Spicy Green Tomato Salsa
This delicious and spicy Green Tomato Salsa is made with unripe tomatoes that are still green, peppers, onions and lime juice along with classic spices and herbs. You will love this recipe for taco night, to serve with tortilla chips for an afternoon snack, or to serve a crowd! 
Salsa is one of my favorite condiments; I put it on almost any dish. When tomato season is upon us, and I have any excuse, I usually make this fresh salsa recipe, but if you have an extra hour, this cooked version is definitely one of my favorite green tomato recipes and worth the effort; the flavors are much richer. If you have a garden at home with a crop of stubborn green tomatoes at the end of the season that just won’t ripen, this is a great way to use pounds of green tomatoes so they don’t go to waste along with lots of fresh ingredients. This green tomato salsa is completely foolproof, and you can play around with the measurements of spices and seasonings to suit your taste. I love cumin, so always add extra, but you can also increase the amount of lime juice, cilantro, or jalapenos by a little bit. This Green Tomato Salsa goes with absolutely anything. I love having it with scrambled eggs, chicken or fish, and, of course, with tacos or a big bowl of tortilla chips to serve a crowd.
Why You Will Love This Spicy Green Tomato Salsa Recipe
- This is the perfect quick and easy salsa recipe to make when you have tons of green tomatoes at the end of the growing season.
- This will be your new favorite recipe for unripe tomatoes and can be made as hot or mild as your tastes prefer.
- You can find all of the simple ingredients for this spicy salsa at the local grocery store.
- Freezer-friendly and preserving-friendly salsa never tasted so good, and will be your new favorite way to use whole green tomatoes!!
- This is the best salsa for any medically restrictive diet. It is low-carb, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo, Specific Carbohydrate Diet legal, and easily adjustable to be Keto and Whole30.
Ingredients You Will Need For This Green Tomato Salsa
- Green tomatoes: Although I prefer to make these with fresh green tomatoes from my garden for the best result (sometimes you can even find them at a Farmers Market), you can use store-bought tomatoes. You can choose your favorite fresh tomatoes. Just make sure you use firm red tomatoes like Roma Tomatoes, Beefsteak, or Heirloom tomatoes for this fresh tomato salsa recipe.
- Yellow onions: You could also use red onion for a yummy kick or white onion like a Vidalia onion for a sweeter onion flavor. Be sure to finely chop for easy scooping!
- Red bell peppers: I love the flavor of red bell peppers in this salsa, and I love the color pop, but you could also use yellow bell peppers, orange bell peppers, or a green bell pepper for amazing results.
- Fresh Jalapenos: Jalapeno pepper is the perfect pepper to give this salsa its spiciness. If you prefer more mild salsa, simply remove the seeds or use fewer peppers to hit your preferred spice level. You could also use habaneros or serranos if you want it even spicier.
- Fresh garlic clove: Fresh garlic cloves are superior to minced garlic in this green tomato recipe. I recommend chopping it really fine so it releases all of its amazing flavor.
- Lime juice: You can use fresh lime juice for this recipe, which I prefer, but store-bought lime juice will work too. Just be sure to check the label and make sure it’s 100% lime juice with no additives. You could also use lemon juice in a pinch if you don’t have lime juice.
- Honey: Honey is my first choice for sweetener because it is the ideal sweetener to compliment the lime juice, but you can also agave, use zero sugar honey to make it Keto or Whole30 compliant, or leave it out altogether if you want.
- Seasonings: Cumin, Kosher Salt, and Cayenne Pepper is my spice blend of choice for this recipe. I love cumin so much and always add more, but you can adjust to your taste. You could also use chili powder or paprika if you want it to be mild.
- Fresh cilantro leaves: A must for all salsa recipes, in my opinion! Even if you use just a little, don’t skip this ingredient. Feel free to adjust the amount to your liking.
- White wine vinegar: A little kick of vinegar is perfect in this recipe to bring out more tanginess, and it also helps keep it fresher for longer. You could also use regular white vinegar or red wine vinegar.
