Chile de Arbol Salsa

Fiery hot and loaded with flavor, Chile de Arbol Salsa is a must for any hot sauce and spicy salsa fans. Made quickly and easily at home, this taqueria sauce is the perfect touch to a Mexican or Tex-Mex meal!

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With a fiery hot heat courtesy of small, dried chiles, this amazing salsa is packed with flavor. It’s popular in taquerias and taco huts, where it is drizzled on top of tacos, tostadas, or for heat-seekers, served with chips.

There are dozens of versions of this tasty Mexican fresh salsa recipe, and this is mine. Inspired by Texas’s big and bold flavors and my love of chiles, this is an easy dish to make and master. If you love spicy food and Mexican cuisine, this salsa de arbol recipe is a must-try!

What Is Chile de Arbol Salsa?

Salsa de arbol is a pureed sauce or salsa, packed with heat and spice. It’s made from chiles de arbol (chile de arbol peppers) which you can find dried at most Latin markets or large grocery stores, especially in the Southwest.

They are small but hot peppers, getting up to about 30,000 Scoville Heat Units. That’s about 6 times spicier than a jalapeno, which is why you need so few of them for this recipe.

They’re also bright red and retain much of their color when dried, which is why the salsa is such a pretty color.

What You’ll Need

• Oil – vegetable oil is fine
• Onion – sweet or yellow/white onion
• Fresh Tomatoes – I use Roma tomatoes for their texture.
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves; skip jarlic for the best flavor.
• Chiles de arbol – about an ounce, or 8-ish chiles

How to Make Chile de Arbol Salsa

For a complete list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Start by cutting or breaking off the stems of the arbol chiles. Tap them open-end down to shake out most of the seeds. This helps control the heat level and keeps the salsa from becoming too bitter.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chiles and toast them in the oil for about a minute, then flip them to toast the other side. Keep a close eye on them because they can burn quickly, and burnt chiles will make the salsa taste bitter.

Transfer the toasted chiles to a small bowl and cover them with just enough water to submerge them, about a cup. Let them soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients so they soften and blend more easily later.

In the same skillet, sauté the garlic and onion until they begin to soften and become fragrant. This step builds a deeper flavor base for the salsa.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until they start to soften and release some of their juices.

Transfer the soaked chiles, along with the onions, garlic, and tomatoes, to a blender. Blend until smooth, adding a spoonful or two of the reserved chile soaking liquid to help create a smoother consistency.

Taste and adjust if needed, then serve and enjoy.

Chef Jenn’s Tips

• When toasting the chiles in oil, don’t burn them! If they look black, they’re burned – start over. Burned chilies will make your salsa chile de arbol taste bitter.
• This salsa can be as thick or thin as you like it. For dipping chips, keep it thicker. For using it on tacos and in other Mexican dishes, thin it out so it can be drizzled.
• Use dried chilis for this salsa – they have a more concentrated flavor.
• If it’s too spicy for you, add more tomatoes and puree it again.

Serving Suggestions

Salsa roja chile de arbol is perfect in and on so many dishes! Here are some of my favorites:

• Dunk tortilla chips into this fiery sauce
• Add it as a drizzle on top of Birria Pizza
• Jazz up your tostadas with a bit of chile de arbol sauce
• It’s perfect on tacos of all kinds, even fish tacos
• Add it to enchiladas
• Use chile de arbol salsa for birria
• and use it wherever you’d use hot sauce!

Frequently Asked Questions