How To Make Salsa – We’re sharing our secrets for making The Best Homemade Salsa Recipe we have ever tried. It’s healthy, fresh, and easy to adjust! Serve for game day or as a healthy snack!

The Best Homemade Salsa Recipe shown in bowl with tortilla chips.

Why We Love This Best Homemade Salsa Recipe

There is a tomato overload in my backyard right now. Every year I plant way more tomato seeds than any family needs, in the hope that a few plants will survive and thrive. I am not known for being the best gardener, yet I do get lucky now and again.

This year, my tomato plants took off, providing us with a seemingly endless supply of seven varieties of garden tomatoes. I have been eating them in salads and sauces for the last month. Yet I always say, when life gives you tomatoes… Make salsa!

There are hundreds thousands of tomato salsa recipes online. Why should you make this one?

Well, we think this is The Best Homemade Salsa Recipe around because it is healthy, quick to make, offers a fine chunky texture, and is brimming with absurd amounts of flavor.

Want to know the secret to perfectly delicious salsa?

Ingredients for fresh homemade salsa on a wooden surface.

Ingredients You Need

Sometimes fresh tomato salsa recipes, made with just fresh ingredients, can come off with a shallow acidic flavor… Lacking depth. Whereas, salsa made with canned ingredients alone can taste store-bought.

I believe you need both fresh and canned ingredients to make the best homemade salsa recipe.

Here is everything you need to make the most delicious homemade salsa:

  • Ripe tomatoes – cored and quartered, no peeling necessary! (romas or plum tomatoes are a good choice)
  • Red onion – peeled and quartered (or yellow onion)
  • Garlic cloves – peeled
  • Jalapeños – stemmed and seeded
  • Cilantro 
  • Fresh lime juice
  • Ground cumin
  • Sugar – optional. Sometimes the tomatoes need a little boost to balance the acidity.
  • Salt
  • Canned crushed San Marzano tomatoes – or fire-roasted tomatoes
  • Diced green chiles – your choice of mild, medium, or hot

You will taste bright tangy notes from garden-fresh tomatoes, sharp notes from the onion and garlic, herbs and spice, and complexity from the “secret ingredient” canned items, all in one!

Get the Complete (Printable) Best Homemade Salsa Recipe + Video at the End of this Post!

Ingredients for salsa in a food processor.

How To Make Salsa

Prepare the veggies and add them to your food processor (or blender) along with lime juice and seasonings. Chop to a fine grade, or blend.

Next, add the canned crushed San Marzano tomatoes and green chiles. Puree again until almost smooth to create an even yet chunky consistency. The canned tomatoes provide a rustic essence and sweetness that accentuates the fresh produce, while the canned green chiles deliver a smoky quality that fresh peppers lack.

Add more cumin and salt to taste, and refrigerate until chilled and ready to enjoy.

Salsa after being blended in a food processor.

Tips & Tricks

  • If you don’t own a food processor, you can use a blender instead! Just be careful not to over blend, since you want some texture here. Or, finely chop all of the ingredients and mix them up in a bowl for a chunky salsa.
  • For the best flavor, use the freshest ingredients!
  • Chill the salsa before serving. It will bring the flavors together beautifully!

Serving Suggestions

Spoon this flavorful salsa over eggs, on your favorite Mexican dishes like quesadillas, chicken enchiladas, tacos al pastor, chicken tacos, breakfast tostadas, and burrito bowls. Use it in 5 Layer Bean Dip, Slow Cooker Taco Tater Tots, or our Baked Tacos Recipe. Or scoop it up with tortilla chips or fresh veggies!

You are going to love this recipe for game day, potlucks, parties, or just keeping it in the fridge for any time you need a zesty snack!

Tomato salsa shown in bowl with herbs and spices blended in.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Tomatoes are Best for Homemade Salsa?

Selecting a favorite tomato for salsa is tricky because there are so many wonderful varieties! However, we recommend Roma tomatoes or Plum tomatoes in this recipe because they are easy to find and offer a tangy-sweet flavor. If you have an abundance of tomatoes available to you, look for tomatoes that fit this criteria…

Still a little firm when ripe
Bright red in color
Strong sweet tomato flavor

Is This Salsa Recipe Spicy?

Yes, this recipe has zing, but if you are sensitive to spicy heat, you can adjust our Best Homemade Salsa Recipe by adding fewer jalapeño chilis and being sure to purchase the mild canned green chiles.

Or if you prefer to take the heat up a notch, try throwing in a habanero, serrano chiles, or chipotle peppers in adobo sauce!

How Long Will Homemade Salsa Last?

This salsa will keep well for 10-12 days if kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Be sure not to let it sit for too long (over a couple of hours) at room temperature.

You can also freeze this homemade salsa for up to 4 months by putting it in a freezer-safe container and then wrapping it with foil. This will change the texture a bit after thawing.

Close up of salsa in a bowl with tortilla chips for dipping.

Looking for More Delicious Salsa Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:

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Best Homemade Salsa Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
How To Make Delicious Salsa: Secrets of making the Best Homemade Salsa Recipe! This restaurant style salsa recipe is loaded with flavor, has an amazing texture, and a secret ingredient.
Servings: 20 (5 cups)

Video

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Place the fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, peppers, cilantro, lime juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons sugar (if using), and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the contents are fine and well blended.
  • Pour in the crushed tomatoes and green chiles. Puree until mostly smooth. Taste, then add more cumin and sugar if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

If refrigerated in an airtight container, this salsa should last 10-12 days.
Spice Level – If you are sensitive to spicy heat, reduce the jalapenos to 1 pepper. Also, I love cumin, however, some people are sensitive to it. You can reduce the cumin to 1 teaspoon if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup, Calories: 19kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 0g, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 230mg, Potassium: 150mg, Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 305IU, Vitamin C: 11.3mg, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 0.6mg
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Author: Sommer Collier
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