Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa
This Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa tastes like it came straight from your favorite Mexican restaurant, and it’s ready in 10 minutes!
The first time I ate at as authentic Mexican restaurant, I was blown away when the customary bowl of chips and salsa arrived at the table. The salsa was so… different. Different from all of the jarred salsas that I had ever known. The chunks weren’t as big, it had more heat, and you could clearly taste the tomatoes, lime, and cilantro. To say that I loved it would be a massive understatement; I could have easily made a meal of just fresh tortilla chips and that salsa.
It took me awhile, but I eventually found the absolute best recipe for restaurant style salsa so that I could make it at home. I’ve been making this recipe for well over five years now, and it is by far my favorite salsa, ever.
(And speaking of making a meal out of chips and salsa… my husband and I totally did that for lunch on Saturday!)
Not only is this salsa bursting with tons of fresh flavors, but it couldn’t be easier or quicker to make. Just put all of the ingredients into a food processor (I think a blender would work too), and then pulse to your desired consistency. BOOM! Done!
I keep cans of whole tomatoes and Rotel in pantry just in case an emergency batch of salsa needs to be made!
Sit down with an entire bag of tortilla chips, a bowl of this salsa, and watch them both disappear. Or make one of my favorite quick snacks – my mom used to make this a lot when we were watching TV in the evening: spread a little bit of cream cheese on a plate, top with shredded cheddar and microwave until the cheese is melted. Top with salsa and dig in!
You know how after you make spaghetti sauce your fingers smell like garlic? Well, when I was done making this, my fingers smelled like jalapeño, lime and cilantro. Major success!
This recipe makes a huge amount, so it’s perfect to have on hand for a party, for a game day, or just to keep in the refrigerator for snacking.
One year ago: Top 10 List: Favorite Main Dishes
Five years ago: Crunchy Good-For-You Granola Bars
Six years ago: Raisin Bran Muffins
Eight years ago: Cheesecake Truffles
Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa
This Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa tastes like it came straight from your favorite Mexican restaurant, and it’s ready in 10 minutes!
Ingredients:
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained
2 (10-ounce) cans Rotel
½ small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 jalepeño, seeds removed and thinly sliced
½ cup cilantro
Juice from ½ a lime
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until it reaches your desired consistency (less for a chunkier salsa, more for a thinner one – my salsa pictured above was 8 to 10 pulses). Refrigerate for at least one hour, then serve with your favorite tortilla chips. This salsa can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe Notes:
*Note: This makes a large quantity, so if you are using a food processor with less than an 11-cup capacity, work in batches.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
(Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman)
All images and text ©
This recipe was originally published on May 3, 2011.
This salsa sounds wonderful! I can’t wait to try 🙂
If you have too much feel free to send me a jar! I will supply my own chips! LOL! Looks so good!
I love homemade salsas, and am on a search for the perfect recipe. I will definitely have to try this one soon. How long can you store it and how? I know it’ll take us a WHILE to get through 6 cups worth! Can you freeze it or will that ruin the texture?
Buy some half pint mason jars and can them. You can store them up to a year if you do that
OR….Better yet just make 1/2 a batch. 1 – 14 oz can tomatoes, 1 can rotel…etc. I do it ALL the time.
Can you tell me how to go about canning this hot sauce? Is it different than canning fresh tomatoes? Do you have to boil it. If so, how long? Thanks for the info.
Yes! I’ve been successfully freezing this for over a year with fantastic results. It’s a little more watery than when it’s freshly made, but still waaaay better than jarred salsa! And, it’s surprising how much of this you can eat over the course of a week. ?
Nothing is better than a bowl of fresh salsa! Yum 🙂
Wow, that looks fantastic! I want to dive into a bowl of it right now–and I haven’t even had breakfast yet! 😉
This looks delish! I’m thinking of using this as the base for my next Mexican style chicken paella dish—perhaps minus the lime. 😉 I think it will give it an interesting, fresh twist.
mmm, sounds like a salsa i just made over the weekend. but i used fire roasted tomatoes, i’d love to try your version too!
I spend a lot of time in Mexico, I saw them fire roast tomatoes, I cannot find the plate the used on the stove to roast tomatoes, I make my own special salsa I learned when I was in Mexico, I need help please.
