This salsa macha recipe is a delicious Mexican condiment you will fall in love with! It’s a flavorful chili oil made with crispy dried chilies, peanuts, sesame seeds, and garlic, perfect for drizzling over tacos or using as a marinade! Video.
The quieting of the mind is a political act. ~Jack Kornfield, The Wise Heart
What is Salsa Macha and why you’ll love it!
Salsa Macha is a Mexican chili oil that hails from Veracruz. It’s an oil-based salsa or condiment made with dried chilies, peanuts (or seeds), garlic, and Mexican spices.
It tastes deep and smoky, yet not overly spicy, and can be used in a variety of ways! Use it as a marinade for meats and tofu (see below), or as a flavorful drizzle sauce for tacos, avocado toast, eggs, grilled meats, or veggies. Spoon it over soups, vegetables, pasta, or rice for a delicious flavor booster!
Best of all, it’s very quick and easy to make, and keeps for weeks in the fridge. Think of this like a Mexican-style chili crisp! It’s such a great way to use up any stray dried peppers lurking in the pantry!
Salsa MachA Ingredients
- Dried Mexican Chili Peppers – the star of the recipe! Use mild or medium dried chiles like Ancho chiles, Guajillo Chile Peppers or other dried chilies like chile de arbols, chile negro, dried chipotle chiles, etc.
- Oil- we avoid “seed oils” and opt for avocado oil, peanut oil or olive oil.
- Nuts or seeds– use peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or almonds or any combination.
- Garlic cloves for pungent flavor.
- Salt
- Apple cider vinegar– for acidity.
- Optional Spices- cumin or coriander, whole seeds or ground, Mexican oregano.
How to make Salsa Macha Recipe (instructions)
Break dried chilies apart, removing stems and seeds.
Heat oil in a skillet or large saucepan, and add garlic and peanuts. Stir until they are golden brown.
Then, add the dried chilies and stir for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add salt, along with any optional spices. Let cool. Add vinegar.
Once it is cooled, place it in food processor (or blender)and blend until all is finely chopped, but not overly smooth.
Taste and feel free to add more salt or chipotle powder to taste.
Pour into a jar, and stir in toasted sesame seeds.
Storing Salsa Macha
Place the mixture in an airtight container or jar and cover it with a layer of olive oil before storing it in the refrigerator. This will keep for 3-4 weeks in the fridge. Freeze for up to 4 months.
Ways to Use Salsa Macha
Think of salsa macha as a Mexican version of chili crisp. You can drizzle it over rice, spice up Mexican soup, or spoon it over hard-boiled eggs. Here are more ideas.
- Use as a marinade for chicken, fish or tofu! (See below)
- Drizzle it over tacos, burritos or enchiladas.
- Drizzle it over Buddha Bowls or soups, or eggs.
- Drizzle over avocado toast!
- Spoon it over grilled veggies or roasted veggies
- Toss it with rice or pasta.
How to Make Salsa Macha Bowls
Here, I’ll show you how to use this salsa macha recipe as a marinade in an easy sheet-pan dinner that can be served in bowls.
In this simple sheet-pan recipe, I used both chicken and tofu baked alongside yams, bell peppers and onions. Make enough to feed your whole family or just one serving – up to you! Brush the salsa macha over the chicken or tofu and bake!
When it is done, create your lovely bowls. This one on the left is tofu, and the one on the right is chicken. Serve over cilantro lime rice, Mexican pinto beans or our mole black beans for a delicious meal!
Enjoy this authentic Salsa Mach Recipe and please let us know how you use it in the comments below!
More Favorite Mexican Salsa Recipes
- Guacamole (three ways!)
- Avocado Sauce (Vegan!)
- Vegan cilantro creme
- See all our Mexican Recipes here!
Watch how to make Salsa Macha
Mexican Salsa Macha Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 ¼ cups
- Category: Condiment, Mexican, Sauce,
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Mexican salsa macha recipe is smoky and delicious! It’s a flavorful Mexican chili oil made with dried chilies, peanuts, sesame seeds, and garlic, perfect for drizzling over tacos, or use it as a marinade (see bowls below).
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried Mexican chiles (1 1/2 ounces)- use mild Guajillo Peppers, or Ancho chilies, chipotle chiles, or a. mix.
- 1 cup oil- peanut oil, avocado oil or olive oil
- 4–6 cloves garlic- sliced in half lengthwise
- 1/2–1 cup peanuts – or sub pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or almonds (or a combo) see notes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- optional spices: 1 teaspoon coriander (ground or whole seeds) 1 teaspoon cumin (ground or whole seeds), and ground chipotle powder.
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
See notes for bowls.
Instructions
Salsa Macha
- Discard the stems and seeds from the chilies and break them into smaller, one-inch pieces.
- In a large skillet, add the oil and heat it over medium-high heat. Add garlic and peanuts, and stir until golden and fragrant, about 4-5 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low, add the dried chilies, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Turn heat off, and stir in the optional spices. Let cool 5-10 minutes. Add salt and vinegar .
