This homemade restaurant-style salsa recipe is quick, easy, and full of flavor! Mild or spicy, it’s easy to whip up with ingredients you have on hand. Time to bust out the tortilla chips!
Where I grew up, there were Tex-Mex restaurants EVERYWHERE and I was able to spend nearly 20 years tasting the different varieties of restaurant-style salsas that these establishments had to offer:
Warm, cold, spicy, mild, roasted, Pico de Gallo, corn, black bean, mango…
To say that I’ve tried a few different salsa recipes is an understatement.
Consider me a salsa pro.
You can imagine my upset back when we moved from Texas to California and realized that not only were Mexican restaurants sparse, but “chips and fresh salsa” were considered a side dish that you had to ask for (and pay for) when you placed your order. They’re not brought out automatically with tall glasses of ice water.
WHAT?!
Oh no. That wasn’t going to work. We practically drank salsa with tortilla chips. It had its own food group in our house. We needed a better solution, pronto!
Luckily, a good friend gave me her homemade salsa recipe.
This is not just any salsa – this is the best homemade salsa recipe that one could ask for!
EASY SALSA RECIPE
There are so many reasons to absolutely LOVE this salsa recipe! It’s versatile simply because you can customize it to your desired spice level. It’s also:
- Frugal. Using the items already in your pantry, this recipe is so affordable. If you have a garden, it’s even easier on your food budget!
- Delicious! Salsa from scratch tastes SO clean and fresh, with the tomatoes, onion, and garlic, compared to a salsa that has been sitting in a jar on store shelves for a month.
- Quick and easy. This salsa recipe can be whipped up in just a few minutes and that alone makes it so much better than store-bought.
SALSA SAUCE RECIPE INGREDIENTS
It’s SO easy to toss this salsa sauce recipe together with staple pantry ingredients that you already have on hand!
- Diced tomatoes. I usually use canned tomatoes, but you can also use fire-roasted tomatoes or garden Roma tomatoes.
- Cilantro. In my humble opinion, a good salsa recipe needs cilantro!
- Jalapeños (or any green chiles). Just enough for a bit of a kick. You can also use green bell peppers if you want a very mild salsa.
- White onion. A red onion would also work in a pinch.
- Fresh lime juice. The best tasting salsa recipe also needs lime juice. Fresh is best, but bottled will work too.
- Spices: Garlic, ground cumin, salt, and pepper. Easy to find in your spice stash.
Psst! Not all salts are made the same! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!).
DO YOU PEEL TOMATOES FOR SALSA?
For this recipe, we are using canned diced tomatoes, (if you want to make them yourself, here is a recipe for Canned Diced Tomatoes). So, there’s no peeling necessary there.
You can also use this recipe for fresh tomato salsa, especially if you have a beautiful garden bounty. It’s more of a preference thing, but since the salsa is blended, you won’t need to peel fresh tomatoes either. They just need to be roughly chopped to fit well in the blender.
HOW TO MAKE A SALSA DIP
I can’t think of a fresh tomato salsa recipe that is any easier!
Step 1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Step 2. Blend until you reach your desired consistency. I prefer smooth salsa, but you can also just pulse the food processor for a chunky salsa.
VOILA! Bust out the Tortilla Chips because you are finished!
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I love these mason jars with a flip top lid because they’re so easy to pour!
TO SERVE THIS RECIPE FOR SALSA SAUCE
Serve up a bowl of this recipe for salsa sauce with your favorite Tortilla Chips or enjoy it as a part of taco night with Homemade Corn Tortillas or Flour Tortillas! Trust me…it will be better than your favorite Mexican restaurant! Add salsa to any of these:
- Tacos
- Burritos
- Burrito bowl
- Breakfast burrito
- Chicken enchiladas
- Taco salad
- Quesadillas
- Basically anything Mexican…
For more delicious condiments and sides for taco night, try these:
- Fresh Mango Salsa
- Salsa Verde
- Easy Homemade Guacamole
- Lime Crema
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Homemade Hot Sauce
- Fajita Veggies
If you happen to have any salsa left, add it to Migas for breakfast in the morning. Yum!
RECIPE SALSA SAUCE FAQS
How long does homemade salsa last?
As long as you keep it refrigerated, it will last for 5-7 days. But I’ll bet it won’t last that long in the house!
What is traditional salsa made of?
Traditional red salsa includes ingredients like tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeños, garlic, and salt, all of which you’ll find in this salsa recipe.
Why is my homemade salsa watery?
If you use fresh tomatoes from your garden, be sure to remove the seedy pulp from the inside of the tomato by first quartering, then separating the pulp from the flesh and discarding or composting it.
This seedy pulp can make salsa more watery, but since this recipe salsa sauce is blended, it will be less of an issue. Perfect!
