Spicy Fire Roasted Habanero Peppers Salsa

If you love fire roasted habanero peppers then you’re going to absolutely love this spicy salsa! Made with garlic, fresh cilantro, lime juice and a drizzle of olive oil, this homemade salsa is a spicy food lover’s dream.

Roasted Habanero Peppers Salsa

Let me ask you, what’s the hottest pepper you can eat?

On most days I can handle serrano peppers. Occasionally I can go as hot as habanero peppers — but let me tell you, those days are extra special because these chiles are fire!

Occasionally when I can handle them and crave a chunky spicy salsa on my tacos, then I’ll make this roasted habanero peppers salsa.

It’s easy to make and you only need five ingredients. This is such a flavorful salsa and it tastes fiery, smoky, fruity, citrusy, savory and so fresh on your taste buds.

It’s Habanero Not Habañero

Just wanted to point this out, that there is no “ñ” in habanero chilies.

It’s a common mistake and perhaps influenced somehow by jalapeño peppers that people are more common with.

These chiles got their name from the city of Habana because during colonial times they were so commonly traded there. But they actually originated in the Amazon regions of South America and slowly made their way up to Mexico.

In the Yucatan Peninsula and Yucatecan cuisine, habanero peppers are indispensable!

Habanero on The Scoville Scale

The Scoville Scale is a unit of measurement to determine how much heat, or how spicy, a chili pepper has.

Up until 1999 the habanero pepper was the hottest chile in the World. But as you can see it is still considerably an intensely hot pepper much hotter than bell peppers or even serrano chilies.

Habaneros are used to make salsas, marinades, and hot sauce as well.

Safety Expert Tips for Handling Habanero Peppers

When handling chiles, particularly intensely spicy ones, you want to make sure protect your hands.

To do so I recommend you wear gloves, some kitchen gloves or disposable kitchen gloves.

A chili burn is quite uncomfortable and can take hours to go away.

If you do get chile burns then immediately wash your hands with soap and water — plenty of soap. Then soak them in dairy milk, yogurt or sour cream. It will give you instant relief, though it won’t last long. SO, you want to avoid the burns at all cost.

Five Ingredients Needed for Roasted Habanero Salsa

This salsa recipe is not traditional salsa. But it is a super flavorful one that requires just 5 ingredients.

• Habaneros: You want to use ripe, but not soft and mushy, peppers. It doesn’t matter if you use orange habaneros, or any other color or combination. Use what you’d like.

• Garlic Cloves: You’re going to be roasting these too and they add a delicious touch.

• Fresh Cilantro: This adds that freshness to the salsa. If you can’t stand the taste then you could substitute it with parsley.

• Lime Juice: Always use freshly squeezed! The bottled stuff just isn’t a good substitute.

• Olive Oil: This will add a nice texture to the salsa and give it a little bit more of humidity to it.

How to Make It

This is an incredibly easy salsa to make.

You first heat up a comal or a frying pan — if you’d rather do it under the broiler get that going.

Place the habaneros and garlic cloves on the comal or baking sheet and roast until evenly roasted on all sides. Then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Chop up the cilantro and juice the lime juice.

Once cooled to room temperature, remove the stem and chop up the habaneros. If you want less heat then remove the seeds and membranes too. Place the chopped peppers in a small bowl.

Place the garlic cloves in the bowl and use a fork to mash them into the chopped chiles. Mix until well combined then mix in the cilantro, lime juice and olive oil. Lastly mix in the salt and give the salsa a taste. Adjust seasoning as desired.

Spicy Salsa

Be warned this is a really spicy salsa!

But it’s not just heat that you’ll taste, there are garlic, citrusy and fresh cilantro notes in every bite.

It works perfect on top of grilled tofu or your favorite tacos. It also pairs well with any grilled vegan meat or veggie of your choice.

Do make sure you leave me a comment and a star rating when you make this salsa. Gracias, and here’s how easy it is to prepare it.

How to Make a Medium Heat Version

So if you want to tone down the heat some you could remove all of the seeds and the small membranes they’re attached to.

Alternatively if habaneros are just too spicy you could swap them out for red serranos or red jalapeños. To tone either of these two chilies down you can also remove the insides.

Recipe Variation: Roasted Habanero Mango Salsa

Did you know that mango and habaneros are a great flavor combination?

The fruity heat of the habaneros is a perfect match for fresh mango.

I have a delicious mango salsa that you could use habanero instead of serrano. I’ve tried it many times and the flavors are amazing!

Combine the two recipes and make a delicious mango habanero salsa recipe.

Milder Salsa Recipes to Try

If you don’t like super spicy salsas don’t worry I’ve got many others that don’t pack that kind of heat. You don’t have to make salsa with red bell pepper, lol! I think you’ll enjoy these milder salsa recipes.

• Quick and Easy Fresh Tomato Salsa
• Pico de Gallo Salsa | Salsa Fresca
• Mango Pico de Gallo
• The EASIEST Salsa Verde
• Molcajete Salsa | Salsa Molcajeteada
• Fiery Habaneros Toreados
• Tomato & Arbol Chile Salsa | Salsa de Jitomate y Chiles de Arbol
• How to Make a Bland Store-Bought Jar of Green Salsa Taste Better