Exact Answer: 1-2 months
Ideally, salsa is part of Mexican cuisine. It is usually eaten alongside either tortilla chips, huevos rancheros, or burritos. They are stored in jars, cans, or bottles and sold in the grocery stores.
Salsa is naturally semi-liquid and cooked up to a temperature of 79 o C. Fresh refrigerated salsa is mostly sold in grocery stores in countries such as Canada and the United States and stored in plastic containers.
The most expensive salsa is the fresh salsa, which has a short shelf life because it may have or lack vinegar in it. However, most people prefer fresh salsa more than either canned or jarred salsa.
How Long Can Salsa Last?
| Salsa State | Lifespan |
| Unopened (Homemade) | 1-2 months |
| Unopened (Market) | 1-2 months |
| Opened (Homemade) | 5-7 days |
| Opened (Market) | 1-2 weeks |
| Cooked (Homemade) | 4-6 days |
| Cooked (Market) | 5-7 days |
| Uncooked (Homemade) | 1-2 months |
| Uncooked (Market) | 1-2 months |
| Canned (Homemade) | 12-18 months |
| Canned (Market) | 12-18 months |
Salsa can best stay longer when unopened compared to when it is opened. Unopened salsa can last up to 2 months when stored in jars or cans.
On the other hand, opened salsa, which is homemade salsa, can last up to 5-7 days from the day it was locally manufactured. While, if the salsa is not homemade, it can go up to 1-2 weeks.
In addition, to make salsa to stay for a long period of time, it should be refrigerated in an airtight container.
Salsa should be first cooked before it is stored in the cans. This is to enable the salsa to last longer when it has cooled off and well refrigerated also.
Most salsa contains two main ingredients, which are chili peppers and vinegar, which are their preserving agents, and, in their presence, salsa can last longer.
Again, the jarred and canned containers enable salsa not only to be well stored but also to prevent air, which has bacteria from getting inside.
When salsa is kept in those airtight containers, it protects the salsa from going bad within a short period of time. Thus, making the salsa to stay for a long period of time with or without being refrigerated.
Why Does Salsa Last That Long?
When salsa is refrigerated, it can last longer even up to a whole year, unlike when it is not refrigerated.
Salsa can last way much longer when it is stored in a freezer without getting spoilt. In fact, frozen salsa will make it stay way much longer compared when it is just refrigerated.
Salsa will also last way much longer when unopened, refrigerated or not refrigerated and stored in airtight containers. This normally disables bacteria from contaminating the salsa, and hence, it will have a long life.
On the other hand, opened salsa can also last for long but not long enough like unopened salsa. For opened salsa, it can go up to 1-2 weeks when commercially manufactured and 5-7 days when it is homemade.
In addition, ingredients such as vinegar and chili peppers that are used to prepare salsa are their preserving agents. These two ingredients make it possible for salsa to last in a specific period of time and when well stored.
Last but not least, it is mostly recommended that salsa has to be cooked before going into storage. By cooking the salsa, it will enhance it to stay for long enough before even going into storage.