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Overhead image of a bowl of salsa de cacahuate or creamy peanut salsa with chips and lime on the side.
Kate Ramos

Salsa de Cacahuate {Creamy Peanut and Chile Salsa}

Salsa de Cacahuate is a creamy, spicy salsa made from ground peanuts, arbol chiles, charred tomatoes, garlic, & onions. Goes amazing with margaritas!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 3 cups
Course: salsa
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 53
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Equipment

Method
 

  1. Char chiles. Heat a comal or dry skillet over medium heat. Place chiles on the comal and toast, turning frequently until they have darkened in color and are fragrant, but aren't burnt. Remove to a bowl.
  2. Char vegetables. Place tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves on the comal and cook, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides. The garlic will cook sooner than the other vegetables, remove them as they are done cooking.
  3. Blend vegetables. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off the garlic and place in the blender with the other vegetables. Blend on high until smooth and keep in blender.
  4. Fry peanuts. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the 1/2 cup peanuts, oregano, chiles, peppercorns, and cloves. Fry, stirring occasionally, until peanuts are toasted and chiles are fragrant. Let cool slightly.
  5. Blend. Add peanut mixture to blender with the tomato mixture along with the lime juice, salt and 1/4 cup of water blend on high until smooth. If the mixture is still too thick, add the remaining 1/4 cup of water. Taste and add more salt as needed.
  6. Serve. Pour into a serving bowl. Top with remaining chopped peanuts and serve with tortilla chips or spoon over roasted pork or chicken.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 53kcalCarbohydrates: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 4mg

Notes

  1. Make-ahead: The salsa can be made, covered and refrigerated for up to a week. I don't recommend freezing it.
  2. Add water: Add as much water as you need to to make a runny salsa. You don't want it to be too thick. It should be able to coat a chip but not be gloppy. I usually add the full 1/2 cup.
  3. Spice-level: This salsa is fairly spicy. To lower the heat, add fewer arbol chiles.
  4. Peanuts: Regular roasted, salted peanuts work fine in this recipe. If using raw peanuts, you may need to add more salt.

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