New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Sauce Recipe
Few things capture the bold spirit of New Mexico quite like Hatch Green Chile Sauce. This tasty, vegetarian green sauce—or salsa—is made from the iconic chiles grown in the Hatch Valley. The sauce is earthy and smoky, with a spice level that depends on the pepper variety.
I’m not sure if there’s an official Traditional New Mexico green chile sauce, but there should be, and this could qualify. My version (popular since 2018) is made with just a few simple ingredients and has a mild taste, so it doesn’t overpower the flavor—or the heat, if you go spicy—of the peppers.
Table of contents
Ingredients
- Hatch chiles
- Olive oil
- Yellow or white onion
- Garlic
- Flour
- Vegetable broth or stock
- Salt
FAQ
What is a hatch chile?
Hatch chiles are premium green chile peppers—similar to their California counterparts, Anaheim peppers—grown exclusively in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico, where the region’s unique soil and climate give them their distinctive flavor.
They come in both mild and hot varieties, so you can choose based on your spice preference for this recipe. Hatch chiles are most often roasted to bring out their rich, smoky flavor, then blended into sauces or salsas that are a staple of Southwestern cooking.
When is hatch chile season?
Hatch chile season typically runs from early August through late September, though it can sometimes start as early as late July and extend into early October depending on the weather and harvest conditions.
Are Hatch Chiles spicy?
Yes, Hatch chiles can be spicy—but the heat level varies. Hatch chiles range from mild to hot depending on the specific variety grown. Some are as mild as a bell pepper, while others can pack heat similar to a jalapeño. In general:
- Mild Hatch chiles: Called NuMex 6-4 and Big Jim (mild strain). Subtle heat, great for those who want flavor without the burn.
- Medium Hatch chiles: Called Joe E. Parker and Big Jim (medium strain). A balanced kick with plenty of chile flavor.
- Hot Hatch chiles: Called Sandia and Lumbre. Noticeably spicy, but usually not overwhelming for heat lovers.
Hatch Chile Salsa Serving suggestions
This sauce has so many uses, from simply served with Mexican Shredded Chicken Tamales, to drizzling over Sonoran Shredded Beef Tacos (picture above).
My Hatch chile sauce is also the perfect complement to tacos, enchiladas, and burritos—and it inspired my Hatch Green Chile Refried Beans. The chiles add delicious flavor to from-scratch pinto beans, with just a hint of spice (picture below).
If you’re craving a burger, this hatch Chile sauce would be amazing on my Green Chile Cheeseburger (see below).
How to pick the best hatch chiles
Look for firm, smooth peppers with no dimples or blemishes—they should be a vibrant green. Choose chiles that are symmetrical in shape and feel heavy for their size, as this indicates they still have moisture, which means more flavor. To store, wrap them in a paper towel and place them in a sealed container in the fridge.
New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Sauce Recipe – Step by Step
Line up the hatch chiles on a baking sheet. Broil until the skins are charred all over.
Add the charred chiles to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam for 15 minutes.
Use paper towel to wipe the charred skins from the peppers. Then Remove the stems and seeds.
Chop the hatch chiles and set aside.
Sauté chopped onions and garlic in oil until softened.
Stir in all-purpose flour and cook for 1 minute.
Whisk in vegetable stock.
Add the chopped chiles and salt. Simmer (a very light boil) for 15 minutes until thickened over medium heat.
Spicy hatch chile sauce
For heat, use hot Hatch chiles—commonly labeled as Sandia or Big Jim (hot strain). These have more capsaicin than milder varieties and bring a real kick while still offering that signature Hatch flavor. If you can’t find them fresh, frozen or roasted Hatch chiles from reputable New Mexico growers (like The Hatch Chile Store or Bueno Foods) are great alternatives.
If you’ve made my New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Sauce, please leave a star rating in the recipe card. You can also leave a comment below or ask a question.
New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Sauce Recipe
Hatch green chiles are broiled, peeled then cooked with onions and garlic in stock to make a delicious sauce.
Ingredients
- 5 hatch green chiles (to yield approximately 1 cup when chopped) rinsed and dried
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¾ cup (113 grams) yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (236 ml) vegetable stock
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat broiler.
- Spread the chiles on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler, about 5 inches from the heat and broil until the skins are charred. Turn the chiles and repeat.
- Remove the chiles and place them in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid so they can steam for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the skins by wiping with paper towel. Remove the stem and seeds and chop.
- To a sauté pan, add vegetable oil. Add the onion and sauté until starts to soften. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock while whisking to prevent lumps. Add the chopped chiles and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Taste for seasoning, add more salt if you like.
- Once cool, transfer to a container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 150Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 2mgSodium 225mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 2gSugar 8gProtein 4g
This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.
