Is Salsa Healthy? A nutrition breakdown of salsa.
Written by Isabel Vasquez RD, LDN
Salsa is the perfect topping for tacos and the perfect dip for tortilla chips. The refreshing flavor of tomato, onion, chiles, garlic, and lime just can’t be beat.
Historians say salsa dates back to the time of the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans! While it’s always been a staple food in Mexico, its popularity in the US has exploded in the last few decades.
No matter what you may have heard, salsa is indeed a vegetable! As Latina dietitians, we just want to shout this from the rooftops! It’s literally made of a blend of veggies, which means it’s packed with nutrition.
In this article, learn the nutrition, benefits, and potential drawbacks of salsa.
Salsa Nutrition Facts
There are lots of different types of salsa out there, but we’re sharing the nutrition facts of salsa roja and salsa verde below.
Salsa Verde nutrition
According to the USDA, here is the nutrition in ¼ cup (60 grams) of salsa verde:
Protein: 0.7 grams
Fat: 0.5 grams
Carbs: 4 grams
Fiber: 1.2 grams, or 4% of the daily value (DV)
Sodium: 544 milligrams, or 24% of the DV
Vitamin B6: 0.05 milligrams, or 3% of the DV
Potassium: 155 milligrams, or 3% of the DV
Vitamin C: 7.4 milligrams, or 8% of the DV
Salsa Roja nutrition
According to the USDA, here is the nutrition in ¼ cup (72 grams) of salsa roja:
Protein: 1.1 grams
Fat: 0.1 grams
Carbs: 5 grams
Fiber: 1.4 grams, or 5% of the daily value (DV)
Sodium: 512 milligrams, or 22% of the DV
Vitamin B6: 0.12 milligrams, or 7% of the DV
Potassium: 198 milligrams, or 4% of the DV
Vitamin C: 1.4 milligrams, or 2% of the DV
Health Benefits of Salsa
Rich in Antioxidants
Pretty much every ingredient in salsa is a source of antioxidants that help neutralize harmful free radicals in the body.
Excess free radicals leads to oxidative stress, which is linked to health issues like cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, and more, per a 2017 study in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. So, consuming antioxidants is important for overall health.
Tomatoes, one of the most common salsa ingredients, contain an antioxidant called lycopene. According to a 2021 research review in Food Chemistry, higher intake of tomatoes and dietary lycopene is linked with lower all-cause mortality, heart disease mortality, prostate cancer, gastric cancer, and metabolic syndrome.
Plus, the antioxidant quercetin, which is especially prominent in onions, has anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-diabetic, and anti-viral properties, per a 2022 study in Molecules.
Supports Heart Health
As we mentioned above, the antioxidants in salsa can benefit heart health, mostly through preventing cell damage and inflammation.
Salsa can also support heart health thanks to its fiber content. Fiber can help manage cholesterol levels and reduce cardiovascular disease risk, per a 2019 study in Nutrients, so eating a variety of fiber-rich foods is beneficial for heart health.
Each ¼ cup of salsa has about 5% of the DV for fiber, which isn’t a whole lot but it certainly contributes more fiber to your day.
Plus, salsa is free from saturated fat, which is usually worth limiting if you have high cholesterol, per the American Heart Association.
Promotes Gut Health
The fiber in salsa also supports healthy digestion. Since salsa is often eaten with beans, other veggies, and corn tortillas, it’s commonly used to make a fiber-rich meal that supports regularity.
Fiber doesn’t just help promote regularity; it also supports a healthy gut microbiome—the community of friendly bacteria living in your digestive tract—per a 2022 study in Microorganisms.
May Improve Metabolic Health
Metabolic health is usually measured by a few risk factors, including:
Blood lipid levels
HDL cholesterol levels (the “good” kind)
Blood pressure
Insulin resistance
Eating well-rounded meals with a variety of nutrients supports metabolic health, per a 2020 study in Nutrients. Specifically, the Mediterranean Diet has been shown to support metabolic health. But before you stop eating Latine foods, remember that salsa is made of veggies commonly incorporated in this diet—tomatoes, onions, garlic.
Plus, we tend to eat salsa with beans, another food emphasized in the Mediterranean diet.
Furthermore, according to a 2022 study in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, there’s some evidence that capsaicin—the compound that gives chiles their spicy flavor—improves metabolic health and insulin resistance.
Chiles also contain anti-inflammatory compounds like flavonoids, phenolic acids, carotenoids, and ascorbic acid, per a 2022 study in Molecules. Since metabolic illnesses are associated with inflammation, these anti-inflammatory compounds can also support metabolic health.
For example, a 2019 study in Advances in Nutrition found that lycopene—an antioxidant found in tomatoes—can protect against metabolic syndrome.
Provides Hydration
We don’t just hydrate via fluids; foods like fruits and veggies also add hydration to our days.
Salsa is almost 90% water, per the USDA. This makes sense, since salsa is made of veggies, one of the most fluid-rich food groups.
Of course, unless you eat a jar of salsa a day, it’s not going to contribute tons of water to your day, but it does contribute some!
Potential Health Drawbacks of Salsa
As you saw in the nutrition facts above, salsa can be high in sodium. Sodium is essential for maintaining fluid balance and more, but too much is associated with health problems like high blood pressure.
There is some debate over what sodium intake recommendations should be, per a 2020 study in BMJ. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend a max of 2,300 milligrams per day, but the American Heart Association recommends a max of just 1,500 milligrams per day. For reference, the average American consumes 3,600 milligrams of sodium per day, per the BMJ study.
Note that the nutrition facts we listed above are from the USDA, which doesn’t provide an ingredient list. The salsa they used is likely jarred salsa, which tends to be higher in sodium than homemade salsa since sodium acts as a preservative and flavor-enhancer.
That being said, it can be helpful for those with high blood pressure to be mindful of sources of sodium in the diet. If the salsa you use is high in sodium, it may be an opportunity to find a lower-sodium salsa or even make one at home if that’s accessible to you.
The other potential drawback of salsa is that the acidic ingredients like tomatoes and lime and the spicy ingredients like chiles can trigger symptoms of acid reflux, per the NIH. So, people with acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may need to limit their salsa intake to prevent unpleasant symptoms.
Incorporating Salsa to Promote Your Health
Salsa, of course, goes great in traditional Mexican dishes like tacos and as a dip for tortilla chips.
However, the options for using salsa are really endless. And it’s a great way to get vitamins and antioxidants in your meals and snacks!
Some ideas for incorporating salsa in your diet include:
Add it to burritos, tacos, and nachos
Add it to a rice bowl
Use it to dip chips or veggies
Eat it with eggs
Use it to top a burger
Keep in mind that while salsa is definitely a vegetable, it’s helpful to add other veggies to your meal to meet the USDA’s recommendation to eat 2–3 cups of veggies per day.
This is pretty typical in Mexican cultural dishes where onions, peppers, and beans are also included.
Final Thoughts
Remember that salsa is, in fact, a vegetable! Just because it doesn’t take up a distinct fraction of your plate doesn’t mean that it doesn’t “count”.
Salsa is one of the many unique and delicious ways that Latine cuisine incorporates vegetables. In fact, salsa is full of antioxidants and vitamins that can help support overall health.
Unless you have acid reflux, in which case you may need to be mindful of salsa intake to prevent unpleasant symptoms, load up on the salsa! Your taste buds and body will probably thank you.
We’re so passionate about the benefits of salsa that we made salsa merch! Buy our Salsa Is A Veggie merch here.
For education on how to ADD nutrition to your favorite Latine cultural dishes, make peace with food, and focus on your health without dieting, join our nutrition library for just $27/month.
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