Did you know you can freeze salsa?! Let me say that again…you can freeze salsa! We just took money saving to a whole new level, people!
Salsa is definitely a staple in my house. Oh! Who am I kidding? Salsa is the number one, go to, condiments of my household! Not only is it delicious when you are dipping your chips in it, but it makes an amazing base for freezer meals of all kinds.
There is one thing that bugs me about salsa though… the container always seems to get pushed to the back of the fridge, and often times about half of the salsa goes bad before I manage to find it again. Well, you know I can’t handle food going to waste in this house. That means money in the trash, and I ain’t havin’ it!
Imagine my pure elation when I realized I could freeze salsa. It’s no secret, I live for this kind of thing. I mean, Freezing Salsa…it’s just so simple! Honestly, not sure that money saving can get much easier than this, folks.
I also have come up with some great little tips and tricks to share with you just to make sure that you are getting the best results possible when freezing your salsa. Now, you can have wonderfully spicy salsa anytime, and you won’ t have to inspect the container, or do one of those weird smell checks ever again! Hooray for money saving!
How To Freeze Salsa
1. First, pick a favorite salsa recipe!
Whether you have a tried and true favorite or you’re on the lookout for a new salsa recipe, pull one up and get ready to make it! Make sure you have all the ingredients on hand and any tools you’ll need to make it. If you don’t have a favorite recipe on hand, feel free to search Pinterest for some quick and easy salsa recipes!
2. Cook it down!
When you freeze salsa, you don’t normally just throw it in the freezer as is. You’ll need to cook it down to thicken it up. Let it simmer until some of the liquid evaporates or simply add some tomato paste in with the salsa to create a thicker consistency. This step is important so make sure you do this before throwing it in the freezer!
3. Prep for the freezer.
Now, you can get your salsa ready for the freezer. Start portioning it in freezer bags or containers (it’s up to you based on your preference and how much freezer space you have) that you have ready for the servings and don’t forget to leave some space at the top to allow for any expansion. Don’t put hot salsa in the freezer – make sure you let it cool completely before freezing!
4. Drain!
When you thaw salsa for use, there might be a little extra water on the top because it was frozen before. You can either drain it off if you want to get rid of it or just leave as is! If you’re cooking with it, just leave it as is, but if you’re just using it for a dip, you may want to drain the excess water to get the consistency just right.
Now you’re ready to freeze salsa for all your salsa needs! What is your favorite kind of salsa? Let us know in the comments below!
Mango with scotch bonnet peppers.
What about store-bought salsa??
That has already been canned, so it will freeze perfectly well.
What about fresh made salsa you buy in the store. It’s not in a jar or canned so it is not pre-cooked. It is in a plastic container with a vacuumed seal plastic peel off top with a plastic lid on top of it. Does that follow the fresh salsa version for freezing?
Yes that would need to be prepared like this for the freezer. 🙂
Hi. Is the cooking down strictky to make it thicker or is there another reason?
It’s for the texture related issues that would come after freezing.
If using the previously frozen fresh salsa in chili, will the texture of not cooking it before freezing still be an issue in the chili?
Not really, it doesn’t matter once it’s cooked it will be a different texture anyways!
I got enough cherry toms to float the USS Enterprise…they will be made in a salsa along with a myriad of chili pepps…
all sorts of versions
Nice!!!!
I kinda feel like salsa looses a bit of consistency and taste when I freeze it, but I never did the cooking it down part. I’ll make sure to try again and see how that goes, thanks for sharing!