Mexican Chili Oil (Salsa Macha)
Spicy, crunchy and packed with flavor, this Mexican chili oil aka Salsa Macha is an addictive condiment that’s sure to become your next favorite.
Think of it as an upgraded version of a chilli crisp with beautiful smoky flavors. Spoon it over your quesadillas, Mexican deviled eggs and other Mexican dishes and take them to the next level.
I’ve recently been experimenting with a lot of Mexican cooking, specifically salsas and condiments.
My pineapple Pico de Gallo and cucumber Pico de Gallo were both huge hits thanks to their refreshing flavors, while my homemade Tajin seasoning and Chamoy dip were absolute flavor bombs. Inspired by just that, I decided to try my hands at something a bit unique, and that’s when I recreated this incredible chili oil with its roots in Veracruz.
Quick Look: Mexican Chili Oil
- 🔪 Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 10 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 8.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Peanuts, sesame seeds, garlic, oil, guajillo chile peppers, dried chiles de arbol, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and salt.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Dry roast peanuts and sesame seeds 🡢 cook garlic in oil 🡢 add dried chiles 🡢 combine with peanuts and sesame seeds 🡢 blend with the remaining ingredients until slightly coarse and chunky.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Spoon over tacos, quesadillas, eggs, soups, avocado toast, Mexican roasted potatoes, or use as a spicy condiment for your favorite dishes.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Homemade Salsa Macha is actually so much more than just another versatile condiment.
- It packs in the kick of heat from the dried chiles, the crispy texture from the nuts and the savory, umami flavors from the garlic.
Recipe Ingredients
Peanuts: Peanuts are what make up the crunchy base of this flavor packed chili oil. Use the ones with their skin removed.
Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds add another layer of flavor and a slight crunch factor to the salsa.
Garlic: I also added some garlic to bring that beautiful pungent and umami flavor to the chili oil. Sometimes, I use my Air Fryer roasted garlic instead of fresh garlic.
Dried chilies: Use any kind of Mexican chili peppers you can get your hands on. Ideally, use 2-3 different varieties to get a nice blend of flavors. Chile de árbol, ancho chilies and Guajillo chilies are the best choices.
Apple cider vinegar: With its fruity tanginess, apple cider vinegar balances the heat from the chilies beautifully.
Oil: You’ll also need plenty of oil to cook the garlic and chili in.
Seasonings: I kept the seasonings simple and used some salt and brown sugar.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- I used apple cider vinegar to bring a bit of fruitiness and tanginess to the Salsa Macha. If you want to, you could totally stick to using the white vinegar instead.
- If you don’t have Chile de Arbol, you could use almost any other kind of dried chilies of your choice.
- Want your Salsa Macha to have a slightly darker color? Use Chile Morita, which is essentially dried, smoked jalapeno chillies.
- Mexican oregano is another great addition to this spicy chili oil. Add it if you have it at hand.
How to Make Salsa Macha
Step 1: Set a medium saucepan or skillet on medium heat and dry roast the sesame seeds and peanuts until they turn aromatic. Remove and set aside.
Step 2: In the same pan, add the oil and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes over medium-low heat. Turn off the heat and add the Mexican Chile peppers.
Step 3: Add the peanuts & sesame seeds and give it a good mix
Step 4: Add this to the blender along with all the other ingredients. Blend until you get a slightly coarse and chunky paste.
Serve and enjoy!
💭Top Tip
Remember to heat the oil well before you add in the garlic. The idea is to get the fried garlic to turn slightly golden brown which lends a beautiful smoky flavor to the salsa macha.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Regardless of the kind of chili peppers you’re using for this recipe, remember to remove the stems and seeds before you add them to the oil.
- I would recommend you remove the seeds to retain the actual flavor and essence of the chillies.
- You can use any kind of cooking oil for this recipe. Vegetable oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, olive oil and avocado oil all work just fine.
- Make sure you don’t over process the ingredients. The idea is to leave it a bit chunky to get that perfect chili crunch as opposed to turning it into some sort of a chili paste.
- Remember to keep the heat low, especially when you add in the peppers and garlic. High heat can burn the ingredients and ruin the flavor of the chili oil.
How to Use Mexican Salsa Macha
You can use Salsa Macha as a teammate to your Authentic Mexican foods. I always drizzle it over my Mexican broccoli when I need that extra kick of spice, on my Elote casserole and even over my watermelon with Tajin.
I also think it would taste amazing when topped on some avocado toast or when spooned over breakfast eggs. This Mexican chili oil isn’t just for tacos. It is actually a wonderful versatile condiment to pair with your sides like Mexican roasted potatoes, Mexican baked potatoes or even mains like Migas con Huevo.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
While peanuts and sesame seeds are the perfect choice for this recipe, you can also experiment with other nuts and seeds to bring in some variation.
Sunflower seeds, cashews and almonds are all good choices.
You can adjust the heat level and make a milder Salsa Macha by using any mild chili of your choice. You can also reduce the amount of chilies you’re adding, and add more garlic and shallots to balance out the vinegar and salt in the recipe.
Allow the Mexican chili oil to get to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container or a glass jar and then refrigerate it for up to 10 days, if not more.
More Mexican Condiments
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Mexican chili oil or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Mexican Chili Oil (Salsa Macha)
Ingredients
- ½ cup peanuts
- 2 oz sesame seeds
- 2-3 garlic
- 1 ½ cup oil
- 1 oz guajilo chile peppers
- 1 oz dried chiles de arbol
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Set a medium saucepan or skillet on medium heat and dry roast the sesame seeds and peanuts until they turn aromatic. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the oil and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Turn off the heat and add the Mexican chile peppers.
- Add this to the blender along with all the other ingredients.
- Blend until you get a slightly coarse and chunky paste.
