Any Mexican taco stand (or Taqueria) will have a good Serrano Salsa.
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It’s creamy, spicy, and goes great on Birria Tacos, Tacos Gobernador, or Tacos de Bistec.
Vegan. Dairy-free. Delicious!
The best part, though, is that it’s ready in under 15 minutes.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Serrano Peppers – There’s no way around it. This salsa is SPICY because of the serranos. Here is where they fall on the Scoville Scale.
Oil is what will give the salsa a creamy texture. I recommend either canola oil, grapeseed oil , or a neutral-flavored oil for this recipe.
Onion
Garlic
Salt
Cilantro
Water – The more you use, the thinner the salsa will be.
Lime – or use White Distilled Vinegar to preserve the salsa longer, but it will taste tangier.
- Cut off the stems
- Remove the seeds and the veins.
By doing this, you’ll bring down some of the heat. If you can handle the heat, be my guest. Leave the seeds and the veins in.
For a milder salsa, use a combination of jalapeno and serrano peppers.
Jalapenos vs. Serrano Peppers
Jalapenos are often used interchangeably with serrano peppers in many recipes.
Please know that serranos are spicier than jalapenos.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a skillet.
- Add the serranos. Cook for 4 minutes.
- Add the onion and garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
- Let them cool slightly before adding to the blender.
It’s a good idea to open up the windows right about now.
This will make you and the people around you start coughing.
- Place in a blender the ingredients from the skillet.
- Also add the salt, lime, and water.
Some taquerias have really runny salsas. They are trying to stretch the serrano by adding water.
For a really velvety salsa, add more oil. 1 tablespoon of oil will do the trick.
No cream or dairy products are used to make the salsa cremosa (or creamy). The oil is what gives it a creamy texture, making it a 100% vegan salsa.
Storing:
Place in an airtight container. The salsa will last for up to 5 days. If you use vinegar, it can last for up to 10 days.
More Mexican Salsas:
Serve this Creamy Taqueria-Style Serrano Salsa for Taco Tuesday. Or, serve it with chips, and you’ll see it vanish before your eyes. Provechito!
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Did you make this recipe? Please rate the recipe below!
Taqueria-Style Salsa Serrano
Ingredients
- 10 serrano peppers
- ¼ cup oil
- ¼ onion
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ cup water
- 2 limes (or 4 key limes)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cilantro (bunch)
Instructions
- Remove the stems and seeds from the serranos.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
- Add the serranos. Reduce the heat to medium.
- Cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the onion and garlic to the skillet.
- Cook for 1 minute.
- Let cool slightly.
- To a blender, add the cooked serranos, onion, garlic, water, lime juice, salt, and cilantro.
- Also add any remaining oil from the skillet.
- Blend until smooth.
- Taste for salt.
- Serve and enjoy.
I think this is my new favorite salsa! It is SO good. I de-seeded all the peppers, then ended up adding about 3/4 of them back in. I used 2 limes, but they were small, so added an additional teaspoon of bottled key lime juice. This has such wonderful flavor and heat and I think we’ll be making it frequently. It was really awesome to use our own homegrown peppers, cilantro, onion, and garlic! Thanks for the incredible recipe!
Nothing beats homemade salsa! Happy it’s a new favorite.
I have made this at least 6 times. It is one of our favorites. So authentic, so good. Thank you Maggie!
Six times? That’s the best compliment! So happy you love it.
Absolutely delicious, we make this every time we make street tacos now! It’s so good & so easy!
Nothing beats homemade salsa. So happy it’s your go-to salsa now.
Recipes like this one make me consider you a true hero! This is my second favorite of all your recipes, (after la birria). It’s so hard to find high quality Mexican recipes because they’re all secret and passed down through generations, this recipe is the best! Muchísimas Gracias Mamma Maggie for sharing your secrets!
Glad you liked this recipe! Hope you make it again soon.
OMG! This is divine. I couldn’t bother to seed them. Absolutely delish. To many peppers in the garden = awesome salsa.
I did add a little sugar. I also bumped up the peppers to about 30, 1 whole onion, 3 garlic cloves. Absolutely delish.
I love this salsa SO MUCH! I make it all the time. I love hearing other people enjoy it as much as I do!
Delicious!!
Thank you!
This is the best salsa I have ever made! Great recipe. I cut it in half since I only had a few serrano’s and it still turned out amazing. The smoky heat was just perfect! Our tacos were amazing tonight! Thank you!
So glad you liked this recipe! Hope you make it again soon.
I appreciate instructions on how long to cook the chilis. I never understand that part. Only change was I added a clove. But otherwise I kept it as is. We love it. Thank you for the recipe. It’s a keeper I will use regularly.
Glad you enjoyed this Taqueria-style salsa serrano recipe. It’s wonderful to hear that it’s become a keeper and a regular addition to your meals. Enjoy!
Bomb salsa! I only took seeds out of 3 of the serranos and it was perfect!!
Yay! Yes, I think it’s the bomb too. 🙂
I am pinning this recipe and try and making this maybe sometime this week. It sounds amazing and love it!
I hope you do. It’s a tasty and spicy salsa. Hope you enjoy!
Preparing this was so much easier than I thought. It was so fun making it and everyone in the house loved it. Thank you!
That makes me so happy to hear. Glad everyone enjoyed it!
This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing it.
It so is. I hope you try the recipe!
This sounds awesome. I love serrano pepper-based salsas so this would be perfect for us.
Me too. Love the heat and flavor of serranos.
This salsa looks amazing! It’s perfect for our weekly tacos dinner!
We are frequent taco eaters and my house too. Happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Love this kind of stuff but trying to figure out why there are 11 carbs in a serving.
Believe it or not, serranos have carbs. 7 grams per cup, depending on the size of the pepper. There are a lot of serranos in this recipe.
My husband would love this for sure! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hope you make it for him. He’ll love this recipe!
Wow! This look so good! I am surely gonna try this out! Love it!
Yes please. You won’t regret it.
I’ve never used anything like this before, though if it’s more spicy than a jalapeno I’m not sure I could handle it! Does anyone else think this salsa looks chuggable though? LOL
I can think of a few family members that may be able to handle this though so definitely going to give the recipe a share!
Chugable. lol! Only a little of this salsa goes a long long way.
What a delicious sounding sauce. This would be perfect with tacos.
Yes. With tacos, it’s perfect!
This sounds delicious. I think I’d try the jalapeno option first and then if I survive the heat the serranos the next time.
Yes, try it with jalapeno. You won’t be disappointed.