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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!
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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

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.

Video

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




144 Comments

  1. Sally Squire says:

    Can you can this salsa? It is the best one but I want to have some on the shelf for lean times.

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      This salsa recipe isn’t one for canning, unfortunately. It’s a fresh salsa, so it needs to be refrigerated. It can freeze though! So you could keep some on hand in the freezer. We have freezing directions and how to thaw in the post.

  2. Natasha D says:

    5 stars
    We love this recipe! So good!

  3. MICHELLE says:

    5 stars
    This recipe is SPOT ON! We love this and make it frequently with our homemade tacos – sure beats having to go to the local market each time I want some! Thank you so much for sharing!

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      You’re welcome! So glad you love the salsa!!

  4. desiree call says:

    5 stars
    Made for a potluck. Everyone loved it.

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks for sharing!

  5. Amy says:

    5 stars
    Very good and so quick.

  6. JT says:

    5 stars
    I took some of this salsa to a neighbor and she asked me where I buy my salsa from because it was so good 😂 she said even her three year old loved it. I was happy to pass along the recipe. It’s definitely my family’s favorite homemade salsa!

  7. GISLENE says:

    Gislene

  8. GISLENE says:

    Gislene. Boyfriend. Alexander

  9. Cindy says:

    5 stars
    I made this before! It is sooooo good!😋😁

  10. Jodi says:

    5 stars
    Love this recipe! I have an ifodmap ntolerance to onions, so I used small amounts of leek greens and scallion greens in place of the onion and it was perfect! Thank you 😊

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      You’re welcome! I’m glad to hear the substitutions turned out tasty too. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!