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Chile de Árbol Salsa

Name: Chile de Árbol Salsa
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 20 Dried árbol chilli; 4 Tomato (Tomato rojo); 3 cloves Garlic; 0.25 White onion; 1 tsp Salt

20 min (5 prep + 15 cook) Easy 8 servings Nacional

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 24 Mar 2026 · Updated: 30 Mar 2026

Spicy charred chile de árbol salsa, perfect for tacos and street food.

About this recipe

Charred chile de árbol salsa is one of the most popular table salsas across all of Mexico. Its flavour is intense, spicy and slightly smoky thanks to the process of charring the chillies directly on a griddle. It is made with just a few ingredients, chile de árbol, tomatoes, garlic and salt, yet the result is a salsa with its own distinctive character that perfectly accompanies tacos, quesadillas, grilled meats and virtually any Mexican street food.

History & Origin

The chile de árbol is one of the most versatile and ancient chillies in Mexican cuisine, cultivated since pre-Hispanic times in the warm regions of Jalisco, Nayarit and Aguascalientes. Its name comes from the plant that produces it, a tall upright shrub resembling a small tree, unlike other chilli varieties that grow as trailing plants. Charred chile de árbol salsa became a fundamental element of Mexican street food culture, particularly in taco stands, where each taquero develops their own version as a personal signature. The process of charring, toasting directly over flame or on a dry griddle, is an ancestral technique that transforms the chilli, lending it smoky notes and deepening its natural flavour. Unlike soaked chillies, charring preserves a more direct heat and an aroma that instantly whets the appetite. In many Mexican families, chile de árbol salsa is the first one taught to prepare, due to its simplicity and its role as the universal accompaniment to daily meals. In northern Mexico, tomatillo is sometimes added to soften it, whilst in the centre it is prepared with roasted tomatoes. Every home, every taco stand, has its secret: some add a touch of cumin, others a pinch of oregano, and the boldest an extra garlic clove that gives it that addictive flavour.

Estimated cost

£3.20

Total cost

£0.40

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

Calories

Protein

Carbohydrates

1.5g

Fat

1.5g

Fibre

320mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Remove the tallos of the árbol chillies. If you prefer less picante, remove algunas seeds. Tatema the chillies in a comal (flat griddle) dry over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, flipping them constantemente until it oscurezcan and vuelvan fragantes. Ten cuidado of not quemarlos.
💡 Los chillies queman rápido, not the pierdas of vista.
2
In the same comal (flat griddle), asa the tomatoes, the garlic without pelar and the onion until they are well chamuscados on all sides, aproximadamente 10-12 minutes.
3
Peel the garlic roasted. Place the chillies tatemados in the blender with a little water hot (some 3 tablespoons) and leave to rest 5 minutes for that hidraten slightly.
4
Add the tomatoes, the garlic and the onion roasted a the blender. Add the salt and blend until you get the consistency deseada: tersa for sauce of mesa or with algo of texture for a versión more rustic.
5
Taste and adjust the salt. If the sauce is very thick, add a little more water. If is very picante, you can agregar a tomato extra roasted. Serve at room temperature or cold.
💡 Esta sauce conserva in the fridge until 1 semana.