The plate you are referring to is called a “comal”. You can find it at most mexican supermarkets. You can also just use a plain old fashioned cast iron pan, I do that all the time.
I’m having a big group of hungry boys as house guests this weekend and was planning to make lots of Mexican fare. Looks like I will have to make this instead of the jar of salsa I was planning to buy…
Couldn’t even wait until the weekend, made it today. FANTASTIC! I hope it lasts until the weekend!
Looks fresh and so tasty!
Mmm the chips and salsa brought to the table immediately upon arriving at a Mexican restaurant is one of my favorite things about going there. I sometimes only eat half my meal cause I eat too much of it! And now I can have it at home? I will never cook again O:-)
Homemade Salsa freezes well too. Thanks for providing an exact measurement of ingredients. I usually wander out to the garden to harvest most of these ingredients and just toss them together randomly. The result is still tasty but, I like the road map that you have provided. Also, I encourage everyone to grow their own food, especially the cilantro. Fresh cilantro from home makes the difference.
I absolutely LOVE this recipe and so does everyone else I share it with. The HUGE batch doesn’t seem to last very long. I just wanted to give you (or anyone else reading this) a little tip. I tried using Trader Joe’s can of tomatoes & green chiles since they don’t sell the Rotel brand. Sounds silly, but it really did make all the difference.
I’ve been making this since I first saw it on The Pioneer Woman and it is always a huge hit, so delicious. It is hands down the best salsa recipe ever. I’m glad you commented about the food processor size, the first time I made it I started dumping everything in and I had quite a mess so I learned the hard way to make it in two batches 🙂
This is similar to the salsa I make – you should try throwing a peach in there, or even a mango or pineapple. It adds a nice little kick! And I’d go for red onion over yellow, it gives it a better bite.
And now I want salsa.
I just made PW’s pico de gallo. She’s a magician! Great pictures!!
I love how easy this recipe is. Going to try it for Cinco.
I must confess that while I always make my own guacamole and other sauces, I hardly ever make salsa. This recipe should change that, though! I’ve bookmarked it!
Oh homemade salsa (and restaurant salsa) is my weakness. I think I had my husband go out to our local mexican restaurant once a week while I was pregnant.
You are talkin’ to a salsa fanatic!! If my mother in law didn’t make salsa (and would get VERY offended if I ate anyone else’s salsa but her’s…) I would definitely try this!
Sneak around, unless she lives with you.
mmmm. Sounds sooo good!!! I have never made homemade salsa because it always seemed so complicated and time consuming, but this recipe sounds so quick and easy PLUS the bonus of tasting like restaruant salsa, GENIUS!!!!!!!!!!!! Am so going to make this tonight and present my sons teacher with a jar of it tomorrow for her teacher appreciation gift, much better than the store bought jar i was gonna buy her, plus i can prettify it!!! 🙂
mmm! This would be super good with fresh tomatoes once tomato season rolls around!
I’m so excited…I HATE chunky tomatoes so this salsa is right up my alley. I just had some awesome salsa at a local Mexican restaurant (I’m from the ‘Burgh, too!) and this looks just like it. Can’t wait to try it.
Hey Lisa! Which restaurant were you at?
Hi Michelle! El Campesino in Monroeville. I know they have several locations now.
Nice! I haven’t been there, but my boyfriend has raved about it, I’m sure we’ll get there eventually!
I just made this, after seeing the recipe posted on facebook. I absolutely LOVE salsa and despise the store bought stuff. I thought I had already found the perfect salsa recipe until this one! WOW! I made it for my boyfriend and myself….huge bowl but I am positive it will not last long….I’ve already ate my weight in chips and salsa now, haha. Thanks for posting, it’s awesome!
This salsa recipe looks insanely delicious… and authentic! I can’t wait to try this recipe!!
YES!!!! I love this style of salsa!!!! I have yet to make it myself though but really, what am I waiting for ?! I usually buy fresh salsa from the grocery store and doctor it up with lime juice and cilantro but it’s still not the same. Next time I make mexican food, I’m definitely making this!!!