Janette is a professionally trained chef based in California who channels her passion for cooking into thoughtfully crafted recipes. Her culinary creations are inspired by her English heritage as well as her favorite global cuisines, including Indian and Italian. Connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for more delicious inspiration. More About Janette…
75 Comments on “New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Sauce Recipe”
I am a transplant from the Midwest located in Albuquerque. This is very similar to the recipe that my late husband (born in NM) used. Though he would never add onion 🧅. Why I don’t know! Onion makes almost everything better. He always added either pork or beef to his. Made some last night and added ground beef, since it needed to be used. This morning made a burrito using this, an egg and some cheese. Yum!
Thank you so much for sharing
Delicious and so easy. My peppers were unusually mild so I added some chili flakes. This is a keeper for next season.
I’m glad you were able to make it spicy to your liking.
As a former New Mexican, I was hankering for New Mexican green chile sauce. In my faraway location, I made do with poblano peppers plus serranos for extra heat. While not exactly the same, it turned out WAY better than either I or my friend -another former New Mexican who earlier had said poblanos “taste like mud” compared to New Mexican chiles- expected. In fact, we both found the sauce delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you for sharing the info, this is very useful to know. I’m glad it worked out for you.
I used your recipe tonight. We moved to Florida from New Mexico last year and paid an enormous amount to have Chile shipped here so please know that the fact that I was willing to use some of my supply should speak volumes. Thank you, it’s so good!
Fantastic! Let me know if you’d like to send some my way 😄
This is perfect! I don’t like recipes that look like well… snot. I love how simple it is and that it lets the Chile do the talking. SO good!
I hope you make the sauce and enjoy. Let me know if you have any questions.
So please educate us, ese. Seems like you just came on here to insult.
I live in Albuquerque, NM. My Mom use to make green Chile sauce. And I never knew how till today! I love this recipe I’m so glad to have found it.
I made green Chile cheese fry’s!
I’m so happy you found my recipe and the chile cheese fry’s sound amazing.
Oh man, were they ever! I had leftovers for lunch today!
And tasted even better the next day!
Thank you,
Julie
Wonderful! 😍
OMG, gingo style, i am from southern NM, i just happend to see this article and i was courious. This is NOT how we make a green chile salsa but i guess it’s about someone from outside my culture trying something different. I would never make this. For your information chile has been grown up an down the Rio Grande in NM for hundreds of years. Hatch has great marketing.
Okay Casario so every recipe I’ve read is just about like this one. I would like very much to try your recipe please.
Cesario, It is a recipe for Green Chili Sauce NOT Salsa. There is a difference and I am sure while you might be from southern NM, I doubt you know every recipe from the area.
Never saw that this was supposed to be green Chile SALSA.
Yes, salsa is Spanish for sauce 😉
I used cow horn chillis which I still have growing in NY in mid-October. Excellent recipe and so easy Thanks!
Thank you so much for the feedback and the pepper suggestion.
Fantastic sauce! My wonderful mother in law sends me 2 boxes of Hatch every year from Albuquerque (1 med, 1 x hot). I filled up my grill 6 times this morning roasting them. I made this sauce before freezing the roasted peppers. I used 2 large x hot and 4 med hot. This will be a great addition to the chile wrapped chicken breasts we are having for dinner tonight. Not sure if this is a thing but I always find the medium heat peppers peel easier than the x hot after roasting. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so happy you love the recipe, thank you for the feedback. You’re so lucky to have a family source for your peppers.
Quality sauce. I added a few cracks if pink salt just to bring out a little more flavor. Otherwise it’s just the way it should be, simple to let the chilis be the star of the show.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the sauce and I agree, simple is best 🙂
Just gotten back from the Rez in New Mexico and got a lot of chilies. Made this sauce and added it to a white queso and threw some shredded chicken on some fries rest is favor town. Really good sauce
Wow, you know how to do it right. I think I’ll try this next time. Glad you enjoyed it.
I’ve got it on the stove cooking right now, and it smells sooooooo good!! I’m roasting some cauliflower steaks right now, and this sauce is destined for them!
Yum! Enjoy 🙂
Can you pressure can this?
Are you asking if this can be pressure cooked, or pressure canned? I have not tried either methods and I have had one reader have success with canning. I’m not sure about pressure cooking, but I don’t see why not. I hope this helps.
I grow these chiles in northern Wyoming and will make this fabulous recipe for to add to our Thanksgiving feast! Everything is better with green chiles! BTW,I don’t often see our name spelled this way!
I love this idea! Yes, there are not many of us out there 🙂
I make what we call heuro or white boy style smothered burritos
U take a large can of cream of chicken soup (don’t add water), add 1 pound of hot (my preference) young guns green chile and some diced purple onion
Slow simmer this mixture to marry the chile into the soup
Then use this sauce to smother your burrito
This can be shredded cooked roast beef or shredded cooked chicken breast meat
Then smother with sauce and cover with shredded cheese
Can be cheddar or my favorite Mexican cheese blend. I buy it already mixed and shredded in a bag
Then throw the plate in the oven or toaster oven until the cheese is totally melted
Have a additional warm flour tortilla with butter or honey or both on the side
HEAVEN!!@
Thank you for sharing James
Really great green chili sauce! The perfect way to showcase a delicious pepper. I should have made a double batch because I’m just eating it by the spoonful.
