A 5-minute recipe for a delicious restaurant-style homemade salsa. Tomatoes, onion, garlic and cilantro are pulsed together in a blender and seasoned with lime, salt and cumin to make the easiest and tastiest salsa ever!
Ingredients for Restaurant-Style Salsa
When I said this is the easiest salsa you'll ever make, I wasn't kidding! All you need to make this zesty salsa is mini pearl tomatoes, onion chunks, a clove of garlic (or two), cilantro, a lime, salt and cumin.
You can also add a jalapeno pepper to this recipe to customize it to your taste. I like to skip it so everyone, including kids, can enjoy this salsa without having to worry about spice levels.
How to Make Salsa with Canned Tomatoes
My kids prefer the taste of fresh tomatoes versus canned, so that is what I use in my recipe. But, you can also make this salsa with canned tomatoes instead of fresh mini tomatoes. The big bonus is that you will get that gorgeous bright red color as soon as you make it.
In my experience, using a quality brand of whole peeled tomatoes makes a difference to the taste. I personally like to use San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes without their juices. A 28-once can of whole tomatoes will work just as well in this recipe.
How to Make Homemade Salsa
Step 1: Add all ingredients to the blender
Add tomatoes, onion chunks, garlic and cilantro to the blender jar. If using a jalapeno, add that as well.
Step 2: Squeeze in fresh lime juice
Squeeze in about two tablespoons of lime juice (roughly 1 medium sized lime). You can adjust this quantity based on how tangy you like your salsa.
Step 3: Add seasoning
Add salt and ground cumin to the blender. If using paprika, add that now.
Step 4: Blend everything
Close the lid and press pulse a few times till your reach your desired level of chunkiness. Blend it more if you like your salsa more pureed. Take it out in a bowl and refrigerate for about an hour for best results.
If using fresh tomatoes, the color at this point will not be a bright red but more like pinkish-red, as you can see in the image below. But, it will darken as it sits in the refrigerator.
Storage- How Long Will Homemade Salsa Last?
Since this salsa is made with fresh uncooked ingredients, it should be refrigerated until ready to consume. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator or frozen for up to three months.
Recipe Tips & Notes
Here a few tips on how to make a restaurant-style salsa that will beat your local taqueria:
- To get a bright red color in your salsa, use canned whole tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes, you can add ½ teaspoon or more of sweet paprika to enhance the color. The color also becomes darker as it marinates in the refrigerator.
- After preparing the salsa, refrigerate it for 30 minutes to an hour. This allows the salsa to marinate in its own juices. Although you can use it instantly, this salsa tastes best after refrigeration.
- Use fresh lime juice. Lime concentrate doesn't work as well as compared to fresh lime in this recipe.
- If you like your salsa with a kick, add a seeded chopped jalapeno to the blender along with other ingredients.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator or freeze it for up to three months.
More Mexican/Tex-Mex Recipes from my Kitchen
- Easy Guacamole: This is the easiest and tastiest Guacamole recipe ever! It's quick, fresh and simply delicious!
- Pico De Gallo: Fresh, zesty and irresistible, this chunky and vibrant salsa from Mexico is made with just six ingredients.
- Instant Pot Carnitas: Juicy and tender shredded pork flavored with Mexican spices.
- Salsa Chicken Tacos: Easiest pulled chicken recipe using 3 ingredients and an Instant Pot.
- Mexican Rice: Text-Mex style rice flavored with Mexican spices.
- Creamy Black Beans: These creamy & delicious black beans are a perfect side for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, or any Cal-Mex or Tex-Mex inspired meal.
- Chicken Fajitas: An easy Chicken Fajitas recipe that's super flavorful and bursting with Mexican seasoning is quickly prepared in the oven or air fryer in under 25 minutes.
- Chicken Tinga Tacos: It's a colorful and customizable shredded chicken filling for a taco, tostada, burrito or enchilada.
- Avocado Cilantro Sauce: This Avocado Dressing is creamy, luscious and gets its bright, vibrant flavor from cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice.
- Taco Burger: This Taco Burger recipe features ground chicken with onions, peppers and cilantro, generously seasoned with taco seasoning.
- Bean & Cheese Burrito: This Chipotle-style Bean Burrito recipe is a Mexican-inspired vegetarian meal that can easily be wrapped in a tortilla or built into a bowl.
- Black bean Quesadillas: Crispy quesadillas filled with Tex-Mex spiced black beans, peppers, onion, corn and lots of cheese!
Homemade Salsa FAQ
While blending air is incorporated and that causes the salsa not to look red. Let the salsa sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour and it will darken naturally. Alternatively, you can add paprika during blending.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator or freeze it for up to three months.
Add 1-2 habanero chili peppers along with other ingredients to make this salsa spicy. Alternatively, add 1-2 tablespoons of hot sauce.
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Salsa (Restaurant-style Salsa)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups mini tomatoes cherry or mini pearl grape(or 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, drained)
- ½ onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 garlic clove (can add more to taste)
- ½ cup cilantro (packed cup), leaves and thin stems
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 tablespoon lime juice (1 lime)
Optional Ingredient
- 1 Jalapeno de-seeded and finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika to brighten the color ( I use it only when I'm using it immediately)
Instructions
- Rinse mini pearl or cherry tomatoes and keep aside. Peel ½ an onion and cut it in large chunks. Peel a garlic clove, rinse and drain cilantro, leaves and thin stems only.
- Add tomatoes, onion chunks, garlic and cilantro to the blender jar. If using a jalapeno, add that as well. Squeeze in about a tablespoon of lime juice (roughly 1 medium sized lime). Add salt and ground cumin to the blender. If using paprika, add that as well.
- Close the lid and press pulse a few times, till your reach your desired level of chunkiness. Blend it more if you like your salsa more pureed. Take it out in a bowl and refrigerate for about an hour for best results.
Notes
- To get a bright red color in your salsa, use canned whole tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes, you can add ½ teaspoon or more of sweet paprika to enhance the color. The color also becomes darker as it marinates in the refrigerator.
- After preparing the salsa, refrigerate it for 30 minutes to an hour. This allows the salsa to marinate in its own juices. Although you can use it instantly, this salsa tastes best after refrigeration.
- Use fresh lime juice. Lime concentrate doesn't work as well as compared to fresh lime in this recipe.
- If you like your salsa with a kick, add a seeded chopped jalapeno to the blender along with other ingredients.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator or freeze it for up to three months.
Savitri says
Made with canned organic peeled pomodori tomatoes and 1 jalapeno pepper.
It's delicious !!
How long can I keep it in the refrigerator (I put it in a glass jar with screw lid)?
Thanks Aneesha for this delicious salsa recipe.
Greetings from The Netherlands,
😘 Savitri & the twins
Aneesha says
Hi Savitri, thank you, I'm so glad you and the girls enjoyed it. You can store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator or freeze it for up to three months. Thanks to you, I updated the post with this information today 🙂