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You are here: Home / Salsas & Sauces / Guajillo Chile Salsa

Guajillo Chile Salsa

Douglas Cullen, This blog generates income via ads and affiliate links which earn us a small commission.

A Versatile Mild Salsa

Try this very simple salsa made with guajillo chile peppers, a mild dried chile with a complex fruity flavor. It is one of the most popular chiles in Mexico for making salsas.

In this recipe, the chiles aren’t toasted as they are in many other salsa recipes which allows the flavor of the guajillo to come through.

Don’t like your salsas too hot? This is a good one for you, rich chile flavor but with less burn. This a versatile salsa that goes well with many dishes.

Guajillo Chile Pepper Salsa in Serving Bowl

Try this guajillo chile sauce on tacos, enchiladas, chicken, scrambled eggs or on cactus salad.

This type of salsa is typical in the state of Guanajuato. It’s perfect for making enchiladas mineras.

Guajillo Chile Salsa Recipe

How to Make

Gather your ingredients:

  • 16 guajillo chiles, also called chile cascabel ancho
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 4 cups of water
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 tsp. salt + as needed

Choosing Guajillo Chiles

Choose peppers that are soft and pliable that have a mild fresh fruity smell. Brittle chiles are stale, lack flavor, and may be bitter. Learn more about how to choose guajillo peppers.

Ingredients Guajillo Chile Salsa

Remove the stems, seeds, and veins from the chiles. Discard.

Cleaned Guajillo Chile Peppers

Peel the cloves of garlic.

Peeled Garlic on Cutting Board

Chop the cilantro. You can use the stems.

Chopped Cilantro on Cutting Board

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan. Add just enough water to cover the ingredients, about 2 cups.

Soaking Guajillo Chiles in Pan

Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 minute then turn off the heat. Allow the ingredients to soak for 15 minutes.

Notice how the chiles have absorbed water and changed color after the have reconstituted.

Soaked Guajillo Peppers in Pan

Pour all of the ingredients including 2 cups of the soaking water into the blender. 

Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add a little soaking water if needed to blend.

Guajillo Peppers in Blender

Strain the mixture back into a bowl. Press the remaining pulp firmly with the back of your spoon to release all of the flavor.

Straining Guajillo Salsa Base

Discard the pulp that remains in the strainer.

Guajillo Chile Pulp in Strainer

Now it’s time to season the sauce. You do this by frying the base in hot oil. Start by heating a pan to medium-hot then add 2 tbsps. of cooking oil.

Adding Oil to Pan

Pour the chile base into the hot oil. Add up to 1 cup of soaking water to get the desired consistency.

At this point, the sauce will be a little bit runny and will lightly coat the back of a spoon. It will thicken as it simmers.

Guajillo Sauce Base in Pan

Season with 1 tsp. of salt. At the end of cooking, you can add more salt to taste if needed.

Seasoning Guajillo Salsa with Salt

Turn the heat to low then simmer the salsa for 30 minutes until it thickens. At this point, the sauce will coat the back of a spoon without being too runny.

The salsa will take on a beautiful dark red color during simmering. Looks delicious, doesn’t it?

Simmering Guajillo Salsa in Pan

Rest the Salsa for Best Flavor

Let the salsa rest for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to come together. Try not to skip this step. Resting 4 to 6 hours gives even better results.

Adjusting the Salsa

  • If the salsa is too thick, add ¼ cup of water at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
  • If the salsa is too thin, simmer until enough water has evaporated until the desired consistency is reached.
  • If you find the salsa to be too bitter for your tastes, add 1 tablespoon of sugar to reduce the bitterness.
Guanajuato Guajillo Salsa in Serving Bowl

Equipment needed:

  • Knife
  • Cutting board
  • Saucepan
  • Blender
  • Strainer
  • Mixing bowl
  • Kitchen spoon

Provecho! Let us know what you think of this recipe in the comments below.

Guajillo Chile Salsa Recipe
Print Pin
3.82 from 33 votes

Guajillo Chile Salsa Recipe

Easy, simple Guanajuato style salsa recipe made with guajillo chile, a mild dried chile pepper with a complex fruity flavor. Great on tacos, enchiladas, chicken, scrambled eggs or on cactus salad.
Course Salsa
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword guajillo peppers, mild, salsa, Sauce
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 38kcal
Author Douglas Cullen

Ingredients

  • 16 guajillo chiles also called chile cascabel ancho
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 3 to 4 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Remove the stems, seeds, and veins from the chiles. Discard.
  • Peel the cloves of garlic.
  • Chop the cilantro. You can use the stems.
  • Put all the ingredients in a pan.
  • Add just enough water to cover the ingredients, about 4 cups.
  • Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to low.
  • Simmer for 1 minute then turn off the heat.
  • Allow the ingredients to soak for 15 minutes. The dried chiles will reconstitute at this time.
  • Pour all of the ingredients including 2 cups the soaking water into the blender.
  • Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add a little water if needed to blend.
  • Strain the mixture into mixing a bowl. Discard the paste that remains in the strainer.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in your saucepan over medium heat then add the strained salsa and 1 tsp. salt.
  • Turn the heat to low. Add up to a cup of soaking water to get the desired consistency. 
  • Simmer the salsa for 30 minutes until it thickens. The salsa will darken in color during this time.
  • Taste the salsa and add salt if needed to get the desired taste.

