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]
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!!
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.
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 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 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!
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 :).
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 :)
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!
This was amazing! I am going to use a 2nd jalapeno and extra cilantro next time!
I’ve made this on multiple occasions and me and my mom eat all of it in a week. It never last very long.
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!
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 :P
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.
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!
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 just made this tonight for my family and it was simply awesome!! Thanks to you and Ree for an amazing salsa recipe! :)
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. :)
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 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 :)
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.
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 grow my own Roma Tomatoes. How many Tomatoes is in a 28 oz can of Whole Tomatoes?
I’m wondering the same thing!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 :)
This salsa recipe is amazing ….I wil try it just with normal tomato…
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!
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!