This recipe for salsa macha is a classic and authentic Mexican salsa recipe! The main ingredient for this salsa recipe is chile de Arbol peppers which gives this salsa a nice layer of heat. Here's how to make it!
If you or someone at home loves a true fiery condiment, you have found your match. This receta de salsa macha is a very hot sauce. Hence the name “Salsa Macha”!
In This Post
Different Versions Of This Salsa Macha Recipe
I have tried 2 different versions of the same sauce.
One is from the state of Veracruz where it is made using dried chipotle peppers and peanuts. They tend to refer to this sauce as "Salsa Macha con cacahuate", which references the addition of the peanuts in the salsa.
This recipe I am sharing with you today is more common in the state of Michoacán where they use árbol peppers. One of my sisters likes spicy sauces and she likes to make this salsa and add sesame seeds for an added layer of crunch and flavor!
Homemade Salsa Macha Recipe
To make this salsa recipe, all you really need are just 4 ingredients! Here is the list of what you will need...
- Chili de Arbol peppers
- Vegetable oil
- Garlic cloves
- Sea salt
Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post!
How To Make Mexican Salsa Macha: Step By Step Tutorial
To make things easier for you, I am going to break down the directions to this recipe into sections.
Deseed The Chili Peppers
- Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut off the stems of the chili de Arbol peppers. Then, either using one of your fingers or a spoon, scrape and remove the seeds from the inside of the peppers.
Roast The Peppers
- Heat some of the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
- Add the Arbol peppers to the pan and lightly roast them. Make sure to constantly stir and move them to avoid burning them.
- Tilt the skillet to separate the peppers from the oil.
Make The Spicy Salsa Macha Sauce
- Place the peppers over paper towels or a strainer until they are completely cool.
- Add the peppers to your blender or food processor with the garlic and some salt to taste.
- Process and blend everything together for a few seconds just to crush the peppers and place them in a glass jar.
- Add some of the leftover vegetable oil to cover the mixture and it is ready to eat!
Tip: It tastes better the next day! Also, the best part is that you can make as much as you want since it lasts a long time in the fridge.
Tips For Making The Best Salsa Macha Recipe
- Use gloves. When you are handling the peppers during that first step, make sure to wear food-safe gloves to avoid getting the spice on your hands. Many people tend to forget and touch their eyes or mouth and let's just say- it doesn't always end well for them. Using gloves is much safer!
- Want to make more? You can easily double or triple the number of ingredients you use to make several jars of this salsa macha.
- Don't roast all of the peppers together. If you decide to double the number of peppers to make a large serving of salsa macha, make sure to roast the peppers in batches so that you get the most flavor out of them. You don't want to overcrowd the pan.
How To Store Salsa Macha To Stay Fresh
This spicy salsa macha should be stored in an airtight container, like a glass mason jar, to really maintain its freshness and its spicy flavor.
It will also last several weeks in your refrigerator!
What To Serve With Mexican Salsa Macha
When making this homemade salsa, you will probably notice that this salsa is very similar to the Szechuan Hot Pepper Oil that is used to marinate and cook many Asian dishes.
For that reason, I like to use just a few teaspoons of this spicy salsa when I make my Mexican style scrambled eggs for a kick of heat! I also like to add a spoonful when I serve a bowl of soup like my Mexican lentil soup or my caldo de pollo.
Another way I like to use salsa macha is in my meat marinades. Add a few teaspoons when you marinate and cook some roasted chicken or a roasted pork leg! Just to add a little kick of spiciness.
More Authentic Mexican Recipes To Enjoy
If you enjoyed this recipe for salsa macha, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:
- Roasted Red Jalapeño Salsa Recipe
- Salsa Verde Recipe
- Super Spicy Salsa With Puya And Arbol Peppers
- Fresh Salsa Roja
- Chile De Arbol Salsa Recipe
I hope you make this recipe for Mexican macha sauce! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment done below and tell us all about it!
¡Buen provecho!
Mely
📖 Recipe
Salsa Macha
Ingredients
- 1 oz. árbol peppers (30 grams about 50 peppers)
- ⅓ cup of vegetable oil
- 1 clove garlic
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- With the help of your kitchen scissors cut off the stems and remove the seeds from the peppers.
- Heat the oil at a medium heat in a large skillet.
- Place the Arbol Peppers and lightly toast them with quick movements to avoid burning them. Tilt the skillet to separate the peppers from the oil. If you decide to double the amount of peppers toast the peppers in batches.
- Place the peppers over paper towels or a strainer until they are completely cool. Place in your blender or food processor with the garlic and some salt to taste.