You just made me so hungry! I could live off of salsa and now I don’t want a real dinner. I want this salsa. This post is probably one of the best posts ever. You officially have my heart. Thank you for sharing this!
dana
danalovestobake.blogspot.com
thats very similar to the salsa i make! i looove it! just wait til summer comes & you can use fresh out of the garden tomatoes! Their freshness makes the salsa wonderful!
I love Mexican food too and am also from Pittsburgh. What’s your favorite Mexican restaurant around here?
Hi Mariel! Mad Mex is usually my favorite. I’ve been to Mexico City on Wood Street, which was good – I like the hand-smashed guacamole right at the table!
OMG–Mad Mex!!! The mole sauce is so darn good. If you like margaritas, don’t miss their mango version.
Oooh I have not had their mango margarita – I will definitely try it the next time I’m there!
Yum! There’s nothing better than restaurant salsa and chips 🙂 Though I am a huge fan of Paul Newman’s salsa (except the hot is not nearly hot enough!). Your salsa looks SO delicious!
“You know how after you make spaghetti sauce your fingers smell like garlic and basil? And you know that it means kitchen success? (Or lack of an odor-neutralizing soap?)”
If you don’t have an odor-neutralizing soap, the other thing that works well is to rub your fingers with stainless steel under warm water — some kitchen stores sell soap-shaped blocks of stainless steel . . . . I just grab a large spoon out of the dishwasher (or usually the sink, if I’ve just finished making something) . . . . it really works!
This is my favorite kind of salsa – ground fine and full of cilantro and heat. Love it, Michelle.
One of my favorite snacks!
How perfect is this recipe for summer! Love fresh, homemade salsa 🙂
When I worked for a caterer, we made a very similar recipe… that stuff gets gobbled up around here in Southern California like there’s no tomorrow. Looks perfect.
Mmmm, chips and salsa, my favorite part of a meal. If only I could find rotel cans here in Holland.
These are the same ingredients I use to make salsa…SO yummy!!!!
I love chips and salsa too. It is my favorite snack and I am notorious for eating the whole basket of chips and salsa at Mexican restaurants only to have two bites of my actual meal. This is a great recipe. Have you ever tried the pure green salsas that have strong flavor of cilantro?
Hi Emily, I have never had (or even seen!) this very green type of salsa. I like cilantro, but I’m not sure I love it enough for that 😉
The green coloring is from the use of tomatillos instead of tomatoes, not from an overwhelming amount of cilantro 😉 For an amazing take on green salsa, try this recipe:
http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/01/salsa-salvation-ninfas-green-sauce.html
Actually, try any of her salsa/pico/Tex-Mex recipes, they’re all pretty amazing!
PERFECT for Cinco de Mayo! And I love that you included cumin! 😀
Minus the cilantro, I’m digging it. Or maybe I could just do a little less cilantro ’cause my hubby & daughter don’t hate it like I do. Wouldn’t mind my fingers smelling like lime and cumin.
Hmmm salsa. that looks great.
OMG!! This was SO easy and it is absolutely delicious!!! I love the tanginess of the lime juice. I made it without the jalapeño, because I didn’t have one, but it was spicy enough with the Rotel. Thank you for this recipe. My husband it going to love it! Oh, I also left out the cilantro, because I am not a fan. I have tried to like it, but it just doesn’t agree with my taste buds. Oh well! This salsa is still delicious! Thank you again!
I made this today for a friend who judges Mexican restaurants by her salsa. She said that she would come back to this restaurant, so the salsa is a WIN! I’ll be posting this on http://www.dishingthedivine.com soon (with, of course, credit to you, Michelle!)
I love how easy this sounds! I made salsa once last year to can it, but I’ve never made it “just because.” I need to try this!
Oh, I just LOVE the salsa at *good* Mexican restaurants. You’re right, it blows jarred salsa from the store completely out of the water. I’ve never actually made it myself, but I’ve got to give this a try. Yum!
My mouth literally watered looking at this! yum I am craving salsa and chips now!
