The BEST Roasted Guajillo Salsa

guajillo salsa in bowl with chip alongside more chips, veggies, wooden spoon.

5 from 4 votes

Forget everything you know about salsa-making because this guajillo salsa is going to become your new go-to recipe! Enjoy it with chips, tacos, enchiladas, and more!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Resting Time (Optional)2

Total Time2 20

Course: Appetizer, Condiment, Sauce, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Mexican, South American

Keyword: guajillo chile salsa, guajillo salsa, salsa guajillo

Servings: servings

Calories: 77kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

4 large guajillo chiles
1 ancho chile
10 arbol chiles
1 chicken boullion cube
1 packet Sazón Goya coriander annatto seasoning
1 packet Sazón Goya cilantro tomato seasoning
1 bay leaf
½ tsp dried Mexican oregano
2 cups water
6 small roma tomatoes
4 small tomatillos
1 large white onion (divided)
4 garlic cloves (divided)
¼ cup cilantro
3 whole pickled jalapenos
1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
2 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp sugar

Instructions

Remove stems and seeds from larger dried chiles and discard. Add all chiles to a hot pan and toast over high heat until fragrant (about 1 minute). Cut chiles into smaller pieces with kitchen shears and add to a bowl along with chicken buillon, both Goya packets, bay leaf, and dried oregano. Boil 2 cups of water, then pour over ingredients and cover bowl to keep steam from escaping
Add roma tomatoes, peeled tomatillos, half of the white onion (quartered), and 3 unpeeled garlic cloves to the pan and roast over high heat, turning as-needed until all the ingredients are charred.
Meanwhile, roughly chop remaining onion, cilantro, garlic, and pickled jalapenos, and add to a food processor. Remove bay leaf from bowl with softened chiles, then pour contents (including liquid) into the food processor and blend until smooth.
Once veggies are charred, add them to food processor as well, along with vinegar, salt, black pepper, cumin, and sugar. Blend until a smooth texture is achieved. For best results, cool in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

Notes

Roasting will take about 10-15 minutes. I recommend rotating ingredients every 3 minutes or so to ensure they're evenly roasted. Don't be scared of the char! More char = more flavor!
As always, remove & discard garlic skins before adding cloves to the food processor!
Don't skip the roasting process! The combination of both charred and fresh vegetables is what gives this salsa such complex flavor!
As an alternative to roasting the vegetables in a skillet, you can also place them on a sheet pan under the broiler for 5 minutes or until charred.

Want a chunkier texture? Pulse the ingredients, rather than puree, until the desired texture is achieved.

Cooling the salsa guajillo in the fridge for 2 hours (overnight would be even better) allows the ingredients time to mingle, deepening the flavor.

Store leftover salsa in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Nutrition