MORE TACO NIGHT FAVORITES
- The Very Best Slow Cooker Carnitas
- Ground Beef Taco Meat
- Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
- Instant Pot Korean Beef
- Instant Pot Spanish Rice
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This homemade restaurant-style salsa recipe is quick, easy, and full of flavor! Mild or spicy, it’s easy to whip up with ingredients you have on hand. Time to bust out the tortilla chips!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Sauces/Condiments
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- (2) 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes
- ½ fist full cilantro
- 2–4 whole pickled jalapenos
- ½ medium white onion
- ½ lime, squeezed for juice (or 2 tsp lime juice)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- I love these mason jars with a flip top lid because they’re so easy to pour!
Nutrition
- Calories: 297
Delicious! I used a large can of crushed tomatoes and pepperoncini instead of jalapeños and it turned out great!
Can I pressure can or hot water bath this salsa for long term storage?
Hi Stephanie,
This hasn’t been tested. Follow the USDA canning guidelines for tomato-based salsa. Hope this helps!
Oh my goodness Tiffany! This is definitely going on my list of things to make from scratch. I was sure one of my kids would object to a homemade salsa, but boy was I wrong. I couldn’t believe how much we went through when I made it last night. I made up a double batch tonight! Thank you for this delicious recipe.!
Your lime crema is also a staple at our house. We eat so many Mexican-inspired foods, and we appreciate your recipes.
Next to try will be salsa chicken!
Oh, my goodness, Tiffany!
I made this over the weekend, and the entire container was gone within 24 hours. I have 12 kids – – – chef apprentice daughter ate an entire cup of it herself! We mixed up another batch last night – – – this time we divided it out with half of it as recommended in the recipe – and then the other half we spiced up more with some habanero peppers, more cilantro, and a bit more cumin. So, we have a mild and spicy now to satisfy everyone even more! Awesome recipe without heating up the kitchen! THANKS!
You’re so very, very welcome Kristin!!
Thanks for sharing, Tiffany! I’m going to try this tonight! :o)
I hope you enjoy!
Thoughts on using fresh vs pickled jalapeños?
You can use fresh Tyler – definitely good, just a different type of heat and flavor. We prefer the slight vinegar-y taste of the pickled, and it gives great flavor of jalapeno with more control over the heat.
This is great salsa and super easy to make, but mine came out pretty sweet so in the future I’d do only 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Can you do it without the sugar? That’s the one downside I see to this recipe over Pace – when we were on a no-sugar diet I discovered that Pace is one of the few brands that had a salsa without sugar in it, which worked for me because I don’t understand why salsa needs sugar. Then again, I’m not a salsa pro, so I look forward to getting educated in this :D.
You probably can Amy. Leave out the lime and sugar and go easy on the heat. Then you can adjust the lime and pepper according to your taste!
I was wondering how long this salsa lasts in the fridge?
Ours can last several weeks Meg!
This is amazing salsa. And no roasting tomatoes and peppers! So good
Thanks Joanna!!
What part of California are you in? There’s a Mexican restaurant on every block in most places and the chips and salsa are always free!
Central coast. We have LOTS of taco shops, but not many restaurants. The few we do have claim there’s a shortage on tomatoes, so they charge. That’s okay though, we think our homemade version is pretty good. Besides, those free chips don’t help my tortilla chip addiction. 😉
Must be a central coast issue – I’ve lived in SoCal and NorCal and the Mexican restaurants give chips and salsa. Actually, the small I live in now in Northern California only has 2 restaurants and both of them are Mexican ;).
Amy,
I grew up in So. Cal and was thinking the same thing. So. Cal has amazing Mexican restaurants. We prefer Cali Mex to Tex Mex and there is a difference, but a good salaa is key to either style. I will give this a try. Thanks, Tiffany.
How spicy/hot is it? I’m kind of a wimp 😉 but I don’t want to exclude the jalapeños if that’s going to mess up the taste!
LOL, use just half to one pepper for mild, three if you like it hot! 😉
Do you think I could divide this into 1/2 pint jars & freeze? I don’t see why not…
Sure, I don’t see why not either! 🙂 Be sure to mix well after thawing again so you don’t get pour off liquid into your salsa bowl.
If you want to remove those pesky lables, soak the item in water for about an hour or so. Then take a butter knife and scrape the label one section at a time, in smooth downward strokes. Scrape the leftover sticky stuff with the butter knife and then you can take a scrubby to any that’s left. Sounds like a lot of work, but it really only takes a few minutes. Works for me!
Thank you for this recipe, I will be making this for sure!
Thanks Kim! I did find a solution to removing the labels and posted about it here: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2012/07/diy-remove-labels-from-jars/
Thanks for the tip!
Yummy! I love salsa and am always looking for new recipes. I have a few but always, always enjoy adding to the collection. My homemade salsa goes into an empty peanut butter jar!
Thanks for the recipe! I am never satisfied with the store bought salsa and I’m trying to save money on groceries.
You’re welcome!
Hands down the house favorite! I used fire roasted tomatoes. Will never use another jar of Pace!!! Thanks from all of us.