Homemade Chunky Tomato Salsa Recipe for Canning

Preserve the amazing flavors of fresh tomatoes with this easy-to-follow Chunky Tomato Salsa recipe for Canning. Homemade salsa is worth purchasing market garden vegetables for, and if you grow garden tomatoes like we do, this salsa recipe is a fantastic way to preserve the bounty. Homemade salsa and a bag of tortilla chips are a welcome gift for the upcoming holidays as well.

This is Hub’s recipe for Chunky Tomato Salsa, and it’s by far my favorite salsa because it has the right blend of sweet, salty, and heat. It’s an amazing delicious fresh-tasting salsa that’s at its best when made with garden ripened tomatoes, yellow and green bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, onions, and garlic. This recipe is large and makes a lot of salsa.

The hardest part of this recipe is being patient enough to chop all those vegetables into chunky bite-sized pieces. Thankfully this recipe is done over two days, chopping on the first day, and cooking and canning on the second.

If you’ve never canned before it’s a straightforward process and I am sharing the step-by-step water bath canning process with you.

Sourcing Fresh Vegetables

In the Canadian climate, tomatoes ripen at the end of August or early September. If you don’t grow tomatoes that’s the time of year I would spend a morning at the market garden or farmers market grabbing all the fresh ingredients you can locate.

The best tomatoes for salsa are roma tomatoes, or beefsteak tomatoes because they have more pulp and less juice than other varieties. These varieties of tomatoes are usually readily available and easy to locate for purchase.

Homemade Chunky Salsa Recipe

Ingredients List

Day One – Mixing Up the Salsa

Prepare the Tomatoes

This recipe uses 14 cups of diced or 10 pounds of ripe tomatoes. The tomatoes have a thin skin we need to peel off them first, using boiling water.

To remove the skin from tomatoes boil a large pot of water. Place the tomatoes into the water for 2 minutes, you will likely notice the skin bursting and splitting. After two minutes remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and place them in a sink of ice cold water. Allow the tomatoes to cool slightly, so as not to burn your fingers. If the skin has not separated make a small cut on the blossom end of your tomato and peel it off. After the skin is removed set the tomato aside. Repeat until the tomatoes are peeled.

Next, slice the tomatoes into wedges, cut out the core, and remove all the seeds and juices (I do this over a small bowl with either a teaspoon or my thumb) Next, take out a very large bowl, and add the diced tomatoes, then as we prep all the remaining vegetables we will add them to same bowl.

Prepare the Remaining Vegetables

For a chunky salsa grab a knife and rough chop all the vegetables, I never use a food processor for this as it chops the vegetables too fine.

Yellow Onions – Peel and then dice 4 large yellow onions (6 cups chopped).

Peppers – Wash, core and remove the seeds from 3 yellow (3 cups )and 3 green peppers (3 cups).

Celery – 1 bunch of celery – Wash, slice, then chop into small pieces until you have 4 cups.

Jalapeno peppers – – be careful doing any type of hot peppers, wear gloves, and do not put your hands near your eyes. If you do, you won’t do it twice. (don’t ask me how I know).

You will need 4 large jalapenos, washed, seeded, and cored. This depends on taste. Once your mixture is done, you can taste it for heat and add more if you like

Fresh Cilantro – I love cilantro, you can chop up a cup of cilantro now and add it to your mixture. Or just add a bit to some of the jars you want to have cilantro in, before sealing them for canning.

Black Pepper – 2 teaspoons (optional)

Place all the chopped vegetables together in a large bowl add 1/3 cup pickling salt and 1 tbsp of baking soda. The baking soda removes some of the acidity from the pickling vinegar we will add later. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to sit overnight in the fridge.

Day 2 – Cooking and Canning Salsa

Get your canning jars ready (see below). Remove your salsa from the fridge.

Use a fine mesh sieve to remove the excess liquid. As the recipe is large do it in batches that easily fit inside the size of the sieve you have. Let each batch drain for a couple of minutes getting out as much juice as possible without mashing it. Once drained transfer to a very large pot. Continue until all the salsa is drained.

Once the drained salsa is in the large cooking pot add the following.

Garlic – Peel and mince 1/4 cup garlic (about 10 cloves depending on size).

1 cup sugar

3 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp yellow mustard seed

1 1/2 cups pickling vinegar (not regular vinegar or apple cider)

2 – 5.5 oz cans of tomato paste

Combine thoroughly in the large pot, taste, and adjust spices. Place on stove. Cooking over medium heat, slowly heat your salsa until it’s simmering. then let cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Step-by-Step Guide to Canning Salsa

Sterilizing Canning Jars, Rings and Lids

Our original recipe did not can the salsa, we called it hot-packed canning, and we just waited for the lids to snap down as the jars cool. Modern recipes say to water bath the salsa so I have started to do this.

A very good resource for all types of canning is the National Center for Home Food Preservation.  It’s a trusted resource with all sorts of information on canning safely.

Inspect and wash 10 pints (500 ml) or 20 half-pint (250 ml) jars and lids in hot soapy water; rinse well. Take a very large pot, and fill it with hot ( not boiling) water. Place the jars open-side up into the pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the jars plus one inch. If you have enough room you can place the rings and jar lids in the same pot, if not place them in a second pot and boil them like the jars.

Let the water come to a boil and boil continuously for ten minutes. Then turn the heat down to a simmer allowing the jars to stay hot in the water while you cook the salsa.

Filling the Jars

Using a funnel and a ladle, scoop the cooked salsa into a jar allowing for one-inch headspace between the top of the salsa and the top of the jar. Tap the jars gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles, and wipe the top of the jar with a damp paper towel.

