Picante Sauce Recipe – Canning Instructions Included

If you love the chips and salsa that you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant, you are going to love this homemade Picante Sauce recipe. Smooth style salsa that is perfect for dipping tortilla chips, topping tacos, burritos, and more!

It’s easy to make with fresh ingredients and you can customize it to be as mild or hot as you like. Once you try it, you’ll never want to go back to store-bought again.

It is a fantastic recipe to make when you need to preserve the tomatoes from your garden. Once it is made you can eat it fresh, freeze it or can it for use throughout the year.

However, picante sauce in the United States and its Mexican counterpart differ in several ways. In the U.S., picante sauce is a smooth style salsa made with tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, vinegar, and various spices. It is thinner than traditional salsa. (See Easy Mild Salsa recipe).

In contrast, Mexican picante sauces vary widely in texture and consistency, from smooth to chunky, depending on the recipe and regional variation. However, picante sauce is also known as a form of ‘hot sauce’ liquid used to add more spice to various dishes.

Therefore, to clarify, this recipe is an American version of Picante Sauce.

What Type Of Tomatoes Makes The Best Picante Sauce

When it comes to what variety of tomatoes to use, it is best to choose some type of paste tomato. San Marzano, Roma and Amish Paste are all great choices.

These types of tomatoes are firm, meaty, and have fewer seeds compared to other varieties. Their natural sweetness and lower water content contribute to a well-balanced flavor and consistency in the sauce.

However, if you find yourself with vine-ripened tomatoes or heirloom slicing tomatoes you can use them as well. They will just require a little more preparation to remove the seeds and the excess juice.

Just be sure to steer away from using primarily low-acid tomatoes if you plan on canning the sauce. Unless of course you use a pH tester to ensure that your sauce is safe for canning. (Affiliate Product: pH Food Tester)

Equipment Recommended To Make Picante Sauce

1. Tomato Strainer

To make this recipe in the easiest way possible, use a tomato strainer. This device will peel the skins, remove the seeds, and pulp the tomatoes for you in minutes. (Affiliate Product Link: Tomato Strainer)

However, if you don’t have a tomato strainer you can still make the sauce. Start by placing the tomatoes in boiling water for one minute. Then immediately transfer the tomatoes to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.

Once they are cool enough to handle, use a small paring knife to peel the tomatoes. Then cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds and squeeze them to remove the majority of the liquid.

Then transfer the tomatoes to a large capacity food processor or food mill and puree.

2. Food Processor

Instead of dicing the onions and peppers into tiny pieces using a knife, use a food processor to do the work for you. Simply cut them into chunks and pulse until the desired size is reached.

Then you will have the onions and peppers ready in just a few minutes.

3. Immersion Blender

Immersion blender is the easiest way to puree the sauce as it is heating up. This hand held blender gets submerged in the actual pot as the sauce cooks, which allows you to achieve the desired consistency of the picante sauce.

You could also transfer the mixture to a high speed blender to puree. However, you must be sure not to fill the blender more than half full, otherwise the sauce may end up on your walls and ceiling.

Therefore, in order to prevent that from happening, I highly suggest you use an immersion blender.

Homemade Picante Sauce Recipe

* Complete recipe instructions including specific measurements, cook temperatures and times are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to read the entire article for helpful tips and tricks when making this recipe.

*makes approximately 9-10 pints

INGREDIENTS:

• 40 to 50 Paste Tomatoes
• 4 Green Bell Peppers
• 3 Sweet Red Peppers
• 4-5 Jalapeno Peppers
• 4 Medium Yellow Onions
• 8 Cloves of Garlic
• 1/4 cup of chopped Cilantro
• 2 Tablespoons Garlic Salt
• 1 Tablespoon of Black Pepper
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of Salt
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS:

*If you have a tomato strainer start step 2.

1. Use the method described above to peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Dice the tomatoes and put them in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and mash down the tomatoes as they become soft.

You could also pulse the tomatoes in a food processor before adding them to the stockpot.

2. If you have a tomato strainer wash, core and roughly chop the tomatoes and place them in a large stockpot. Heat the tomatoes over medium-high heat until they begin to boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Place heated tomatoes into a tomato strainer with the salsa screen. Discard the skin/seeds and place the remaining tomato pulp back into the large stockpot.

3. Dice your green, red, jalapeno peppers and onions. Add the diced vegetables to the pot.

4. Mince 8 cloves of garlic and add them to the tomato mixture.

5. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

6. Bring the picante sauce mixture to a simmer and maintain a light simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Then use an immersion blender to get the mixture to the desired thin consistency.

Canning Instructions

Sterilize pint jars. Then pour the hot picante mixture in warm jars. Be sure to wipe the rim clean with a washcloth.

Apply the lid, hand tighten the band, and place the jars in a water bath or pressure canner using jar lifters. *Be sure to read the instructions on your canning lids. Most newly purchased canning lids no longer need to be heated prior to placing them on the jars.

Repeat with the remaining jars.

Pressure can for 15 minutes with 10 pounds of pressure.

Be sure to follow your pressure canner instruction manual on how much water needs to be added to the canner.

You could also use a hot water bath canner to can your picante sauce. Be sure that the jars are covered with 1-2 inches of water.

Then when the water begins to boil, process pint jars for for 35 minutes or 40 minutes for quart jars. *Adjust for altitude accordingly.

When the processing time is up turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the canner. For water bath canners, let the jars sit for 5-10 minutes before removing them.

For pressure canning, follow your manufacturer’s guidelines on how to depressurize and remove the jars.

Using jar lifters, remove the jars from the canner and place on a thick towel. Let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours or until the jars are completely cool.

Check to make sure the jars have sealed appropriately by pressing on the lid. If the lid can’t be pressed in the jars have sealed properly. Store the homemade picante sauce in a cool dark place.

If the jars did not seal, place the jars in the refrigerator and use within 3 weeks.

ENJOY!

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