Smoky Chipotle Salsa Canning Recipe

This Smoky Chipotle Salsa Canning Recipe blends ripe Roma tomatoes, smoky chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, red bell pepper, red onion, fresh cilantro, garlic, and a bright duo of apple cider vinegar and bottled lime juice. A touch of brown sugar rounds the heat for a robust, versatile salsa that water‑bath cans beautifully for pantry‑ready jars you’ll spoon over eggs, breakfast burritos, nachos, tacos, and more.

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By Diane Devereaux | The Canning Diva® 
Last updated: August 20, 2025

Key Takeaways

• Classic smoky heat from canned chipotles in adobo; sweetness is balanced, not sugary.
• Mash as you simmer to reach your preferred body—chunky or thicker and saucier.
• Water‑bath processed: 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts (adjust for elevation).
• Built‑in acidity with apple cider vinegar + bottled lime juice for reliable canning results.

What is a Chipotle Pepper and Adobo Sauce?

A chipotle pepper is simply a ripe red jalapeño that has been dried and smoked. While green jalapeños are harvested early, those left to ripen on the plant turn red, developing a richer sweetness and more complex flavor. Traditionally, the peppers are smoked over pecan, hickory, or mesquite wood for several days until fully dried, giving them their distinctive deep, smoky heat.

Chipotles are most often packed in a tangy, brick-red adobo sauce, a marinade and cooking base that traces its origins to Spain. The word adobo comes from the Spanish verb adobar, meaning to marinate or season. Spanish colonists introduced adobo methods throughout Latin America, where local ingredients transformed it into the bold sauce we know today.

In Mexico, adobo sauce is made with tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, onions, and spices like cumin, oregano, and paprika. The acidity of vinegar and tomatoes balances the smokiness of chipotle peppers, while the aromatics add layers of flavor. This pairing became so iconic that canned “chipotles in adobo” are now a pantry staple, used for salsas, marinades, soups, tacos, and—of course—canning recipes like this one.

When you open a can of chipotles in adobo, you’re not just getting smoked peppers—you’re also getting a rich, full-bodied sauce that carries centuries of culinary history, uniting Spanish preservation traditions with Mexican flavor innovation. If you would like a canning recipe to create your own home canned Chipotle Peppers with Adobo Sauce, be sure to pick up a copy of my cookbook, Canning Full Circle 2 for the recipe and recipes on how to cook with it.

Smoky Chipotle Salsa Canning Recipe

A chipotle pepper is simply a ripe jalapeño that’s been dried and smoked. Here, that deep, smoky heat meets the tangy, tomato‑rich adobo the chipotles are packed in. Slightly sweetened with brown sugar, this salsa is bold without being bossy—great as a condiment or finishing sauce. I love it on scrambled eggs and breakfast burritos, and I’m guilty of drizzling it over a mountain of homemade nachos.

Makes approx. 5 quarts or 10 pints

Ingredients

• 8 pounds Roma tomatoes (about 42 medium), coarsely chopped (yield 14 cups)
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 medium red onion, diced (1 cup)
• 2 (7-ounce cans) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chop the peppers
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup bottled lime juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 10 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

1. In a large stockpot, combine the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, cilantro, vinegar, lime juice, brown sugar and minced garlic. Mix well to combine, then using medium heat, bring to a boil. We are using lower heat to avoid scorching the sugar and tomatoes during cooking.
2. Once at a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring often to avoid scorching. When not stirring, use a potato masher to mash the ingredients until they reach a desired consistency. I prefer the salsa to be thicker with the ingredients well mashed. Others like the ingredients to remain more intact.
3. Using a funnel, ladle the salsa into jars leaving a 1/2-inch of headspace. Remove any trapped air pockets and add additional salsa if necessary to maintain the 1/2-inch headspace.
4. Wipe each jar rim with a washcloth dipped in vinegar. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand tighten.
5. Place the jars in a water bather, being sure each jar is fully submerged in water. Bring to a rapid boil on high heat and process quart jars for 20 minutes and pints for 15 minutes. Remember, processing time does not begin until the water is at a full rolling boil.
6. After processing, turn off the burner and remove the lid to the canner. Let the jars rest for 5 minutes before removing them to a safe location to cool.

Smoky Chipotle Salsa Canning Recipe

Recipe by The Canning Diva

5.0 from 2 votes

Servings

5 quarts or 10 pints

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

10

minutes

A chipotle pepper is simply a ripe jalapeño that’s been dried and smoked. Here, that deep, smoky heat meets the tangy, tomato‑rich adobo the chipotles are packed in. Slightly sweetened with brown sugar, this salsa is bold without being bossy—great as a condiment or finishing sauce. I love it on scrambled eggs and breakfast burritos, and I’m guilty of drizzling it over a mountain of homemade nachos.

Ingredients

US Metric

• 8 pounds 8 Roma tomatoes (about 42 medium), coarsely chopped (yield 14 cups)

• 1 large 1 red bell pepper, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

• 1 medium 1 red onion, diced (1 cup)

• 2 2 (7-ounce cans) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chop the peppers

• 1 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (1 cup)

• 1/2 cup 1/2 apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup 1/4 bottled lime juice

• 1/4 cup 1/4 brown sugar, packed

• 10 10 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

• In a large stockpot, combine the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, cilantro, vinegar, lime juice, brown sugar and minced garlic. Mix well to combine, then using medium heat, bring to a boil. We are using lower heat to avoid scorching the sugar and tomatoes during cooking.
• Once at a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring often to avoid scorching. When not stirring, use a potato masher to mash the ingredients until they reach a desired consistency. I prefer the salsa to be thicker with the ingredients well mashed. Others like the ingredients to remain more intact.
• Using a funnel, ladle the salsa into jars leaving a 1/2-inch of headspace. Remove any trapped air pockets and add additional salsa if necessary to maintain the 1/2-inch headspace.
• Wipe each jar rim with a washcloth dipped in vinegar. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand tighten.
• Place the jars in a water bather, being sure each jar is fully submerged in water. Bring to a rapid boil on high heat and process quart jars for 20 minutes and pints for 15 minutes. Remember, processing time does not begin until the water is at a full rolling boil.
• After processing, turn off the burner and remove the lid to the canner. Let the jars rest for 5 minutes before removing them to a safe location to cool.

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About the Author:
Diane Devereaux, The Canning Diva®, is an internationally recognized food preservation expert, author, and educator with over 30 years of home canning experience. She’s the author of multiple top-selling canning books and teaches workshops across the U.S. Learn more at TheCanningDiva.com.

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