The garden is overflowing with ripe tomatoes and peppers, and this is the best chunky salsa recipe for canning! It’s a great way to use the fresh ingredients and preserve quality food at home! Recipe Yields 7-9 pint jars!
It’s a fulfilling experience when your friends and family enjoy the fruits of your labor! My kids love to have tortilla chips and fresh salsa for a snack, so I love to stock up on these in the pantry!
The finished jars of red salsa are beautiful on the pantry shelves, and so satisfying to look at… And they make a great Christmas gifts too!
Generally speaking, homemade salsas are a bit thinner than commercially prepared salsas. However, this one uses more tomato paste, and other tips, resulting the thicker texture! I also LOVE the flavor that the cumin adds!
Chunky Salsa Recipe For Canning
For best salsa results and nutrition:
Begin with high-quality fresh foods… Examine food carefully for freshness, and trim
small spots.
Can fruits and vegetables when are at their peak of quality-within 6 – 12 hours after harvested.
https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE01_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf
For safety purposes, follow measurements and instructions. This tested recipe originally came from the national center for home food preservation. The only changes you can make safely is with herbs and spices. Don’t alter the measurements of tomatoes and lemon or lime juice. And don’t substitute vinegar for lemon or lime juice… Doing so is not safe.
Chunky Salsa Recipe for Canning Ingredients
- 3 qts of peeled fresh tomatoes – The Roma variety is fleshier with less juice, so they make a chunkier salsa!
- 2, 12 ounce cans of Tomato Paste
- TWO cups of bottled Lime juice or Lemon Juice. (I prefer lime.)
- 6 Jalapeno Peppers that have been seeded and chopped small. You can also use chilli peppers, or your favorite hot peppers.
- 4 long green pepper chillies, chopped and seeded.
- 3 cups of chopped onions.
- 4 cloves of Garlic chopped.
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- One tablespoon of ground Cumin powder.
- and a teaspoon of black pepper.
Tools You May Need
- There are a few tools you’ll need, to make canning large batches easier, and to safely can salsa, including:
- Large Pot or Water bath canner with canner rack. If you are buying equipment a canning rack with handles makes loading the water bath canner much easier!
- Pint size mason jars and new canning lids.
- Jar Lifter for lifting hot jars out of water.
- Food Processor
- Baking Sheet
- Damp Cloth
- Plastic or Rubber Gloves for protection while cutting HOT peppers.
Easy Recipe Instructions
Clean veggies with cold water first, and remove tomato skins by quick blanching or roasting.
Place 9 pint canning jars and lids into your dishwasher on the sanitize setting with hot water.
Get your water bath canner ready be filling it a little over half way, placing the canning rack at the bottom, and heat on the stove. (the water needs to cover jars by 1-2 inches throughout the processing time. Preheat water to 180 degrees.
Put on your Plastic or rubber gloves and prepare your peppers! Chop off the stem ends and remove seeds, membranes and pulp. Then chop chunky, and place into a large pot.
Chop tomatoes into large chunks, and place in a large pot.
Chop onions, garlic, cilantro, chunky and put them into your large pot with other ingredients.
Add salt, sugar and cumin powder.
Bring salsa to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, and simmer for 30 minutes stirring every few minutes.
Ladle hot salsa into hot steralized canning jars, and LEAVE 1/2 an inch headspace at the top! “Headspace” is the unfilled room in the jar above the food and below the rim. This space is needed for expansion of salsa as the jars are processed!
Remove air bubbles with a knife.
Wipe rim of the jar clean with a clean damp cloth, or paper towel.
Top with canning lid and rim.
Water Bath Canning Instructions:
There are two different kinds of canning, hotpack and raw pack. This recipe uses the HOT packing method of canning for superior color and flavor of preserved salsa!
Most of us don’t like to cook our fresh salsa too much…However, Hotpacking your salsa will actually make it look and taste better in the long run!
Hot-packing is the best way to remove air and is the preferred pack style for foods processed in
https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE01_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf
a boiling-water canner. At first, the color of hot-packed foods may appear no better than that of
raw-packed foods, but within a short storage period, both color and flavor of hot-packed foods
will be superior.
- Turn the heat up to high heat on water bath canner, and get water to a hard boil.
- Using a canning rack or jar lifter, lower jars into boiling water. Keep jars upright so salsa does not get into rim area and cause the seal to fail.
- If the water is not 1-2 inches above the jar lids, add more boiling water to get it up to the right level.
- Put the lid on the water bath canner, and set your timer:
- Process time: If you live between 1000 and 6000 ft elevation process at a high boil for 20 minutes. If you live above 6000 ft process at a hard boil for 25 minutes.
- . Check the canner every so often to make sure water is still 1-2 inches above jar lids, add more boiling water if needed.
- When time is up, turn off burner, and remove lid.
