Green tomato enchilada sauce transforms a bucket of late-season, unripe tomatoes into a bright, tangy green sauce. Smooth and pourable, it’s perfect on enchiladas, burritos, or for braising pork—nothing like the flat canned sauces you buy at the store.
This recipe has been reviewed for safety and accuracy by a Master Food Preserver certified through the University of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
In cool climates with short growing seasons, green tomatoes are an annual reality. Instead of letting them go to waste, canning them into sauces and salsas is an easy way to preserve flavor. Green tomatoes work well in many old-fashioned canning recipes and make a surprisingly versatile pantry staple.
Green tomato recipes appear throughout early 20th-century canning guides—often as relishes like chow chow or pickles—but also in unexpected forms such as jams and marmalades. Modern canning guidance affirms these traditional swaps: green tomatoes can stand in for tomatillos in tested recipes because their acidity and texture are similar, making them safe for water bath canning when the proper acid levels are used.
This particular enchilada sauce is adapted from a tested tomatillo salsa recipe and adjusted to highlight the flavor and texture of green tomatoes. Unlike chunky salsas intended for dipping, this is a pourable sauce designed to coat and braise, so blending smooth is essential.
Notes from My Kitchen
I usually make tomatillo enchilada sauce, but this year I planted extra tomatoes and skipped the tomatillos. Green tomatoes have a fuller, slightly more complex flavor than tomatillos, and we ended up preferring the green tomato versions of sauces and salsas.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
- Recipe Name: Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce
- Type: Green salsa / simmer sauce
- Canning Method: Water bath canning
- Prep Time: About 30 minutes
- Cook Time: About 25 minutes
- Canning Time: 15 minutes for half pints and pints (see altitude adjustments)
- Yield: 4 pint jars, or 8 half pints
- Jar Sizes: Half pint or pint
- Headspace: 1/2 inch
- Main Ingredients: Green tomatoes, onion, green chiles, garlic, white vinegar (5% acidity), bottled lime juice, cumin, Mexican oregano, cilantro (optional), and canning salt
- Difficulty: Easy
Choosing Green Tomatoes for Enchilada Sauce
Select firm, fully green tomatoes with no pink or orange blush. Variety and size don’t matter since the tomatoes are diced and cooked down—the important factor is firmness. Tomatoes that have started to ripen are softer, sweeter, and less acidic than those picked completely green. Green tomatoes are slightly more acidic than ripe fruit, which helps them perform well in water bath canning.
Avoid softened, frosted, or damaged fruit. Don’t attempt to peel green tomatoes; their skins do not need to be removed and they blend down smoothly. If harvesting a whole plant before frost, sort the fruit: larger specimens can be saved for other uses such as frying or canning whole.
Ingredients for Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce
Each ingredient contributes to a balanced, layered flavor. The acid levels are taken from a tested canning recipe and should not be reduced.
- Green tomatoes: Provide the body and bright flavor. Firm, unripe fruit gives the thickest sauce.
- Onion: Adds sweetness and depth. Any variety works.
- Green chile peppers: Contribute heat and character. Use Anaheim or poblano for mild, jalapeño for medium, or serrano for a hotter sauce.
- Garlic: Savory backbone; chop finely so it blends evenly.
- White vinegar (5% acidity): Necessary for safe water bath canning.
- Bottled lime juice: Provides reliable acidity and the citrus flavor typical of green sauces; use bottled for consistent acidity.
- Cumin and Mexican oregano: Give the sauce its enchilada-style flavor.
- Cilantro: Optional—adds fresh green brightness, more salsa-like than enchilada sauce if included.
- Canning salt: Use canning or pickling salt to avoid jar cloudiness; it’s for seasoning only.
- Hot pepper flakes: Small background heat; omit for milder batches.
This sauce tends to mellow on the shelf. It often tastes best about three to four weeks after canning.
Acid and Substitutions
The vinegar and bottled lime juice amounts are taken from a tested recipe and are the basis for the processing time. Reducing either acid risks an unsafe product. You may swap peppers or onions for different varieties as long as you keep the measured volumes the same. Do not add extra vegetables, increase the tomatoes beyond the recipe, or replace one vegetable type with another.
Seasonings can be adjusted to taste, but do not reduce vinegar or bottled lime juice.
How to Make Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce
The process has two main stages: prepare and measure the produce, then cook it down and blend it smooth. Preheat your water bath canner so it’s ready when the sauce is hot.
Dicing and Measuring
Core and remove any bad spots from the tomatoes, then dice. Measure the diced tomatoes by volume into the pot—this recipe is built on measured cups, not whole fruit weight. Dice onions and peppers, and finely chop garlic. If working with hot chiles, wear gloves.
A food processor that dices (or pulsed briefly) can speed prepping, but avoid over-processing before you measure your volumes.
Cooking and Blending
Combine diced tomatoes, onions, peppers, and garlic in a large stainless pot. Stir in the vinegar, bottled lime juice, cumin, oregano, salt, and hot pepper flakes (plus cilantro if using). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Green tomatoes have more pectin than tomatillos, so the mixture will thicken as it cooks.
Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook about 20 minutes until the tomatoes have completely collapsed. Blend the mixture smooth with an immersion blender (or carefully in batches in a countertop blender). Blending is necessary—green tomatoes rarely break down entirely on their own and without blending you’ll end up with a chunky salsa rather than a pourable sauce. After blending, bring the sauce back to a boil before filling jars.
Canning Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce
Keep jars hot and canner simmering while you finish the sauce. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars using a funnel, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove trapped air by running a bubble tool or spatula around the jar interior. Recheck headspace and top up if needed. Wipe rims clean, center the lids, and screw bands fingertip-tight.
Lower jars into the canner with a jar lifter, ensuring water covers jars by at least one inch. Return to a full rolling boil and process half pints and pints for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see chart). After processing, turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and wait five minutes before lifting jars onto a towel. Let jars cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check seals and remove bands before storage.
Altitude Adjustments
Boiling points change with elevation, so increase processing time as needed.
- 0 to 1,000 feet: 15 minutes
- 1,001 to 3,000 feet: 20 minutes
- 3,001 to 6,000 feet: 25 minutes
- Above 6,000 feet: 30 minutes
Ways to Use Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce
The classic use is enchiladas: warm a jar, dip tortillas, fill with shredded chicken or beans, roll, pour more sauce over the top, and bake. The sauce is also a great braising liquid—pour over pork shoulder in a slow cooker for green chile pork. It works equally well with chicken thighs, as a base for white beans, on eggs or rice bowls, and as the sauce for huevos rancheros.
Storage and Shelf Life
Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place; they are best within 12 to 18 months. Flavor typically improves for the first month, so wait if you can. Remove the bands before shelving jars—bands can mask failed seals. Any jar that fails to seal should be refrigerated and used within a week, or reprocessed with a new lid within 24 hours. Once opened, refrigerate and use within seven to ten days.
Yield Notes
This recipe starts with about 5 pounds of green tomatoes as purchased, which dices to roughly 12 cups and yields about 4 pints (or 8 half pints). If shopping, buy a little extra to allow for coring and trimming. Halving the recipe yields two pints; doubling works as long as your pot is large enough and you stir frequently to prevent scorching.
Here are frequently asked questions about canning green sauces and specifics for this recipe.
Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce FAQs
No. Both amounts are specified by the tested recipe and by safe canning guidelines. You may increase acidity but never reduce it.
Yes. You can substitute different chiles as long as you keep the same measured volume of peppers. Use hotter varieties for more heat or milder ones for less. Omit hot pepper flakes for a mild batch.
Yes. Tomatillos are the original ingredient in the tested recipe and are interchangeable with green tomatoes by volume. Tomatillos usually break down more easily and may need less blending.
No. Green tomato skins blend down smoothly and are not peeled for canning. They do not become bitter and behave differently in jars compared to ripe tomato skins.
Sealed jars are best used within 12 to 18 months when stored cool and dark. Flavor improves during the first month. After opening, refrigerate and use within one to two weeks.
More Green Tomato Canning Recipes
There are many other ways to use a bucket of unripe tomatoes.
Southern Chow Chow (Traditional Green Tomato Relish)
Old-Fashioned Green Tomato Jam
Pickled Green Tomatoes (Old Fashioned Canning Recipe)
If you try this Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce, please leave a star rating and a comment describing how you used it or any tweaks you made.
Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce
Equipment
- Water bath canner
- Canning jars, lids, and bands
Ingredients
- 12 cups green tomatoes, cored and diced
- 2 cups onion, diced
- 2 cups green chile peppers, seeded and diced
- 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 cup white vinegar, 5% acidity
- 1/2 cup bottled lime juice
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 2 tsp canning salt
- 1 tsp hot pepper flakes
- 4 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare a water bath canner and keep jars hot until filling.
- Core, dice, and measure the green tomatoes into a large stainless pot.
- Dice onions and peppers, chop garlic, and add to the pot.
- Stir in vinegar, bottled lime juice, cumin, oregano, salt, hot pepper flakes, and cilantro if using.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes until tomatoes have completely fallen apart.
- Blend the sauce smooth with an immersion blender, then bring it back to a boil.
- Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and wipe rims clean.
- Center lids and screw bands fingertip-tight.
- Process half pints and pints in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude.
- Turn off heat, remove canner lid, wait five minutes, then lift jars out onto a towel. Cool 12–24 hours, check seals, remove bands, and store.
Notes
Yield and measuring: Starts with about 5 pounds of green tomatoes and finishes at 4 pints or 8 half pints. Dice first and measure by the cup.
Source: Adapted from a tested tomatillo salsa recipe, using green tomatoes in place of tomatillos—an accepted substitution in canning guidance.
Vinegar and lime juice: Vinegar must be labeled 5% acidity and lime juice should be bottled for consistent acidity. Do not reduce either.
Vegetable changes: Peppers and onions may be varied if the measured volumes remain the same. Do not add other vegetables or increase the tomato volume.
Blending: Green tomatoes do not always collapse fully during cooking, so blending is required for a pourable sauce.
Storage: Refrigerate up to 2 weeks or freeze up to a year if you choose not to can.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an approximation.
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