Peanut, Pepita or Chickpea? Finding the Best Salsa Macha

Salsa macha is not a dip. It is a jar of dried chiles, garlic, and nuts or seeds fried in oil and crushed, and you spoon it on at the end: over fried eggs, a bowl of beans, a quesadilla, grilled fish or a cup of caldo. The oil carries the chile flavor, and the solids at the bottom of the jar bring crunch. It is generally traced to Orizaba, in the state of Veracruz, and in the last few years it has gone from a regional table salsa to a jar sold across the United States.

Our best jarred salsa guide included one salsa macha among eight salsas of every kind. This guide looks only at salsa macha: seven jars with different chiles, different nuts and seeds and different oils, what each label says about allergens, and how to choose one for the way you eat.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a working Mexican kitchen looks for in a salsa macha, the makers’ own ingredient lists and Amazon listings, and retailer labels where the listing gives few details, which we note.

Quick verdict: which salsa macha to buy

The rest of this page explains why, starting with the allergens, because with salsa macha they matter more than the heat.

Five salsa machas side by side

Our five standout picks, one for each kind of cook, with the chiles, crunch and allergens each maker or label states. All seven salsas are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Allergens are as printed on the listing or retailer labels; we list what the label names, not every possible trace. Recipes change, so if anyone at your table has a food allergy, read the jar you receive before serving.

Our picks for the best salsa macha

These seven cover the real differences between jars: the chile (smoky morita, sharp árbol, fruity guajillo and pasilla), the crunch (peanuts, sesame, pumpkin seeds or chickpeas) and the oil (olive, safflower, sunflower or a vegetable blend). For each one we list the allergens the label names, the heat the maker claims and how to store it once open.

What salsa macha is, and where it comes from

Salsa macha is generally traced to Orizaba, in Veracruz. Mexico News Daily describes the earliest version as dried chiles ground with salt into a paste with no oil, with oil and garlic arriving after the Spanish conquest. The name has two popular explanations: from machacar, to crush, for the way it was pounded in a molcajete, or from macho, for the nerve it takes to eat a hot one.

A typical recipe has four parts:

• Dried chiles. Árbol for sharp heat, morita or chipotle for smoke, ancho, guajillo or pasilla for fruit and color. Our guide to Mexican chiles describes each one, and our chipotle guide explains smoke-dried jalapeños such as morita.
• Garlic. Fried in the oil until golden, it is the backbone of the flavor.
• Nuts and seeds. Peanuts and sesame are classic; pumpkin seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds and even chickpeas appear in newer jars.
• Oil. Olive oil or a neutral oil. It carries the flavor and keeps the solids crisp.

Salsa macha vs. Chinese chili crisp

The two look alike in the jar, and many listings call salsa macha “Mexican chili crisp”. They are related ideas from different kitchens. Fly By Jing’s Sichuan Chili Crisp, a well-known Chinese example, is shown here only for comparison: its listing names erjingtiao chiles, tingly Sichuan peppercorns, garlic and shallots in oil. Sichuan pepper produces a numbing, tingling effect that salsa macha does not have, and Chinese chili crisps often add fermented soybeans, sugar or other savory seasonings, depending on the brand.

Salsa macha leans on Mexican dried chiles, toasted nuts and seeds, and garlic. It tastes smoky or fruity rather than tingly, and its crunch comes from peanuts or seeds more than from fried shallot. Use either one on rice and eggs; reach for salsa macha when the dish is Mexican, such as tacos, beans, caldo or quesadillas.

How to choose a salsa macha

1. Start with allergens

Most salsa machas contain peanuts, sesame or tree nuts, and the solids are the point of the jar, so they cannot be scraped off. Read the label every time you buy: our picks range from peanut-heavy (Tia Lupita) to pumpkin seeds with no allergen statement on the listing (Roland) to recipes with no nuts listed but trace warnings (Piedra y Molcajete). If an allergy is serious, check the maker’s facility statement too.

2. Pick the chile for the flavor you want

Morita gives smoke and a little sweetness; árbol gives clean, sharp heat; guajillo, ancho and pasilla give fruit and depth with less heat. Labels such as “mild” and “hot” are the maker’s own, and small-batch jars vary.

