This easy homemade salsa recipe takes less than 15 minutes to make, is easily adaptable to your favorite spice level, and lasts a week in the fridge.
I love how simple this is to make! Simply throw tomatoes, onion, garlic, peppers, and cilantro into a blender or food processor. Pulse everything until chopped, and then season with salt, pepper, and lime.
The ingredient list for this easy salsa is very similar to what you need to make pico de gallo. The only difference is that this salsa is blended, while we chop the ingredients for pico de gallo by hand. Both are delicious and amazing served next to homemade tortilla chips!
Key Ingredients
- Tomatoes: I’ve used both fresh and canned tomatoes for this salsa recipe. If you have access to fresh, ripe tomatoes, use them! Canned tomatoes work well, too, especially if you’re making this when great tomatoes are out of season. For extra flavor, you can use fire-roasted canned tomatoes.
- Onion: I typically use white or sweet onion when making salsa. To tone down the raw bite of the onion, I chop it, add it to a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes, and then drain it. I also use this trick for homemade guacamole, which makes such a difference!
- Garlic: I like a little kick of garlic flavor in my salsa, so I use 2 cloves. Feel free to adjust that amount to your taste. You can also turn this into roasted garlic salsa by using homemade roasted garlic.
- Jalapeño Peppers: I adjust the spice level by adding or removing the pepper seeds and membrane. The white membrane and seeds inside chili peppers are what make them spicy. I’ve shared tips below for making mild, medium, and hot salsa.
- Cilantro and Lime: I love the fresh flavor that cilantro and lime bring to this salsa. Some people prefer to leave the cilantro out, so if that’s you, feel free. I highly recommend using fresh lime juice for this recipe.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Homemade Salsa
Tip 1: Use the pulse function. For a texture similar to restaurant-style or jarred salsa, use the pulse button on your food processor or blender. This allows you to control the texture and get it just right. We prefer ours a little chunky.
Tip 2: Deflame the onions. I’m pretty sensitive to raw onions, so I always deflame them before adding them. You can see me do this in the video, but basically, I place chopped onions in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. Then, we drain and rinse them. This simple step takes the edge off of the raw onion.
Tip 3: Adjust the spice level. Control the heat by adding or removing the pepper seeds and membrane. The white membrane and seeds inside chili peppers are what make them spicy.
- Mild Salsa: Remove all the seeds and white membrane from the pepper, and use only 1 pepper.
- Medium Salsa: Remove most seeds and membrane, and use 2 peppers.
- Hot and Spicy Salsa: Leave seeds and membrane intact, and use 1 to 2 peppers.
Tip 4: Let it sit. The flavors in this salsa get better and better as it sits. I highly recommend making it at least 30 minutes before serving. (It will last for a week in the fridge.)
Salsa Recipe Variations
For a smoky flavor, consider incorporating 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped canned chipotles in adobo. If you’re looking for extra crunch, add a handful of white cabbage to your blender or food processor before pulsing the salsa ingredients.
Use fire-roasted canned tomatoes, or roast your tomatoes. We love using roasted tomatoes and peppers in our roasted tomato salsa. If you enjoy a spicier salsa, experiment with additional peppers like canned green chilies, roasted poblano, or Anaheim peppers. You can also stir this salsa into some homemade queso dip for one of the tastiest dips I’ve made in a while.
More Salsa Recipes
Easy Salsa
- PREP
- TOTAL
Skip the store-bought jar and make this salsa from scratch instead. This recipe takes less than 15 minutes to make, is adaptable to your desired spice level, and lasts a week in the fridge. For recipe variations, see our article above.
The recipe below can be used with fresh or canned tomatoes. When using canned tomatoes, we love fire-roasted tomatoes, which add a bit of smokiness to the salsa.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
2 (15oz) cans fire-roasted tomatoes or use 4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (1 ¾ pounds)
⅓ cup chopped white or sweet onion
2 medium cloves garlic
1 to 2 medium jalapeño or serrano peppers
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 to 2 medium limes
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
Directions
1Place the chopped tomatoes in a colander set over a large bowl to drain. Reserve the drained tomato juice for later use (either to thin the salsa or add flavor to soups or other dishes).
2Cover the chopped onion in a medium bowl with cold water. Let it sit for 10 minutes, drain the water, and rinse the onion.
3Prepare the peppers according to your desired spice level. For mild salsa, remove all the white membrane and seeds from inside the pepper. For medium salsa, leave some of the membrane and seeds. If you prefer hot salsa, leave the membrane and seeds intact and use 1 to 2 peppers.
4Add the garlic to a blender or food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
5Scrape down the sides of the blender or food processor, then add the drained tomatoes, drained and rinsed onions, prepared peppers, cilantro, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and the juice of half a lime.