- Process for a few seconds just to crush the peppers and place in a glass jar. Add some of the leftover oil to cover the mixture and it is ready to eat. It taste better the next day and the good part is that you can make as much as you want since it last a long time in the fridge.
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Ron
Do you sell it? My fiancée got a big jar of it, freshly made at our favorite restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, but unfortunately her grown son has devoured most all of it on his own! To say the least, she’s hot!!!
Mely Martínez
Hello Ron,
We're excited to share a recipe for making this delicious salsa at home. We hope you give it a try and let us know how you like it.
Andy
Hi Mely, is the one ounce of Arbol by weight, or one ounce by measuring cup one ounce?
Mely Martínez
Hello Andy,
It weighs one ounce. To prevent confusion, I've included a note on the recipe card specifying the weight in grams, which is 30 grams. This is approximately equivalent to 50 Arpol peppers, excluding their tails or stems.
Happy Cooking!
Mely
Sara
Saludos!
Es siempre con el chile serrano?
Mely Martínez
Hola Sara,
La mayoría de las veces, si.
Linda Ray
Love this stuff. Often grind some almendras in it since they are grown here. Support your local farmer!
John Albert Rivera
Hi nice recipe! I discovered salsa macha about a year ago and have been making it regularly ever since. There is always a quart jar of it in our 'fridge! Never lasts long, though...we put it on everything. Last night I had roast turkey tacos with salsa macha! Great blog you have, thanks for sharing.
Joyce
Thank you for the easy and great recipe! I had a Mexican friend who made this delicious spicy chili oil for me, and I missed it (and her) so much! I made this with half the peppers that the recipe called for, and therefore halved all of the ingredients in your list. However, I found that it left me with not enough oil to cover my ground chilis. If using half the peppers, I would still recommend using 1/3 cup of vegetable oil.
Blanca
Are your friends in the North East? Joao and Renee Noroña? If so, I could not find info on them selling online. 🙂
mmartinez
Hello Blanca,
I just sent you and Joao, an email.
Blanca
Hi. I visited my parents in Veracruz and they make salsa macha with Chile comapeño. I made a batch to bring back with me and I am out... Only a couple weeks later. I made it super spicy but I use it on everything... Even in sandwiches like a spicy mayo. I can't get Chile Comapa here in the US as it only goes in the town of condos in Veracruz. I will be trying this recipe with the Chile de árbol... Thank you!!!
mmartinez
Hello Blanca,
I have a friend that sells chile compapeño, he brings it from Veracruz. Please send me an email to pass you the details. And, I understand about adding the salsa to everything, so far, this is my favorite salsa in the WWW!
Anonymous
Thank you Mely! I made the Arbol version and it is great!
mmartinez
Hello,
Nice! You can also try it with morita pepper, delicious!
Saludos!
Mexico in my kitchen
Hola Arturo,
SI esa salsa es comun en los restaurantes de comida China. siempre la pido. Solo que la que venden en los supermercados Asiaticos sabe diferente a la de los restaurantes. Un dia pregunte porque sabia diferente en un resturante y me dijeron que es muy comun que cada cocinero prepare su propia version.
Que bueno que tienes esa opcion para aderezar tus comidad en Hong Kong.
Un abrazo,
Mely
arturosc
Aquí en Hong Kong tienen una salsa similar a la salsa macha roja. Igual usan los chiles de árbol y unas cuantas gotas son suficientes. Aquí se utiliza mucho para agregarle a los fideos chinos.
Saludos!
OysterCulture
Oh, wow, I am always on the hunt for good salsa recipes and you've shared another one. It sounds like the flavors really pop here, cannot wait to verify that for myself.
NORMA RUIZ
Que cosa Mely, estas salsitas te hacen agua la boca pero deben picar tremendo, jajaja el problema estará después, saludos.
Ana
Good night!
This sauce is delicious.
Kiss and good week.
Rebecca from Chow and Chatter
oh my hubby would adore this
Amanda- Eating in Winnipeg
It's my day for a blog hop, I'd love it if you came over and shared one of your great recipes at savory sunday!! Have a great day 🙂
Mehjabeen Arif
Love the colors..
New to ur space and Happy to follow u !
Do visit me as time permits !
Marelie
Hi Mely,
Thanks a lot for sharing these two.I would like to learn how to make salsa..and this is so great!
Karen from Globetrotter Diaries
I love the chile de arbol salsa and can make that right this instance-- love when i have all the ingredients 🙂
Christy
Oh my...these looks SPICY alright!!! I trust you that they are indeed very spicy!!!:D
Diana@Spain in Iowa
Que rico Mely! I only know a few salsitas and this looks absolutely delicious!!
