Nothing compares to freshly made salsa, but only when the texture is right! I like mine just blended enough to be saucy, but still a little chunky, so it’s scoopable with chips. This restaurant-style salsa is bright, punchy, and has that perfect balance of tangy heat that keeps you going back for one more scoop!
What Makes This Salsa So good
- It tastes fresher than anything from a jar. I’ve tried plenty of store-bought salsas, and they never taste as good as homemade salsa. If you’ve made my salsa verde, you already know!
- It’s made quickly, but with a small trick. I’ve learned to not just blend everything all at once and call it a day. Controlling the texture (and not over-blending) is what makes it “restaurant-style.”
- It’s incredibly versatile. Beyond dipping, I love spooning this salsa over tacos, burrito bowls, a taco salad, and pretty much anything that needs a little extra flavor.
Want to know one of my favorite parts of going to a Mexican restaurant? That first round of chips, salsa, and guacamole! My family and I don’t even look at the menu right away because we’re too busy munching on these starters, lol.
If you’ve been to an authentic Mexican restaurant (or traveled to Mexico a bunch of times, like me) you know that great salsa just tastes better. So whenever I’m hosting a Mexican dinner at my house, I want my guests to have that same warm, delicious experience right from the start, with this homemade, restaurant-style salsa!
Once you make this version, I guarantee that you won’t reach for store-bought jars anymore. The flavor of my version is brighter, the texture is better, and judging by how quickly the salsa bowl gets wiped clean, I’d say my guests agree!
Key Salsa Ingredients
- Canned Tomatoes: After trying different canned tomato types, I still like using fire-roasted tomatoes for that smoky flavor (without having to roast them). But regular canned tomatoes work too if that’s what you have on hand.
- Cilantro: Grab a fresh bundle and give it a rough chop for that unmistakable herby flavor.
- Jalapeño or serrano pepper: You can use half or a full pepper, depending on how spicy you’d like your salsa. Serranos are a bit spicier if you want more of a kick.
- Green chilies: I like to toss a can of green chilies in many of my Mexican recipes. It adds an extra layer of flavor without overpowering the salsa.
- Onion and garlic: You can use either yellow or white onion. I also use two cloves of garlic here, but feel free to add more if you love that bold flavor.
- Lime Juice and salt: This adds a little zing and savoriness to tie all the flavors together.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below
How To Make Salsa From Scratch
Step one: Place the ingredients in the food processor. Start by adding the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to the food processor. I find that processing these items first helps them to get more finely chopped. Then add the drained tomatoes, green chilies (no need to drain), cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
Step two: Blend the salsa. I like pulsing in one-second increments until the salsa is well blended, but still slightly chunky. Then, I’ll give it a taste and adjust with more salt or lime juice if needed. Serve the salsa immediately with tortilla chips or store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
My Tips For The Perfect Salsa
- Use a food processor. I find that a food processor gives you that perfect restaurant-style texture: smooth but still a little chunky. A blender works too, but just be sure to pulse in short bursts and scrape down the sides as you go.
- Add ingredients in order. I recommend adding the garlic, jalapeño, and onion first, which helps them get finely chopped. That way, you don’t end up with any large, overpowering pieces.
- Adjust the spice level. For more heat, leave some of the seeds in the pepper. For a milder salsa, remove the seeds or use only half the pepper.
- Add a hint of sweetness. While I don’t add sugar to my salsa, some prefer a small amount. You can always add ½ tablespoon of honey to balance out the tomatoes’ acidity.
- Maximize the flavors. Let the salsa chill for at least an hour. The flavors meld together for a tastier, more refreshing salsa!
Canned Versus Fresh Tomatoes
The debate between canned and fresh tomatoes for salsa can go on forever. But for this recipe, I actually prefer canned tomatoes. Unlike pico de gallo, restaurant-style salsa has a smoother consistency and more blended texture, which canned tomatoes help achieve. They also tend to have a deeper, more concentrated flavor, especially if you’re using fire-roasted tomatoes (my favorite!).
If you do want to use fresh tomatoes, I recommend roasting them first. This adds a richer, slightly smoky flavor and helps mimic the flavor you get from canned fire-roasted tomatoes.
How Long Can You Store Salsa?
If you have any leftover salsa, transfer it to an airtight container in the fridge for 5 to 7 days. I actually think it tastes even better after a few hours, once the flavors have had time to meld together. So yes, this makes it a great make-ahead recipe!
Can you freeze it? You sure can. Store it for up to one month in a freezer-safe jar or heavy-duty freezer bag. Just note that the flavors might not be as vibrant when thawed.
