Salsa Ranchera

Salsa Ranchera is a classic Mexican salsa made with roasted tomatoes, serrano peppers, garlic, onions, and a little vegan Worcestershire sauce. This Ranchera Salsa recipe is loaded with fresh flavors and it’s so easy to make!

What Is Salsa Ranchera?

Salsa Ranchera is a classic Mexican salsa recipe made with roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chile serrano. It’s a simple salsa made with basic ingredients and it’s often eaten as a dip with homemade tortilla chips. You can also use it on tacos or any of your favorite Mexican cuisine dishes to add a little punch of flavor. Finally, Salsa Ranchera is a close relative of Salsa Roja because the ingredients used in both salsa recipes are almost identical. However, Ranchera Salsa ingredients are roasted whereas Salsa Roja ingredients are blended and then simmered over low heat. The flavors are similar except that Ranchera Salsa has a slightly smoky flavor.

Why I Love This Recipe?

• It’s easy to make! This is another one of those recipes that requires so little but gives so much. No fancy knife skills required here. Basically you’re going to cut most of your ingredients in half, roast them, and then blend them up. That’s it!
• A salsa recipe loaded with flavor. What makes this Salsa Ranchera a standout is the smokiness of the flavors. Roasted tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic paired with vegan Worcestershire sauce creates a bold and rich salsa with depth and bite.
• It’s healthy! No unhealthy ingredients in this salsa, no sir. Nothing but fresh and healthy ingredients. Tomatoes, for example, are a great source of the antioxidant lycopene which is beneficial for skin health. Peppers contain plant compounds that are beneficial for eye health. Finally, garlic is a rich source of antioxidants.(1)(2)(3)
• It’s vegan! All ingredients are plant-based and animal-friendly.

Salsa Ranchera Recipe

• Tomatoes – I like using Roma tomatoes for most of my salsa recipes.
• Tomato sauce – Some recipes don’t include tomato sauce. However, I like adding just a little bit because it gives the salsa a nice rich red color and also adds a little saltiness to the recipe; it also reinforces the flavor of the fresh tomatoes.
• Chile Serrano – Serrano peppers are fairly hot so be careful when you handle them and how many you add to your salsa. I call for two peppers but you may want to start out with just one and then add as you go.
• Onion and garlic – These are both classic ingredients for almost every salsa recipe. They add most of the base flavors and are key ingredients.
• Worcestershire sauce – I add just a bit of vegan Worcestershire sauce. It’s the secret ingredient which lends a little smoky flavor to the overall flavor composition of the Salsa Ranchera.
• Cilantro – What salsa would be complete without cilantro? Cilantro adds a nice fresh flavor.

How To Make Salsa Ranchera

1. Roast ingredients. Set oven to broil at 400 degrees. Cut tomatoes in half and place them on a baking sheet skin-side up. Place quartered onion, halved serrano peppers, and garlic on the same baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, watching carefully, until the skin of the tomatoes begins to blacken.
2. Blend all ingredients. Add roasted ingredients to a blender and add in cilantro, vegan Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth.
3. Serve or refrigerate. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

This is really such an easy recipe. Basically just slice up your tomatoes, onions, and serrano peppers, roast them, toss everything in a blender and you’re done!

Ranchera Salsa Serving Suggestions

• Serve with some good Homemade Tortilla Chips or as a topping for my Healthy Vegan Nachos.
• Serve alongside your favorite vegan Mexican dishes like my Chipotle Sofritas, Lentil Tacos, or Fajita Veggies.
• Add a nice dollop of Salsa Ranchera to a salad like my Southwest Quinoa Salad.
• Add it to breakfast scrambles and potatoes.

There’s almost no wrong way to add salsa to a dish!

Is Salsa Ranchera Hot?

It depends on how many chiles serranos you use. If you stick with just the two serrano peppers I call for in the recipe you won’t find yourself frantically downing ice water. If you want to make your salsa even milder, then remove the seeds from the peppers. However, let’s get scientific by going to the Scoville Scale which is a scale used for rating the intensity of heat for all peppers. Serrano peppers are 4 times hotter than jalapeno peppers but 3 times milder than cayenne peppers. Therefore, there pretty hot. However, if you find that you’re able to handle most restaurant salsas then you’ll be ok.

To be on the safe side, add one pepper at a time to your Salsa Ranchera Recipe.

Additionally, you can substitute out the serrano peppers for the milder jalapeno pepper.

More Classic Mexican Salsa Recipes

• Salsa Taquera
• Salsa Verde
• Salsa Roja
• Guajillo Sauce
• Chipotle Tomato Salsa
• Pineapple Habanero Salsa
• Serrano Salsa
• Fire Roasted Salsa
• Black Bean and Corn Salsa
• Chipotle Corn Salsa
• Mango Black Bean Salsa
• Pico De Gallo With Avocado