Restaurant style salsa made at home in minutes! This is one of the easiest recipes and it tastes amazing! This post was originally published in June 2013 and has been updated with new photos and a video. The salsa recipe stayed the same, because it’s perfect as is!
Y’all know the kind of salsa I’m talking about, right? The smooth kind.
I like chunky salsa just as much as the next girl and pico de gallo and I had a baby together way back when, but don’t tell my husband.
This restaurant style salsa is one of my favorite recipes, though. I love the fact that I almost always have the ingredients on hand, something that’s easy to do since a lot of this comes from cans.
But don’t freak out about the can situation! I know a lot of people hear ‘salsa recipe’ and instantly think of a ton of fresh produce. I am here to tell you that, in this instance (and possibly ONLY in this instance) this homemade salsa just tastes better using canned tomatoes.
How to make salsa:
You’ll need a can of whole, peeled tomatoes, an onion, some jalapeno, garlic, cumin, lime, salt, and cilantro.
Add everything to a blender or food processor and process until the mixture is mostly smooth.
Use this recipe to top my fried tacos or as a dip for tortilla chips.
I love how quick this homemade Mexican salsa comes together, with just a few whirs in the blender to get the perfect consistency.
This is pretty similar to Chili’s salsa recipe, except I added fresh cilantro, because I’m sorry Chili’s, but how could you forget to add cilantro? Not cool.
Feel free to adjust the spiciness by adding more or less jalapenos, but keep in mind that this gets spicier after it’s sat for awhile.
I like to leave it pretty mild when I’m making it and then it’s just about perfect for me after a couple of hours in the fridge. And for me, perfect is probably kinda wimpy. I’ll call it a medium spice, but after eating my way around Austin, Texas last week, I should just admit that no, actually, even mild food is too spicy for me. You Texas people are kinda crazy with the peppers.
More recipes you might like:
Roasted Tomatilla Salsa – If you’re looking for a way to use up some of your garden veggies, this is the best option! Everything gets roasted in the oven and then blended together for a super flavorful salsa verde.
Cream Cheese Salsa Dip – if you’ve never tried adding cream cheese to salsa, you should stop what you’re doing now and make it happen.
Taco Casserole – if you’re getting tired of traditional tacos, you might like my taco lasagna!
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos – one of our favorite recipes around here!
Restaurant Style Salsa
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons diced canned jalapeno
- 1/2 large onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cilantro optional
Instructions
- Add everything to a blender or food processor and process until mostly smooth.
- Taste and add additional salt or lime juice as desired. Add additional jalapeno as desired, keeping in mind that the salsa will get spicier the longer it sits.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information:
Nicole says
When you add the canned tomatoes and canned jalapeños, do you just dump it (with juice and all), or spoon out the jalapeños (to avoid putting in the juice)?
Karly says
I just dump in the tomatoes and measure out the jalapenos, but I don’t try to avoid the juice for the peppers.
Tris says
Made this tonight. Spot on. So yummy. Added a little jalapeño and then added a touch more. Perfect.
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed!
Ashley says
Best. Salsa. Ever. We LOVE this recipe!
Karly says
Isn’t it amazing?? So glad you gave it a try!
Ivory says
This dish looks mouthwatering yummy
Silvia says
This recipe is absolutely incredible! I pinned and cannot wait to try it 🙂
Karly says
Thanks, Silvia!
Natanja || Home Baked Bliss says
I totally know what you mean with “canned sometimes tastes better”. It’s definitely true for some recipes! Love the look of this salsa! I could just dive right in (with a tortilla chip in my hand).
leslie says
You know that “Restaurant is spelled incorrectly in the photo….but the salsa recipe is great!,
Adina says
We don’t know much about salsa here in Germany, I have only had the bottled one, which is not exactly impressive. Yours looks great and I am sure it is so much better than the bought one. I will keep this in mind for the next time we have tacos or tortillas.
Carissa Nelosn says
I’m so excited this tastes better with canned tomatoes! I’m just lazy, so I love that laziness is rewarded in this recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
Mike from Chili Pepper Madness says
This salsa looks so inviting! I just want to dive into the whole bowl! Gimmee!
Terrell says
My sister is a huge baby and won’t eat a lot of things including mayonnaise, eggs, and chopped vegetables like onions, green peppers, etc. She will buy a jar of salsa, dip chips in them, and scrape the onions and such back into the jar. By the end of the jar, the “salsa” is a mess of dehydrated onions in a a thick paste of what used to be liquid. Gonna make this for her and see how she likes it. If this recipe is half as good as what your sense of humor seems to be, I think I can finally get her to stop with the irrational onion phobia.
Karly says
Haha! My husband is the same way. No chunks for him in his salsa! I don’t think he eats this one either, though so be warned. 😉
Alyssa says
i hate chunky salsa and I’ve had no luck finding a smooth store bought one. Gonna have to give this a try!
Karly says
@Alyssa,
Enjoy!
connie says
I have made this for a long time and I also love to put tiny pieces of avocado in it after it comes out of the blender…yummy
kenneth says
Just made this salsa and mmmmmmmmmmmmm delicious. I just added 2 cans of tomatoes cause i love tomatoes. This recipe is GREAT.
Nancy says
I made this salsa today and it’s delicious. I used a seeded fresh jalapeno and definitely used cilantro. It looks just like the picture and it’s great straight from the food processor, so I can’t wait to taste it later.