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This salsa recipe makes the best homemade salsa! It’s full of fresh flavor and easy to make using simple ingredients. Enjoy it with tortilla chips or spoon it over enchiladas, tacos and more.

Bowl of salsa with tortilla chips around.

This Salsa Recipe is Truly Amazing

You’ll often find my family and I gathered around the kitchen counter, a bowl of this salsa and tortilla chips at the center. We’re big salsa fans, and this salsa recipe is my very favorite. It’s boldly flavored, medium-spicy and so easy to make.

When you make homemade salsa you can easily adjust the spice level, texture and flavors to suit your tastes. This recipe comes together in just 10 minutes, with almost no chopping involved. While the salsa is delicious straight from the food processor, it’s even better after it chills in the fridge for a bit so that the flavors can develop.

This salsa makes a great dip for tortilla chips (of course), but I also love it with eggs or Huevos Rancheros for breakfast. I also serve it as a topping for our favorite Mexican foods, like Chicken Enchiladas and Taco Salad. This recipe makes a big batch and it stores well in the fridge, so you can enjoy it all week long!

This is seriously the best salsa I’ve ever made. This is my second time making it and it is a hit with my family.

Diana
Salsa served in a bowl with tortilla chips around.

Salsa Recipe Ingredients

  • Onion and Garlic: You’ll give the onions and garlic a quick coarse chop and then your food processor will do the rest.
  • Jalapeño: Most of the heat in a jalapeño is in the seeds and ribs. I recommend removing the seeds and ribs or the heat could overwhelm the other flavors in your salsa. I use half a jalapeño in this salsa recipe for medium-spicy salsa.
  • Tomatoes: You’ll need two types of canned tomatoes: fire roasted diced tomatoes and diced tomatoes with green chilies (for spice). The fire roasted tomatoes give the salsa a rich, roasted tomato flavor. It is so good!
  • Sugar: Just a small pinch of sugar balances out the acidity of the tomatoes.
  • Salt: Salt enhances all of the flavors.
  • Cumin: Ground cumin adds a subtle smoky flavor.
  • Cilantro: You can adjust the amount of fresh cilantro to your tastes.
  • Lime Juice: Start with a small squeeze of fresh lime juice. You can always add more.
Ingredients for salsa recipe.

Canned vs. Fresh Tomatoes

While I am all for using fresh ingredients whenever possible, canned tomatoes are best in this salsa recipe. Canned tomatoes are available year-round and make this recipe come together quickly. Since they’re picked at peak ripeness, canned tomatoes have a consistent flavor. Fresh tomatoes can be too juicy to make a good salsa, and, unless you roast them a bit, they typically make a less flavorful salsa. (Save those fresh tomatoes to make Pico de Gallo!)

If you have ripe, fresh tomatoes and really want to use them in this salsa recipe, I recommend using a combination of fresh and canned. Make sure your fresh tomatoes are firm and a deep red color. Adding canned tomatoes will add depth of flavor to your salsa, especially if you use fire roasted tomatoes – which I highly recommend!

How to Make Salsa

Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to chop.

Chopped onion, garlic and jalapeno in food processor.

Add the remaining ingredients: diced tomatoes with green chilies (drained), fire roasted diced tomatoes (undrained), cilantro, lime juice, cumin, salt and sugar. Pulse until the salsa reaches your desired consistency. You can make it thinner or chunkier – however you like it!

Salsa ingredients in food processor.
Homemade salsa in food processor.

Taste it! I always taste the salsa on a tortilla chip to see if the flavors are right against the salty chip. You can add a little more lime juice, salt or sugar if needed.

Chill it! For the best flavor, chill the salsa in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours before serving to let the flavors develop. Then give it a quick stir right before serving.

Salsa Recipe Tips

  • This salsa recipe makes medium-spicy salsa. For mild salsa, substitute a can of regular diced tomatoes for the diced tomatoes with green chilies. For spicy salsa, use a whole jalapeño pepper or add in some of the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño. Be careful not to go overboard with the ribs and seeds – that is where most of the spice is.
  • Use a fresh onion in this recipe. I once made this salsa with half of a leftover onion that I had in my refrigerator for a few days and the pungent onion flavor was overwhelming.
  • Be sure to drain off the liquid from the can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. You’ll add the liquid from the other can of diced tomatoes, but using the liquid from both cans will make your salsa too watery.
  • Don’t add too much lime juice at first. You can always add more, and too much lime can overpower the other flavors.

Storage Instructions

This salsa can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Dipping a tortilla chip into bowl of salsa.

More Mexican Food Favorites

Bowl of salsa with a tortilla chip dipped in.
5 from 30 ratings

Best Homemade Salsa Recipe

Servings: 12 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
This salsa recipe is easy to make, fresh and flavorful! Serve it with tortilla chips or spoon it over enchiladas, taco salad and more.
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Ingredients

  • ½ cup white onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • ½ jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, roughly chopped
  • 10 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
  • 14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • juice from ½ of a lime, start with a small squeeze and add more, to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • pinch of sugar, optional, to balance the acidity of the tomatoes

Instructions
 

  • Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to chop until the onion pieces are about ¼-inch size.
  • Drain off the liquid from the can of diced tomatoes with green chilies and discard the liquid. Add the tomatoes and chilies from the can to the food processor.
  • Add the fire roasted diced tomatoes with their juices from the can to the food processor, along with the remaining salsa ingredients (start with a small amount of lime juice and add more, to taste).
  • Pulse until the salsa reaches your desired consistency.
  • Taste salsa on a tortilla chip and adjust the lime juice, salt, or sugar as needed.
  • For the best taste, chill salsa in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

Notes

  • This salsa recipe makes medium-spicy salsa. For mild salsa, substitute a can of regular diced tomatoes in place of the diced tomatoes with green chiles. For spicier salsa, use a whole jalapeño pepper or add in some of the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño. Be careful not to go overboard with the ribs and seeds, since that is where most of the spice is.
  • Homemade salsa can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Serving: 1/4 cup, Calories: 15kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Sodium: 104mg, Potassium: 57mg, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 215IU, Vitamin C: 4.3mg, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 0.5mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: Mexican
Course: Appetizer
Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.
Homemade salsa in a food processor.
Scooping salsa with a tortilla chip.
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