Mexican Peanut Salsa Recipe: Spicy, Toasted and Creamy
Last updated on October 13th, 2026
Mexican peanut salsa is a thick, creamy, properly spicy salsa built on toasted peanuts and dried chiles, and this spicy peanut salsa is ready in about 7 minutes on the stove top. It is one of the 3 unique salsas I ate daily when I lived in Mexico, and it is probably my favourite salsa I have tasted to date.
I remember the first day I tasted it, in a market in Mexico City, and I was completely blown away. It is not fresh and zingy like an avocado salsa. It has depth, a bit like satay but in another direction.
What Is Mexican Peanut Salsa?
It is a salsa where toasted peanuts are the backbone. You toast dried chile de arbol and raw peanuts in a dry pan, then blend them with garlic, a little onion, salt, pepper and very hot water. The peanuts break down into a rich, creamy salsa. There are only seven ingredients, and no oil is added.
How to Make Mexican Peanut Salsa
Toast the chiles gently
Use a dry pan on a low heat. Add 20 g of dried chile de arbol and move the pan every 15 seconds so they do not burn in patches. After about 2 minutes you will see signs of toasting in areas and they smell amazing. That is your cue to tip them into a high-sided blending container.
Toast the peanuts for flavour
Put the pan back on the low heat and add 100 g of raw, unsalted peanuts with the skins removed. Toast them for around 5 minutes, until they are golden in areas and smelling fantastic. The peanuts are the backbone of this salsa, so toasting is how you unlock their flavour. Add them to the container with the chiles.
Use very hot water
Add the garlic, the onion (pull the layers apart to make it easier for the blender), salt, black pepper and 375 ml of hot water. The water needs to be very hot but not boiling. It takes the raw edge off the garlic and onion by gently cooking them, and it is what gets the texture right. Cold water would not do that.
Blend and trust the process
At first it will look very loose, almost as if you have added too much water. Keep blending. As the peanuts break down, the salsa thickens into the perfect consistency. Then check the consistency and taste for seasoning.
Tips for the Best Spicy Peanut Salsa
This is the hottest of the three salsas in my video, and 20 g of chiles is the maximum I would use. You can cut the chiles to half or even a quarter of that and it will not affect the texture or consistency of the salsa. If you are not into spicy things at all, this salsa probably is not for you. If that is you, try my avocado salsa or my tomato and chilli salsa instead.
Mexican Peanut Salsa Recipe: Spicy, Toasted and Creamy
Equipment
- Stick blender
- High-sided container
- Frying pan
- Wooden / Stirring spoon
- Kettle
- Digital scales
- Measuring jug
- Chef’s knife
- Chopping board
Ingredients
- 100 g or 2/3 cup shelled unsalted peanuts
- 20 g chile de arbol dried
- 50 g 1/4 medium onion
- 2 small garlic cloves
- Cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 375 ml / 1.5 cups hot water
Instructions
- Toast the dried chiles
Place a dry frying pan on the stove over low heat.
Add 20g of dried chile de árbol.
Toast gently, moving the pan every 15 seconds and stirring the chiles regularly.
Watch closely to avoid burning. Toast for about 2 minutes, until aromatic and slightly darkened in spots. - Transfer chiles to blender container
Once toasted, remove the chiles from the pan and place them into a high-sided blending container. - Toast the peanuts
Return the pan to low heat.
Add 100g of raw, unsalted, skinless peanuts.
Toast, stirring often, for around 5 minutes, until golden in spots and fragrant. - Add peanuts to the container
Once toasted, transfer the peanuts to the same container as the chiles.
Add aromatics and seasoning
- Add the aromatics and seasoning
Add 2 peeled garlic cloves, 1/4 brown onion (pull the layers apart to make it easier for the blender), 1 tsp salt and some cracked black pepper. - Add hot water
Pour in 375ml of very hot (not boiling) water.
This helps soften the garlic and onion and ensures the salsa blends to the right consistency. - Blend the salsa
Blend until smooth.
At first, the mixture will seem thin and watery, so trust the process.
As the peanuts break down, the salsa will thicken into a rich, creamy texture.
Check the consistency and taste for seasoning.
Video
Nutrition
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