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★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
The Tomato Seed Dilemma
"Do you need to seed tomatoes?" That was the question I found myself Googling after proudly whipping up my first-ever batch of homemade salsa—only to notice it was full of tomato seeds. I'd just discovered how shockingly easy it is to peel tomatoes, and I was riding high on a salsa-making victory... until I looked down and saw all those tiny seeds scattered in my beautiful fresh mix.
A Mini Salsa Crisis
My heart sank. Were all those lovingly grown tomatoes—gifted from friends and family—now wasted? I'd peeled, diced, and prepped them all without removing the seeds, and suddenly the idea of starting over felt exhausting. I was crushed that my salsa might be ruined over something so small.
Google to the Rescue
Like any kitchen crisis, I turned to Google. I told myself, "Tomato seeds can't be that bad—I eat them all the time!" As I clumsily typed (and retyped) on my phone, I anxiously searched for reassurance. And then, sweet relief: it turns out tomato seeds in salsa are totally fine, even preferred by some for flavor and texture. Who knew? Read The Truth About Tomatoes.
In Defense of Tomato Seeds
Hallelujah! Not only are seeds okay—they might actually enhance your salsa. That little moment of internet validation turned my frustration into confidence. So here I am to tell you: don’t sweat the seeds. Your salsa is going to be just fine—better, even—with them left in.
So this recipe is a tribute to my dad. He loves to grow a variety of HOT peppers including ghost peppers to give this some serious heat. I love his salsa because it's really all about the peppers. I know not everyone loves super hot salsa so feel free to choose more mild peppers but it's the peppers that give this salsa recipe flavor. No spices.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
You'll need just a handful of fresh ingredients to make this homemade salsa. Feel free to use less spicy peppers if you want to tone down the heat.
- Tomatoes. Any tomato will work. The larger ones easier to shock and peel.
- White onion.
- Jalapeño peppers.
- Ghost peppers. For less spicy salsa, use bell peppers instead of ghost peppers. Ghost pepprs are very hot!
- Banana peppers.
- Salt. Add to taste.
- Sugar. Add to taste.
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Since I don't officially seal and can things, I use wide-mouth mason jars, a funnel, and plastic lids to store in the fridge. Pro Salsa-making Tip: I use these plastic Mason jar caps instead of the metal rings that tend to rust. These plastic ones are cheap and are dishwashable.
Peeling is optional, but it gives your salsa a smoother texture. You can easily peel tomatoes by blanching them in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then shocking them in ice water.
Tomato seeds are fine to leave in—they add flavor and body to the salsa. For hot peppers, removing seeds and membranes can reduce the heat if you prefer a milder salsa.
Use fewer hot peppers or swap them for milder varieties like poblano or banana peppers. You can also add more tomatoes to dilute the heat.
Fresh salsa typically lasts about 5–7 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yes, but the texture may change slightly after thawing so enjoying it fresh is best.
★ More Sauce Recipes ★
Homemade Salsa with Hot Peppers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 large tomatoes
- 1 large onion white or yellow
- 2 jalapeño peppers
- 2 ghost pepper
- 2 banana peppers
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoon sugar to taste
Mighty Mrs. is a #WalmartPartner.
Instructions
- Shock and peel tomatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Then fill a large pitcher with water and ice.Place 3-4 tomatoes in the pot of boiling water. After about 1 minute, remove them with a strainer or tongs and place them in the pitcher of ice water. Remove tomatoes from ice water after about a minute. Skin will have separated from the meat of the tomato and will peel right off. Remove all the skin and dice. At this point you may choose to seed the tomatoes or not. Simply cut away the seeds if you choose to remove them.
- Place peeled and diced tomatoes in a new large pot and turn heat to medium-low. Repeat this process with the remainder of tomatoes.
- Dice onion and add to the pot of tomatoes.
- Dice jalapeno, banana and ghost peppers. (Use gloves if desired)Add diced peppers to pot of tomatoes.
- Add salt and sugar and let simmer for about 15-25 minutes depending on how crunchy or soft you want your peppers and onions.
- Transfer to a quart-sized Mason jar and store in the fridge.
Notes
- Spicy peppers contain oils that can stay on your hands even after you wash them If you later touch your eye or other sensitive body parts, this can cause discomfort. To avoid this, simply wear latex gloves while you handle the peppers.
- You may choose to leave the seeds of the peppers in if you like more heat. Removing the pepper seeds removes more heat.
Nicole says
Hey thank you for your post on tomato seeds, I was very discouraged until I read what you wrote.
Rosie says
Delicious!!!!
Michael J Peterson says
Seriously? I don't think I've ever encountered a salsa without seeds. What planet do you come from? Of course seeds are OK, I mean who seeds their tomatoes anyways. Sorry but this is a new one to me and I had to read the article twice to confirm that it was serious.
Angela G. says
Hmmm... most of the salsa I've consumed does not have seed. And people do seed tomatoes frequently. However, you don't have to since the seeds do not alter that flavor significantly and they do add some texture which may or may not be appealing to you. So point is, it's a personal choice. There's no right or wrong way to go here.
D. Edwards says
Remove the seeds when making homemade salsa! In order to get the ripe tomatoes use the grape variety, otherwise the tomatoes look washed out and lacking flavor. Yes, it is tedious, but the answer is flavor. I've never been to a Mexican restaurant and had salsa loaded with seeds. You need to get rid of them. My homemade salsa is great, this is how to do it:
Grape tomatoes, seeded
Onions, I like the sweet variety
Juice from fresh limes
Hot sauce, any variety you like
Jalapeno, or other 'hot' variety peppers
Your personal taste should determine how much of each ingredient you use.
You will get it right, it may take several attempts.
Lc says
This recipe is for a refrigerated salsa and meant to be consumed at the time. However, if making salsa for canning purposes one needs a safe canning recipe with the acidity added (lemon juice).
Recipes in the Ball canning books are tested and considered safe for canning purposes.