More Salsa Recipes
- Mango Salsa: Perfect for summer meals.
- Avocado Salsa: Creamy and fresh.
- Mandarin Orange Salsa: So juicy.
- Ceviche: The perfect refreshing appetizer
- Or give these other Mexican recipes a try!
If you make this salsa recipe, let me know how it turns out in the comments below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’d like to see more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free email community here.
Description
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 (14-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 (4-ounce) can green chilies
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, approx 1/2 a bunch
- ½ lime , juiced (about 2 tablespoons juice)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place ingredients in the food processor. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno to the food processor first. These ingredients will be chopped finer if they're on the bottom. Then add the drained tomatoes, green chilies (no need to drain), cilantro, lime juice and salt.
- Blend the salsa. Pulse in one second increments. Keep pulsing until the salsa is well-blended, but still a little chunky. Season to taste with additional salt, or lime juice, if needed.
- Serve or store. Serve the salsa immediately with tortilla chips or store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
Lisa’s Tips
- Makes approximately 4 cups of salsa, which is perfect for a party.
- I like storing any leftover salsa in these glass jars!
- Storage tip: Store leftover salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 to 7 days, or up to 1 month in the freezer.
Nutrition
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This recipe was originally posted June 2020, but updated to include new photos, information and tips for your benefit!
Wow! Wow! Wow! Killer salsa. I thought I was a salsa connoisseur and you’re right, never again will I make do with store bought salsa (calling out no brands). This recipe is what I will have going forward. Thanks for sharing. Bruce
Thrilled to hear you found the perfect salsa recipe now, Bruce!
I plan to make this but do not have a food processor. Can I use a blender or immersion hand blender?
Hi Angie – You can use a blender, just make sure to pulse and scrape down the sides as you go!
Hi Lisa
I have been looking for a great salsa recipe and this looks amazing. However I live in Australia and I have not heard of fire roasted tomatoes or green chillies in a can. Can you let me know a substitute or where I could find them. I do love your recipes. Many thanks
Can you can the salsa?
Hi Terry – yes, you can.
This was super easy and tasty! I used canned tomatoes with green chilis in it, and it turned out great and we ate it all in a day! I prefer to make my own salsa so I can use organic ingredients.
Hi Jill – Thrilled to hear you’re loving this salsa recipe!
Super quick to put together and we loved the freshness of the salsa. I did keep half of my jalapeño seeded as we like a little more kick to our salsa.
Thrilled to hear you’re loving this homemade salsa recipe, Dawn!
Love this salsa. I made it for a family get together and everyone loved it. I like that I can control the heat. Medium for me and hot for others. I’m growing my own cilantro this year and it taste so good in this recipe. Soon my tomatoes will be ready to use too, but for now I use the can tomatoes. I love this salsa over scrambled eggs with black beans and avocado. What is the serving size for the nutrition?
So happy you love this salsa recipe, Kathy! And the serving size is about 1/2 cup. Enjoy!
Just what I was looking for — an easy, fresh tasting, flexible salsa recipe! Thoroughly enjoyed this with tacos, with eggs, with black bean chili. It lasts several days.
thank you!
I’m happy you loved it, Kim!
Hands down, THE best homemade salsa. I absolutely love, love, love this site!
Glad you’re loving Downshiftology recipes, Jess!
THE BEST I love this salsa it’s a staple in my fridge vey quick to make and I use it on everything I love it with tortilla chips, in my breakfast burritos and as a salad dressing it’s just super yummy! I have it frozen for emergency gatherings my only hint would be if you know your going to freeze save the lime juice to add whenever you thaw
Super simple and easy. I had all the ingredients and the email came this morning! I already have the salsa chilling in the refrigerator. Can’t wait for lunch!
I love this salsa. My family loves it too. I make it once a week. It’s fresh and great on everything. So easy too.
Absolutely the best flavor of any salsa recipes I’ve ever tried! The ONLY thing I will do next time is to look for a jalapeño with more lines. I hear those have more heat. No reflection on your recipe.
I have no plans of looking for any other salsa recipe…EVER!
Yay, I’m happy you loved the flavor in my version! :)
Am curious to see what you think about making it in batches in a mini food processor. Trying to downsize some of my kitchen appliances and switching to mini food processor as gadget of choice for everyday.
You can use a mini food processor if you make this in smaller batches.
This is the best salsa I ever tasted. The flavors are great, will not go back to buying salsa in a jar 😋
Thrilled to hear you’re loving this salsa recipe Renee!
The title is no lie – BEST SALSA EVER!!! I made this with the guacamole recipe (awesome) and the fajita recipe and my boys tore it up!!! They can’t get enough and 2nd batch tomorrow. Thank you so much for putting this out there, it’s 1st class, the best for sure.
