The Best Smoked Salsa

A white bowl of the smoked salsa on a brown serving tray with chips and salt all around it and cilantro sprigs and a jalapeño to the side.

For the ultimate summer appetizer for any occasion, you’ll turn to this homemade smoked salsa over and over again! Made with only a handful of fresh ingredients, this smoky salsa is perfect for dipping or serving with your favorite Mexican dishes. You only need about 20 minutes of hands-on preparation time, and the process couldn’t be easier, no matter your skill level. Let’s show you how to make your new go-to tomato salsa.

Course Appetizers

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings people

Calories 34kcal

Author Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

Smoker
Wood pellets or wood chips hickory recommended
Sheet pan or disposable aluminum pan

Ingredients

8 Roma tomatoes halved vertically
4 garlic cloves
2 jalapeños stemmed, halved vertically, seeds left intact
½ yellow onion peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 lime juiced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Heat the smoker to 225 degrees F and add a water pan to the smoker. Place the tomatoes, garlic cloves, jalapeños and onion in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves, jalapeños and onion half on a wire rack on top of a sheet pan. Make sure the tomatoes and jalapeños are cut-side up. Place the sheet pan in the smoker and close the lid. Smoke for an hour to an hour and a half. You can taste test the juice from the tomatoes to determine if it's absorbed enough smoke for your liking.
In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes until they reach your desired consistency. Finely chop the garlic, jalapeños and onion and measure the chopped onion so that you have ¾ cup.
Spoon the processed tomatoes into a large mixing bowl with the chopped garlic, jalapeños and onion. Stir in the lime juice, cilantro and salt. For a hot salsa, serve right away or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to five days. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

This recipe yields about 3 cups.
Wear kitchen gloves when handling the peppers to protect your skin.
Don't place the jalapeños, garlic and onion in the food processor with the tomatoes. Food processors aren't good at uniformly chopping, which is what we want, and you may end up overworking the tomatoes.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition