Sweet Smokey Zucchini Salsa Recipe
Use up garden tomatoes and zucchini with this Sweet Smokey Zucchini Salsa Recipe, a fresh tomato salsa that yields 26 pints of salsa.
Friends, today I’m sharing a classic salsa recipe that I have canned for years, a Sweet Smokey Zucchini Salsa Recipe. Years ago we had 12 garden beds with a lot of heirloom tomatoes. [This post is updated and reposted from 9 years ago here on RE.]
Sweet Smokey Zucchini Salsa Recipe
We “put up” 26 pints of delicious sweet smokey salsa.
I love that term, “put up,” don’t you? It sounds so … old-fashioned and lovely!
I know my Mom and Grandma talked about canning that way. :)
How do you eat zucchini salsa?
This recipe yields 26 pints of delicious homemade salsa! Besides the normal way of enjoying with your favorite chips, try these ways to eat this salsa:
- This salsa is delicious served with taco salad!
- You can also substitute for half of the tomato sauce in meatloaf – so good!
- Or, dump it over scrambled eggs or omelets for breakfast or brunch!
- Also, great in breakfast burritos!
And if you haven’t tried my other canned zucchini recipe, Sweet Zucchini Relish, then you’re missing out!
Ingredients for zucchini salsa:
- Shredded zucchini
- Onions, shredded
- Green and red bell peppers
- Pickling salt
- Dry mustard + garlic powder + cumin + red chili powder
- Liquid smoke (optional, but this give a nice smokey flavor)
- White vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Cilantro
- Jalapeno peppers
- Ground pepper
- Heirloom or gardenn tomatoes (a lot of them)
- Cornstarch
- Tomato paste
When we had our garden beds, my goal was to try to not let any of of it go to waste.
How to can salsa
Canning salsa is easy!
- The first day: In a large bowl combine; Zucchini, onions, green pepper, red pepper and the salt Mix together cover and let stand over night. This is the brining process.
- The second day. Next day rinse, drain well and put into a large pot then add mustard, garlic, cumin, vinegar, brown sugar, pepper flakes, salt,cornstarch, pepper, 1 tablespoon salt, tomatoes and tomato paste. Don’t forget the liquid smoke for a “smokey” flavor.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Pour into sterilized jars and seal.
- Water bath jars for 15 minutes.
What is the best water bath canner?
I’ve been using my Graniteware Water Bath Canner for years, and it’s fantastic! It has plenty of space for jars, it heats evenly, and it’s incredibly durable. It also comes with a rack insert to make it easy to pull your hot jars out once they’re done processing, and it costs around $25. If you prefer an electric canner to save stovetop space, the Ball Electric Water Bath Canner and Multi-Cooker is another option, but it costs about $350.
Can you use frozen zucchini?
People ask me all the time and I’ve never tried it, but I would only use fresh zucchini.
Friends, this is the best salsa I’ve ever tasted. I followed the recipe exactly, and I’ve made many batches over the years!
A homemade jar of salsa
I try to use as much of my own garden produce as possible for this recipe, only buy the red and green peppers. But you can buy the onions and jalapeno peppers, etc. if you don’t grow those.
It’s always a hit, and we used to give lots away as gifts.
Everyone loves a homemade jar of salsa!
Appliances for making zucchini salsa
We love our Cuisinart food processor. It makes canning much faster and easier, than chopping or shredding by hand.
You can buy it, here.
Salsa canning tips:
-If using Roma tomatoes, you may get away with using less tomato paste.
-You can substitute parsley for the cilantro if needed.
-Always use kitchen gloves when cooking with jalapeno peppers.
Not only does this recipe call for tomatoes, which are high in acidity, it also calls for vinegar. Using vinegar with a 5% acidity also makes it safe for water bath canning. There are a few more tips below.
It’s funny, everyone seems to have a “secret ingredient” when canning salsa.
So we added in Liquid Smoke to get a “smokey” flavor.
To die for!
ENJOY!
This recipe is completely safe
NOTE: There’s lots of debate regarding whether you need to pressure can or just use water bath for canning salsa. Because this recipe has vinegar and canning salt, it adds enough preservative and brings up the acidity level to the point where pressure processing is not necessary. My recommendation for any canning is that you need to research yourself what is best for each recipe and the ingredients involved though! Please refer your safe or not safe questions to the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
More salsa recipes (that don’t require canning):
The Best Homemade Salsa Recipe
Get the Recipe:
Sweet Smokey Zucchini Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 30 cups peeled shredded zucchini
- 12 small onions, shredded (6 large)
- 6 green peppers, chopped or shredded
- 6 red peppers, chopped or shredded
- ¾ cup pickling salt
- 3 Tablespoons dry mustard
- 3 Tablespoons garlic powder
- 3 Tablespoons cumin
- 2 Tablespoons red chili powder
- 3 Tablespoons Liquid Smoke
- 6 cups white vinegar
- 2 ¼ cups brown sugar
- 2 cups cilantro, chopped
- 10-15 jalapeno peppers, chopped
- 3 tsp. ground pepper
- 15-20 cups chopped ripe tomatoes, leave skins on
- 3-4 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 12 oz. cans tomato paste
Equipment
- Food processor (I use my Cuisinart food process all the time)
- Large bowl (I like that this set includes several sizes)
- Large pot (Le Creuset pots are so great)
- Mason jars (Use these glass jars for storing dry goods, too)
- Hot water canner (This is a classic canner that's easy to use)
Instructions
- Day ONE: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and let stand overnight in the refrigerator.
