9 Salsa Recipes for Cinco de Mayo

Our favorite salsas to scoop up with chips or spoon into tacos on Cinco de Mayo.

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The Serious Eats Team
The Serious Eats Team
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Updated May 03, 2019
A bowl of Yucatán-Style Hot Dried-Chili Salsa
J. Kenji López-Alt

There should be music at your Cinco de Mayo party. There should be the makings of a couple of cocktails and a good selection of beer. Colorful streamers and strings of lights wouldn't hurt, either. But really, the snacks are the most important part of any party, and a Cinco de Mayo party is no exception.

In addition to the taco fixings and the pitcher of margaritas, no Cinco de Mayo spread is truly complete without at least one homemade salsa. The improvement in flavor you'll get from using fresh ingredients, plus your ability to customize the heat level and add smokiness by charring the vegetables, will make it far better than anything store-bought. Try your hand at one of these nine recipes, or send this list on to your guests and tell them to bring a batch of their own! Check out our Cinco de Mayo recipes for more holiday-appropriate food and drink ideas.

  • Classic Pico de Gallo

    Classic Pico de Gallo
    Also known as salsa fresca, pico de gallo is a bright and punchy chip-topper. Get the recipe » [Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]. J. Kenji López-Alt

    This classic pico de gallo is fresh, light, colorful, and versatile enough to put on just about everything. Our recipe calls for little more than fresh tomatoes, a white onion, hot chilies—either jalapeños or serranos work well—and cilantro. A squeeze of lime and a dash of salt balance it out and help to draw out flavor from the tomato and onion.

  • Roasted-Tomato Salsa

    Roasted Tomato Salsa
    So easy and so tasty, you'll never buy the jarred stuff again. The roasting rounds out the heat for a more smooth, slightly sweeter salsa. Get the recipe » [Photograph: Joshua Bousel. Joshua Bousel

    You could make a salsa from exactly the same ingredients called for here without roasting them first, but the difference in outcome is dramatic. Broiling the tomatoes, jalapeño, garlic, and onion before pulsing them in a food processor brings out their flavors and gives them a richness they lack in their raw state. Stir cilantro and lime into the blended salsa, then give the mixture some time to sit and strengthen in flavor before serving.

  • Yucatán-Style Hot Dried-Chili Salsa (K'uut Bi Ik)

    20160522-kuut-bi-iik-yucatan-hot-salsa-2-thumb-1500xauto-432017.jpg
    J. Kenji López-Alt

    Fruity, fiery, and intensely smoky, this deep-red Yucatecan-style salsa has the added benefit of requiring almost no cooking. We microwave dried árbol and pasilla chilies until they're fragrant, then blend them with a mixture of lime juice, grapefruit juice, and orange juice, which substitutes nicely for the sour-orange juice traditionally used here.

  • Extra-Hot Yucatán-Style Roasted-Habanero Salsa (Chile Tamulado)

    20160507-habanero-salsa-yucatan-09.jpg
    J. Kenji López-Alt

    Twenty-four whole habanero chilies go into this supremely hot Yucatecan salsa, which gets a fruity edge from the same combination of grapefruit, lime, and orange juices used in the k'uut bi ik recipe above. We char the habaneros and the garlic cloves to infuse the salsa with a whiff of smoke. Use very sparingly unless you're a serious chili-head or glutton for punishment, or both.

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  • Basic Salsa Verde (Mexican Tomatillo Salsa)

    Sopes with Refried Beans and Salsa Verde
    Crispy fried sope shells, followed by a rich and creamy layer of refried beans, a drizzle of hot and tangy salsa verde, crunchy toasted pepitas, and a fresh sprinkle of onions, jalapeños, and cilantro make for a filling meal with a whole slew of textures. Get the recipe! » [Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]. J. Kenji López-Alt

    For those who like the citrusy, bright flavor of a good salsa verde, this is the most basic and straightforward way to get there. Simply simmer tomatillos, jalapeños or serranos, and onion until the vegetables are thoroughly softened, then purée with cilantro in a blender. All in all, you'll spend a grand total of 15 minutes on it and be rewarded with a salsa that's superior to the store-bought stuff (plus the bragging rights that come with making salsa by hand, of course).

  • Charred Salsa Verde

    20160128-salsa-verde-charred-best-30-kenji.jpg
    J. Kenji López-Alt

    Ready to take salsa verde up a notch, or several? The simple step of charring the vegetables for your salsa will do wonders, bringing out the ingredients' sweetness and adding smoke and overall complexity. You don't even need to peel the tomatillos, onions, and chilies after broiling them in this recipe: Just dump them all in a blender along with their exuded juices, add cilantro, and purée. To intensify the salsa's flavor, we pour the puréed mixture into heated oil before seasoning and serving.

  • Hot and Creamy Salsa Verde

    Hot Salsa Verde
    The sour cream in this salsa mellows the spice, but doesn't dampen the fruity heat of the chilies. Get the recipe » [Photograph: Joshua Bousel. Joshua Bousel

    The base of this dip is essentially that of a classic green salsa, but the addition of a couple spoonfuls of sour cream softens its acidity and heat and smooths out its consistency into something more pourable. To ensure it still has plenty of kick, we use more Poblano and serrano chilies than tomatillos, for a salsa that's spicy, bright, and just thick enough to cling to a tortilla chip.

  • Orange-Tomatillo Salsa

    Orange-Tomatillo Salsa
    Tomatillos make this salsa a little brighter and fresher than plain tomatoes. A good squeeze of lime and some chopped cilantro don't hurt either. Get the recipe » [Photograph: Joshua Bousel. Joshua Bousel

    This unusual spin on salsa verde incorporates oranges along with roasted and raw tomatillos, giving it a sweet and tangy profile that's a welcome departure from tomato-based salsas. Chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce furnish a smoky flavor that plays along well with the sweet citrus.

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  • Peach Salsa With Pickled Red Onions and Serrano Chilies

    Peach Salsa with Pickled Red Onions and Serrano Chiles
    If you started your Cinco de Mayo celebrations on the early side, this is the bite that will provide you with a second wind around mid-afternoon. With spicy raw serrano chiles and pickled red onions, this salsa is not shy on bold flavors. Get the recipe here! ». Suzanne Lehrer

    The natural sweetness of finely diced fresh peaches does a great job of counterbalancing the heat of serrano chilies in this vibrant salsa. Pickled red onions add bright acidity. This recipe makes a chunky salsa with very little liquid, so it's best as a dip for chips or in dishes that don't need extra moisture—think fried fish or braised meats.

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