6Pulse the ingredients until you reach your desired texture. Taste the salsa and season with additional salt or lime juice as needed. (We usually add ¾ teaspoon of salt in total.) If the salsa it too thick, add a little reserved tomato juice from earlier.
7For the best flavor, allow the salsa to sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. The flavors will meld and develop over time.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Homemade salsa will last stored in the refrigerator for a week (maybe more).
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
What a lovely salsa recipe super easy I my daughter doesn’t like cilantro. Some people just have a funny taste so I added rocket instead for a spicy twist it was lovely
This is the first time I have ever made homemade salsa. It was easy and really really good! I did not have fire roasted tomatoes so I used what I had…grape tomatoes and roma tomatoes, and no cilantro. I am thrilled with the flavors and am having a hard time waiting for it to meld in fridge. It is a little watery because I over processed. I will add an extra tomato chopped and a bit more jalapeno next time. Made 2 jars which are 18 oz so I am good to go for……while. Ha ha , thank you very much for such an easy and delicious salsa recipe. Happy New Years too!! P.S.
So glad you gave it a try, Marie!
If using fresh tomatoes, do you leave the skin on?
It is up to you! I do.
Dip matoes in boiling water for 15 seconds. Plunge into bowl of ice, peel, seed., drain a bit & chop. While thats happening., your chiles can be roasting til the skins sre almost charred. Then they rest ina paperbag to cool gor peeling& seeding. Use gloves! If it gets to your eyes, uou’ll suffer!!!
Can you freeze this homemade salsa?
It’s great salsa!
Hi Andrea, You can freeze this salsa, just be aware that it may be slightly more watery when thawed. If it’s too thin, put it through a fine mesh sieve to drain a little of the extra moisture before serving.
ARe you able to can it. If so, how to do that
Hi Roscoe, It’s great that you’re looking into preserving your salsa! Because safety is the top priority with canning, we don’t provide specific instructions for this recipe. We recommend consulting a trusted canning resource. Fresh salsa recipes often require specific acidity levels (like added vinegar or lime juice) to be safely canned, so it’s best to follow a tested preservation recipe to determine if a boiling water bath or pressure canner is required.
This was my first time making salsa and it came out so good that we made lots more. Can it be canned? I have a jar sealer that takes the air out of the jar for storage so it doesn’t have to go in a hot bath. We make pickles that way.
Hi Catharina, If you have a fine mesh strainer, add some or all of the salsa to it and strain out excess liquid. You can save it an add back for the perfect consistency or use for beans or soup another day.
Good
I need to can the salsa for long shelf life. I do not know how to do this.
Hi Mary, Because safety is the top priority with canning, we don’t provide specific instructions for this recipe. We recommend consulting a trusted canning resource. Fresh salsa recipes often require specific acidity levels (like added vinegar or lime juice) to be safely canned, so it’s best to follow a tested preservation recipe to determine if a boiling water bath or pressure canner is required.
Can I can this recipe and if so do I pressure it or just boiling water bath it for say pint jars thank you
Hi Sharon, It’s great that you’re looking into preserving your salsa! Because safety is the top priority with canning, we don’t provide specific instructions for this recipe. We recommend consulting a trusted canning resource. Fresh salsa recipes often require specific acidity levels (like added vinegar or lime juice) to be safely canned, so it’s best to follow a tested preservation recipe to determine if a boiling water bath or pressure canner is required.
Seeds have nothing to do with heat. They contain no capsaicin, except for a mild contact hit from rubbing against the membrane (but it’d still be pretty minor). On the other hand, they don’t really add anything either and could (potentially) be a bit bitter. So removing them is probably a good idea. But do it for the right reason.
I’m currently in Brazil, which doesn’t have much Mexican food. Added a mango (next time I will try 1/2 of a pineapple, they are smaller here) and our large group of missionaries loved it as a Cinco de Maio treat. The Brazilians in our group loved that it wasn’t too spicy. I used two “dedo de moça” peppers and a few shakes of hot sauce for a double batch and it completely disappeared, along with my precious bags of Tostitos rounds. I only used fresh ingredients and hand chopped everything, which took more time. Worth it, though.
Can this salsa be frozen.
You can freeze this salsa, just be aware that it may be slightly more watery when thawed. If it’s too thin, put it through a fine mesh sieve to drain a little of the extra moisture before serving.
This was my first attempt EVER at making salsa. This is so delicious that I could drink it! It was easy to make, too. I used Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes and Poblano peppers instead of Jalapenos. Highly recommend!
Great ideas…fresh is always better
Yes, you should be able to! I add it to an airtight freezer-safe container and keep it for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
This is the best salsa. I served it at a large potluck and several people stood in line to see who brought it so they could get the recipe. So good — and easy.
