño Salsa 🌶️ is a spicy Mexican salsa made with fresh jalapeños, onion, garlic, cilantro, and white distilled vinegar. The jalapeños are cooked in olive oil until blistered, then blended with the other ingredients until smooth and creamy.
This is the kind of salsa you’ll often find at Mexican taquerias, served alongside Carne Asada Street Tacos and Mulitas. It has plenty of fresh jalapeño flavor and heat, while the olive oil gives it a smooth, creamy texture.
The best part? You only need a handful of simple ingredients, and it comes together quickly.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️
- Big jalapeño flavor. Cooking the jalapeños in olive oil until blistered gives this salsa a deeper, richer flavor.
- Creamy without dairy. There’s no cream, sour cream, or avocado in this recipe. The olive oil and water create a smooth, creamy texture when blended. This creamy salsa is naturally dairy-free and vegan.
- Simple ingredients. Fresh jalapeños, onion, garlic, cilantro, vinegar, olive oil, and a few pantry staples are all you need.
- Quick to make. Cook the vegetables, add everything to a blender, and blend until smooth.
- Great for using extra jalapeños. If your garden is producing more jalapeños than you know what to do with, this is an easy way to use them.
-Maggie
🌶️ Ingredients
- Fresh Jalapeños
- Olive oil
- Onion, sliced
- Garlic cloves
- Salt
- Water
- White Distilled Vinegar
- Cilantro
What is Creamy Jalapeño Salsa?
Creamy jalapeño salsa is a smooth Mexican salsa made primarily with fresh jalapeños. Unlike creamy salsas made with dairy or avocado, this version gets its creamy texture from blending blistered jalapeños with olive oil and water. It has a fresh, spicy flavor that pairs especially well with grilled meats and chips.
🥣 Instructions
- Begin by heating olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the jalapeños and cook until the skins are blistered and lightly charred. This adds a deeper flavor to the salsa.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
You can leave the jalapeños whole or slice them in half before blending. Just be sure to remove the stems.
- Let the cooked ingredients cool slightly before blending.
- Add the jalapeños, onion, garlic, cilantro, ½ cup water, 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar, a pinch of salt, and any remaining olive oil from the skillet to a blender or food processor.
- Blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust the salt or vinegar as needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. This salsa has a noticeable kick because fresh jalapeños are the main ingredient. The heat can vary depending on the jalapeños you use. For a milder salsa, remove some or all of the seeds and membranes before cooking.
You can. Leaving the seeds and membranes in will give the salsa more heat, while removing them will make it milder. I recommend tasting the jalapeños first since their heat level can vary.
There are plenty of ways to use fresh jalapeños. Make this salsa, pickle them, add them to tacos and soups, or use them in homemade sauces. You can also freeze jalapeños to use later.
Yes. This salsa can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it. Give it a good stir before serving.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Adjust the heat. Jalapeños can vary quite a bit in heat. Remove some or all of the seeds and membranes for a milder salsa.
- Don’t skip the blistering. Cooking the jalapeños until the skins are blistered adds depth and brings out their flavor.
- Let it cool slightly. Allow the cooked ingredients to cool before blending. This also makes the salsa easier to handle.
- Taste before serving. Add more salt or vinegar if needed to balance the flavors.
🫙 Storing Instructions
Store creamy jalapeño salsa in a clean glass container or airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 1½ weeks.
The salsa may separate slightly while refrigerated. Give it a good stir before serving.
🍴 More Mexican Salsa Recipes
- Authentic Chipotle Salsa Recipe
- Chile Piquin Salsa
- Salsa de Aguacate
- Tomato Habanero Salsa
- Avocado Mango Salsa
- Molcajete Salsa Verde
- Chile de Arbol Salsa
- Mango Habanero Salsa
- Tomatillo Habanero Salsa
This Creamy Jalapeño Salsa is one of those homemade salsas you’ll want to keep in the refrigerator. It’s spicy, smooth, and packed with fresh jalapeño flavor.
Make a batch when you have extra jalapeños and keep it on hand for tacos, quesadillas, or a bowl of tortilla chips.
Creamy Jalapeno Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil
- 8 Jalapenos (or 10 small jalapenos)
- ¼ onion sliced
- 2 garlic cloves
- Salt
- ½ cup Water
- 2 tablespoon White Distilled Vinegar
- ½ bunch cilantro
Instructions
- Add oil to a large skillet and add the jalapenos.
- Cook until the skins are blistered.
- Remove the skillet.
- Add the onion and garlic cloves
- Cook for 1 minute.
- Let cool slightly before adding the jalapenos, onion, garlic, and any remaining olive oil into a blend.
- Also add salt, water, white distilled vinegar, and cilantro.
- Blend until smooth.
- Serve and enjoy!
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