- Day TWO: Rinse and drain the zucchini and onion mixture well.
- Put into a large pot with all other ingredients.
- Bring to a boil; simmer for 15 minutes.
- Pour mixture into hot jars and process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
This is absolutely delicious! ! I have been canning salsa for years but was excited to try something new. Quick question : why do you leave the skins on the tomatoes?
Because it’s just another step to remove them (to blanch the tomatoes first). :)
Omg! This is wonderful! Been working on it for two days and ready to put in jars and process. The smokey flavor is so different with the cilantro really a hit. Thanks for sharing. Always looking for something different.
AWESOME! It’s one of our favorite recipes, Diane.
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This is the best salsa I’ve made. I gave it as Xmas gifts last year and everyone is already asking to be put on the list for this year. I’m making my 1st batch of the season this weekend.
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Can this recipe be safely cut in half?
Yes, Pam. It should work just fine.
I’m so glad I’ve found You. This recipe is amazing. At the moment I’m eating, what couldn’t fit in the jars, over some pasta and sprinkle of Parmesan. It’s so easy to make and super delicious. I didn’t have liquid smoke so I used chipotle powder instead and it taste really wonderful, tangy, smokey, refreshing. I can finally use my extra zucchinis :)
Monika, that is why I loved this recipe. Not only SO tasty, I don’t feel guilty with all the zuccs lying around!
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I would kill to spend a day canning in the kitchen with you Sandy!! I love love love the sound of this salsa. So fun seeing your son helping you!! Great memory!
This is the best, I adore homemade salsas and I love the zucchini here. I always wanted to make at home but never know the recipes , thank you for recipe and i defiantly try at home .This sounds so good! :-) I write about gift baskets ideas , if you need any ideas for gift you can visit my site any time.Thank you again for the information.
Haven’t tried the zucchini salsa yet but that is on my list next. My garden is about an acre and I’m always busy canning this time of the year. I make a lot of zucchini jam and my family loves it. Thank you for the recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
I have never “canned” anything, but I pickled a jar of jalepenos this weekend. I didn’t “can” them, so I have to eat them within one month. They are delicious, so I know eating them up in one month won’t be a problem! Your salsa looks delicious!
“putting up” sounds so fun and old-fashioned…and i LOVE that this recipe has zucchini in it! so delicious and such a fun and flavorful way to enjoy zucchini year-round!
This is so sweet and super cool! I love that your son asked you how to can, I can see how amazing that made you feel. I cannot believe how many cans you made, and what an amazing usage of zucchini. I would never have thought of that, brilliant. and a little bit healthier than regular salsa. So going to be amazing mid winter when we are craving fresh salsa!
What a great way to spend time with your family! No, we don’t can salsa, we make, or “put up”, other tomato and pepper, and onion, etc food though… Or maybe it is European variation of salsa… :)
This is the best, Sandy! I adore homemade salsas and I love the zucchini here. This sounds so good!
YUMMY! Sounds soo good. I think the addition of zucchini would make it really interesting. Maybe I’ll try it next year.
I’ve never had zucchini in salsa before, but this sounds great! I love the sweet smokey combination!
Wow, that’s just amazing and so beautiful, Sandy!!!
I suppose the yield will vary, for many reasons, but could you give a hint? I have no jars (but I do have the Ball canning set!) so would have to purchase some for this recipe. It looks like it would fill 100 jars! How many jars will I need?
Thanks.
OH Sandy – this looks fabulous!!! I have to say I have never “canned” anything – so I guess this is my virgin experiment – we will be off to the local u-pick farm to gather up zucchini, since our garden is not producing the amount we need for this yummy recipe. I can’t wait to do this with my kids – what a great reminder while we eat it all year long – plus – maybe I will make some for X-mas gifts – this would certainly be an original gift wrapped with some yummy tortilla chips!
I’m making my (ex) MIL’s chow today to try and use up some of the hundreds/thousands of tomatoes we have on hand right now. I use a water bath method and haven’t had any problems. Wish my son was here to help too. That must have been fun to pass on a tradition like this.