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. Jill says:

    Happy, happy birthday Ali!! Enjoy your last birthday as a “single” or at least, unmarried, woman! ? ? I can’t wait to hear what Barclay planned for your special day!

  2. Angelina @ Baked Ambrosia says:

    This looks amazing!! I love salsa that can be made in a food processor!

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Thanks, Angelina, we hope you enjoy this!

  3. SandyToes says:

    Wow! I looked back and saw that I first made this on Sept 8, 2015! It’s been my go-to salsa ever since. Thanks again for sharing it with us, and Feliz tardio cumpleaños. 

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      We’re so happy you love it! :D

  4. Doris says:

    PS. I forgot to wish you a very Happy Birthday —-may you have many memories.

  5. Doris says:

    Hey there! Just made this and it’s beyond delicious! I do add a squeeze of lemon juice to mine. Thanks for posting this easy recipe.

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Thank you, Doris, we’re so happy you enjoyed it!

  6. Ana Gonzalez says:

    Ok, so I do not lie when I say you are my favorite food blog. Time and time again, I come for your recipes and stories, and you do not disappoint…consistently. That says a lot.
    I enjoy reading the text, your photography is gorgeous, and you do a beautiful job with the graphics, too. The new videos are also so helpful and so well done.
    I have worked as a commercial photographer and prop and food stylist, as well as dabble dangerously in graphic design hee hee.
    I mostly do interior design these days, and have wanted to start a blog.
    Reading your blog is fun, and I often say to myself:  “That Ali seems really cool, I’d love to meet her one day.”
    And today I find out we share the same birthday…shut the front door!!
    Life can be so funny sometimes.
    I bid you an amazing birthday, fellow May 2nd-er! And perhaps the impending nuptials in your future signal a similar fate for me soon, too.
    Thanks for all you do [beautifully]  : ) Keep working your magic!
    Happy Happy Birthday!!

  7. Tara says:

    A women after my own heart–skip the cake and go for the chips & salsa! Happy Birthday and thanks for bringing this to my attention. I’m a newer follower and hadn’t found this one yet.

  8. Angela VanAlphen says:

    Happy Birthday!! I hope you have an amazing day!
    Thanks for the salsa recipe.

  9. deb says:

    Your salsa idea sounds great..love salsa n chips !What I really would like to know is how do you not crave sweets or birthday cake anymore I would love to kick my sugar addiction

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Thank you, Deb, we hope you can give this a try!

  10. carlos at Spoonabilities says:

    The new pictures look so fresh and vibrant red color. Also, I love the ending of the video, very original and fun. Thank you,

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Thank you, Carlos, we appreciate that!