Easy Homemade Salsa
This homemade salsa recipe is the best! It comes together in just 10 minutes and tastes like it came straight from your favorite Mexican restaurant. Use it to top beef enchiladas, or tacos, or just grab a bag of chips and dig in! The fresh flavors of tomato, lime, and cilantro will require multiple chip refills and with no leftovers!
The first time I ate at an 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 nearly 10 years now, and it is by far my favorite salsa, ever.
What Makes This Salsa the Best
There are approximately 378573627364 salsa recipes out there, but this is why you’re going to love, love, LOVE this one.
- A simple ingredient list.
- Big, bright, and fresh flavors.
- A medium heat level that you can ramp up or down.
- Low maintenance prep (no finely chopping!).
- Ready in just 10 minutes.
- Makes a HUGE batch, perfect for parties.
If you’ve tried countless jars of store-bought salsa but just can’t find your salsa soulmate, pretty please give this recipe a try.
Ingredients in Homemade Salsa
The best salsa recipe has a simple list of ingredients that allow the flavors to shine bright.
- Canned Whole Tomatoes: The first building block in any salsa recipe.
- Rotel: The canned combination of diced tomatoes with green chiles give the salsa a little kick (you can buy it in varying heat levels to suit your taste.)
- Onion + Garlic: Classic flavors that contribute to that classic salsa flavor.
- Jalapeño: More flavor and another kick of heat (be sure to remove the seeds and membranes if you prefer a mild flavor; leave them in if you want it hot hot HOT!).
- Cilantro: A cornerstone of Mexican recipes, cilantro is loaded with aroma and flavor, similar to a mixture of parsley and citrus, which means it always pairs well with our next ingredient…
- Lime Juice: A freshly squeezed lime balances out the heavier ingredients and brightens up the flavor of the salsa.
- Salt + Sugar + Cumin: The final seasoning comes from salt and sugar, which help to draw out the other flavors, and cumin, which adds a touch of smoky flavor.
You might want to adjust a few of these depending on your heat tolerance or personal preference, but after trying dozens of homemade salsa recipes, I’m convinced that this combination of ingredients makes the absolute BEST salsa!
How to Make This Homemade Salsa
Okay, are you ready? Pay close attention.
- Add ingredients to the blender. All of them, throw ’em in!
- Pulse to your desired consistency – less for chunkier salsa, more for a finer consistency.
- BOOM! You’re done!
Seriously, that’s it. So, so easy. I do prefer to pop it in the refrigerator for about an hour so all of the flavors can meld together, but it’s not absolutely necessary if you want to serve it right away.
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 (one of my mom’s late-night specialties): 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!
More Favorite Mexican Dips for Your Next Party!
- The Best Homemade Guacamole Recipe
- Black Bean Salsa
- Seven Layer Dip
- Salsa Verde with Hatch Chiles
- Taco Dip
- Slow Cooker Spicy Beef Queso Dip
- Queso Fundido
- Mango-Pineapple Salsa
- Warm Black Bean Dip
Seven years ago: Salted Mexican Chocolate-Chile Caramels
Easy Homemade Salsa
Ingredients
- 28 ounce (793.79 g) can whole tomatoes, drained
- 2 10-ounce (566.99 g) cans Rotel
- ½ (0.5) small onion, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 jalepeño, seeds removed and thinly sliced
- ½ cup (8 g) cilantro, loosely packed
- ½ lime, juiced
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground cumin
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
- Rotel is a common canned product found in the U.S. – it is a mixture of diced tomatoes and green chiles. If you cannot find it, feel free to substitute an equal amount of canned diced tomatoes and green chiles.
- 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!
This recipe was originally published in May 2011.
[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]
“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!
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!
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!
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!
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
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!!!
This salsa recipe looks insanely delicious… and authentic! I can’t wait to try this recipe!!
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!
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!
mmm! This would be super good with fresh tomatoes once tomato season rolls around!
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!!! :)
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.
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.
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!
I love how easy this recipe is. Going to try it for Cinco.
I just made PW’s pico de gallo. She’s a magician! Great pictures!!
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’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 :)
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.
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.
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:-)
Looks fresh and so tasty!
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!
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.
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.
Wow, that looks fantastic! I want to dive into a bowl of it right now–and I haven’t even had breakfast yet! ;)
Nothing is better than a bowl of fresh salsa! Yum :)
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. ?
If you have too much feel free to send me a jar! I will supply my own chips! LOL! Looks so good!
This salsa sounds wonderful! I can’t wait to try :)