How to tell if salsa has gone bad

There are so many different ways to use salsa both store-bought and fresh. It is key to know how to tell if it has gone bad or not to prevent food-borne illness.

You can tell by looking at it and smelling it. Any signs of mold or discoloration mean that it has spoiled. Also, if you open the container and get an unpleasant odor, I would recommend throwing it away.

Ways to tell if salsa is bad or good

There are many different varieties of salsa both homemade and store-bought. Some are chunky or spicy or green or maybe multicolored.

Smelling and looking at your salsa and pico de gallo are great ways to tell if your salsa has spoiled or not, no matter what kind you have. It’s pretty simple.

How does it smell?

Salsa should smell fresh. If it has an unpleasant or foul smell to it then you should throw it away. You will be able to tell if your salsa is good or not with a good old sniff test.

If you are questioning it at all then I would pass. It isn’t worth the risk of getting a foodborne illness or food poisoning.

What does it look like?

If your salsa looks like it has started to change in color and darken to a maroon or brownish color then your salsa is probably on its way to going bad.

As with a lot of foods, if you see mold then that should be enough to tell you that your food has spoiled. Mold in salsa can look a few different ways.

Sometimes you will notice the usual white or black mold but it can also be a greenish-blue color. If you see a white powdery-looking substance on the surface of the salsa that is also a type of mold.

How to store salsa

Salsa has a pretty long shelf life considering the fresh ingredients that it is made up of. Store-bought and homemade salsa have different shelf lives due to preservatives used in most store-bought jars.

Unopened store-bought salsa should last you 12-18 months in the pantry. Keeping it in a dark cool place will help it last longer. Once you have opened it you will want to make sure that you use it within 2 weeks before it starts to go bad.

As for homemade salsa, you will want to keep it stored in the refrigerator and used up between 5-7 days. Like anything freshly made it tends to go bad much quicker.