Can I use both fresh tomatoes and fire roasted together?
That sounds great!
Fresh and Delicious – loved using my food processor to make this so easy! We enjoyed this as written. I trust your recipes explicitly in making all the flavors meld together in a special tasty way, so I included the garlic I dont usually use when making homemade salsa. We like a little kick, so used 2 jalapenos with a small tad amount of the seeds left in. My husband couldnt stop remarking on how much he enjoyed this. We topped our spanish rice with it last night and this morning will be topping scrambled eggs (fresh from our backyard chickens :-). ) Cant wait! – as another review stated, so easy and more delicious with the processor – I wont buy from the grocery store again!
Omg,very good and easy breezy!!
Awesome! Cheaper than buying $6 stuff that’s not as good! I hd to substitute the fresh and fire roasted fr dices with chilis (my store didn’t have fire roasted or fresh)but it still was perfect! Wouldn’t change a thing!
Can I broil my onion and garlic before blending with tomatoes to remove the raw flavor? Thanks.
Can you freeze this recipe?
Hi Nola, You can! The texture changes a bit after freezing. It becomes softer and a little more watery once thawed, but the flavor still tastes great. Just be sure to store it in an airtight container and drain off a bit of excess liquid after thawing if needed.
Absolutely! That’s a great idea. We actually do this when making our roasted tomatillo salsa.
I’m just starting to make this salsa recipe, but am curious can I add rotel, green chilies, and/or sun dried tomatoes. Do I need to make adjustments to other ingredients if I add any or all of those ingredients?
Of course, they will only enhance the flavors of the salsa. You should not need to adjust anything else.
Can you can this salsa recipe?
Hi Leah, While I am sure that you can, we do not have instructions for canning this salsa. We have never done it before and aren’t up to speed with preserving foods. You might need to look at a dedicated canning website/blog for tips on how to do it.
Can I use a hand help chopper instead of a processor ?
Needed a quick and easy salsa recipe so I Googled that and this was the first to come up. Didn’t even need to get the measurements exact as I used about a quarter of the ingredients as recommended and it still came out fantastic. Two thumbs up highly recommend.
Hi Heather, Of course, the salsa might be a little more chunky, but it will still be delicious!
Name/brand of fire roasted tomatoes please. Thank you.
We used Muir Glen tomatoes in the video.
This is the first time I made homemade salsa I always buy one kind all the time at the store and it was always my favorite but now this is my favorite.
This salsa has a fresh clean taste with good flavors all around. Perfect served with our quesadillas and with chips. It has that restaurant-quality where you may have asked yourself, “what is it about this salsa that is so much better than store-bought”. Now you have the option to make it yourself with excellent results. Thank you, Nancy’s Pantry for nominating this recipe for Best of 2020 via the Food Friends and Fun, and a big Thank You to Adam and Joanne for creating this recipe!
I’ll never buy salsa again! I never new canned tomatoes could taste this fresh. I used 2 home canned jars of Roma tomatoes, drained, hot red peppers I dried in the fall, fresh cilantro from the greenhouse. Fabulous! I like the onion trick. Several non-onion eaters still enjoyed the sauce. We served about 1/2 c per serving over Cuban black beans and a bland, leftover enchilada casserole. It transformed the dish! Thanks for posting.
FORGET the suggested chiles/peppers; use ghost peppers. This is not for the faint of heart. Ghost Peppers are 200% to 400% hotter than jalapeños, much hotter than Serranos. Be careful: Ghost Peppers can literally be deadly…if you are foolish enough to eat three pounds of them at a single sitting. Ghost peppers provide a REALLY zesty accent to your dishes. Be careful: Use very small amounts, and wash your hands THOROUGHLY after handling. Do NOT touch your eyes or nose or mouth after handling before thorough washing…you WILL regret it.
I just finished making this. It’s amazing. The recipe lends itself to lots of tweaking for taste, and what you have on hand. I used one can regular and one can garlic/olive oil petite tomatoes (drained) plus a half jar of fire roasted red peppers (drained), diced. I charred a med-lg Anaheim chili, and diced it. Onion, lime and lemon juice to taste, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes and of course, the fresh cilantro (a MUST). A couple pulses, and draining it to the right consistency and BAM!! Whoa…I look forward to tasting this tomorrow, when the flavors get a chance to meld. For the gallons of salsa my hubby can consume, THIS fresh, easy recipe will be a real keeper. Kaaaa-ching!!!
I followed the recipe directions exactly. Everyone at my party obviously enjoyed the salsa because there was none left and they asked for more. I must make more next time.
The salsa is the best
So true
Watching your videos, they are very appetizing can’t wait to try them. So amazing?
Yes best Iv’e tasted! I did make a few modifications but very tasty!!
Delightful easy salsa.