This is the BEST homemade salsa recipe! Featuring farm ripe tomatoes, cilantro and lime with a touch of sea salt and sugar, this salsa will pretty much take any dish from good to great. 🙂
There is just no comparison between store bought and freshly prepared, homemade salsa. And once you learn how to make your own, you'll never want to go back again!
I just had to take pen to paper and publish this salsa recipe which has been in the works for years; it's AMAZING with chips and other recipes like these easy chicken burritos and citrus chicken burrito bowls.
Jump to:
🌿 Ingredients
The ingredients in this recipe are simple and can be found at any grocery store.
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
📝 Instructions
The only real work involved in this recipe is simple to prep the veggies by roughly chopping them; a food processor will do the rest.
Pro tip: If you don't have a food processor, you can still make this recipe! You'll just need to finely dice the veggies instead, and mince the garlic and jalapeño.
How to make salsa
First, roughly chop the onion, garlic, tomatoes and cilantro. Then, stem and seed the jalapeño and juice the lime.
Pro tip: Be careful when working with jalapeño as the juices can sting if you have any open cuts on your hands (in that case, use thin rubber or latex gloves to handle.)
Next, place the onions, garlic, pepper and tomatoes in your food processor in that order, followed by the rest of the ingredients. Use the pulse button to process the salsa for a second or two, just a couple of times. Remove the lid and use a plastic spatula to scrape down the sides, and then replace the cover and pulse again a couple more times or until the salsa reaches your desired consistency.
Pro tip: Don't over process! Otherwise, you'll will end up with sauce instead of salsa. 😉
And finally, transfer your salsa to a bowl to serve immediately, or place it in an airtight container if it will be stored in the fridge. Since the amount of liquid in the salsa will vary depending on the type and ripeness of the tomatoes, feel free to drain some off if desired.
📋 Substitutions
This homemade salsa is incredibly versatile, so feel free to make any of the following substitutions based on preference and what you have at home.
- Red onion - use a white or yellow onion instead
- Garlic - use a little garlic powder instead to save time, or if you don't have fresh garlic on hand
- Jalapeño pepper - substitute another hot pepper such as a Serrano or Anaheim pepper, or you can use some green bell pepper or simply omit for mild salsa
- Roma tomatoes - Campari tomatoes work well, or use any other kind of tomato you can find (cherry or grape tomatoes work too!)
- Cilantro - feel free to substitute fresh basil or parsley if you're not a big cilantro fan
- Lime - fresh lemon juice works too, or substitute a little apple cider vinegar instead
- Sea salt - substitute regular table salt if you don't have sea salt
- Chili powder - use a little extra cumin and a pinch of cayenne
- Ground cumin - substitute ground coriander or just use a little extra chili powder
- Coconut sugar - substitute white or brown sugar, honey or agave syrup, or just leave out for a sugar free version
📖 Variations
As written, this recipe is mild to medium in intensity; the seeded jalapeño gives it just a bit of a spicy kick but that's balanced out nicely by the lime and touch of sugar.
- Spicy - you can leave in some or all of the jalapeño seeds in if you really like hot salsa, but I'd recommend starting with no seeds if this is your first time making salsa
- Mild/kid friendly - for mild salsa, or if you're preparing this recipe for any kids, use just a quarter or half of a jalapeño pepper, with no seeds
🔪 Equipment
Here is the equipment you'll need to make salsa:
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- food processor
🍱 Storage
Homemade salsa will stay fresh for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. It does not stand up well to freezing.
🎉 Top tip
Don't over process your salsa! The amount of time you'll need to run the food processor is just seconds in a few short bursts, literally. You'll have perfect chunky salsa (or whatever consistency you like) in no time at all. 🙂
Enjoy!
💭 FAQ
Fresh tomatoes are juicy and can release a lot of liquid, making the salsa seem a little more watery than a store-bought jarred salsa. If you prefer less liquid, you can drain a little off before serving, or remove the seeds from your tomatoes before preparing the salsa.
Yes, you can use canned tomatoes instead, but the taste and texture won't be as fresh and chunky with the canned version. Try to use an unsalted version without other added flavors if you do opt to use canned tomatoes.
Fresh homemade salsa will stay fresh for up to four days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
For medium or hot salsa, use half or all of the seeds from your jalapeño pepper in addition to the pepper itself. For milder salsa, de-seed the jalapeño first or leave out altogether for no spice.
🍳 Recipe
Fresh Homemade Salsa
Ingredients
- ¼ small red onion
- 1 clove garlic or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 small jalapeño pepper
- 1 pound Roma tomatoes or other small tomatoes
- 5-6 sprigs cilantro
- 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon coconut sugar or white sugar
Instructions
- Prep: Roughly chop the onion, garlic, tomatoes and cilantro. Stem and seed the jalapeño (see notes). Juice the lime.
- Process: Place the onions, garlic, pepper and tomatoes in a food processor, followed by the rest of the ingredients. Use the pulse button to process the salsa for a second or two a couple of times. Use a plastic spatula to scrape down the sides and then pulse again a couple more times or until the salsa reaches your desired consistency. Don't over process!
- Enjoy: Drain off any liquid if desired (the amount of liquid will vary depending on the type and ripeness of the tomatoes), and serve immediately. Salsa will stay fresh for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Leave a Reply