I had to give slow cooker salsa a try, I could live on salsa and chips alone if I had too! And I love bringing salsa and chips to summer barbecues, everyone seems to go crazy for it. This recipe for slow cooker salsa makes about 2 quarts of salsa! Enough for a big crowd, or you could freeze the leftovers in plastic containers.
I didn’t know if the ratio of ingredients were going to be right, but I nailed it! I used about 1 pound Roma tomatoes, a large can of plum tomatoes, 2 jalapeños, a white onion quartered, and 3 garlic cloves. Slow cook everything for about 2 1/2 hours on high. Then in batches, put everything in the blender, with cilantro and salt. Almost no chopping at all! I had planned to add lime juice and cumin, but didn’t, the flavor was too good already to add anything else.
Recipes to use this salsa in:
- Slow Cooker Beef Salsa Fajitas
- Slow Cooker Steak Burritos
- Slow Cooker Vegetarian 15 Bean Soup
- Slow Cooker Taco Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers
Recipe adapted from One Particular Kitchen Salsa Roja – seriously best salsa on pinterest!
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Slow Cooker Salsa
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 10 Fresh Roma tomatoes about 1 pound no need to chop, or core, leave whole
- 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes
- 1 White onion peeled and quartered
- 2 jalapeños tops cut off
- 3 whole garlic cloves peeled
These items go in at the end
- ¾ tsp. salt put in slowly, test it to taste
- 1 bunch cilantro
Instructions:
- Put the Roma tomatoes, canned plum tomatoes, onion, jalapeños and garlic in the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, the tomatoes will look like they exploded, and will be a little soft.
- In 2 batches, scoop the items and juices from the slow cooker into your blender, and add the cilantro (tear off the big chunk stems and discard, some stems are ok).
- Pulse until salsa is the consistency you would like.
- Put into a container.
- Add salt a little at at time, and taste it, everyone has different preferences.
- Serve with tortilla chips
I made this last year and froze it in little containers I could use for lunch. i added bell peppers and used basil instead of cilantro, it turned out great! I used my last batch from the freezer a month ago and now my tomatoes are ready for another batch. YUM! thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much for posting this recipe. It sounds delicious.
This recipe is AWESOME!! So easy and tastes wonderful. The only thing I did different was used red jalapenos, a cayenne, and a dash of lime juice.
Love it!!!
Oh my goodness. This was so good! I made this today and I absolutely loved it! I will be making this a lot from now on. Thanks so much for sharing this!
I made my first batch of salsa using this recipe today and I love it! I like a little more spice and a thicker salsa so I used 3 jalapeños and didn’t include the extra juice since the tomatoes give off so much juice in the food processor. It came out perfect! My husband doesn’t even eat much salsa and he was he kept coming back for more. Thanks so much for posting this recipe.
Ho w many jars did you get? Anyone have any idea?
I just made this salsa and it’s missing something. Don’t get me wrong. It’s good but it’s just missing a flavor that I can’t put my finger on. I followed the recipe exactly. Has anyone added anything else to the recipe?
Maybe add more salt, or extra cilantro? Those two things could change the flavor quite a bit.
I added some cumin and extra salt to mine.
My first batch of salsa was made per recipe as is. I agree, it needed something. With the second batch I added on packet of Sazon Goya “Con Culantro Y Achiote” (coriander & annato). What a difference. Try this and see what you think. This seasoning works well in many other recipes, so buy the box and keep some handy.
Wow! #2 recipe I’m going to try! I have tomatoes galore in my garden and they will be put to good use in this recipe. I just have to wait for the tomatoes to turn red!!!
Years ago a I made salsa (it was a 2 day recipe) and canned the salsa. I sterilized the canning jars first in a boiling water bath, filled the hot jars with the still hot cooked salsa, and then processed in a 15 minute water bath. The jars were suspended above the boiling water on a rack in one of those big enamel pots. When you removed the jars with the lifter to set out to cool, you’d hear the lids ‘click’ as they sealed tight. The salsa kept very well, and always tasted as good as the day it was made. I also make apple butter using the same canning method.
