Homemade Salsa Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on May 20, 2025 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!
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 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!
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.
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!
Frequently Asked Questions
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
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!
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.
Looking for More Delicious Salsa Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
Best Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
- 1 red onion, peeled and quartered
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 jalapenos, stemmed and seeded (you can substitute 1-2 habanero or serrano peppers.)
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2-3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2-3 teaspoons sugar (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 15 ounces crushed San Marzano tomatoes (1 can)
- 4.5 ounces diced green chiles, mild, medium, or hot (1 can)
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
Nutrition
Disclosure: A Spicy Perspective participates in affiliate advertising programs. We may earn a commission when you make a purchase through links on our site.
So basically “salsa” is raw meshed gravy of tomatoes , onions and other stuff . This is actually common in Indian food . Btw thanks for sharing recipe with us
I can only find whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes.. how would I be able to incorporate these as a substitute?
I made this recipe with regular crushed tomatoes, and want to bring it up to the next level. It was delicious, best I’ve had since my sister passed away. I think she was using your recipe. Closest I’ve gotten to re-creating hers. ❤️
I love salsa and i always thought how to make it since childhood but, after days past i forget that now through your post i will be able to make it now, thanks.
This is a beautiful, dependable recipe. I made the recipe x 10, as I enjoy using my tomato harvest this way rather than simply canning plain tomatoes. I used a combination of hot peppers, because my best friend grows them, had easy access, so I gauged for heat myself: jalapeno, cayenne, serrano, fresno. My question is: I plan to CAN this today in a very large quantity to preserve at room temperature, so will cooking the ingredients together break down the consistency to mush?
Sandra,
Did you end up canning this recipe? We are trying to do the same and wondering how it will come out. Thanks!
No; I just posted a few hours ago and am awaiting her reply. I canned salsa last year, and it was quite fine. But, I would certainly expect less chunkiness and more liquid from the cooking. But, this is the only way for me. I need to store at room temperature and not in the freezer. Also, I have soooo many fresh San Marzanos that I do not buy the canned at the store to add. I’m sure it has a better consistency, though, if I had.
I made this recipe and love it, also wondering how to can it. Did you try?
Did you add any canning salts or anything, or did you just can it as is?
It’s a good starting point for a salsa but nothing special. If you’re not a fan of cumin, add in little by little. 2 tsp was too much for me. I ended up adding more peppers and a white onion in hopes to mask the strong cumin taste. I wouldn’t make this again.
Did you end up canning this recipe? We are trying to do the same and wondering how it will come out. Thanks!
Best Salsa ever my family loved it thanks 🙏
Made this exactly as indicated (but all fresh tomatoes) and was amazing. So, Midwest gal thinks she is pretty spicy yet hasn’t learned her peppers yet. Store sold out of canned green Chili’s so improvised with one habenaro and one pablano roasted. Well, broke in to a sweat that even burned my eyes!!! Lol, not exaggerating! Whew! So dumped more cilantro and lime juice in, a little bit more stevia and a big pinch of Hungarian paprika. Toned it down to my level and still turned out super fresh and tasty…yum… I don’t think you can do wrong by this fool-proof recipe: thank you!!!!!
How large are the tomatos you use? The ones from my garden are about Roma sized so I’m trying to determine how many to use. Thanks.
Hi Amy,
Yes, roma and plum tomatoes are perfect for this recipe!
This looks delish!!! What do you do with the seeds in both fresh and canned tomatoes?
cut out the core (the light green inside of the tomato) and the canned tomatoes just drain and put all contents in your processor.
This recipe is awesome. I use it as a baseline but add to it with different types of ingredients and it delivers every time!
what do you add? I am not sure if this recipe is exactly how I want it, but also not sure what to add XD Just getting ideas :)
Great recipe
Hey this is so tasty. Can I can it? Thanks!