- Let it cool for 5 minutes, then remove jars KEEPING THEM IN THE UPRIGHT position so salsa does not get between seal.
- Set each hot jar at least an inch apart on a towel or wire rack to cool.
- Let jars cool to room temperature for 12-24 hours.
- DO NOT TIGHTEN LIDS OR PRESS ON LIDS! Jars must seal on their own to be safe.
- After 12-24 hours, remove rings and wash jars.
- Store sealed jars in a cool dry place (50-70 degrees) dark place for best results.
- If you have a jar that does not seal, put it in the refrigerator and use within a week.
Processing time kills microorganisms in home-canned foods. Properly canned foods are good if lids seal and jars are stored below 95°F. But, storing jars at 50° – 70°F will increase it’s quality over time. Source
TIPS for Canning Chunky Salsa
Chop tomatoes, peppers and onions a bit larger for chunky salsa!
To prevent watery salsa, After chopping tomatoes, put them in a colander over the sink and drain off excess liquid!
When you make your own salsa, you control the heat. Remember, you can always add heat, but cooling a batch down is next to impossible. Taste your salsa before packing jars.If you like more heat, leave some of the pepper seeds or membranes in!
Should your water stop boiling hard, turn the heat up till it does again, and start the timer all over again.
When the water level falls below 1-2 inches above can lids, add boiling water to bring it back to the correct level.
Don’t put hot jars too close together, try to keep them at least 1 inch apart so they can cool.
Don’t put hot jars onto a cold surface, or into a cold draft, or they can break.
Homemade salsas tend to be runnier than commercially prepared salsa. If you want a thicker salsa, just pour off extra juice after opening a jar!
Chunky Salsa Recipe for Canning Variations
This chunky salsa recipe for canning does NOT use vinegar, and I much prefer the lime juice flavor over a vinegar flavor, but you cannot safely change this.
I also LOVE the flavor that cumin adds to this salsa recipe, so I’d keep that!
There is NO fresh cilantro in this salsa recipe, you could use a tablespoon of dried cilantro as a seasoning, but not as a chopped fresh ingredient for safety purposes.
Freshness Preservation
Fresher ingredients mean fresher flavor! Enjoy your homemade salsa within a year for the most vibrant taste.
While your canned salsa might lose a bit of its sparkle after a year, it’s still a tasty treat! Enjoy it within the first year for the most vibrant flavor and freshness.
https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE01_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf
Chunky Salsa Recipe for Canning Nutrition Information:
Serving size: 2 tablespoons: Total Calories 14, Total Fat 0 g, Sodium 120 mg, Fiber 1 g, Protein 1 g.
Do You Have To Cook Salsa Before Canning?
For this chunky salsa recipe for canning, Yes. However, you do not have to, with all recipes. BUT is is much safer and yields a much better quality of salsa if you cook salsa before canning… The national Center for Food Preservations says:
At first, the color of hot-packed foods may appear no better than that of
https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE01_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf
raw-packed foods, but within a short storage period, both color and flavor of hot-packed foods
will be superior.
Do You Have To Use Vinegar When Canning Salsa?
NOPE! This recipe is completely safe and uses lemon or lime juice instead! To can salsa safely, you need to add acid, this is usually vinegar, but I do not like the flavor vinegar adds. Hence, this is my favorite salsa recipe for canning!
Can You Can Salsa With Water Bath?
If goes without saying at this point.. You probably know by this point that YES, you can can salsa in a waterbath canner! You can also use a pressure canner, but the processing time is different and it is not needed for safety.
How Long Is Homemade Canned Salsa Good For?
Homemade canned salsa is best if used in the first year! After 1 year, home canned salsa loses nutrition and flavor. After opening a jar, store in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Chunky Salsa Recipe for Canning Recipe Card
If you use this recipe… I’d really appreciate a star rating or a review! Thank YOU so much!!!
Chunky Salsa Recipe for Canning
Ingredients
- 3 quarts of peeled fresh tomatoes – The Roma variety is fleshier with less juice so they make a chunkier salsa!
- 2, 12 ounce cans of Tomato Paste
- TWO cups of bottled Lime juice or Lemon Juice. I prefer lime.
- 6 Jalapeno Peppers that have been seeded and chopped small. You can also use chili peppers or your favorite hot peppers.
- 4 long green chilies chopped and seeded.
- 3 cups of chopped onions.
- 4 cloves of Garlic chopped.
- 1 Tablespoon of salt
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- One tablespoon of ground Cumin powder.
- And a teaspoon of black pepper.
Instructions
- Place 9 pint canning jars and lids into your dishwasher on the sanitize setting.
- Get your water bath canner ready be filling it a little over half way, placing the canning rack at the bottom, and heat on the stove. (the water needs to cover jars by 1-2 inches throughout the processing time. Preheat water to 180 degrees.