Again using the jar lifter take a ring out of the hot water. Place it on the jar, finger tighten the ring (don’t over-tighten). Repeat with the remaining jars.

Water Bath Canner Processing

Place the filled jars into the hot water bath, making sure none of the jars are touching. Once all the jars are added top up the water canner with hot water so that there is at least one inch of hot water above the jars.

Start timing the canning from when the water reaches a full boil. Process in the boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Once the 15 minutes are up use the jar lifter to take out the hot jars. Place them on the counter that’s protected with a cutting board and towel. The jars of salsa are very hot. Allow the jars to sit without disturbing until they are at room temperature.

You should hear the jars of salsa “pop” as they seal. If any of the jars don’t seal place them in the fridge and eat within a couple of days.

You can eat the salsa immediately and the jarred salsa will keep in a cool dark place for up to 18 months.

Chunky Tomato Salsa Recipe for Canning

A large recipe for homemade chunky tomato salsa. This recipe uses fresh garden ripened tomatoes, peppers and jalapenos and have the perfect blend of spice, heat and sweetness.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:2 days d

Cook Time:5 minutes mins

15 minutes mins

Total Time:2 days d 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 10 lbs ripe tomatoes
• 10 lbs ripe tomatoes
• 4 large yellow onions
• 3 yellow peppers
• 3 green peppers
• 1 small bunch celery
• 4 large jalapeno peppers
• fresh cilantro to taste and optional
• 2 tsp black pepper optional
• ⅓ cup pickling salt not table salt
• tbsp baking soda
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard seed
• 1 ½ cups pickling vinegar not regular vinegar or apple cider
• 2 – 5.5 oz cans of tomato paste

Instructions

Mixing Up the Salsa

Remove Tomato Skin

• This recipe uses 14 cups of diced or 10 pounds of ripe tomatoes. The tomatoes have a thin skin we need to peel off them first, using boiling water.
• To remove the skin from tomatoes boil a large pot of water. Place the tomatoes into the water for 2 minutes, you will likely notice the skin bursting and splitting. After two minutes remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and place them in a sink of ice cold water. Allow the tomatoes to cool slightly, so as not to burn your fingers. If the skin has not separated make a small cut on the blossom end of your tomato and peel it off. After the skin is removed set the tomato aside. Repeat until the tomatoes are peeled.
• Next, slice the tomatoes into wedges, cut out the core, and remove all the seeds and juices (I do this over a small bowl with either a teaspoon or my thumb) Next, take out a very large bowl, and add the diced tomatoes, then as we prep all the remaining vegetables we will add them to same bowl.

Prepare Remaining Vegetables

• For a chunky salsa grab a knife and rough chop all the vegetables, I never use a food processor for this as it chops the vegetables too fine.
• Yellow Onions – Peel and then dice 4 large yellow onions (6 cups chopped).
• Peppers – Wash, core and remove the seeds from 3 yellow (3 cups )and 3 green peppers (3 cups).
• Celery – 1 bunch of celery – Wash, slice, then chop into small pieces until you have 4 cups.
• Jalapeno peppers – – be careful doing any type of hot peppers, wear gloves, and do not put your hands near your eyes. If you do, you won’t do it twice. (don’t ask me how I know).
• You will need 4 large jalapenos, washed, seeded, and cored. This depends on taste. Once your mixture is done, you can taste it for heat and add more if you like
• Fresh Cilantro – I love cilantro, you can chop up a cup of cilantro now and add it to your mixture. Or just add a bit to some of the jars you want to have cilantro in, before sealing them for canning.
• Black Pepper – 2 teaspoons (optional)
• Place all the chopped vegetables together in a large bowl add 1/3 cup pickling salt and 1 tbsp of baking soda. The baking soda removes some of the acidity from the pickling vinegar we will add later. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to sit overnight in the fridge.

Cooking and Canning Salsa

• Get your canning jars ready (see below). Remove your salsa from the fridge.
• Use a fine mesh sieve to remove the excess liquid. As the recipe is large do it in batches that easily fit inside the size of the sieve you have. Let each batch drain for a couple of minutes getting out as much juice as possible without mashing it. Once drained transfer to a very large pot. Continue until all the salsa is drained.
• Once the drained salsa is in the large cooking pot add the following. Garlic, sugar, cayenne pepper, yellow mustard seed, pickling vinegar and tomato paste.
• Combine thoroughly in the large pot, taste, and adjust spices. Place on stove. Cooking over medium heat, slowly heat your salsa until it's simmering. then let cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Canning Salsa

• Refer to blog post for exact step by step instructions.
• Sterilize and fill jars using a ladel. Using a funnel and a ladle, scoop the cooked salsa into a jar allowing for one-inch headspace between the top of the salsa and the top of the jar. Tap the jars gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles, and wipe the top of the jar with a damp paper towel.
• Place the filled jars into the hot water bath, making sure none of the jars are touching. Once all the jars are added top up the water canner with hot water so that there is at least one inch of hot water above the jars.
• Start timing the canning from when the water reaches a full boil. Process in the boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
• You should hear the jars "pop" as they seal. If any of the jars don't seal place them in the fridge and eat within a couple of days.

  You can eat the salsa immediately and the jarred salsa will keep in a cool dark place for up to 18 months.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: canning recipe, tomato salsa

Servings: 10 half pint jars

Cost: $5-30

Other Canning Recipes to Try

How to Can Fresh Tomatoes at Home

A step-by-step tutorial on canning tomatoes. It includes a video of us making them.

Homemade Sweet Pickle Relish

This recipe for old-fashioned sweet pickle relish is very good, and one of my most popular posts. This is another one of those tried and true recipes from decades ago.