This serrano salsa recipe is sure to add some zest to your meals. It requires just a few ingredients and can be made in only 10 minutes! So you can enjoy it over grilled meat, tacos, quesadillas, or your favorite Mexican dishes.
About
Serrano salsa is a fresh and spicy sauce made with a blend of raw serrano peppers, onions, garlic, and cilantro. The combination of these ingredients creates a spicy yet flavorful salsa that can be used to top tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more.
If you’re looking for something extra hot, Serrano salsa is sure to satisfy your taste buds! Because is truly spicy but also fresh, zesty, bright, slightly tangy, and amazingly easy to make.
And let me tell you something, this spicy salsa is not only for tacos. You can add it to steaks, eggs, grilled chicken, cheese sandwiches, and pretty much any of your favorite foods because IS THAT GOOD!
As a Mexican, I am a big fan of salsas, in fact, if you open my fridge you’ll find not only one type but at least 3 types of this condiment and at least two of these are quick, easy recipes. Like this one.
Making homemade salsas is cheaper, easy, and often healthier, and they are a lot more flavorful than store-bought versions.
This serrano salsa hits all the boxes because is made with fresh & raw ingredients, so no cooking is involved, thus super easy to make. It is healthy and really flavorful, and you can adjust the spiciness to taste.
So, look no further, let’s see what you need to make it…
Ingredients
- Raw serrano chiles: Serrano peppers are rated at 5,000 to 15,000 Scoville units, so they’re very spicy. They also have a grassy and bright flavor that makes them perfect for salsas. Serrano chili peppers are five times hotter than jalapeño, so you might want to use just a few at the start and then add more later if you want. I used 15 chilies in total.
- Onion: I recommend using either white or yellow onions if you want to keep that bright green color in the sauce.
- Cilantro: A small bunch to add a nice fresh flavor, if you don’t like the taste of cilantro just leave it out.
- Garlic: I used 2 small garlic cloves, if you really love the flavor, add as many as you want!
- Lime: Lime juice gives an amazing tangy kick to this salsa, add first about half a lime then adjust the taste to your liking.
- Oil: Use any type of oil you prefer, I used olive oil.
- Salt: To bring out flavors and balance, add any type of salt to taste.
How To Make Serrano Salsa
The recipe for fresh serrano salsa is SO simple to make because there’s no cooking involved. All you need to do is to place all raw ingredients in a food processor or a blender.
I personally prefer a food processor because the ingredients will chop nicely instead of pureeing. But feel free to use a blender and blend in small intervals until the salsa has your desired texture.
The photo below show my sauce after 30 seconds of blending…See? lots of texture!
Now is the time to adjust the taste to your personal preferences. You can add more lime juice, cilantro, salt, etc. Want more spiciness? Add more chiles serranos!
Once your serrano salsa is ready, transfer it to a bowl and serve immediately or place it in a jar and store it for later. Read below for more tips to store this bright and zesty salsa de chile serrano!
Recipe Tips
- Want the flavor of serrano chili pepper but not the spiciness? Cut them longwise and remove seeds and membranes to tone done the spiciness without compromising the flavor.
- The longer you blend, the smoother the sauce will be, but since is made with raw ingredients it still has a lot of texture.
- If you don’t like the texture of raw garlic or don’t want to find the small bits here and there, blend it first with 1-2 chilies until nicely pureed, then add the remaining ingredients and blend to your desired consistency.
How To Serve
Homemade serrano pepper salsa is a delicious way to spice up your meals. Whether you like it mild or spicy, there are plenty of ways to serve and enjoy this tasty condiment.
From adding it to tacos, burritos, and nachos, to using it as a dip with tortilla chips or vegetables, the possibilities are endless. Here are some ideas for different ways to serve and enjoy your homemade salsa:
How To Store
The serrano pepper salsa can be stored for up to 7 days in the fridge nicely stored in an airtight glass container or a jar. But I recommend eating it within 3 days for the best flavor.
Even though it can be frozen I just don’t like the texture when thawed so I don’t recommend freezing this salsa because of the fresh ingredients.
More Salsa Recipes
Looking for more options to spice up your meals? Take a look at those recipes!
Serrano Salsa
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 15 serrano chili peppers (read notes)
- 1 small onion (cut into chunks)
- 1 small bunch cilantro (including the stems)
- 1 Tbsp lime juice (or more, to taste)
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Wash the serrano peppers under cold water and remove their stems.
- Add serrano peppers, onion, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lime juice, and salt to a food processor or blender.
- Pour â…“ cup water and blend to your desired consistency.
- Adjust salt and lime juice to taste then transfer the salsa to a bowl or jar.
- Serve with your favorite foods or store for up to 7 days in the fridge.
Notes
- Want the flavor of serrano chili pepper but not the spiciness? Cut them longwise and remove seeds and membranes to tone down the spiciness without compromising the flavor.
- The longer you blend, the smoother the sauce will be, but since is made with raw ingredients it still has a lot of texture.
- If you don’t like the texture of raw garlic or don’t want to find the small bits here and there, blend it first with 1-2 chilies and water until nicely pureed, then add the remaining ingredients and blend to your desired consistency.
Nutrition Information
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I bought a bunch of serrano peppers and wanted to make a quick salsa, this recipe turned out perfect! It is spicy, indeed, but I also noticed that the spiciness tone down a bit after some hours. Is that normal? I loved it but just wondering if this is something that happens only with chiles serranos or with all types of chilies.