I have been making this version for about a year now. When I make it I put it in a 2 quart pitcher – makes for easier serving. I do have to report my family likes additional heat so I use the whole jalepeno (or 2) including the seeds and sometimes a few drops of Dave’s Insanity Sauce, but than I have a husband with an iron stomach and a 17 year old son who prides himself on being on the wall of fame at the local BBQ joint for eating a ghost pepper. Said son also does not eat much in the way of vegetables, so I am very happy to make this often as a way of getting some form of vegetable into him.
My boys thought that this was the BEST!!! We ate the entire batch in less than 24 hrs! Thank goodness I had a house full of HS seniors or I would REALLY be feeling “pigish”! Now I have to go try Mexico City on Wood Street. I’m not a big fan of El Camps. Our favorite is Compadres up in Meadville (they also have a location right by the Grove City Outlets). Their salsa tastes JUST like YOURS!
Salsa is one of my favorite foods. Especially with lots of cilantro. The best salsa I ever had was when every ingredient came out of my friend’s garden last summer. This recipe looks scrumptious even with store-bought tomatoes, etc. Yum.
Made the salsa and it was perfect!! His teacher LOVED it and so did the class and other parents at the party!!! 😀 My hubby thought it was a little spicy so i halved the recipe and made a half batch and mixed the remaining in with it and he is happy! 🙂 Thanks So Much Michelle!!!!
I made this for last weekend when my sister and cousin were over with wholemade corn chips.. it was AMAZING but a tad on the spicy side!!! I think next time I’ll leave the jalapeno out!
xo – Marie
Chocolate & Wine
I love this recipe! My husband said after his first chip “I’d buy that at the store!”
Thanks so much!
Wow.! its look delicious i believe that food kind of dish will became popular.
Everybody eats too many chips and salsa when they are in a restaurant. It is impossible not to.
This recipe looks excellent. I love a good salsa, the spicier the better IMHO. Thanks for the recipe.
Earlier in the week I was invited to a dinner get together, and the hostess not knowing I love to bake assigned me to bring chips and salsa. I felt I couldn’t show up without something homemade, and so stumbled upon your recipe.
Let’s just say the salsa was the HIT of the evening! Good thing I saved some back at home because my container was empty at the end of tonight with several requests for the recipe! Thanks!
I made this salsa and took it to my son’s house for a cookout. My daughter-in-law said it was the the best she had ever tasted. What more could a MIL want? And yes, I agreed with her.
This is pretty much almost exactly like how I make my salsa. Great minds think alike! Thanks for sharing!
The Salsa is just wonderful. My daughter from Dallas and I made it the other day. But.. we used 3/4 cups chopped onions, juice for the whole lime, 5 cloves of garlis (mine seemed really small) and 4 jalepenos. We really like the bite. Keep thoes great recipes comming. Thanks a million
This sounds totally yummy! My hubby is allergic to cilantro, is there something I could substitute, like parsley? I still would like to make it.
Hi Ileana, cilantro is a pretty distinct flavor in Mexican cooking; if your husband is allergic I would probably just omit it. Parsley would give it a totally different flavor.
Love, love, love this recipe! I couldn’t find the tomatoes with chiles here in Canada so I used diced tomatoes with red pepper and it turned out great. I may never buy jarred salsa again! Thanks for another great recipe!
P.S. I used this salsa on my tacos that I made with your taco mix recipe… yummy!
Oh man, I’ve been looking for a great salsa recipe and seems like this is it….but i can’t get Rotel here in Singapore, so can i just substitute it with diced tomatoes in a can??
You can definitely sub canned diced tomatoes. The green chiles add a little heat so if you like your salsa spicy, feel free to add another jalapeno!
I made this and love it! I scraped about half of the jalapeno membranes out and the salsa has just the right amount of heat for me. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Just finished making this and it’s terrific 🙂 I have a party to go to in a couple days so I will defnitely be bringing this but can I freeze any unused salsa? I ask because although I love to share this is too good to give it all away!
Thanks.
Hmm I’m not sure about freezing; I have never done so. I guess you freeze spaghetti sauce though, so maybe this would freeze similarly? If you do it, I’d love to know how well it thaws!