Mexico in my kitchen
Of Course! You can Yolanda.
Glad to see you stopping by.
Saludos!
Yolanda
Could I make the green salsa with jalapenos?
Mary
What glorious salsas. I also appreciated the walk through the various peppers. I hope you have a great day. I always enjoy the time I spend here. I'll have to make you my Mexican point-man. Blessings...Mary
Jay
wow...looks amazing..
first time here...lovely space with interesting recipe collection you have...great clicks..
Am your happy follower now..:)
do stop by mine sometime..
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen
The color in both of these sauces is simply gorgeous. I love hot and spicy foods, but I've had to cut back lately, yet I still crave them.
Great photos.
Sam
Foodness Gracious
This sounds amazing! Your blog looks very nice and I look forward to checking it out further!
Thanks,
Pily Guzman
ufff, uffff, esto sí que pica... hasta acá huele!!!mmm... qué rico, me encantan estas salsas, en Zamora las venden con papas cocidas, limón y sal...
Saludos Mely
Art by Ruth Sagrario Macotela
La primera(roja) se me antojo barbaro, lastima que no puedo comer cosas muy picantes, me provocan ataques de hipo y se me cierra el exofago, simplemente no naci con el paladar a prueba del picante, como debe de ser, asi que a veces me conformo con comer los remedos de salsa que a veces preparo. Pero esta genial para prepararsela a mi esposo, le encata lo picante.
Saludos Mely 🙂
Nammi
my goodness, that is sure to pack a punch!! But I think adding chillies always gives the food a little kick and makes you enjoy the food
Candace
The colors are just beautiful, Mely! I'm not sure if I could take very much of the heat..except in drops...but this would be absolutely perfect for my stepdad. He amazes me with his tolerance for heat. I could use this process with a less spicy pepper, couldn't I? Thanks for sharing your beautiful recipes! Have a wonderful week!
Swathi
Mely ,
You can substitute caraway seeds with cumin seeds, it wont affect that much of the flavor.
Karen
Hot, hot, hot! I can almost smell those red chiles from here! Both of these sound really good, Mely!
Ziho
Hola Mely
Esta salsa en realidad es deliciosa, me encanta!!! me la han dado cuando compro tacos de arrachera... mmmm
Gracias!
Gabriela, clavo y canela
Estas salsitas infantables, Mely! que ricas! hay tantas salsitas en México que cada una tiene un sabor especial
besitos
La Dama
Oh yeah, thats what I'm talking about. "salsa Macha." mmm con huevos con chorizo.
NORA
Mely siiiii! que rico y hay que ser muy MACHA para ponerle a nuestra comida jajaja El chile de árbol es muy picante... yo hago una salsa así pero le pongo parte de chile guajillo,igual procedimiento.
Besos
Helga!
O,such deliciousness!Spicey is my middle name,I'll be trying BOTH of these!Thank you!
Prieta
Mely, que casualidad! La semana pasada una de mis primas preparo esta salsa y la compartió con migo; la salsa macha roja. Yo no sabia que se llamaba así. Mi prima es de Jalisco y la preparo igual que tú; me gusto mucho. Tu salsa verde se ve fresquecita y deliciosa, la voy a probar muy pronto.
Besos.
encintura
Mely, eso tiene que ser ¡la bomba! Literalmente. Jajaja. Pero, como tú dices, una gotita aquí y allá sobre determinados platos, los hace mucho más sabrosos. Desde luego, con tus fotos dan ganas de ponerse a hacerla ¡ya! Muchas gracias por las recetas y la técnica.
Besos,
Nikk
kirby
Salsa macha? So that's what it's called, I never knew it had a name.
I'm going to make green salsa macha tonight, and add lots of asian spices. My son has been complaining that my wing sauce isn't hot enough. This should hold him for a while.
Belinda @zomppa
That's some heat I'd love to pack. Fantastic! It just looks fantastically hot in that pan.
Al Dente Gourmet
Uy, pero picantita esta salsita 🙂 Y si indudablemente habra que probarla! Yo nunca he hecho una salsa de mexico caserita, asi que tu receta me da las ganas para aventurarme y hacerla.
Besotes, Mely
Aldy.
Lyndsey
What a beautiful color. I like it spicy, but my husband can't take the heat. This might just do the trick, I can add a couple of drops to mine!
Swathi
This salsa Macha looks awesome. I love spicy condiments. going to try soon.
Gloria
Hi Mely. Now you are talking my kind of language. I love chili, the hotter the better. Que delicioso!! Thanks Mely and you always have everything look so nice. Have a great weekend.