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Who doesn’t love salsa? We love them all – red, Salsa Verde, Strawberry Salsa, or Peach Salsa, to name a few!

Today’s recipe is one we tested dozens and dozens of times, until what you see here today. It’s flavorful, simple, and has all the right flavors of spice making it THE salsa recipe we make every week (no joke!)

It’s great for Chips and salsa or as a side to some of our favs, including: Cheese Crisps, Chicken Tacos, Tostadas, Fry Bread, Flautas and more.

It’s definitely the recipe everyone will be asking for!

Why we think you’ll love it

  • Easy. Quick prep time, made in minutes and very simple (just dump and blend).
  • Versatile. It goes with EVERYTHING and easy to change up with the flavors you love most.
  • Flavor. It tastes like it came straight from an authentic restaurant – SO tasty!
Salsa ingredients on a cutting board.
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (diced) – Drained
  • 1 10 oz can of Ro-Tel (diced tomatoes sand green chilies) Drained. Substitute it with ½ can of canned tomatoes, plus a 4-ounce can of green chiles.
  • 2 – 3 fresh tomatoes (Roma), quartered Or add another can of Rotel (drained). **Be sure to seed your tomatoes before chopping.
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder Or use ½ small onion, roughly chopped.
  • 1 medium bunch fresh cilantro
  • 1 4 oz can diced green chilies
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons diced jalapeño – For less spice remove the seeds and the white pith from inside the jalapeño.
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon sugar Or use 1 teaspoon of honey.
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt with parsley flakes – and pepper, if desired
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice Bottled or fresh lime juice.
  1. BLEND. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until blended to the desired consistency (large chunks or minimal chunks).
  2. SEASON. Add more salt or lime juice to taste, if needed.
  • SPICE. The family loves salsa more on the mild side, so we typically use MILD Ro-Tel, MILD green chilies, and add fewer jalapeños. If you like more spice, be sure to use REGULAR or even SPICY Ro-Tel and green chilies and bump up the amount of chopped jalapeños.
  • WATERY SALSA. Here are a few tips to prevent it!
    • Tomatoes – Use Roma. They are less watery but still should be seeded before quartering and adding to the processor.
    • Pulse, Don’t Puree – Always PULSE your salsa briefly instead of blending until smooth.
    • Drain and Strain – We recommend always draining your canned ingredients (through a mesh sieve) before adding to the processor.
    • Sit then Drain – Chill your salsa in the refrigerator for 30 minutes in a bowl, then gently pour off any excess liquid before serving.
5 from 114 votes

Homemade Salsa

Our homemade salsa recipe is fresh, flavorful, and easy to make—perfect for chips, tacos, and all your favorite Mexican dishes!
Servings: 12
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes

Video

Ingredients 

  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes drained
  • 1 (10-ounce) can original Rotel drained
  • 2-3 Roma tomatoes seeded, if desired
  • ½ white onion or 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 medium handful fresh cilantro
  • 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles optional
  • 1-2 tablespoons diced jalapeño
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt with parsley flakes
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice

Instructions 

  • Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until blended to the consistency you desire.
  • Add more salt or lime juice to taste, if needed.
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Notes

STORE this restaurant style salsa in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week.
  • If the color starts to darken, a smell starts to omit or fungus forms, then the salsa is no longer good.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 7kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 0.2g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.01g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g, Sodium: 195mg, Potassium: 41mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 114IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 5mg, Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

How to store salsa?

This can be refrigerated for in an airtight container for up to 1 week. If the color starts to darken, a smell starts to omit or fungus forms, then the salsa is no longer good.

How to freeze salsa

This best homemade salsa recipe can be frozen for 2-4 months. Here are a few tips:
>> To prevent discoloration, add a bit of lemon or lime juice to the salsa.
>> Store it in an airtight container in smaller serving sizes.
>> Do not freeze chunky salsa. Pulsed salsa freezes best.

In case you want to give a jar of homemade salsa as a gift, I decided to make some free printable tags. Make it a gift to give at any time of the year, or share at Christmas. There are tags for either occasion:

Simply download the tag you want.

Salsa Gift Tags

Fill out the form and the FREE printable will be sent to your email.

We also made tags for our Salsa Verde so be sure to check that out too!

About Kristyn

Kristyn Merkley is a published cookbook author, wife, mom of six, and major food enthusiast! For the past 15 years, she has been sharing foolproof, family-friendly recipes—each one tested in her kitchen—that anyone can master. As a seasoned recipe creator, she loves making cooking simple, stress-free, and totally doable for everyone!

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5 from 114 votes (33 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




146 Comments

  1. Toni says:

    5 stars
    We love making this at home! We keep it on hand and have given it as gifts too.

  2. Becky Hardin says:

    5 stars
    Oh yes! I love salsa and this recipe is calling my name!

  3. kim says:

    5 stars
    I make this type of blender salsa weekly! Always so much better than anything I could buy!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I totally agree!! Thanks!

  4. Joy says:

    5 stars
    This is the best salsa!! I love it more than restaurant salsa. It has so much flavor, has the right amount of kick, & is so easy! I have given this as gifts to friends with a bag of chips & it’s always a hit!

  5. misty says:

    5 stars
    Love this Salsa! So easy and tastes amazing!

  6. Hailey says:

    5 stars
    I love love love sAlsa. This recipe did not DissapoinT. Can this be canned fOr a longer sheLf life?

  7. Jayne & Mike G says:

    5 stars
    We love all of your recipes!

    Cheers,
    Jayne &Mike G Canada ??

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Awe, thank you so much!!

  8. Becky says:

    5 stars
    This salsa is SO yummy and easy!! My husband is not a fan OF chunks in his salsa so I tried this one and he is hooked!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      This is my favorite!! I’m not a fan of chunks either 🙂 Thank you for trying it!

  9. Kari says:

    5 stars
    This looks so good. My son is looking forward to making this!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      It is the best!! I hope you all like it! Thank you!

  10. Karsyn says:

    5 stars
    This is the only red salsa recipe we make. IT has a really great flavor and holds Well in the fridge. I like to pour out half of the recipe FOr the kids and add more jalapenos for me. Yum!