This salsa recipe is amazing ….I wil try it just with normal tomato…
Oh my!!!! I made this today and added a little more lime and cilantro and this is the best salsa I’ve ever eaten. We have a favorite mexican restaurant with our favorite salsa..but this is the new favorite. Great recipe 🙂
Holy guacamole, is this salsa ever good. I’ve made it half a dozen times now, and people rave. Thank you, Michelle!
I like to tinker with recipes, so after some experimentation, I’ve decided to double the Rotel, onion, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro.
My husband just loves this salsa with some minor modifications. He likes salsa a bit hotter so I use one can of the hot rotel and an extra jalapeno. I also bump up the cumin and garlic since I love them so much.
This stuff is AWESOME. The whole family loves it, as do the guys my husband works with. This is supposed to be a “ginormous” recipe, but I still have to double it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Michelle can i safely can this recipe cause this is what i’m looking for but I want something I am able to CAN so I can have it year round, if so do I need to add anything to it and how long (if at all) would I have to process it? Also Anyone give me a very similar recipe without using canned stuff..(i have fresh tomatoes coming out my ears) THANKS speedy response would be GREAT!
Hi Katie, I honestly have never canned and don’t know the protocol as to what needs to be done to safely can a recipe.
I grow my own Roma Tomatoes. How many Tomatoes is in a 28 oz can of Whole Tomatoes?
I’m wondering the same thing!
This is THE BEST salsa ever. I have given it in cue jars as gifts, bring it to dinner parties, and eat entire batches throughout the week. Needless to say, I will never buy store salsa again either. And with melted cheese on chips, dont even get me started….SO GOOD!!
I made this recipe tonight. OMG! It was so fresh tasting and so easy to make. I have to say it was a litte hot but that was great. Thank you for such a easy and delious recipe I will be making it for get togethers and potlucks at work.
I made your Salsa over the weekend for a dinner party and I have to say it was a huge hit! I only had a small chopper so I did everything in batches and I left one can of the Rotel unchopped and it gave it a nice chunky salsa. Thank you so much for making it look like I slaved in the kitchen all day 🙂
Oh my goodness…
I both love and hate you for introducing me to this recipe!!!!! This is hands down the best salsa I have ever had! I have already made it twice and and obsessed with it. I do have one request…Please, for the sake of my sanity (and figure) do not learn how to make the queso dip at Mexican restaurants and post it on your blog! :o)
I made this salsa last night, it is soooooo delicious! Do you mind if I share this on my blog?
Hi Angela, So glad you enjoyed it! You’re more than welcome to share it on your blog, I only ask for a link back as credit. Thank you!
Thank you!! I have linked your site through my blog. 🙂
I just made this tonight for my family and it was simply awesome!! Thanks to you and Ree for an amazing salsa recipe! 🙂
This salsa is fantastic and wonderfully easy. As with any recipe I have to tinker, so I added a tsp of Mexican Oregano for the extra “pop”, some fresh ground black pepper, and more cumin because I love the stuff. I also used a red onion. Delicious!
I have made this salsa for family and friends and it is always a hit! Tastes just like the salsa you get at a good Mexican restaurant. I get requests to make it all the time. Makes a large batch and keeps for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator in an airtight container….if it lasts that long!
How long does this keep for?
Hi Kari, I’d say you could keep it for about a week or so. You could also freeze any leftovers.
OH MY GOD! So Good! Thanks for the recipe. I Knew I wouldn’t be able to finish 6 cups though so i just quartered the recipe. But used double the Jalepeneo 😛
I don’t normally post comments, but I just made this, chilling in the fridge right now. I can’t wait to surprise my family with this salsa. Tonight is Mexican dinner night with this salsa with chips to start out with. Thank you, once again, Ms. Brown Eyed Baker!
I’ve made this on multiple occasions and me and my mom eat all of it in a week. It never last very long.
This was amazing! I am going to use a 2nd jalapeno and extra cilantro next time!
Excited about this recipe! I too, have had to take home my lunch from eating waaaaaaayyyy too much salsa that was too delicious to stop eating. I can’t wait to try this. Thank you!