Salsa should be hot going into the jars? We are using the water bath.
Recipe looks great
Yes. If you put cooled down salsa into the hot sterilized jars you may risk cracking the glass. Hot cooked salsa into hot jars, then into the water bath. Be sure to suspend the jars off the floor of the pan. I’ve had the bottom of the canning jar completely break away. Always check jars for small cracks or imperfections before using.
Would a regular blender work for this project? I always feel my salsa gets too watery without a fancy food processor (which I don’t have). Any suggestions?
I used a regular blender, just pulse it slowly, being careful not to over blend. 🙂
I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to spice. What level of heat would you say this recipe has?
Thanks!
It depends on the jalapeño, on a scale of 1-10, ours turned out to be a 5. You can always blend up the salsa with one jalapeño at a time. 🙂
Could regular tomatoes e used and could I freeze the salsa instead of canning?
Yes, regular tomatoes would work fine, just weigh out about a pound of them. I freeze this salsa myself, works great!
Can fresh plum tomatoes be used instead of the can??
Yes that would work fine!
Love, love, love this salsa recipe. Taste just the the Mexican restaurant salsa that we enjoy so much. Thanks for sharing Sarah.
Do you have to remove the skin on the Roma tomatoes?
Nope, the skins get blended up. 🙂
Can you add extra veggies, like bell peppers?
Yes, bell peppers would be great in this salsa!
i have done some canning tomatoes do not need to be pressure canned.
they are ok in a water bath. have made lots of salsa. just take finished product and put in jars leavings head space and water bath about 30 minuites. that will seal them and yu can store them
my husband loves this recipe, hes eaten this salsa everyday since I made it ty, I love it because its so easy.
I am making this right now but i replaced half of the can tomatoes with Fire Roasted tomatoes. I hope it turns out ok!
I never even thought of using the slow cooker! Brilliant!
Re: canning, there’s a lot of discussion about that on the original post, but bottom line seems to be pressure canning would be okay, water bath canning would not.
Erin, I was so skeptical about the salsa in the slow cooker, because your original recipe is amazing. But it worked great! Thanks for the canning info 🙂
Tomatoes can be water bath canned or pressure canned. I usually pressure can only because most tomatoes varieties grown today have a low ph. Adding lemon juice, which you don’t really taste in the finished the product, makes sure it’s safe to water bath.
I used to can salsa all the time. A water bath is fine.
This sounds amazing! Yum! I can’t wait to try it! Thank you for posting the recipe 🙂
I love salsa and love the use of the crockpot in making this one. Do you think you could can the salsa instead of freezing it?
I’m not a canning expert, but think there has to be a perfect ratio of acid in it, like lemon juice. If anyone know how to convert a recipe to a canning recipe, please comment! 🙂
I have canned salsa for years. There is enough acid in tomatoes that no other is needed. I just put it in my jars and do a water bath for 20 minutes. I always have mine eaten in 6 months to a year. Ready for the next year’s tomatoes to come off in the garden. However, I have never used to canned tomatoes to make my salsa only fresh. Could that be the lemon juice difference?
I have canned crockpot salsa for several years and do not do the hot water bath. There is acid in the tomatoes and also vinegar added. Has anyone besides me done this before. It is so fresh tasting and easy to make. No preservatives at all, just garden fresh produce.
I can tomatoes every year and I have never done the water bath. I am VERY careful to boil the jars and lids(and bands) for about 10 minutes before pouring salsa or tomatoes in the jars. Have had only one come unsealed in years and no problems about bacteria.
Unless you are using green ones and then you need to salt them and leave them overnight to get enough acid.
It is OK to can tomatoes, but salsa is not acidic enough in a waterbath without adding a lot of vinegar or lemon juice. There are recipes for canning salsa but I have never found one I like–too acidic. It is OK to can it with a pressure canner. I did a lot of research on it a couple of years ago because I always canned salsa assuming it was OK. I never had a problem, but I guess botulism is a problem you only have once!