This Roasted Tomatillo Salsa is tangy, smoky, and packed with bold, zesty flavor. Made with charred tomatillos, onion, and jalapeños, it's the perfect dip or topping for tacos, grilled meats, or chips.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Bold, Smoky Flavor: Roasting the tomatillos, onion, and peppers enhances their natural sweetness and adds a delicious depth of flavor.
- Perfectly Balanced: The tangy tomatillos, spicy jalapeños, and fresh cilantro create a bright, zesty salsa that’s not too hot, not too mild.
- Versatile and Delicious: Whether you’re dipping chips, topping tacos, or spooning it over grilled meats, this salsa elevates any dish.
- Simple Ingredients, Big Impact: With just a few fresh ingredients and a quick roast, you get a salsa that tastes gourmet with minimal effort.
What You Need for This Recipe
- Tomatillos- husked and rinsed.
- Jalapeños- coarsely chopped and seeded. I like to get nice big ones.
- Onion- white or yellow both work great.
- Cilantro- leave it out if you hate it!
- Lime- I love using the zest and juice from the lime!
- Garlic Powder- You can use real garlic, too, but I love the extra bite garlic powder adds.
You can use this salsa on tacos (like my steak tacos, fajita tacos, al carbon tacos, chicken street tacos, and breakfast tacos), in breakfast burritos, top a delicious smoked ribeye or tasty marinated tri-tip, or just enjoy with chips!
How to Make Roasted Tomatillo Salsa?
- Step 1: Broil your tomatillos, jalapenos, and onion until slightly charred. The jalapeno and onion will be done before the tomatillos.
- Step 2: Make sure to flip everything over halfway through and remove roasted items as they become done. The tomatillos are done when they start to have black spots and have turned from vibrant green to yellow/green in color.
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- Step 3: Carefully, add all roasted ingredients to a blender, along with the garlic powder, cilantro, lime zest, juice, and water. Blend until you get a coarse puree. Then refrigerate until cool and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but I find roasting garlic cloves brings out a bit too much sweetness, and so I like to use garlic powder, which gives the salsa a nice bite to it.
Absolutely! Just flip the ingredients until slightly charred on all sides, add to the blender, and puree!
Store salsa in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
More Related Recipes
If you like this recipe, make sure to check out my blackened shrimp tacos, green chile stew recipe, green chile cheeseburgers, and my favorite sour cream chicken enchilada, churro cheesecake, and this delicious chile relleno burrito recipe!
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Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 lb tomatillos husked and rinsed
- 3 jalapeños coarsely chopped and seeded
- ¼ cup white or yellow onion sliced
- ½ tbs garlic powder
- ½ cup cilantro coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 lime zested and juiced
Instructions
- Heat the broiler on high, positioning a rack at the highest or second-highest setting under the heat. Cover a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and place tomatillos, jalapenos, and sliced onion on it.1 lb tomatillos, 3 jalapeños, ¼ cup white or yellow onion
- Broil 5 minutes, until charred on one side. Turn tomatillos, onion, and jalapeno over and broil 2 to 5 minutes longer, until charred. Keep an eye on the onion and jalapeno; they may be charred before the tomatillos are ready, so you may need to remove them and keep roasting the tomatillos. You know the tomatillos are done when they are starting to char and have turned from a vibrant green to an off-greenish yellow.
- Carefully transfer everything to a blender, tipping in any juice that may have accumulated. Add cilantro, salt, garlic powder, lime zest, lime juice, and ¼ cup water to the blender and blend to a coarse purée.½ tbs garlic powder, ½ cup cilantro, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 lime
- Transfer to a bowl, add more water if you would like a thinner salsa. Taste and add more salt if needed. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for 20 -30 minutes to let flavors meld and salsa to cool.
Notes
- Garlic Powder vs Real: I enjoy the bite that garlic powder adds to the salsa. If you want to add real garlic, broil that with the tomatillos.
- Store salsa in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Lisa says
This recipe is so easy and tasty!
Lisa Killian says
Love this recipe!