Salsa ranchera
A warm, chunky sauce of cooked tomato, jalapeño and onion. The classic base for huevos rancheros and saucy meats.
Make this once, then cook it into 36 different dishes.
- Time40 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £0.10 a head
- Makesabout 750 ml, enough for 2 to 3 dishes for 4 people
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
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Method
- 1
Heat the grill to its highest setting. Put the tomatoes cut side down, the chillies and the unpeeled garlic on a foil lined tray. Grill for 10 minutes until the skins are blistered and charred in places.
10 min - 2
Let cool for 5 minutes. Peel the garlic and remove the chilli stalks. Put the tomatoes with their juices, chillies, garlic and water in a blender and blend coarsely, 5 or 6 short pulses.
- 3
Heat the oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and just golden. Stir in the oregano and cumin for 30 seconds.
6 min - 4
Pour in the blended tomato mixture and add the salt. Bring to a simmer, then cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until thickened and a deep red.
15 min - 5
Taste and adjust the salt. If it tastes too sharp, simmer for 3 more minutes. Cool in a shallow container and chill within 2 hours. Use in the dish recipes that call for your ready made salsa ranchera.
About salsa ranchera
Salsa ranchera is a cooked Mexican tomato sauce with jalapeño chillies, onion and garlic, named for the ranch kitchens it comes from. It is the sauce on huevos rancheros, the classic breakfast of fried eggs on tortillas.
The tomatoes and chillies are cooked, blended coarsely and then simmered with softened onion. It tastes savoury, sweet from the tomato and gently hot, and it stays slightly chunky, unlike a smooth salsa roja. The chillies add flavour and moderate heat rather than fire.
Use it for huevos rancheros and eggs, as a sauce for enchiladas and quesadillas, to simmer chicken, beef or pork, over rice, or spooned over fried or grilled fish. It is a good everyday sauce to make in a batch and freeze.
Tips
- Char the tomatoes and chillies under a hot grill until the skins blister and darken in places. The charred flavour is what makes this taste ranchero rather than like plain tomato sauce.
- Cook the sauce uncovered until it thickens. It should leave a track when you drag a spoon through, because a thin sauce makes soggy tortillas.
- If you are using tinned tomatoes, buy chopped or whole plum tomatoes and add 1 tbsp tomato purée for depth. Fresh tomatoes are best in summer, tinned tomatoes win in winter.
- For a milder sauce, remove the chilli seeds and white veins. For a hotter one, swap one jalapeño for a serrano.
- Blend coarsely, not smoothly. A little texture is correct for a ranchera sauce.
Storing and freezing
Cool within 2 hours, then keep covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze in 300 ml portions for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to a simmer until steaming hot all the way through.
Dishes you can make with salsa ranchera
Huevos Ahogados en Salsa Ranchera (Eggs Poached in Ranchera Sauce)
NFVHuevos Motuleños (Yucatecan Eggs with Plantain and Beans)
NFPollo Ranchero (Chicken in Ranchera Sauce)
GFDFEFChuletas de Cerdo Rancheras (Ranch Style Pork Chops)
DFEFNFBistec Ranchero (Beef Steak Strips in Ranchera Sauce)
DFEFNFAlbóndigas Rancheras (Meatballs in Ranchera Sauce)
GFNFPescado a la Ranchera (Baked Fish in Ranchera Sauce)
EFNFCamarones Rancheros (Prawns in Ranchera Sauce)
GFDFEFEnchiladas Rancheras de Queso (Cheese Enchiladas with Ranchera Sauce)
GFEFNFPapas Rancheras (Ranch Style Potatoes)
GFDFNFFrijoles Rancheros con Tocino (Ranch Style Beans with Bacon)
DFEFNFEjotes con Salsa Ranchera (Mexican Green Beans)
GFDFEFQuestions
Can I use tinned tomatoes for salsa ranchera?
Yes. Use 2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes and skip the grilling step for the tomatoes, but still char the chillies. Add 1 tbsp tomato purée and simmer a few minutes longer to thicken the sauce.
What is the difference between salsa ranchera and salsa roja?
Salsa ranchera is chunkier, fresher and built on cooked tomato and jalapeño with fried onion. Salsa roja is smoother and uses dried chillies. Ranchera is the sauce for huevos rancheros.
Is salsa ranchera spicy?
Medium. Two jalapeños with the seeds give a gentle heat. Take the seeds out for mild, or add a serrano for hotter.
Can I make it ahead and freeze it?
Yes. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. Cool it quickly, freeze it in portions and reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Is salsa ranchera vegan and gluten free?
Yes. It contains tomatoes, chillies, onion, garlic, oil and seasonings, so it is vegan, gluten free, dairy free, egg free and nut free.
More base recipes
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
