Can You Freeze Homemade Salsa? Here's How You Can Do This Right

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Whether we’re talking about movie night or football night, salsa will go wonderfully. If you’re making your own salsa, then you may want to make more of it in one go so you don’t work double for it. Can you freeze your homemade salsa so you can preserve it?

We love some homemade salsa with our chips, but it will also go great with chicken, steak, or baked potatoes even.

Can You Freeze Salsa?

One of our readers has had a similar problem with making too much salsa, so let’s see what their message reads:

It is tomato season, and I have an abundance of tomatoes in my garden that are ripe and ready to pick. This year, I’ve been looking forward to making big batches of salsa to hand on hand throughout the year.

In the past, I’ve canned my salsa as a method of preservation. This year, I’m hoping to avoid the extra work that comes along with canning, and freezing the salsa instead. Can you freeze homemade salsa?

You can absolutely freeze homemade salsa! Many people like to can salsa because it more closely resembles the way that salsa is found in stores, but homemade canned salsa tends to run on the watery side. It is also time-consuming and more labor-intensive than simply freezing prepared salsa.

How to Freeze Salsa?

A few simple tips will help ensure the best results when freezing homemade salsa. When freezing and thawing salsa, some of the liquid will seep from the tomatoes, making the salsa a bit watery. This can be avoided by making sure to remove the seeds from the tomatoes before chopping. Also, sprinkle a bit of salt on the cut parts of the tomatoes and allow to sit for a few minutes to draw out the excess water. Drain and pat dry.

Prepare salsa according to your recipe.
Drain about half the liquid from the final product before freezing.
Some people create more of a sauce-type salsa for freezing by blending part of the salsa first.
To freeze, consider freezing homemade salsa in a container rather than a freezer bag so that the salsa doesn’t get squished, turning it into a mushy mess.
Fill the container, leaving a bit of headroom at the top for expansion.
Seal the container, then label and date it.

How Long Can You Freeze Salsa?

Salsa’s fresh flavors are what make it such a great condiment, but flavors start to break down in the freezer. Frozen homemade salsa is best used within 3 months of freezing.

How to Keep Salsa Longer?

One of the things you can do to make sure that your salsa will last for longer, you can look into using a vacuum sealer. While vacuum sealers don’t normally work with sauces or soups, you can definitely still make it work.

What you’re going to need to do is to simply put the salsa in the container and place it in the freezer for a few hours so it solidifies a bit. Then, use the vacuum sealer on the container to take out all the air. In this way, there is no extra air to affect the quality of your salsa in the freezer.

We have a long list of vacuum sealers you can look into, but our favorite is the FoodSaver V4840 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealer Machine, which takes up the top spot on the list. The FoodSaver works with freezer bags and containers of different sizes so you can seal individual portions or larger meals.

How to Defrost Salsa?

To thaw salsa, you need to go through a few steps.

Remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for several hours, until thawed completely.
Thawed salsa does not have the same consistency as fresh, and will need to be drained a bit before using.
If used within a few months of freezing, the salsa should not have lost any of its flavor and should retain its bright colors.
Some people prefer to use thawed salsa in recipes rather than as a condiment because it is a bit thinner and less crisp than fresh salsa.

Salsa Recipe

If you don’t have a salsa recipe, you can try out ours. Our Mexican salsa roja recipe is absolutely delicious!

Salsa ingredients:

4 roma tomatoes, quartered
1/2 onion, quartered
2 jalapeños, cut in half and deseeded
1 tablespoon avocado oil, divided
1 lime, juiced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
salt
pepper

Check out our salsa recipe page to get the instructions on how you can make your own. Trust us, it only takes a few minutes to prep it all!

Can You Freeze Homemade Salsa? Here’s How You Can Do This Right