- Put on your Plastic or rubber gloves and prepare your peppers! Chop off the stem ends and remove seeds, membranes and pulp. Then chop chunky, and place into a large pot.
- Chop tomatoes into large chunks, and place in a large pot.
- Chop onions, garlic, cilantro, chunky and put them into your large pot with other ingredients.
- . Add salt, sugar and cumin powder.
- Bring salsa to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, and simmer for 30 minutes stirring every few minutes.
- Ladle hot salsa into hot steralized canning jars, and LEAVE 1/2 an inch headspace at the top! "Headspace" is the unfilled room in the jar above the food and below the rim. This space is needed for expansion of salsa as the jars are processed!
- Remove air bubbles with a knife.
- Wipe jar rims clean with a clean damp cloth, or paper towel.
- Top with canning lid and rim.
- Turn heat up to high on water bath canner, and get water to a hard boil.
- 13. Using a canning rack or jar lifter, lower jars into boiling water. Keep jars upright so salsa does not get into rim area and cause the seal to fail.
- 14. If the water is not 1-2 inches above the jar lids, add more boiling water to get it up to the right level.
15. Put the lid on the water bath canner, and set your timer:
- 16. Process time: If you live between 1000 and 6000 ft elevation process at a high boil for 20 minutes. If you live above 6000 ft process at a hard boil for 25 minutes.
- 17. Check the canner every so often to make sure water is still 1-2 inches above jar lids, add more boiling water if needed.
- 18. When time is up, turn off burner, and remove lid.
- 19. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then remove jars KEEPING THEM IN THE UPRIGHT position so salsa does not get between seal.
- 20. Set hot jars at least an inch apart on a towel or wire rack to cool.
- Let jars cool for 12-24 hours.
- DO NOT TIGHTEN LIDS OR PRESS ON LIDS! Jars must seal on their own to be safe.
- After 12-24 hours, remove rings and wash jars.
- Store sealed jars in a cool dry place (50-70 degrees) for best results.
- If you have a jar that does not seal, put it in the refrigerator and use within a week.
Notes
Nutrition
Can You Freeze Fresh Salsa in Mason Jars?
Yes you can freeze fresh salsa in mason jars as long as they are FREEZER SAFE MASON JARS. Also, make sure to leave a large space at the top unfilled for the expansion of fluids when freezing!
Do You Have TO Peel Tomatoes For Canning Salsa?
You do not HAVE to peel tomatoes for canning salsa. However, tomato skins can grow the bacteria that causes botulism, so blanch them and remove the skins to minimize the risk. Tomato skins can also become tough or fibrous after cooking, so it makes a better salsa if you remove the skins too.
How Do You Fix Watery Salsa
Home canned salsa tends to be a bit more watery than store bought salsa… After opening a jar of salsa, if you want it to be thicker, just pour off excess liquid! This recipe uses more tomato paste resulting in a thicker salsa.
To prevent watery salsa, use ROMA tomatoes in salsa recipes because they are more fleshy and contain less water than other types of tomatoes. Also, look for a recipe with tomato paste!
DO NOT alter canning recipes to add tomato paste, the ratio of tomatoes to acid in a recipe is to create the correct PH for safe canning. Altering this ratio can cause bacteria to grow in jars and is not safe.
What Is The Best Tomato For Canning Salsa?
Homemade salsa is usually more watery… So the best kind of tomato to use is the ROMA tomato variety. Because Roma tomatoes have more flesh and less water than other types of tomatoes! Another important tip is, after removing skin and chopping tomatoes, put them in a colander over the sink and drain off excess liquid.
You May Also Enjoy These Recipes
Thanks for stopping by Farmhouse Harvest! You may also enjoy my super easy homemade bread recipe. Or try the fresh Pico De Gallo! For preserving, the Strawberry Freezer Jam in super fast, easy and a favorite!
Sources:
https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE01_HomeCan_rev0715.pdfSources:
https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE01_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf
Ball Canning Recipes
National Center for Home Food Preservation – USDA Applesauce Recipe
USDA National Nutrient Database
About Juliea
Juliea Huffaker is the creator of Farmhouse Harvest, and dedicated to teaching from-scratch cooking, sourdough baking, gardening, and food preservation. With over 25 years of hands-on experience she has preserved hundreds of jars of produce, mastered the art of meats and sourdough baking, and nurtured a thriving organic garden. Her recipes and articles have been featured across the web. And she’s passionate about inspiring others to embrace a simpler, self-sufficient life style.
3 comments
Juliea Huffaker
So glad you enjoy it Kevin… Thank You!
Juliea Huffaker
In this recipe you can use bottled lemon juice or lime juice… I personally prefer the lime juice!
Juliea Huffaker
Thank you Karly… Tlb is a typo… Thanks of letting me know! It should be TBL, or tablespoon. Fixed… Thank YOU!