Easy Freezer Salsa
Easy Freezer Salsa – no canning needed! This easy freezer salsa is a delicious treat that you can pull out any time from your freezer – no need to can it! You will be amazed at how easy and simple this salsa is to make. Definitely a family favorite at our house!
Delicious Salsa You Can Freeze!
Tomato season is almost upon us, especially if you’ve planted Early Girls in your garden this year, and the inevitable question always comes up, “What do I do with all these tomatoes?”
(Actually, I’ve never gotten to ask that question. My cherry tomatoes went gangbusters last year, but my Early Girls nearly died off, and what didn’t die off, ended up with blossom end rot and I wasn’t able to save them quickly enough. And then this year, right about when it was time to start planting a garden, I got some crazy hair-brained idea to start a food blog, so that sorta took up all my time and the next thing I knew the summer was half over and no garden…)
My family tends to hold up Ye Olde Store-Bought Salsa (with a name that rhymes with “race”) as the gold standard of salsa. It’s the one to beat. Plus, I like having canned salsa to use in super easy meals like my Instant Pot Salsa Chicken. But the canning…ugh!
I’m very lucky and live in an area where there is a local farm just a few miles away, and I can get tons of tomatoes and corn and other local grown produce. Two years ago, I bought two huge boxes of tomatoes, and decided to try my hand at canning salsa and ketchup.
The ketchup? Absolutely not worth the trouble. So much work!!! And no one liked it.
The salsa? Good idea, but I tried two different recipes and neither were winners. Which was strange, because one of them came right out of the Blue Bible itself…
So I was a little leery about trying this one. Not that it wouldn’t work, but that my family wouldn’t like the taste. They are pretty picky, and like I said, if it doesn’t come in a jar from the store, they tend to give it the evil stink eye.
BUT – I am very glad that I took the chance. And so is my family! We made this Freezer Salsa (originally pulled from an old Taste of Home magazine) and I got the family seal of approval. When the hubs says, “I think this one is a keeper” then I KNOW it’s good!
Now, I’m one who usually prefers to can things whenever possible, rather than freezing them, because 1) they last longer canned, and 2) there are things that can’t be canned and I’d rather save the freezer space for that stuff. But this is one I think I’ll make an exception for!
The trickiest part is peeling and de-seeding the tomatoes. It’s not hard, just a little time consuming. But worth it.
To peel your tomatoes, cut a small shallow “X” in the bottom. Dip the tomato into boiling water for about 45-60 seconds until the skin starts to peel back and wrinkle. Then take the tomato out of the boiling water and stick it directly into an ice bath for a minute or two. Then, you should be able to easily peel the skin off the tomato.
To de-seed, take your skinned tomatoes, and cut them in half around the “equator” line (not through the blossom/stem end). Squeeze each half over the sink or a bowl, to squeeze out the seeds. You don’t have to get them all out, just as much as you reasonably can. And don’t worry if you sorta crush the tomato. You’re just going to stick it in the food processor in a moment anyway. 😉
Once you’ve got everything diced and chopped (I highly recommend using a food processor for most of this), it’s just a matter of bringing it all to a boil and then letting it simmer for about 45 minutes. That’s it. Remove from heat, let cool, and package for the freezer.
One of the best things about doing freezer salsa, unlike canned salsa, is because you’re not canning for long term storage, you can play around with the recipe a bit more and not worry if you get the acid balance a little off. You can’t (or rather, shouldn’t) do that with stuff you’ll be canning, as it’s important to maintain a certain acid amount in your recipe to help impede bacterial and fungal growth.
I highly recommend giving this stuff a try! Even my littles liked this stuff!!
This amazing homemade Freezer Salsa is such a great alternative to canning salsa - it will keep in the freezer for 3-6 months! Do NOT touch your face while working with the jalapenos - the capsaicin oils can transfer and irritate skin or burn eyes. Discard seeds and any pepper insides, carefully wash cutting board and knife used with jalapenos, then turn gloves inside out as you take them off so as not to touch the outside surfaces, and throw away. Since my family likes their salsa on the very mild side, I usually use only about 1 teaspoon cayenne. I think it makes for a very mild, but not bland, version - there's a tiny, tiny hint of a kick in there. If you like your salsa with a little more heat, try a full tablespoon (3 teaspoons). Nutrition information provided as an estimate only.
Freezer Salsa
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20
Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 63Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 665mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 3gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g
Pat
Saturday 27th of August 2022
Was a success got good compliments. Had just the right amount of kick.
Teresa
Saturday 27th of August 2022
What is the maximum time in the freezer for this salsa. Thanks.
Candi
Saturday 27th of August 2022
As long as it is packaged and stored properly it is “safe” (meaning safe to eat) in the freezer indefinitely. Quality may go down a bit the longer it is stored, especially if it develops freezer burn. Ours never lasts very long but I would say you’re probably good for at least 6 months and easily longer, just make sure you do all you can to protect it from being exposed to the air. For example, if stored in a plastic container, place a layer of plastic cling wrap down touching the top of the salsa before putting the container lid on.
Lindsey
Friday 22nd of July 2022
Hi! I have a lot of garden tomatoes this year and I’m excited to try different recipes. I love the idea of freezer salsa. Have you tried adding cilantro? Would it be good with this salsa and froze?
Candi
Friday 22nd of July 2022
I have not tried it, but I need to, as I'm a big fan of cilantro! It should do just fine in this recipe. Let me know if you try it and what you think!
Rachel
Friday 27th of May 2022
Really delicious!!! Thank you so much!!! Storing this in preparation for summer bbq’s coming up. Very very tasty, amazing recipe!!!
Wanted to share a small variation that I made: my fam likes a bit more spicy (not too hot though!) so we did add the seeds from the jalapeños, but did not use cayenne pepper - I always tend to overdo it on the cayenne. I also finely diced up a poblano pepper. Really good flavor! Another variation is when you’re ready to serve, mix in some chopped fresh cilantro. YUM!!!
Erica
Tuesday 5th of October 2021
I made this salsa and it was delish. Thank you for posting. I will never buy store bought salsa again it was that good.
Candi
Tuesday 5th of October 2021
I'm so glad you liked it! My family is definitely hooked on this one too!