Notes

  • The flavor of the salsa will deepen if you let is rest for a few hours before serving.
  • If you find the salsa to be too bitter for your tastes, add 1 tablespoon of sugar to reduce the bitterness.
  • This salsa freezes well. Portion it in freezer bags and it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/3 cup | Calories: 38kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Sodium: 4mg | Sugar: 4g

 More Salsa Recipes You Might Like

  • Mexican Salsa Recipe
  • Molcajete Salsa Recipe
  • Red Enchilada Sauce
  • Restaurant Style Salsa
  • Pineapple Habanero Salsa
« Grilled Sirloin Cap Roast (Picaña)
Sour Cactus Fruit Agua Fresca »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Theresa says

    May 29, 2018 at 9:42 am

    Can this salsa be used on beef tacos? I made it. Tasted it. And im wondering if it pairs well with tacos

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      June 02, 2018 at 11:47 am

      I think it would work well with beef tacos. Give it a try and let us know. Cheers!

      Reply
  2. Bob says

    January 27, 2019 at 9:16 am

    “Yield 8″… 8 what? Cups, ounces, years?

    Reply
    • Rhyannon Ashford says

      February 04, 2019 at 11:51 am

      Servings. The amount of water you use, the size of your chiles, and the amount you reduce the sauce will all influence the physical measurements, but the serving size of 2 chiles and half a clove of garlic per person remains the same.

      Reply
    • B. Scott says

      November 08, 2019 at 8:29 pm

      Can this salsa be served with just tortilla chips ? Like a salsa?or is it used as a condiment for tacos etc?

      Reply
  3. Adriana says

    February 18, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    Can dry cilantro work in substitute for fresh cilantro?

    Reply
  4. David Christy says

    February 19, 2019 at 8:24 pm

    Since the guajillos aren’t toasted, I don’t see how they might become bitter. Am I missing something?

    Reply
  5. Dan Pallay says

    March 13, 2019 at 12:10 pm

    Is there any particular reason you don’t just scrape out the peppers and leave the skins out of the blender, I was told the skins are what’s bitter?

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      March 13, 2019 at 1:17 pm

      The blending and straining process gets most of the tough outer skin. Guajillo chiles don’t have much meat on them. Even after reconstituting, it is difficult to scrape the flesh out.

      Reply
  6. Marcel says

    March 20, 2019 at 7:03 am

    These seeds from the Chile’s can also be saved. Toast them in a medium hot dry pan, until slightly browning, together with some coriander seeds and some cumin seeds. Then ground them and use them in this salsa or save it for some other salsa. It gives a very nice taste.

    Reply
    • Robert Sherry says

      September 22, 2019 at 1:13 pm

      4 stars
      GREAT Idea!!!! One I’m going to try. Great use of a part of the chili not normally used in this way. And the toasting of the seeds adds another depth to the flavor!! That’s thinking out of the box!!

      Reply
  7. Raylin Hayes says

    May 21, 2019 at 7:32 pm

    Can this be made with fresh guajillo peppers instead of reconstituted dried peppers? I’d love to grow the peppers since I love this sauce!!

    Reply
  8. Lauren says

    May 30, 2019 at 5:41 pm

    When pouring the boiled ingredients in the blender do we take 2 cups of water ADDITIONAL to the 4 cups or do we take the ingredients “dry” (without water) and then add 2 cups water? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Robert Sherry says

      September 22, 2019 at 1:10 pm

      4 stars
      In this recipe, only a total of 4 cups of liquid is required. Do not add additional water unless needed at the end while thickening the salsa. i.e. Salsa is to thick and no soaking water remains to use.
      As the recipe says, “Pour all of the ingredients including 2 cups of the soaking water into the blender.” The soaking water is the 4 cup total of water used in the recipe. So don’t add more then the 2 cups of the soaking liquid unless the salsa comes out to thick. If the salsa is to thick you can then add some water (use the soaking water if any is left from the original 4 cups used in soaking and reducing. After reducing the salsa, you may only have about 1 cup soaking liquid left (you lose water during the soaking and reduction processes and you’re using 2 cups soaking water already) so some tap water could be used to thin the salsa. I hope that complicated answer to a simple questions helps. Chef Robert. S… :)

      Reply
  9. Nick says

    July 22, 2019 at 5:16 pm

    How long will this keep in the fridge?

    Reply
  10. Dan says

    August 17, 2019 at 2:48 pm

    Do you have any idea how much weight of fresh quajillos this recipe would have? I’m currently harvesting them, but the ones in my garden are quite a bit smaller than the dried peppers I see in the store, and I’m not sure how to work out an equivalent. I assume there’s no reason to dry and reconstitute them in this case, but please correct me if that isn’t right. Thank you

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      November 09, 2019 at 9:14 am

      I am not sure there is a direct equivalent due to the different flavors of fresh and dried chiles. This recipe would be very different using fresh chiles. I would recommend drying your chiles and using them as shown in the recipe. Homegrown chiles always have a superior flavor. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  11. Jeff Iskierka says

    February 23, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    5 stars
    Made this today. Absolutely the best. Wanted for over the Tamales we made. Chose this over your other sauce to keep simple and more focused on chile taste. Exactly what I was hoping for. A must make again. Slight bitter taste was mellowed by a pinch of baking soda while simmering. I seen it talked about and reminded me of granny using a pinch in her cream of tomato soup from whole tomatoes. A pinch worked wonders. Can’t wait to try more of your sauces and meals. Spot on!!!!! Thanks for sharing! Jeff

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      March 03, 2020 at 9:56 pm

      That’s awesome! Thanks for letting us know and please let us know how your other dishes turn out. Cheers!

      Reply
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Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

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