The best homemade salsa is made with juicy tomatoes, jalapeños, onion, fresh cilantro and plenty of spice and flavor! A little spicy, slightly sweet, and perfect with salty chips. Great for game day/tailgating, parties, Mexican recipes and more!
This is one of my Salsa recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
Chips and salsa is such a classic snack combination, and one that we in the chunky chef household are fairly obsessed with!
Jarred salsa can be good, and it certainly is convenient, but we love making homemade salsa. That way we can control the texture, heat level, quality of the ingredients, etc.
This recipe has been on the website since 2015, and while it’s been updated a couple of times over the years, the recipe itself has remained the same.
The same is true for this updated version, the recipe is the same, it just has some updated photos, clearer instructions, and more in depth tips and tricks.
It’s a really simple recipe, but over the years readers just like you have had questions regarding substitutions, freezing options, etc… and I wanted to update the post to reflect those answers so you’ll have everything you need to make the best salsa ever!
How to make homemade salsa?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Add vegetables to food processor. There’s no need to chop them finely, just a rough chop so they’ll fit in the processor.
- Add seasonings.
- Add lime juice. Fresh lime juice tastes best, but bottled will work in a pinch.
- Process. Pulse a few times, then process until the salsa is the consistency and texture you’d like.
Helpful Tip!
I wrote this recipe the way we love this salsa, but feel free to use the ingredient amounts as a guideline and go by your own preferences and tastes. It’s your salsa after all!
Variations of this recipe
- Spicy – to increase the heat, try adding an additional jalapeno, add a serrano pepper, or add some cayenne pepper.
- Mild – to make this salsa more mild, you can omit the jalapeno, or at the very least, make sure you remove the ribs and seeds from the pepper.
- Texture – I prefer a semi-smooth salsa, but you can make this salsa any consistency you like best.
- Fresh – if you don’t have canned tomatoes, you can use about 8-12 roma or plum tomatoes, and blend as directed. If you’d like the salsa a bit more wet, feel free to blend in some tomato juice, vegetable broth or water.
- Smoky – for a smoky flavor, try adding a chipotle in adobo, or some of the sauce that’s in the can with the peppers. This will add a bit of heat as well.
- No food processor – if you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender, or just use your knife to cut everything down into very small pieces.
FAQ’s
It may seem like an out of place ingredient, but I’d be willing to bet that sugar is probably in a lot of your favorite salsas. Not only does it help to counteract any bitterness from the tomatoes, it balances all the flavors to really round out your salsa and make it the best you’ve ever had.
If you prefer a really thick salsa, drain the liquid in the can of whole tomatoes (personally I would drain it into a container, rather than down the drain). Then process the salsa as directed and add back some of the liquid from the can, a little at a time, until you have the consistency you’re looking for.
I don’t personally have the canning expertise to safely advise you on that, but this recipe is very freezer-friendly, if you’re looking for longer storage. I do believe some readers have canned this salsa, if you wanted to page through the comments they may have shared tips.
Making homemade salsa ahead of time
While this salsa tastes incredible right away, I think it gets even better when made ahead of time! All the flavors have time to really meld together. I like to make this salsa a day or so ahead of time.
Plus I like cold salsa, so it gives the salsa plenty of time to chill. If you don’t enjoy cold salsa, after it hangs out in the refrigerator for a while, feel free to let it sit at room temperature for a little bit before serving.
Freezing
Homemade salsa can also be frozen, for up to 6-9 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Storage
Leftover salsa should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within about a week.
More Salsa Recipes:
My Favorite Food Processor!
You can use any food processor or blender for this recipe, but I’ve had this model for years and really love it. It’s easy to take apart and clean, and the large capacity means I don’t have to break the recipe down into smaller batches!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes including juice
- 1 small white onion peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers seeded and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin or to taste
- 1 tsp kosher salt or to taste
- 1/4 to 1 tsp granulated sugar optional, and to taste
- 1 or 2 handfuls cilantro this is probably 1 or 2 cups worth
- 3 Tbsp lime juice fresh is best
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor. Pulse a few times to break up larger pieces, then process until texture is mostly smooth (or as smooth or chunky as you'd like).