As soon as I saw this recipe I started craving salsa like mad, but we didn’t even have the jarred stuff, so I made a quickie version of this! I didn’t have any Rotel or jalepenos on-hand, but I had everything else plus I added a can of green chiles I had lying around. That alone tastes AMAZING and got rave reviews from my family, so I can only imagine what the full-fledged version is like! Thanks so much for this amazing recipe 🙂
This was the first salsa recipe I ever tried to make. In short, it was amazing. I found it just as good, if not better, than what was served at the Mexican restaurants. Once I started eating it, I couldn’t stop.
I made this recipe for a while, ever so slightly adding ingredients, removing ingredients, and altering portions, until I had my own personal recipe, while ultimately I deviated a lot from this recipe, I wouldn’t have ever had the recipe that I have now, without first having this one to learn from.
I kept my new salsa recipe to myself for quite some time. I was worried what people would think. At a company potluck, I brought a large bowl of the salsa. People stopped dipping it out onto their plates and bowls, and just started standing around the bowl dipping chip after chip, like family would when eating out of one bowl. Emails and Phone calls went out from upper management trying to find who had brought the salsa. I later was contacted wanting to know if I was selling it, and if I was willing to sell the recipe.
I do on rare occasion jar and sell it, but to this day have never shared my recipe. Instead when people ask for it, I just point them to this site :).
I would like to know if anyone knows how to can this recipe. Is it the same as canning fresh tomatoes? Do you have to boil it? If so, how long? This looks delicious.
Thanks for the help!
I made this the other day… and it is delicious. BUT, instead of the recommended salt, I say add as you like. Instead of 1/4 cup onion – do half an onion. Instead of 1/2 cup of cilantro – do a full cup. A whole lime instead of half a lime… and a full jalapeno, halve it, drop it in the blender (unless you don’t want it hot, then take out the seeds).
I don’t know if anyone is still watching this site or not, but for those people interested in trying to can this recipe…I have a Ball canning “how to” book that I have searched through and there are several salsa recipes in it. All of them contain the same process “bring salsa to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, ladle HOT salsa into HOT canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, clean the rim, arrange lids and rings, then process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes.” (FYI- these instructions are for pint size jars) This recipe calls for salt and acid (lime juice) and those are classic ingredients for canning, so I can’t see why this process wouldn’t work on this recipe. I’m going to give it a try later today and I’ll come back and let everyone know how it goes.
Hi Amanda, Thanks so much for sharing! Please let us know how it goes.
Well, it’s been a week since I tried my hand at canning this salsa recipe. So far my jars are still sealed and there is no sign of spoilage in them whatsoever, so….I say YES! You can can this recipe! I followed the directions from my last post, but with some modifications. I brought the salsa to a boil, turned it down and simmered it for 10 minutes (meanwhile boiling my clean jars, lids, & rings in another pot to sterilize them). Then I ladled the salsa into the hot jars, left about 1/4 inch headspace, used a spatula to release any air bubbles, cleaned the rim, and screwed the lids on until finger tight. Then I just let them sit on a towel on the counter. I didn’t bother with the water bath (according to my veteran canner of a mom, it’s really an unnecessary step if both the salsa and jars are already sterile). They made the tell-tale pop of self sealing (man I love that sound) about 20 minutes later.
NOTE: If you’re going to use fresh tomatoes to make this salsa recipe (like I did), then you REALLY need to use about 1 to 2 tsp salt instead of the 1/4 tsp the recipe calls for. Otherwise your salsa will be tasteless.
How did you substitute fresh tomatoes for canned? What amounts?
Thank you sooooo much for posting the canning directions. Have you opened any of the canned jars yet? I was wondering how the salsa tasted (if any different). I am going to try to can this as I have made this recipe several times now and I can’t seem to keep it for more then a few days and people keep wanting more!!! I have never made salsa before and it feels so good when you make something and people keep begging for me to make more!
I tried this recipe when I saw it on PW’s site and agree, it’s a good one. The stuff in the jar is so mediocre when compared to freshly made salsa. I want to try canning a double batch so I have plenty on hand for football season.
This is the best Salsa i’ve ever eaten and made. I make this recipe once a week and it is always gone in a few days. Everyone that has tried mine had to have the recipe. Thanks Brown Eyed Baker!!
Has anyone made this with a bender? Was it good?