I love to hear this 🙂 Thank you so much for the feedback.
Has anyone canned this using a water bath method? I have so many leftover roasted green chili from last year I’d love to make a big batch to can
A reader left a comment a couple of weeks ago stating they had great success canning this sauce. I hope this helps.
how can you have LEFTOVER green chile? it never lasts more than a day here.
we buy lots in the fall and i roast it on the grill. NONE of it makes it past the spring no matter how much we get.
Don’t water bath can this. There’s no source of acid and it’s pretty low salt. The only way this can be canned is by pressure canning it.
Thank you for the help Paul.
I made this with about a cup of hatch chilies that are already jarred in the fresh section. It was delicious! My fave recipe because it’s so easy and I’m from Colorado! Am going to add some shredded chicken that I already had. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your review and I love the addition of the shredded chicken.
How long will this last in the fridge, it says one week, but will it last longer?
You may be able to push to 10 days, but I would not go longer than that since there is nothing in the sauce to help with preservation. Freezing is always a good option too. I hope this helps and enjoy.
I bought a bunch of hatch peppers on clearance at my local grocery, whipped up a big batch of this sauce, and canned it for future use! After cleaning and roasting the peppers, I roughly chopped them using a food processor, they turned out great!
My USDA canning guide said to can regular chopped chili peppers at 15 pounds of pressure for 35 minutes, because the chopped peppers are thick. I just made the sauce into a similarly thick finished chili sauce, and canned it, which turned out perfectly. This is the first time I tried canning this recipe, so I have great hope (as a home canner) all will remain great when my last remaining jars are opened during the winter months for use.
Thank you for choosing my recipe and sharing the great info.
when you canned this did you include the flour or just made the sauce leaving the flour out? thanks
I did use the flour. After canning it had seperated, but was super easy to mix back into its delicious creamy state.
Good gosh! I just came back from my local H.E.B. & bought 12 Hatch Chiles and found this recipe by accident! Followed it to the T. Served this Hatch sauce on a fresh pressed hamburger patty topped with spicy pepper jack cheese! Taste so good I had to slap my momma!
Thank you for the best review (and making me chuckle).
Do you leave the seeds in the roasted chilies and just chop? No seeds are mentioned in your recipe or the comments.
In step 4 of the recipe it says: ‘After 15 minutes, remove the skins by wiping with paper towel. Remove the stem and seeds and chop.’
Thank you. I didn’t see seeds in the picture or video. My 80 yr. old eyes missed that part of #4
You’re so welcome Lois. Let me know if you have any more questions 🙂
A great, very detailed guide, I tried and succeeded, very delicious
Thank you so much for your positive feedback on my recipe, much appreciated.
I have been looking for a recipe for Hatch green chili sauce and your recipe seems to be the best one I have found. Will make this tonight. I grow New Mexico chilis and Big Jim’s and right now I have an abundance so sen though these aren’t Hatch they will be a good substitute.
Thank You
This is sauce is my most popular recipe right now. I’m envious of your abundance of chiles you have, enjoy 🙂
Enjoyed your recipe tips and guidance! May I change a bit of your recipe here? I use chicken broth and or chicken bouillon instead of vegetable broth. The tasteful effects are very prominent and enjoyable. I feel that vegetable broth brings a bit of blandness to the recipe. Forgive my honesty. I also use a fresh tomato at times for a slight different dynamic of taste. But most of all, I use pork meat or boiled chicken to complete this sauce. The sauce will be great on enchiladas or as a mix for pinto beans. PS, I live in NM where green or red chili is king (my opinion)! Thank you for your website!
Thank you so much for your feedback. I love that you made it your own and gave my readers some good tips.
so happy when hatch chili season rolls around. thanks for the great instructions. will definitely have to try this out.
Me to, thanks Linda
Great anytime for a Mexican flair love the sauce sounds wonderful I am going to have to make it !
Great, enjoy 🙂
Yum! I love hatch chiles and I am going to use this sauce on everything!
Thanks, it is good on so many dishes
My mom roasted New Mexico green chilis every year growing up and they were so good! Your recipe brings back alot of great memories and it looks delicious!
Do you have an estimate for how many ounces five green chiles would weigh? I would like to make a large batch.
I can’t really say how many ounces 5 chiles would be since they tend to be different sizes. You will have no problem if you double or quadruple the recipe. I hope this helps.
Yes please! We love hatch anything! This sauce has such amazing ingredients! YUM
Thank you so much
Wow great sauce eating very tasty really Love its to eat