- Taste the salsa and based on personal preference, adjust salt/sugar levels as necessary.
- Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate for a couple of hours for best flavor.
- Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- Recipe makes approximately 4 cups.
- I’ve estimated this will serve about 12, with roughly 1/3 cup as the serving size.
- I remove the seeds from my jalapeño peppers to reduce the heat level. This way you’ll get all the fresh jalapeño flavor and some heat, but not a crazy amount of heat.
- If you’d like, you could stir in some corn kernels, black beans, or chopped tomatoes for extra texture and flavor.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks
Nancy says
This is so delicious!!!! Perfect recipe! Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe! I have to use more garlic, lime juice and cilantro, but I ALWAYS go overboard on those….personal preference. Only afford g that for me bc there is no longer anywhere to add personal notes.
Tammy Della Ratta says
The best salsa! So easy to make and taste better than any restaurant salsa I’ve tasted.
Tina says
Perfect salsa, easy to make, lasts for days. My family asks for it.
Anne says
This salsa recipe is out of this world delicious. I have made this so many times. Thank you for such a delicious and easy recipe.
Denise says
Sooo easy
Sooo good
Sally Gardner says
How long can I store in fridge for later?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi there 🙂 All the storage information, including how long it’ll last, is located in the “storage” section of the post above the recipe.
Sherri says
Can you use fresh frozen tomatoes for this?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, all the details are in the post above the recipe, under the heading “variations of this recipe” and the subheading “fresh”.
Sonia in PA says
This is a great recipe. I use canned San Mariano whole tomatoes. Very easy. Thanks
Joseph says
This not a home made recipere The reason why I say that is you’re using a canned product, not a product that you made my head
The Chunky Chef says
Thanks Joseph… you’ll be just horrified to know that I also didn’t grow my own onions, peppers, and cilantro, and I didn’t harvest, dry and grind my own spices, so clearly I’m awful. Smh, go buy your salsa, or make your own from 100% scratch. It’s just food dude; it’s truly not that serious. Also, spell check is your friend 😉
Sonia in PA says
It’s a shame you have to responded to WACKO’S like Joseph! This is really good recipe and the ratings speak for them self! Thanks for sharing the homemade salsa recipe! It’s awesome! 👍
Nick says
Just discovered your website and I’ve found a LOT of of recipes I will try. Thanks for putting that commenter in his place. Most bloggers wouldn’t stand up for themselves, but you expressed your opinion honestly and openly. It’s refreshing! We come to sites like this to learn things, If he’s not happy, he can choose not to come back to the site. No reason to take shots at someone who’s trying to help the rest of us. You GO girl!
Denise Ardolino Devito says
This is absolutely delicious! Quick, easy and so good! My go to salsa recipe for sure!! Thank you
Linda says
This is my go-to salsa, the best!
Mary says
I found this recipe a few years ago , my family loves it. Everytime my college kids are home they ask me to make some for now and some to take back to the dorm .
Coree says
Do you cook the salsa before you freeze it?
The Chunky Chef says
No this is an uncooked salsa.
Sue speed says
Why does salsa have to be so hot and spicy? I can not eat them. Would love to buy one I don’t always have to make?
The Chunky Chef says
Well it’s traditionally, a semi-spicy thing. However, everyone has different tolerances with regards to spice. But I couldn’t tell you why you can’t buy one that’s specific to your tastes, as I don’t develop the recipes for commercial salsa brands.
Krista says
I love this salsa! It’s my favorite. My friend just requested it again this weekend. Sue, you can buy or make mild salsa. If it’s still too spicy, then just don’t eat salsa. Such a weird comment.
Vince says
Hi Amanda – love the recipe. Have you ever canned this recipe?
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you love it! I haven’t tested canning this recipe yet, but some other readers may have done so and left reviews about it 🙂