This homemade salsa recipe only takes about 10 minutes to make, it’s easy to customize (to make it extra spicy, smoky or tangy if you’d like), and it’s SO irresistibly delicious.
Happy Dos De Mayo!
Which also means…happy birthday to me!
My birthday feels a little extra-special this year because it also happens to mark exactly one more month until my wedding. (Can’t wait!) But every year, my birthday also happens to conveniently fall on the week of Cinco De Mayo, which I must say I couldn’t have planned better myself. Mexican food on my birthday for life! (Literally!)
Last year for my birthday, I had all of my friends over for an epic chips-and-salsa-a-thon, which was downright dreamy. Instead of cooking, Barclay and I drove around town all afternoon and picked up a dozen or so different salsas from our favorite Mexican restaurants. And then we whipped up an enormous batch of my classic margaritas, opened up a zillion bags of chips, and had all of our friends over for the most delicious taste test ever. Totally my kind of birthday.
This year’s plans are TBD, thanks to my sweet fiancé who knows how much I love a good surprise. But I did go ahead and whip up a batch of this salsa recipe to have on hand for my bday and Cinco De Mayo this week, which I’ve already been putting to good use. And hey — since I don’t eat many sweets or crave a traditional birthday cake anymore — this seemed like my kind of birthday treat recipe to share on the blog today. ?
Restaurant-Style Salsa Recipe | 1-Minute Video
It’s actually one that I shared on the blog a few years ago. But — like many of the recipes around here lately while I’ve been busy with wedding planning — it’s one that I recently re-photographed and updated to share with those of you who might have missed it the first time around, because I’m convinced that everyone needs this recipe in their lives.
Seriously, it’s been my go-to homemade salsa recipe for years. And for someone who makes homemade salsa nearly once a week, that’s sayin’ something.
But the best part? It’s incredibly quick and easy to make! Also, since it uses canned fire-roasted tomatoes (gotta use the fire-roasted), it’s a really accessible recipe to make year-round, even beyond your regional tomato season.
To make it, simply toss all of your ingredients together in a food processor or blender…
…puree until the salsa reaches your desired texture…
…then taste and season as needed.
If you’d like a smokier salsa, I strongly recommend adding in a chipotle pepper or two in adobo sauce. If you’d like a spicier salsa, you can add in an extra jalapeño (or just add in the seeds from the original one). If you’d like a tangier salsa, you can’t go wrong with extra lime juice in my opinion. And as always, don’t be afraid to add in extra salt to kick up the flavor if needed!
Then, once your salsa is all seasoned and ready to go, partay like it’s yo birthday and DIVE IN.
Seriously, I’ve made this recipe probably hundreds of times, and still never grow tired of it. So if you need some chips and salsa in your life this week — as I believe everyone always does — I can’t recommend it enough.
Enjoy, amigos!
The BEST Salsa Recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 (14-ounce) cans fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
- 1 bunch (about 2 cups loosely-packed) fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 1 large jalapeño, stemmed and cored
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Purée. Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth. Taste and season with additional salt, if needed.
- Serve. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
My first try at salsa. This was so easy. My husband, whose mom makes homemade salsa all the time, is very picky. He loved this and congratulated me on a yummy successful salsa. Thanks!!
Always a hit cuz! Ryan
I made this salsa recipe last night and oh my gosh it’s so good! It was my first time making homemade salsa. Such an easy and delicious recipe. My husband loved it so much, he almost ate an entire bag of tortilla chips with it! Thank you Ali for this recipe!!
My husband loves this salsa so much! He heaps praise on me non-stop whenever I make it. I’ve started making large batches and canning them so that we always have it on hand. Thank you!
I’m learning how to can and I’m into interested in hearing how you do it. Do you mind sharing?
great post!
I can’t find fire roasted tomatoes in Canada. What would be a good substitute to use?
You can roast your own totmatos— it’s pretty easy to do and gives salsa a Smokey flavor.
I’m looking forward to trying this and like everyone else has said, I’ve always loved all your recipes. I’ve never tried one that I didn’t like. One question I do have is in how long it stays good. Assuming we didn’t eat it all the first time, why only refrigerate for 3 days? Can you can this (like regular heat canning methods) and the flavor is still preserved reasonably close to the original flavor? Just curious.
Thanks!
Andi :)
I love spicy food! I really like your idea of including Jalapenos to your salsa recipe, it will make it so yummy and spicy! I just can’t wait to try it in the evening! Will tell you how it goes when I make it.
Oh my, you should hear my husband rave over this salsa. I think it’s fantastic too, but he’s a snob when it comes to salsa and now this is the only recipe he wants me to make. Thank you so much!
Our family is officially obsessed with this recipe. AMAZING!