Chile de Arbol Salsa

A bowl of spicy salsa topped with a whole dried red chili pepper, surrounded by yellow corn tortilla chips, evokes the bold flavors of Chile de Arbol Salsa for an extra kick.

5 from 42 votes

This Chile de Arbol Salsa is spicy, smoky, and packed with Mexican flavor. Made with dried chiles, tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, and garlic, it's an easy salsa you can adjust to your preferred heat level.

Prep Time5

Cook Time8

Total Time13

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: cup

Calories: 265kcal

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

2 tomatoes
2 tomatillos
¼ onion
1 garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup dried chile de arbol (about 25-30 chiles)
½ tablespoon salt
¼ cup water

Instructions

In a skillet, char tomatoes and tomatillos on all sides.
Halfway through the charring of the tomatoes and tomatillos, add onion and garlic to the skillet.
Cook for 2 minutes.
Remove garlic.
Let everything cook for 1-2 minutes more, or until onion is translucent.
With your spatula, move the tomatoes and tomatillos on their sides, making sure they char on all sides.
Remove everything from the skillet and set aside until ready to use.
Cut off the stems from the dried chiles.
In a clean skillet, add oil and dried chile de arbol. If you like it spicier, add more chile.
Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Do not let the chiles burn, or the salsa will be bitter.
Place all the chile de arbol and as much of the oil from the skillet in a blender.
Add the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, garlic, salt, and water to the blender.
Blend until smooth.
Pour into a salsa bowl. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Choose pods that have no tears and are not cut in half.

The combination of tomatoes and tomatillos is what gives the Salsa de Chile de Arbol that orange-y color. You can also use all tomatoes, or all tomatillos.

How do you make a salsa less spicy? Add more tomatoes (or more tomatillos).
How do you make salsa hotter? Add more chile and less tomatoes (or tomatillos).

You can boil the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, and garlic instead of roasting. However, roasting will give the salsa a smokey flavor.

Line the skillet or sheet pan with foil paper for easy clean up.

Do NOT touch your eyes when working with chiles.

To make the salsa more chunky, use a food processor and pulse a couple of times.

Let the salsa cool before tasting. It is always spicier when it is still warm.

Nutrition