Best Homemade Salsa Recipe
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!
Fresh Tomatoes and Salsa Recipes
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!
Homemade 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?
Get the Complete (Printable) Best Homemade Salsa Recipe + Video at the End of this Post!
The Secret To The Best Salsa Recipe
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!
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.
- 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.
Homemade Salsa 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!
Salsa FAQ
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?
- Grilled Chipotle Peach Salsa
- Tomatillo Avocado Salsa Verde Recipe (Video)
- Candied Bacon Corn Salsa
- Strawberry Habanero Salsa
- Homemade Salsa Al Pastor
Best Homemade 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I made this recipe and liked it. If I could change anything, I would like the consistency to be more viscous/less watery. Thanks!
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Added an 1/8 tsp of chili powder and left out the cilantro ( taste like soap to me ) and it was delicious.
Be sure to include cilantro stems. Then it won’t taste soapy.
This is the best salsa I have ever eaten! I give it 10 stars. It was on the mild side, so kid friendly. I would do hot chiles or extra jalapeños if you desire heat.
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Can this recipe be canned?
I have canned it for the last 2 years and never had a problem. I just use a water bath.
Came here to ask the exact same thing about safety for canning! Did you alter anything when you canned it? Totally shelf stable with water bath canning? Or do you think pressure would be safest?
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Can you can this recipe?
This is so delicious! I made it with cherry tomatoes fresh from my garden. What a treat! Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Such flavorful salsa! I used tomatoes from my garden. You can taste how fresh it is! I personally would like it a little spicer. I will be throwing in a Serrano next time! Will definitely be making again.
Substituted jalapeños for poblanos and used hickoy smoke salt where it called for salt. Best salsa I’ve ever had.
I agree. I did exactly the same as you except I added a total of 5 garlic cloves. Best salsa I’ve ever had.
Yes! This salsa recipe is delish! I added extra garlic, but this is truly flavorful. I was looking for a way to use the tomatoes out of my garden without having to can and this checked that box!
This is Definitely a Keeper! My now go to for Salsa. Thanks for sharing❤️
Great recipe. I add habaneros or a ghost pepper to make it hot. If you are canning as a precaution put 1 teaspoon of lemon juice concentrate per pint when filling the jars. Helps with the PH when canning. This is just my personal change and process be careful when canning to prevent botulism
I made this yesterday for a family dinner today… incredible
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Excellent! I used garden fresh ingredients, so I doubled the tomatoes. I also just used half a white onion, 1 (steamed) jalapeño, and 1 tsp each of salt, sugar and cumin and 2 tbs lime juice. We ate it immediately and it was delicious and addicting! Will absolutely make again.
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NO i did not make it i cant find where it says HOW much does this make in OZ?
Why would that affect you in not making it? It makes about 6.2 cups, or 49.6 oz. Now you have the info to make it, have a great day.
I used a can of Rotel in place of green chilies, so that did add a few oz but it definitely makes a good amount.
Just made this recipe, with ingredients from my garden. It may be the best salsa I’ve ever had!