This post may include affiliate links; see our disclosure policy.
Wondering what to do with green tomatoes? Make green tomato salsa! They blend into a zesty dip that tastes just like salsa verde.
Got a garden full of green tomatoes? I’m here to help! Every fall, I end up staring down a jungle of tomato vines and a mountain of green stragglers. In the past, I might have composted them, but I’ve found there are so many ways to use green tomatoes, like this electric green fancy toast or green tomato pickles.
My new favorite way to use green tomatoes is salsa. This green tomato salsa tastes just like salsa verde. Salsa verde is made with tomatillos, but using green tomatoes works just as well, or better!
It starts with green tomatoes
It’s important to clarify exactly what type of green tomato to use. This recipe is for unripe red tomatoes that are green. The confusing part is that there are actually varieties of tomatoes that are bred to be green when ripe!
The green zebra tomato is a good example of a green-when-ripe tomato. I’ve used this variety of tomato in my Mozzarella Tomato Basil Salad to bring in a lovely contrasting color. In this case, the green tomato tastes juicy and sweet, just like a red tomato.
This green tomato salsa recipe should only be made with red tomatoes that haven’t yet ripened, leaving them green and hard. Why? They have a tart, zingy flavor that absolutely makes this salsa. Green-when-ripe tomatoes are absolutely as delicious in their own right, but just different.
Tip: Try my 10 green tomato recipes for more ideas on how to use them.
Making your salsa
Making green tomato salsa is very similar to making a salsa verde, like a roasted tomatillo salsa. What makes this salsa pop is broiling the vegetables first, a technique I learned from chef Rick Bayless. It really adds a smoky flavor.
All you need to do is broil the veggies, then pop them into the blender and purée. Here are the basic steps for making green tomato salsa.
Step 1: Broil the vegetables. Place the green tomatoes on a baking sheet with a quartered white onion, halved jalapeño peppers, and peeled garlic cloves. Broil on high for about 5 minutes per side until tender and browned.
Step 2: Blend the salsa. Add the roasted vegetables to a food processor or blender, starting with half the jalapeño. Add cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Pulse until the desired texture forms.
Step 3: Taste and adjust flavors. If you like it very spicy, add the other half of the jalapeño or some of the seeds. You may want to refrigerate until serving, since the salsa will be warm from the roasting, or leave it at room temperature until serving.
Serving ideas
Once you’ve got that green tomato salsa, there are lots of things you can pair it with. Here are some of my favorite ideas:
- With chips: My homemade tortilla chips are a fun kitchen DIY and taste delicious.
- As a topping for fish: It’s fantastic on top of baked salmon or grilled tilapia.
- On tacos: Try my vegan tacos, grilled shrimp tacos, or Instant Pot tacos.
- On enchiladas: Substitute it for the salsa verde in sweet potato black bean enchiladas and green enchiladas.
Dietary notes
This green tomato salsa recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, and vegan.
Fresh Green Tomato Salsa
Wondering what to do with green tomatoes? Make green tomato salsa! They blend into a zesty dip that tastes just like salsa verde.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Broiled
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 8 ounces green tomatoes (about 5 small)
- 1 jalapeño pepper (without seeds)
- 3 large cloves garlic
- 1 medium white onion
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- Prep your veggies. Peel the garlic. Peel and quarter the onion. Remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño. (Save the seeds for a hot salsa.) If tomatoes are large, quarter them; otherwise, leave them whole.
- Place the green tomatoes, garlic, onion, and jalapeño on a baking sheet. Broil on high for 4 to 5 minutes until just beginning to blacken.
- Flip and rotate the veggies and broil another 4 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer everything to a food processor or blender, except use only ½ of the jalapeño.
- Add the cilantro, kosher salt, and lime juice. Pulse until the desired consistency is reached.
- Taste, and if you’d like it hotter, add the other ½ of the jalapeño and/or some seeds. You may want to refrigerate until serving, since the salsa will be warm from the roasting, or leave it at room temperature until serving. Stores up to 1 week refrigerated.
More salsa recipes
Outside of this green tomato salsa recipe, here are a few of my favorite salsa recipes:
Can the fresh tomato salsa be frozen?
Yes, it should freeze ok.
Is this for eight ounces of tomato by weight or by volume? I assumed weight but that doesn’t look like much compared to the onions and jalapeno peppers!
That’s by weight! You don’t need too much for the recipe.
I have a gazillion green tomatoes and I’m also cooking a birthday dinner for my daughter, who requested tacos. Putting tomatoes and birthday together. Hope it goes well!
Thanks for the recipe.
We have 2 large freezer bags of green tomatoes; can Salsa be frozen or would it have to be canned?
Thanks.
Just made this with a few green tomatoes that I knew would never ripen. There is snow on the Olympic Mountains already (it’s October) and it is too cold for ripening now, but this recipe is so easy and so delicious, I’m not that disappointed :) I am hoping I have enough tomatoes to can some. I appreciate how simple this was to make.
I made a double recipe today…delicious! Can I substitute ripe tomatoes in the recipe… I have lots from the garden still.
Can I make this in larger batches and can it? or would the heat from processing harm the flavor?
It should be fine! We don’t have the experience to provide times.
Can you bottles & store this like regular Salsa
Probably! We just don’t have canning experience.