This salsa is amazing. We have been looking for one (so we didn’t have to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant to buy it) and my daughter gave the thumbs up and said we are never buying jarred salsa again.
Thank you sooooooo much!!!!!
I make this salsa all the time for my family and we absolutely love it. I have a couple of additions for you to try. We had about a tablespoon of Mexican oregano (make sure it’s MEXICAN, not Italian and crush it in the palm of your hand to make it smaller and release the oils) and to taste some El Pato. If you don’t know, El Pato is a Mexican tomato sauce and it’s kind of spicy, so be careful.
I have made it in the blender, but it’s better in a food processor. The blender tends to liquefy it too much for our tastes.
I make this all the time too!
This looks amazing! I really want to make this, but I don’t want to use canned tomatoes.
Can I substitute fresh tomatoes for the canned (and Rotel)? If so, how much?
Hi Lauren, I have not used fresh, but you would want to make sure they are peeled, and just use the same weights. For the Rotel, they need to be diced with green chiles.
Okay, thanks!
4/10 Taste, but 3/10 recipe (too many seeds)
Mmmm, fresh salsa. I’m going to make this tonight !
This recipe looks so good! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I just made it and its DELICIOUS! only thing i did was increase the salt and the lime juice (brown people can’t get enough tang and salt!). Thanks!!!
I’m not sure if this is purely coincidental, but ree drummond from pioneer woman posted this exact recipe in 2010.
I was very skeptical because I’m not a fan of cilantro or cumin. BUT, this recipe is excellent. I tweaked it by adding less cilantro (because of said dislike), a little more garlic, and no jalapeno (I’m a whimp and can’t handle the heat). This truly is like a restaurant-style salsa and exactly what I’ve been looking for. Thanks for sharing with us!
Thanks. I’ve have been making this for a couple of weeks now , my family has me make a batch every Sunday.
This was a great recipe. Your pictures looks so much better than that of The Pioneer Woman. We don’t have Ro-tel tomatoes in Canada so I used a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes (drained) and one can of green chilis. I found draining the diced tomato made the salsa not as runny and everyone loved it. Will my go to recipe for fresh salsa from now on.
I just made this. Followed the recipe exactly. It’s amazing. I was worried there wouldn’t be enough garlic, but I resisted adding more. THANK YOU!!!
Ithis is the best salsa ever ! Love your recipes !
This is the most awesome salsa!
Love salsa…making some today! Would it be OK to use an 8 oz can of tomato sauce? Sometimes these recipes are a little too watery for me.
WOW, I have that same pattern of dishes….Corning Ware Corelle, Meadow! Thought I was the only one still using it.
Hi Kim, I would not use tomato sauce, the flavor would be way off. Instead, I would just drain the tomatoes really well.
Ok. what gives, this is the EXACT same recipe as Food Network’s website. Someone is plagerizing…?
Got it…the Food Network recipe is from the Pioneer Woman as well.
This recipe is hands down the best salsa recipe ever. I make huge batches to take to the beach with us and I’ve even given a friend who got married a Ninja and this recipe (crediting you of course) as a wedding gift. I never buy jar salsa anymore. Thank you!!!
Looks great, now i have to try to make it and see myself. I have to say its hard to make it as good as in the restaurants.
This looks exactly like the El Torito salsa that I loved! Pinning this for next time I need a salsa fix!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
What is Rotel?
Hi Crystal, It is a mixture of diced tomatoes and green chiles. It’s sold at the grocery store near all of the other canned tomato products.
Thanks, Michelle. I live in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada, and can’t find them. I think I’ll try using can tomatoes and adding a can of green chiles. Fingers crossed! 🙂
Restaurant style salsa is both fresh and delicious. It can also be hard to replicate. This recipe is easy to make and it is also a perfect replica of restaurant quality salsa!
This is a great recipe, tatstes great, love making my own salsa.
Simon
This sounds like the kind of salsa you can get at El Rodeo! And you’re from PA so maybe this is the case. By far the BEST salsa I ever had came from there. I can’t wait to try this recipe! I crave their salsa ALL THE TIME!!! Thank you for sharing this!
I am planing to make it today in order to fulfill my taco party. Looking really delicious! Thank you for sharing it.