5-Minute, Restaurant-Style Homemade Salsa
If you stumbled across this recipe because your kitchen is full of red, ripe tomatoes from your garden, today’s recipe is for you. But, if you’ve alternatively been searching for a robustly flavored salsa when there are no ripe tomatoes to be found (just those waxy, orange-ish ones languishing in the grocery stores), today’s recipe is also for you! While fresh tomatoes would be my first pick, if they’re not available canned tomatoes make a wonderful substitute, believe it or not! Not only are they convenient and available year round, they will also give you the most consistent flavor and are guaranteed to taste ripe and robust (especially if you grab the fire-roasted variety, which I recommend you do!). Whether you opt for fresh or canned, this recipe is simple. Unlike pico de gallo, pineapple salsa, or avocado salsa where mincing, chopping, and dicing are a necessary reality, there’s none of that today. My salsa recipe takes 5 minutes from start to finish, courtesy of your blender. Let’s get to it.
What You Need
Tomatoes. As we just discussed, fresh or canned work great here. For fresh, opt for bright red vine-ripened tomatoes, they should taste good if eaten plain! Romas are the best choice, as other tomatoes contain more seeds which can make the salsa watery (but if you are insistent on using the Beefsteak or other variety from your garden, I would just cut the tomatoes in half and scrape out some of the seeds, about half of them!). If using canned, fire roasted add a nice punch of flavor and are my recommendation. Jalapeno. You’ll need 1-2 medium-sized jalapenos. How many you use depends on how spicy you like things. Be sure to cut the jalapenos in half, remove the stem, and scrape out the seeds, which is where most of the heat lies. For a little added heat, toss in a few seeds (and I really mean only a few, unless you’re insane really adventurous). Onion. A white onion is best, but in reality you can use whatever you have on hand. You’ll only need half the onion, cut it in half and remove the ends and the papery outside layer before tossing it in your blender. Chilis. Not quite as spicy as jalapenos, I purchase mild chilis which add a depth of flavor to the salsa. Cilantro. This is tricky to measure. You really need a handful, but to be more precise you can bunch it up or coarsely chop it to fit in your measuring cup. Lime juice. A splash of fresh-squeezed lime adds a lovely brightness to the flavors of the salsa. Spices. Salt, pepper, and just a pinch of cumin are all we need. I also add a pinch of sugar, which is optional but enhances the flavors nicely.
How to Make Homemade Salsa
Alright, are you ready for this? Perhaps one of my most complicated recipes to-date… And that’s it! Note that I do recommend just briefly pulsing the ingredients in 1 second intervals rather than just full-blast blending. This will ensure things are evenly distributed, and gives you breaks to check the consistency so you don’t take things too far (you don’t want to end up with a homemade salsa puree!). Serve with salty tortilla chips (maybe warm them in the oven for a few seconds, yum!)
Tips
Have a little patience. In a perfect world you’d let the homemade salsa sit before enjoying. Just like with egg salad and potato salad, if you let it sit in the fridge for even an hour, the flavors will really start to meld and develop. Personally I understand if you’re chip-dipping immediately, though! Customize the heat. Jalapenos vary in spiciness. Feel free to use less than called for for a milder homemade salsa, or add a few extra seeds or even use more peppers for a spicier flavor. You could even customize things with a hotter pepper! Customize everything! Feel free to play with your favorite veggies, add your favorite spices, and just modify things to your liking. And always taste-test to see if you need more salt or pepper. Don’t hate the can. While fresh tomatoes are a necessity for some recipes like caprese salad or bruschetta, canned are totally fine here, no matter what anyone else says (they also work wonderfully in my tomato soup and pizza sauce!). Don’t let anyone tell you canned tomatoes are a cop-out!
Enjoy! And if you like my homemade salsa, try my guacamole or queso recipe next! Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜 This salsa recipe was originally published 07/29/2015. Updated for clarity, a few helpful notes added, and a video added. Note that in earlier versions of this recipe I used to recommend dropping the tomatoes in boiling water and removing their skins before using them, but after a lot of taste testing I found it doesn’t really make much of a difference in this recipe, so let’s skip the extra work.
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