3. Decide on the oil

Olive oil (Tia Lupita, Piedra y Molcajete, Don Chilio) adds its own fruity flavor. Neutral oils such as safflower, sunflower or a soy-canola blend let the chiles carry the taste. If the oil type matters to you, choose a jar that names it; several do not.

4. Look at the crunch-to-oil ratio

Some jars are mostly crunchy solids; others are mostly chile oil with a layer of sediment. A spoonful from the bottom gives crunch; from the top, mostly oil. Stir before serving, or spoon the oil for drizzling and save the solids for topping.

5. Check the storage instructions

Makers differ. CHiNGONAs says to refrigerate after opening, Piedra y Molcajete says to store at room temperature, and many jars say nothing. Follow the label on the jar you buy, and use a clean, dry spoon.

How to use salsa macha

• Eggs. A spoonful over fried or scrambled eggs, with a warm tortilla, is the simplest breakfast use.
• Beans and soups. Swirl it into black beans, refried beans, caldo de pollo or a bowl of pozole just before serving.
• Tacos and quesadillas. Use it instead of a wet salsa on tacos de guisado or a cheese quesadilla, where you want heat without moisture.
• Grilled food. Spoon it over grilled fish, steak, corn on the cob or charred vegetables.
• With a salsa verde. A drizzle of macha over chilaquiles verdes adds crunch to a soft dish; our guide to the best jarred salsa verde covers the green salsas to pair it with.

How we picked these seven salsa machas

We started from what a Mexican kitchen wants from a salsa macha: dried chiles you can name, real crunch from nuts or seeds, an oil that suits the flavor and clear allergen labeling. We searched Amazon in the United States for salsa macha from identifiable brands and kept only jars in stock when we checked. For each one we read the Amazon listing and, where it gives few details, the maker’s own product page or retailer labels, and we say in each review which source a fact comes from. We chose seven to cover the real differences: chile, nuts and seeds, oil and heat. One more jar, a pumpkin-seed macha, was left out because its listing gives no ingredients or allergen statement, and salsa macha so often contains nuts and seeds that we will not recommend one without them. We left out jars that were in limited supply when we checked, including Don Emilio’s single morita and peanut jars (the variety pack includes both), and jars whose listings gave too little to describe, such as several small-brand machas. Fly By Jing appears only as a labeled comparison, because it is a Sichuan chili crisp, not a salsa macha. We have not tasted every jar listed here; flavor descriptions follow from the ingredients and the makers’ own descriptions.

Salsa macha questions, answered

What is the best salsa macha brand?

For range, Don Emilio, which makes salsa macha in Mexico in mild, hot and extra-hot versions. For a classic peanut and morita macha in olive oil, Tia Lupita. For a jar with no nuts in its ingredients, Roland Foods (pumpkin seeds, though its listing has no allergen statement) or Piedra y Molcajete (chickpeas, though with a peanut trace warning).

Is salsa macha very spicy?

It ranges widely. Tia Lupita calls its peanut jar mild to medium, Cholula labels its chili crisp medium, and Don Emilio’s árbol version is labeled extra hot. Árbol jars are usually the hottest; morita, guajillo and pasilla jars are smokier or fruitier.

Does salsa macha contain nuts?

Most do. Peanuts and sesame are traditional, and some jars use almonds or other tree nuts. A few use seeds or chickpeas instead, but even those may carry trace warnings, so read the label of the jar you buy.

Is salsa macha the same as chili crisp?

Not quite. Both are chile and crunchy solids in oil, but Chinese chili crisp usually includes Sichuan pepper or other Chinese seasonings, while salsa macha is built on Mexican dried chiles, garlic, nuts and seeds.

Does salsa macha need to be refrigerated?

Follow the jar. Some makers say to refrigerate after opening, others say to store it at room temperature, and many say nothing. Keep the lid tight and use a clean, dry spoon.

Our last spoonful

Buy the Don Emilio variety pack if you are new to salsa macha or feed a table with different heat tolerances. Choose Tia Lupita for the classic peanut and morita style, Roland Foods for pumpkin seeds and real heat, Cholula for an easy medium first jar, and Piedra y Molcajete for a recipe without nuts. Salsa macha is a finishing salsa; for the dip and cooking salsas that go with it, see our best jarred salsa guide, and for the rest of the shelf, our guide to Mexican pantry staples.

And if you would rather someone else made dinner tonight, see the menu or call to order.