- Pour this into a food processor and pulse until well chopped, but not overly smooth. Texture is good here!
- Taste for salt and spice and add more as needed. You can add chipotle powder to taste for more smoky heat.
- Pour the blended salsa macha into a jar, and stir in toasted sesame seeds.
- Store. This will last 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator. Or freeze for up to 4 months.
Notes
Nuts: If using this as a marinade, ½ cup peanuts is plenty. If you want it extra “chunky” and textural, add 1 cup of peanuts.
Chiles: Feel free to use different chilies, or mix of dried chilies, taking care to pay attention to heat levels. Add Chilies de Arbol for heat or dried Chipotles for depth and smokiness.
SALSA MACHA BOWLS:
- 1 medium yam-diced into ½ inch thick cubes
- 1 red bell pepper- sliced into 1 inch thick wedges ( or use poblano peppers)
- ½ red onion- into ½ inch thick half moons
- 2 boneless chicken breasts or thighs, or use tofu filets
- drizzle of olive oil, generous sprinkle salt, pepper and cumin
- Optional Bowl Bases- Seasoned Black Beans, or Mexican Pinto Beans, Cilantro rice or Cauliflower Rice, Greens
- Bowl Toppings- avocado, sprouts, cilantro, lime, sesame seeds
To make the BOWLS
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Place prepped yams, onions and peppers on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Place chicken or tofu on the side of the sheet pan.
- Drizzle with oil, gently tossing veggies, then chicken and tofu. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Spoon some salsa macha over the chicken or tofu. Continue cooking for 5-10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Assemble Bowls. If using a Bowl Base like rice or beans, divide it among two bowls. Top it with roasted chicken or tofu, veggies. Add avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Spoon more salsa macha on if you like, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 142
- Sugar: 0.6 g
- Sodium: 302.5 mg
- Fat: 14.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 1.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I haven’t made this yet, but am for dinner tonight with some variations because I don’t have all the ingredients, like purple sweet potatoes for the yams. I am commenting today because I resonated to what you wrote about women and how the world could change if the balance of power shifted. I think about the state of our world and her people everyday and I am in absolute agreement with you that it is heart that will overcome fear and love will connect us. This post made me love your site even more. I make a lot of your recipes and appreciate all that you offer. I really like getting a glimpse of the woman behind the recipes and finding we have something, so important to me, in common. Thank you and much love to you and your family. Terry
Thanks so much Terry- I really appreciate this. 🙂
Sylvia, to quote you, this salsa macha “blew my mind”. As with all of the recipes from FAH I have tried, I have never been disappointed. But growing up on a meat and potatoes and side salad dinners, I have yet to acquire the ability to know what something is going to taste like while I am following the recipe. With a cup of olive oil and the other ingredients simmering in my Dutch oven on the stove, I found myself once again like a kid doing a science experiment. I ran out of pumpkin seed so I added whole almonds and wondered how in the world it was going to come together. And oh my goodness, when I eagerly dipped my finger into the finished product in my food processor and tasted it, I sighed a very content sigh. I doubled the bowl recipe, using asparagus in place of another red pepper as I only had one. I also used your perfect quinoa recipe as the base of the bowl and used chicken thighs for the protein. I rubbed some salsa macha under the skin of the chicken before baking with the veggies but then topped the bowl with more. This salsa macha is perfection in a jar and I can’t wait to dollop it on my next meal. Thank you for continuously encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone.
I am so glad you gave this a go Rebecca! Such a good one!
“You can make this again” = a winner in my book! It’s not often my husband raves about a dish I make (he’s not a big food guy), but he’s mentioned this one 2x since I made it last week so I’ll definitely put this one in the mix more frequently. I did not make the salsa macha from scratch though. I couldn’t find any dried peppers in my produce dept but came across a jar of salsa macha in the Mexican section so thought I’d try that first before tracking down the ingredients to make it myself. I did run it through the food processor though as everything was whole and thought the ground up version in the recipe sounded better.
Great to hear!
Woohoohoo! Absolutely loved it! Already planning on making it again next week…(not surprised though as I don’t believe anything I’ve tried of yours has not been anything short of great). Thank you
Thanks so much Lawrence! So happy you enjoyed this!
I developed a taste for salsa macha in Puerto Vallarta, and have since accumulated several recipes, but yours is the best yet. The addition of a shallot adds surprisingly big flavour, but the best part for me is the “bowls,” though it took me a bit to realize that you were talking about the stuff IN the bowl. Anyway, it’s a great combination. I still do my salsa somewhat differently – whatever mild peppers and nuts I happen to have around, Mexican oregano instead of coriander, toasted garlic flakes instead of fresh garlic, etc. – but the bowls are difference-makers. I look forward to putting them into tacos.
Thanks Jack! Love the toasted garlic flakes- great idea. 😉