Smoked salsa is a flavorful and aromatic twist on traditional salsa. The smoky flavor is achieved by roasting the vegetables over an open flame or on a grill before blending them together with spices and herbs.
The result is a rich and bold salsa with a slightly charred taste that pairs perfectly with air fryer tortilla chips or as a topping for oven-baked turkey tacos and weight watchers breakfast burritos. Also, try this smoked salsa on some Smoked Pulled Pork Nachos.
May is a really odd month in North Dakota. One day it could be 70 degrees and the next day in the lower 20s. I typically don’t start grilling or smoking outside until the temperature doesn’t drop below freezing every night. I’m pretty excited to start pumping out the smoker recipes on this site again and today I’m sharing a recipe for smoked salsa.
Are you wondering how you can make a typical homemade salsa taste even better? Smoking vegetables for salsa will help with that! I used some pecan wood pellets and couldn’t believe how much more flavor that added! This is a very basic salsa recipe if you want to try sprucing it up a bit add some different seasonings or different types of peppers.
If you made this smoked salsa try adding it to my Smoked Queso !
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Ingredients Needed for Smoked Salsa
Want to know why I used a certain ingredient or looking for substitutions? Check out this section.
- Tomatoes - Roma or Beefsteak tomatoes work great for this recipe.
- Onion - yellow, white, or red onions will be fine
- Jalapeno - This pepper will produce a mild salsa. If you like heat try a habanero, scotch bonnet, or Carolina pepper.
- Garlic - I don’t like to peel garlic so I have a jar of already minced garlic in my fridge. Fresh peeled garlic can also be smoked on the grill. Add it to the other vegetables when smoking. (not pictured in ingredients)
How to make Smoked Salsa
Preheat smoker to 225 degrees. My Traeger smoker needs to be preheated at the smoke setting. Once it reaches 180 then it can be turned to whatever temp it needs to reach. I’m not sure if all Traeger’s are like this or if it’s just this model.
Step 1: While the smoker is preheating, prep the vegetables. Slice the tomatoes and onions into quarters, then the jalapenos in half.
Step 2: When the smoker is done preheating place the tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos on the grates. Smoke for 1 hr and 30 minutes.
Step 3: Remove the vegetables carefully, and add them to a blender with the cilantro and garlic. Taste to see if the salsa is seasoned properly and add more salt and pepper if needed. Puree until smooth.
Serve with tortilla chips or top of nachos.
How to Use Smoked Salsa?
Make my Smoked Pulled Pork Nachos and serve it on the side for dipping!
Smoked salsa is also great to serve with chips and Smoked Queso .
The air fryer is great for making Air Fryer Tortilla Chips. They are easy and homemade!
I've got plenty salsa recipes on this site if you don't have a smoker at home. Try some of these.
Strawberry and Mango Salsa, 0 Point Salsa (Weight Watchers Recipe), or a Tiktok inspired Cowboy Cavier
Best Smoking Tips
The smoker is so great for cooking simple basic food like smoked corn on the cob, smoked meatloaf, bbq ribs for beginners, and smoked salmon. The smoke gives the salmon an extra layer of flavor that you wouldn’t get from a grill.
What Smoker do I have? I have had my Traeger smoker for a very long time and I would recommend that brand to anyone wanting to learn how to smoke food. Traegers are kind of pricey but there are some very reasonably priced smokers for under $100.
Some smokers require a preheat before setting the actual temperature to the desired one. Read the instruction manual your smoker came with to make sure.
Frequently Asked Questions
I used mesquite wood chips and pecan wood chips to make this salsa, but any type is ok to use.
I have never tried canning smoked salsa before unfortunately but I have tried canning other types of salsa. I'd let the salsa come down to room temperature first before attempting the canning process.
It can last up in the refrigerator up to 5 - 7 days. Or however long it takes you to eat it. 😉
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy
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Smoked Salsa
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min
- Total Time: 1 hr 35 min
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Easy
- Method: Smoker
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Are you wondering how you can make a typical homemade salsa taste even better? Smoking the vegetables for salsa will help with that! I used some pecan wood pellets and couldn’t believe how much more flavor that added!
Ingredients
- 2 large beefsteak tomatoes
- ½ large onion
- 1 jalapeno
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 225 degrees.
- While the smoker is preheating, prep the vegetables. Slice the tomatoes and onions into quarters, then the jalapeno in half.
- Place them on sheet pan or plate and drizzle olive oil over the top and season them with salt and pepper.
- When the smoker is done preheating place the tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos on the grates. Smoke for 1 hr and 30 minutes.
- Remove the vegetables carefully, and add them to a blender with the cilantro and garlic. Taste to see if the salsa is seasoned properly and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Puree until smooth.
- Serve with tortilla chips or top of nachos.
Notes
myWW: blue: 0; purple: 0; green: 0
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 129
- Sugar: 7g
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 1g
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