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.

Chips and the BEST homemade restaurant-style salsa recipe

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

Alright, so about this salsa recipe!

The BEST homemade restaurant-style salsa recipe

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.

Restaurant-Style Salsa Ingredient in Food Processor

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…

Blended homemade salsa

…puree until the salsa reaches your desired texture…

Chips and homemade restaurant-style salsa

…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!

4.92 from 37 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
This restaurant-style salsa recipe is easy to make, and full of amazing fresh flavor.

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.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

The BEST homemade salsa recipe

About Ali

Hi, I'm Ali Martin! I created this site in 2009 to celebrate good food and gathering around the table. I live in Kansas City with my husband and two young boys and love creating simple, reliable, delicious recipes that anyone can make!

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4.92 from 37 votes

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Recipe Rating




204 Comments

  1. Leslie says:

    5 stars
    Delish!!!! And soo easy to make. I wanted a smaller portion and I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand so I made a few substitutions.. I roasted 3 tomatoes with a few red chili pepper flakes, replaced fresh garlic with roasted garlic and added smoked paprika and smoked chipotle chili paste. Yummy!! Thanks for this recipe.

  2. Joan Reitnauer says:

    5 stars
    Loved all of the dishes and salsas

  3. Christina Solorio says:

    Can anyone please explain to me how to can this. Great recipe and would like to stock up on this. Thank you in advance for your help.

  4. Kitty Simpson says:

    Can this salsa be frozen?

  5. Debbilyn says:

    5 stars
    Wow! This was delicious and super easy!! The best flavors!!! I didn’t pulse in a food processor because I like chunky but the recipe was PERFECT! I should
    Have doubled it!!

  6. Anthony Ivers-Read says:

    5 stars
    Really great recipe, didn’t add the lime juice as I like a thick salsa but did thoroughly drain the tomatoes, thanks for a fantastic salsa recipe I have been looking for a great one for a long time. Well done

  7. Kate says:

    5 stars
    I’m a bit of a salsa snob, and so is my husband. This is a fantastic recipe IMO. I made it with the addition of lime juice. Seriously, perfect! This won’t last long in my house. In fact, I made a batch today for dinner and put a note on it “For Dinner” because I know my teenage daughter will get into and it will be gone!

  8. Mary says:

    5 stars
    I have made a lot of salsa…fresh home grown tomatoes. BUT this is easy taste better goes faster does not need to meld floors overnite. It is the best. Trust me…i am a salsa queen …now the king.

  9. Liz says:

    Just made this salsa last night, we had a taco party and made your Mexican shredded chicken, as well as your classic margaritas! Everything was a major hit, especially the margs! I will definitely be making all three of these things again and again, thanks so much for inspiring such a fun and tasty night for my friends and I!

  10. Kellie says:

    5 stars
    Holy moly this is SO good…never buying salsa again!