Guajillo Chili Sauce

This Guajillo Chili Sauce is made with guajillo chiles, chiles de arbol, tomato puree, cumin, white vinegar and cilantro blended into perfection. 

This tastes like the sauces they bring at the restaurants in Mexico city with the freshly made Totopos. Nothing better than a freshly made, warm tortilla chips!

Guajillo peppers are a hot commodity in my pantry. I used it for a ton of things: my favorite is throwing in the instant pot when I’m cooking tough meat and it gives the meat a nice spicy kick. I recently purchased a bag of dried guajillo peppers to make Birria Tacos (which I didn’t even end up using) and so I made this delicious salsa!

Obviously there is nothing better than homemade salsa. This homemade restaurant-style salsa is something I make frequently and it is perfect to serve with chips. You can top this with countless of dishes.

Try this sauce on my Tortilla Soup and my Carnitas!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top tip
• Guajillo Chili Sauce
• Food safety

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

• Guajillo Chilies
• Chiles de Arbol
• Garlic
• Salt
• Tomato puree
• Cumin
• White vinegar
• Cilantro

See recipe card for quantities for Guajillo Chili Sauce.

Instructions

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the chilies and steep for 15 minutes.

Transfer the chilies to a blender and blend. Add the salt, tomato puree, cumin, vinegar and cilantro. Blend until smooth. 

Substitutions

Garlic: Make sure to buy a head of garlic and not a jar of minced garlic. I have tried to use the latter, and boiling the garlic clove and eventually blending it gives it the kick that the sauce needs.

Cilantro: If you do not have cilantro, you could possibly use green onion or chives. For best result, use cilantro.

Vinegar: For this salsa, I used white vinegar. You can use apple cider vinegar as well. 

Tomatoes: If you would rather use fresh tomatoes, you can boil them for 15 minutes, and add into the blender. 

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

• Deluxe - use only guajillo chilies or chile de arbol.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

Remember to remove stems from chilies before blending.

Print

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.