Salsa Quemada is a dry roasted Mexican salsa. It features Roma tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno, onion, and fresh cilantro. It is a smoky and spicy dip perfect for Game Day served with tortilla chips, or overtop tacos, burritos, or quesadillas for lunch or dinner. This flavorful Mexican salsa recipe can easily be made over the stove in 15 minutes or in your air fryer in 10 minutes.

Packed with flavor, Salsa Quemada is a versatile and delicious roasted tomato salsa. "Quemada" literally means burnt and this dip is made by dry roasting the ingredients until they are soft and develop a nice char all around.

The ingredients are then blended with fresh cilantro until you have a smooth but slightly chunky dip.

Dry roasting not only makes this salsa look nice, but it adds an amazing depth of flavor not found in fresh salsas. This dip has a pleasant hint of spice, but you can make it as spicy or as mild as you like!

Using either your air fryer or cooking it in the oven, Salsa Quemada couldn't be easier to prepare in your own kitchen in under 20 minutes!

Packed with bold flavor using only 5-ingredients, this homemade salsa is above any restaurant-style salsa that can be found in any grocery store!

Recipe ingredients

Roma tomatoes. You'll need 5 firm tomatoes. Whole and not cut at all.

Garlic. When roasted it adds a sweet buttery garlic flavor to this recipe.

Jalapeno. Provides a nice kick of heat.

Onion. Gets charred and slightly caramelized.

Cilantro. An herb that gives this dish a distinctive Mexican flavor.

Salt. Used for seasoning and to balance out the other flavors.

How to make salsa quemada

Start with washing your vegetables. Choose what hot peppers do you want use for salsa- spicy jalapeno, mild Poblano or extra spicy Habanero? Or maybe you have a favorite pepper that is non of the above? Please let me know in comments. In used jalapeno in this recipe.

Oven roasting (broil)

To make roasted salsa you can use either air fryer or oven. In this post i will show you how to use both.

1. Place all the ingredients (except cilantro) in the dry pan and broil for 6-8 minutes or until tomatoes and jalapenos will get charred look. Turn them if needed.
2. Place everything in the blender along with salt and cilantro and pulse until smooth or chunky, as you like.

Air fryer roasting

1. Place all the ingredients (except cilantro) in the air fryer and cook on 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until charred on each side.
2. Place everything in the blender along with salt and cilantro and pulse until smooth or chunky, as you like.

Substitutions

Tomatoes. Beefsteak tomatoes, plum tomatoes, or any variety that is firm without too many seeds can be used in place of the Roma tomatoes. Try to avoid softer and juicier varieties like vine tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, because these tend to blister and split very easily and won't dry roast as well.

Use all tomatoes or add in tomatillos. This recipe doesn't use tomatillos but it is very common in Salsa Quemada recipes. If you like the flavor of them, add a couple to the roasting pan with the other ingredients to give your homemade salsa a sweet and slightly tart flavor.

Peppers. Instead of jalapenos, you can use Serano or Habanero peppers for a spicier dip. For a milder salsa, remove the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno before blending it with the other ingredients.

Fresh herbs. Feel free to use fresh parsley instead of cilantro if you prefer it better!

Variations

Use a grill or stove instead of the oven. Instead of roasting the peppers in the oven add them to a dry pan and cook them on the medium high heat until nicely charred. Alternatively, cook the veggies over the grill to add even more smoky flavor to this dish.

Add lime juice. A little bit of lime juice adds a wonderful zesty and fresh flavor. It is a nice complement to the other smoky and savory flavors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving

Salsa is a perfect dip for your favorite store bought or homemade tortilla chips! Also you can top many dishes with salsa, like nachos, burritos, quesadillas. Salsa quemada is also great on fajitas or in grain bowls.

Top your favorite grilled chicken, beef or fish with salsa and enjoy its fresh taste. I also like to pour it over breakfast eggs in the morning.

Storage

Leftovers. Keep salsa leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days easy. You will eat it much faster!

Freezer. You can freeze salsa for up to 4 months in the freezer safe ziplock bag or plastic or glass container. Thaw in fridge overnight or just on the counter for an hour or so.

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Hope you will like this salsa quemada recipe as much as we do. Rate the recipe if you made it and leave a comment below if you have any questions or suggestions.