This homemade salsa recipe takes just 5 minutes to make and tastes like it came straight from your favorite Mexican restaurant. Made with fire-roasted canned tomatoes, onion, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and jalapeño all pulsed in a food processor or blender, it’s packed with flavor.

A tortilla chip dipped into a bowl of chunky tomato salsa, with cilantro and other tortilla chips visible in the background.

Best Restaurant-Style Salsa

As much as I love my chunky pico de gallo recipe with fresh tomatoes, there there something about making this homemade salsa like what I they serve with chips in restaurants too. I make mine on the mild side but it’s so easy to adjust the spice level to what you like.

If you love trying different kinds of salsas, add this watermelon salsa and mango salsa to your must try list. They are both so worth it!

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Salsa Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

The complete list of ingredients with amounts are listed in the full recipe card below.

Overhead view of ingredients for a salsa recipe including diced tomatoes, minced garlic, lime juice, a whole jalapeño pepper, chopped onion, cilantro, and salt.

Fire-roasted canned tomatoes – diced and undrained. You can substitute with regular diced canned tomatoes if preferred. See my note below about using fresh tomatoes
White onion – I like the flavor of white but yellow onion, red onion or Vidalia onion also work well.
Fresh cilantro – leave this out if you’re not a fan of cilantro. Use fresh parsley instead if you’d like.
Jalapeño pepper – Remove the seeds and membrane for mild salsa. If you like it spicier, leave them in or use more jalapeños for hot salsa. Substitute with green chiles or canned jalapeños. You can also use serrano peppers or a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Fresh garlic – Fresh minced garlic gives the best flavor but use jarred minced if that’s all you have.
Fresh lime juice – I think fresh tastes so good in it but bottled lime juice can work in a pinch.
Salt
Dried cumin, optional – add a teaspoon if you’d like.

Can I use fresh tomatoes?

Yes you can! But I would roast them on a baking sheet at 450° F for 20 minutes until the skin pulls back easily. Then remove the skin after they have cooked.

Roma tomatoes or plum tomatoes are a good choice as well as San Marzano. Allow the to cool before blending them with the other fresh ingredients in the blender or food processor.

How To Make This Homemade Salsa Recipe

Never be without salsa again with this easy recipe. I keep cans of tomatoes and other the ingredients on my grocery list at all times.

A food processor filled with chopped white onion, halved jalapeno pepper, and minced garlic, viewed from above.

Chopped onions, garlic and green peppers in a food processor bowl.

Step 1: Add the jalapeno, onion and garlic to a food processor or blender, place the lid on and pulse 3-4 times until finely chopped.

A food processor with chopped tomatoes added in with the rest of the mixture onion and pepper mixture.

Overhead view of a food processor filled with freshly blended salsa.

Step 2: Add the tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Place the lid on and pulse for 3-4 more times until finely minced.

Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping on any favorite burrito, bowls, nachos and tacos.

A hand dips a tortilla chip into a glass bowl of red salsa, with a green jalapeño pepper.

How to Store Leftovers

Refrigerate: Store in a mason jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freeze: Place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

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A tortilla chip dipped into a bowl of chunky red salsa.

Easy Homemade Salsa Recipe

This homemade salsa recipe takes just 5 minutes to make and tastes like it came straight from your favorite Mexican restaurant.

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Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Prep Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 9kcal

Author: Sherri Hagymas

Ingredients

▢ 29 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes undrained
▢ 1//2 cup white onion roughly cut
▢ ¼ cup fresh cilantro
▢ 1 medium jalapeño pepper seeds and membrane removed
▢ 5 cloves garlic minced
▢ 2 tablespoons lime juice juice of one large lime
▢ 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Add the onion, jalapeno and garlic to a food processor, place the lid on and pulse 3-4 times until finely chopped.
1//2 cup white onion, 1 medium jalapeño pepper, 5 cloves garlic
Add the tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Place the lid on and pulse for 3-4 more times until finely minced.
29 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes, ¼ cup fresh cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 teaspoon salt
Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping on any favorite Mexican recipes.

Notes

Store in a bowl or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Use red onion or yellow onion if you’d like.

Use regular diced tomatoes if desired.

Leave the seeds in the jalapeño for medium version and use 2 jalapeños peppers for hot salsa. you can also add a couple of tablespoons of green chiles

Use a tablespoon of canned jalapeños. Or 2 tablespoons for more of a medium-hot salsa.

Nutrition

Nutritional Disclosure

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

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