This looks so good! I’m not a fan of cilantro. Can. I leave it out or sub with parsley? Is the cilantro flavor strong in this recipe? TIA
Sure thing Tanis!
**San Marzano canned whole tomatoes with garlic and red pepper ** i meant 🙀
Amazing! Due to what I had on hand, I couldn’t follow your recipe to the tee, however with the results I have already got – I CANNOT WAIT to make it with the suggested ingredients! And the salsa hasn’t even had its 1 hour+ to marry their flavors. (Used Manzano Whole canned tomatoes with garlic, drained, a can of jalapeños vs chillies, and a serano pepper vs jalapeño since the canned was already that… plus I love spice so o left the seeds in)
Thank you so very much for sharing this delightfully tasty and easy recipe!!
Happy to hear you loved this salsa recipe Cheri – despite the fact you didn’t have everything on hand!
This is a delicious recipe! I never thought of making salsa with canned tomatoes, but it’s genius! So much flavor and the perfect restaurant style salsa.
It definitely helps create that smooth yet chunky texture.
Simply the best. You truly will never want to buy pre-made salsa again!! Love that you can adjust the spice level to your taste as well. Thanks Lisa!
Definitely skip the store-bought stuff with this recipe :)
How much cilantro paste would you use in place of fresh cilantro?
Thanks
Shirleen
Hi Shirleen – I’ve never used cilantro paste, but you might want to start with a tablespoon or two, then taste and see how you like it.
Excellent recipe! I love how simple yet flavorful this salsa is. A couple extra notes:
1. The fire roasted tomatoes I used didn’t have much extra juice in the can. I’m glad I thought to drain them over a small bowl, because I ended up adding some of the juice back in to get the perfect consistency.
2. I used only 1/4 tsp of salt and I think that will be plenty for me. Different canned tomatoes (or beans, or whatever) will have different sodium levels, so just keep that in mind, start small and you can always add more if needed!
3. After tasting the salsa I did also add about 1/2 tsp of cumin – not at all because it needed it but because I was feeling experimental lol. I think this recipe would lend itself well to whatever customization will suit your tastes, but is absolutely vibrant and flavorful just as written with nothing else added :)
Has anyone tried making this in a Vitamix? I’m afraid it will puree it too quickly. Thanks!
Hi Tani – This will work better in a food processor. However you can try using a Vitamix and pulse in increments and scrape down the sides as you blend!
I made this in my Vita Mix. I did as Lisa advised, one second pulses. it came out fantastic!
Hi Chuck – Glad you salsa turned out perfectly!
This recipe is sooo good and took only 5 min with little clean up. Not sure I’ll go back to buying a jarred version again!
Homemade versions are the best and much fresher :)
Tonight I had friends with teenagers over so I went for a taco party in the garden with this delicious salsa. Literary done in 3 minutes and so tasty. And I have leftovers, so lucky me!
Hi Babette- So glad everyone enjoyed this salsa! It’s always great to have leftovers.
Home-made salsa is the best for snacks at weekend! :)
You bet it is :)
Amazing! I often make pico de gallo or use fresh tomatoes to make a salsa. It requires a lot of chopping 😔. Never ever had I thought of using canned fire roasted tomatoes to make my salsa, which I always keep on hand. This recipe is delicious and took me just a few minutes. I didn’t have green chilies in my pantry so I left it out and it was still A++ all around. Can’t wait to make this again with the green chilies.
Hi Nik- The canned tomatoes definitely add a delicious rich flavor to it! Can’t wait for you to try it with green chilies next time.
I give this recipe 100/100 points!
Glad you found a winning salsa recipe Dennis!
I also add 1-2 teaspoons of cumin. It adds to the depth of flavor
Great idea Nadine :)
Hi Lisa, tried your taco and salsa recipe! Thank you for a quick healthy recipe! The salsa is delicious!
So glad you loved this one Tanya :)
My husband and I love salsa! We can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
Hope you two enjoy this one :)
It’s avocado season now so this salsa will be PERFECT for my next guac batch! It looks so wholesome, I love it! Thanks for sharing :D
Hi Jeannette- This will definitely be the perfect pairing with guacamole!
We’re trying it tonight! it already smells amazing!
Woo! Can’t wait for you to take the first dip :)
OMG I am drooling at the pictures! Salsa never looked so good. Yummm
Hope you enjoy this fresh and easy salsa recipe :)
There is nothing better than fresh salsa and this one was so easy with some great tips!
So glad you found the tips helpful in this recipe Alisa :)