This is the best homemade salsa recipe with fresh and zesty ingredients that will give you Mexican restaurant-style salsa to enjoy in just minutes. This recipe is easy to make and serve with tortilla chips or add on top of your favorite meals like tacos, burritos, fajitas, or queso dips. Try this recipe with fresh tomatoes or try our mango salsa, pico de gallo, or avocado salsa as well! Just follow the step-by-step directions or watch the video below!
Craving more Mexican-inspired food? Try our:
- Chicken Verde Enchiladas
- Birria Tacos
- Easy Taco Soup
- Sheet Pan Totchos
- Cilantro and Cotija Queso Dip
- Creamy White Sauce Veggie Enchiladas
- Fried Avocado and Mushroom Tacos
- Mole Sauce
What’s the secret to making the best salsa?
The secret to making the best salsa is using both canned and fresh tomatoes. When you use only canned tomatoes, the texture gets too soupy and doesn’t taste as fresh, and when you use only fresh tomatoes, you miss out on the flavor depth that the cooked canned tomatoes can add.
Salsa Ingredients:
Fresh tomatoes: Some people prefer heirloom tomatoes for their salsa, but you can use roma tomatoes or any other fresh ripe tomatoes you can find. You can also remove the watery insides and just use the flesh if you want a drier salsa.
Canned tomatoes: Adding in canned tomatoes adds the rich flavor profile of a cooked tomato, but if you only have fresh on hand you can skip the canned and add in more fresh tomatoes.
Garlic: Garlic adds a kick to your salsa. Fresh minced garlic is best, but you can add some garlic powder to taste if you need to substitute.
Onion: White onion is the most popular choice for salsa due to its mild yet sweet flavor, but you can use yellow onion for a stronger taste or even red onion for a big punch of flavor.
Cilantro: Cilantro adds an earthy fresh taste to salsa, and in our opinion, is best when added, but if you are a true cilantro hater you can leave it out.
Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice adds a zesty tart note to the salsa and brightens the salsa flavors. You can even add a little lime zest if you’d like!
Cumin: Just a bit of cumin adds a nutty smokey flavor to your salsa.
Jalapeño: A hot pepper is optional, but if you want to add some spice, dice up a jalapeño (seeds removed) and add a little heat to your salsa.
Sugar: While you can leave it out, the sugar brings out a sweetness that helps balance all the savory flavors in the salsa.
Sea Salt: Salt makes everything better! Add more to taste and stir once salsa is blended.
Tip: Use fresh lime juice whenever possible for salsa—it’s so much better than the bottled versions.
How to make homemade salsa:
Add your onion and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until well chopped.
Add the rest of your ingredients and pulse again until the salsa thickness is to your liking (pulse less to leave it chunky and more to make it smooth).
Add additional salt to taste if needed.
Tip: Don’t over blend your salsa or it will become a puree that’s too soupy to dip into. Pulse until desired consistency is achieved.
Try adding homemade salsa onto:
- Tacos
- Queso dip
- Rice and beans
- Quesadillas (topped on inside!)
- Burritos
- Fajitas
- Eggs or other breakfast hashes
- Enchiladas
- Just by itself with tortilla chips!
Tip: If your salsa is too watery, take out half the mixture and strain out the water before stirring it all back together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make salsa without a food processor?
Yes! If you don’t have a food processor, you can also use a blender to make your salsa. You can also simply chop everything finely by hand and then mix it all together in a mixing bowl.
How long does homemade salsa last?
Homemade salsa can last up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container.
Try our Salsa with a Margarita!
- Prickly Pear Margarita
- Blood Orange Margarita
- Virgin Margarita
- Blue Margarita
- Watermelon Margarita
- Spicy Margarita
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Ingredients
- 1 cup white onion (about half of an onion roughly chopped)
- 1 pound roma tomatoes (4-5 tomatoes roughly chopped)
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- ½ cup cilantro (roughly chopped)
- juice of one medium lime
- ½ teaspoon salt (add more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
Instructions
- Add your onion and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until well chopped.
- Add the rest of your ingredients and pulse again until the salsa thickness is to your liking (pulse less to leave it chunky and more to make it smooth).
- Add additional salt to taste if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Thank you, Laura! This salsa is the absolute best salsa I’ve ever made and I’ve attempted many! So good that I am making it tonight with our taco dinner!
So easy to make fresh at home!
Love this salsa recipe so much!
This looks great!!