You can find the recipe card below for full instructions on measurements
How To Make This Delicious Green Salsa
- Combine all of the above ingredients including the chopped tomatoes in a large pot on medium heat and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Adjust cooking time if necessary and the lime juice, cayenne, and sweetener to your preference as you taste along the way.
What About Leftovers
Be sure to bring this delicious salsa to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container, like a mason jar, in the fridge. This helps prevent condensation, which can promote bacterial growth. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week when stored properly. This salsa recipe is also perfect if you like to can and preserve food that way.
If you don’t think you’ll finish the salsa in a few days, you can freeze it. However, the texture may change slightly once thawed, and it may become a bit watery and need to be drained some. To freeze it spoon the salsa into freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. Leave a little space at the top of the container or bag for expansion. Freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge when you’re ready to use it, and stir it well before serving.
How Can I Modify This Green Tomato Salsa Recipe
This is a very easy recipe to modify to your liking to make your favorite flavorful salsa. If you don’t have unripe red tomatoes, you can also use red tomatoes to make red tomato salsa. Just be sure they are nice and firm and not overly ripe. If you don’t like hot salsa and want to adjust the spiciness, you can use chili powder or paprika instead of cayenne pepper. And most importantly, I would recommend removing the seeds from the jalapenos if you want less heat. You can also use less jalapenos. If you like spicier salsa, you can also use habanero peppers or serrano peppers for the perfect salsa for spicy lovers. In the end, if you want a green tomato salsa verde vibe to your salsa, I recommend pureeing it in your food processor or high-speed blender to make it smooth.
Green Tomato Salsa vs. Salsa Verde
While there may be some confusion as to if this is simply salsa verde, it is not. With green tomato salsa, you are using unripened tomatoes hanging around at the end of the summer, which will give you a more tart and tangy flavor due to the tomatoes not ripening, but the flavor is fresh and bright and is usually a chunky salsa.
Salsa Verde’s base ingredient is tomatillos, a small, green fruit with a tart flavor and a papery husk in the nightshade family. A traditional Salsa Verde frequently has green chilies and also has hot peppers like a jalapeño pepper or serrano pepper. In the end, the fresh veggie and tomato mixture is blended in a food processor to give you a smooth, non-chunky consistency.
Other Ways To Use Your Green Tomatoes
There are many ways to use green tomatoes when it’s the end of the season, and your tomato plant is bogged down with them, or if you have a Green Zebras plant that is plentious. Consider green tomato sauce, green tomato soup, green tomato pickles, green tomato Chutney, green tomato relish, and fried-sliced green tomatoes with a delicious Southern food with a crunchy coating.
Here are a few other condiment recipes you will love:
- Egg Free Garlic Aioli (aka Toum)
- Oven Roasted Salsa
- 4 Minute Mayonnaise + 4 Flavors
- Chili Crunch
- Dijonnaise Sauce
- Dairy Free Tzatziki
- Easy Tomato Ketchup
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Spicy Green Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
- 5 cups green tomatoes or firm red tomatoes chopped
- 3 medium onions finely chopped
- 2 red or yellow bell peppers seeded and chopped into
- 1/3 cup jalapeños diced
- 5 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tsp honey or other sweetener*
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp cayenne
Instructions
- Combine all of the above ingredients in a large pot on medium heat and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the salsa to make sure the flavours are to your liking, if not add more lime juice, cayenne or sweetener.
- The salsa will last for approximately a week in the fridge, or store in sterilized jars.
Nutrition
This post was published on October 10, 2016 and updated with new copy April 22, 2025.
This recipe is so yummy. Can’t wait to try.
In general worked fine. A lot of tinkering of ingredients required- I in fact substituted verjus for lime juice and ACV for the vinegar (as I make these at home from organic home produce ). The result was edible but not majorly inspiring….
How long does the salsa last if put in sterilized jars