Homemade Salsa Verde with Green Tomatoes | Easy Canning Recipe

This homemade salsa verde is the perfect way to use up green tomatoes from your garden. It’s tangy, fresh, and easy to can so you can enjoy it all year long.

Recipe Inspiration

As a passionate gardener, there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing my tomato plants thrive, especially when they keep producing well into fall. By late October, I found myself with over 100 green tomatoes still hanging on the vines, even after harvesting more than 500 pounds of ripe red ones. Instead of letting them go to waste, I decided to get creative and turn them into something special. That’s when I came up with this easy homemade green tomato salsa verde recipe!

If you’ve tried my Best Spicy Salsa Recipe for Canning, you’ll notice that this recipe is inspired by it, with a twist using green tomatoes instead of ripe ones. This salsa verde is not only a great way to preserve those end-of-season tomatoes, but it’s also incredibly versatile. You can use it in so many dishes—tacos, enchiladas, slow-cooked chicken, or just dipping with tortilla chips.

Plus, the best part? It’s shelf-stable, so you can enjoy those fresh garden flavors all year long. In this post, I’ll show you how to make your own batch of salsa verde, step by step, and how to can it for long-term storage. Trust me, this tangy, slightly spicy salsa will become a pantry staple you’ll reach for time and time again!

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Ingredients for Canned Salsa Verde

• green tomatoes
• jalapeno peppers
• red onions
• garlic cloves
• lime juice
• cilantro
• cumin
• oregano
• salt
• black pepper

💡 Pro Tip: fresh tomatoes have varying pH levels, I’ve followed a tested recipe from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, to ensure proper preservation. 

Equipment Needed for Canning Salsa

• glass canning jars
• canning lids and rings
• water bath canner (I use a pressure canner as a water bath canner because I have an induction cooktop)
• essential canning tools (jar lifter, funnel, ladle, etc.)

Prep The Ingredients

Tomatoes

• Wash the tomatoes, peppers and cilantro
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch tomatoes for 30-60 seconds. Remove and immediately place in cold ice water to stop the heating process
• Remove tomato skins, cut tomatoes in half and core. Dice into 1/4″ pieces
• Measure out about 7 cups of chopped tomatoes

Jalapeños 

• Wearing rubber gloves, remove stems and seeds from jalapeño peppers and dice

Onions

• Peel the skins off of the onions and dice. Measure out 2 cups

Cook The Ingredients

• Combine tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic and lime juice in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly
• Stir in the cilantro, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper
• Bring the mixture to a boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly
• 💡 Pro Tip: Green tomatoes are acidic but not as much as tomatillos, so always use bottled lime juice instead of fresh to ensure proper acidity for safe canning. If in doubt, check the pH level to be below 4.6 for water bath canning.

Fill The Jars

• Prepare the glass canning jars and lids according to best canning practices
• Carefully ladle the hot green tomato salsa verde into hot, sterilized canning jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Use a bubble remover tool or a small spatula to eliminate any trapped air for a perfect seal
• Clean jar rims and add lid and metal rings
• Place jars on canning rack in water bath canner, jars must be covered by 1″ water

Processing Time

• Place lid on canner and adjust heat to medium-high, bring to a rolling boil
• Process half-pint or pint sized jars for 20 minutes
• Turn off heat and remove lid and let jars cool for 5 minutes
• Remove jars from the canner and place on a flat surface. Let cool for 12 hours before moving

Storing and Using Your Canned Salsa

Once the hot jars have cooled to room temperature, remove the rings from the sealed jars and store them in a dark place for the best shelf life. If a jar didn’t seal properly, refrigerate and enjoy the fresh salsa within a week.

If you’re unsure about how to store your canning rings to keep them in great condition for future use, check out my blog post on How To Store Metal Canning Rings for some helpful tips!

Printable Recipe Card

I’d love to hear how your green tomato salsa verde turns out! Drop a comment below and let me know what you think, or tag me on Instagram @gatheredinthekitchen with your salsa creations. If you loved this recipe, don’t forget to pin it for later and share it with friends who’ll appreciate this tasty way to preserve those late-season tomatoes. Happy canning, and I can’t wait to see what you create!