Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
Tested source
This page follows NCHFP: Chile Salsa (Hot Tomato-Pepper Sauce). Keep every tested proportion, preparation step, jar limit, headspace, time, pressure, and altitude adjustment.
Preparation timeline
- Prepare the correct canner and permitted jars.
- Use vinegar labeled 5% acidity and preserve the exact tested tomato, vegetable, and acid proportions. Wear gloves while handling hot peppers.
- Complete the tested hot-pack cooking sequence.
- Fill jars to 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process using one complete schedule below.
- Cool 12–24 hours and check seals.
Equipment
- Correct boiling-water or pressure canner for the selected tested process
- Pint jars only, lids, and bands
- Nonreactive cookware
- Measuring tools, canning funnel, jar lifter, headspace tool, and timer
- Gloves for hot-pepper recipes
Visual method guide
- Prepare equipment and jars.
- Measure ingredients exactly.
- Cook for the full tested sequence.
- Fill to 1/2 inch.
- Process with the correct complete row.
- Cool and verify seals.
Safety essentials
Use vinegar labeled 5% acidity and preserve the exact tested tomato, vegetable, and acid proportions. Wear gloves while handling hot peppers.
Do not change tomato-to-vegetable-to-acid proportions or use larger jars.
Refrigerate any jar that does not seal or follow current NCHFP corrective guidance within 24 hours.
About this recipe
Chile Salsa (Hot Tomato-Pepper Sauce) is a tested NCHFP hot-pack recipe yielding about 6–8 pints.
Before you begin
Read the complete source procedure and choose the exact tested process before filling jars. Prepare all equipment so filled jars can be processed promptly.
Tested source
This page follows NCHFP: Chile Salsa (Hot Tomato-Pepper Sauce). Keep every tested proportion, preparation step, jar limit, headspace, time, pressure, and altitude adjustment.
Chile Salsa (Hot Tomato-Pepper Sauce) — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 5 lb tomatoes 5 lb as purchased; then peel, core and coarsely chop
- 2 lb chile peppers 2 lb as purchased; then peel, remove seeds and chop as directed
- 1 lb onions 1 lb as purchased; then peel and chop
- 1 cup vinegar 5% acidity
- 3 teaspoons canning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Equipment
- 1 Boiling-water canner
- 6 to 8 Pint canning jars Pints only
- 6 to 8 Two-piece canning lids
- 1 Food-safe gloves For handling hot peppers
Directions
- Wear gloves when handling hot peppers. Wash and dry them, then slit each pepper so steam can escape. Blister skins in a 400°F oven or under a broiler for 6–8 minutes. Let cool under a damp cloth; peel, discard seeds and chop. This is the pepper-preparation method referenced by NCHFP; use the Chile Salsa formulation and processing schedule below.
- Wash tomatoes. Dip them in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until the skins split, then dip in cold water. Slip off skins, remove cores, and coarsely chop.
- Combine tomatoes, prepared chile peppers, onions, 5% vinegar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Fill hot pint jars with hot salsa, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust headspace, wipe rims, and apply two-piece lids.
- Process pints in a boiling-water canner for 15 minutes at 0–1,000 feet, 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 feet, or 25 minutes above 6,000 feet. Cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve with tortilla chips, tacos, beans, eggs, or grilled foods.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the acid or vegetable proportions?
No, except only where the cited source explicitly permits a named substitution.
Can I use larger jars?
No. Use only pint jars only.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly or follow current NCHFP corrective guidance within 24 hours.
Recipe context
Do not combine this record with another preservation formula.
Troubleshooting
Verify the exact acid, ingredient proportions, jar size, headspace, complete processing row, and seal. If processing is interrupted, do not treat the jar as shelf stable.
Source & provenance
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Summer, Fall
Months: July, August, September
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
40–80 lb of Tomatoes per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.