Chipotle Hot Salsa (Copycat) (2024)

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Chipotle Hot Salsa, a tomatillo and red chili salsa based on Chipotle’s famous version, puts a little fire on your burritos, tacos, and salads. Break open that bag of tortilla chips; this salsa is ready to dip in just under twenty minutes.

Red chili salsa is the spiciest salsa that Chipotle offers. But if you like it even hotter, you can add a bit of chile de árbol to nudge the Scoville units up to where you want them. Either way, it’s a delicious tomatillo-based salsa that’s full of bright, spicy flavor.

Recipe ingredients:

Some recipes out there add tomatoes to this salsa, but Chipotle’s ingredient label doesn’t include any.

• Tomatillos: Even though they look like small green tomatoes, they are not.When shopping for tomatillos, look for firm, shiny, green fruit under the papery shell. Stay away from any with brown or soft spots. It’s absolutely fine that they feel sticky to the touch under the husk–it’s a natural insect repellent that the plant makes! Don’t worry, it rinses off easily.

• New Mexican chiles: Vibrant red New Mexican peppers have a moderate heat level, and they’re often used in enchiladas. They’re what give this salsa a bright red color. You can use my tutorial on homemade ancho chile powder for more information on grinding chiles.
• Tabasco sauce: Former employees of the restaurant tell me that this is an important ingredient, and we have to believe them. Chipotle lists vinegar in the salsa, which Tabasco definitely has.
• Garlic and cumin
• Lime zest and juice
• Salt and pepper

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Place the tomatillos and the crushed garlic on the baking sheet and broil until the tomatillos begin to char. Occasionally, flip the tomatillos to make sure they char evenly. The whole process should take about 12 minutes.
2. Next, to a food processor or blender, add the garlic, charred tomatillos, ground red chilies, cumin, lime zest and juice, and some salt and pepper to the bowl of the food processor. Process until smooth, then adjust the seasoning with Tabasco sauce, plus more salt and pepper if needed. If the salsa is a little too thick, drizzle in a bit of water to thin it out.

Recipe tips and variations:

• Yield: This recipe makes about 3 cups of salsa.
• Tomatoes: Can’t find tomatillos? Substitute an equal amount of tomatoes. It won’t taste the same, but it will still be delicious.
• Too thick: For a looser salsa, gradually drizzle water in until you like the consistency.
• Spicy: Substitute guajillo or chiles de arbol for a fiery salsa.
• Make your own chips:My in-depth recipe for Homemade Tortilla Chips uses thin corn tortillas and an option to oven-bake or fry, depending on how wild you want to get.
• Chipotle Guacamole: Nothing goes with Chipotle’s hot salsa like their guacamole!

More Chipotle recipes:

• Chipotle Chicken
• Chipotle Cilantro-Lime Rice
• Chipotle Corn Salsa
• Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette