Salsa Recipe

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This restaurant style Salsa Recipe takes less than 5 minutes to prepare. Serve with tortilla chips and there won’t be any leftovers!

restaurant style salsa in two wooden bowls with tortilla chips on an oval platter

Next time you are having friends over and need a quick appetizer or snack, make this simple salsa recipe! Everyone will be impressed and only you will know how easy it was to make.

Salsa Recipe Ingredients

Our salsa recipe is a simple combination of tomatoes, cilantro, onions, jalapenos, lime juice, and seasonings. You can easily swap ingredients or add more of what you want to make it your own. Scroll down for the complete recipe with ingredient measurements.

Tomatoes: We used two kinds of canned tomatoes in this salsa recipe. Rotel contains diced tomatoes with green chilies, and it has a lot of flavor with some heat. We also used diced fire-roasted tomatoes, which add a smoky flavor and a little sweetness.
Cilantro: The cilantro adds a lot of flavor and a bright pop of color to the salsa.
Onion: We used red onion for the added color, but you can substitute white or yellow onions if you prefer.
Garlic: This recipe calls for one clove of minced garlic. But you can add more garlic if you love lots of garlic in your salsa.
Jalapeno: The minced jalapeno brings the heat! But if you prefer mild salsa, skip the jalapeno. On the other hand, remove the seeds and membrane for medium salsa, or you can leave them in for a spicy version.
Lime Juice: Freshly squeezed lime juice is the perfect complement to the tomatoes and onions.
Seasonings: For seasonings, we used kosher salt, chili powder, ground cumin, and black pepper.

How To Make Salsa

Making restaurant-style salsa is one of the easiest things you’ll ever make. And that’s a good thing since your family and friends will want you to make this recipe again and again. Scroll down for the printable recipe card and complete instructions.

Blend: Put all of the ingredients in your food processor (or high-speed blender) and then pulse it several times. If you want chunky salsa, only pulse it a few times. On the other hand, if you want small pieces, pulse the salsa for longer.
Chill: The salsa is ready to eat right after blending it, but we recommend chilling it in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to really combine.
Serve: You can serve the chilled salsa as an appetizer with your favorite tortilla chips or another option is to serve it as a topping for tacos.

a hand holding a corn chip with dip on it

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I use fresh tomatoes in this salsa recipe?

Fresh Roma tomatoes can be diced and used to make this salsa. Add some diced chilies to give it a similar flavor as the Rotel. To make fire-roasted tomatoes, slice the Roma tomatoes in half and drizzle them with olive oil. Roast them at 450˚F for 40-50 minutes until charred.

Can this salsa be canned?

This salsa recipe was not formulated for canning and is not cooked/boiled. For more information about canning salsa see this fact sheet.

Want more salsa recipes? Try these next:

This pineapple salsa recipe has a delicious combination of sweet and spicy. It can be eaten with grilled chicken or fish or as an appetizer with chips.

Mango Salsa is a tasty combination of diced mango and fresh vegetables. Serve it with chips as an appetizer or snack. Or as a garnish on top of chicken or fish.

Our homemade Pico de Gallo recipe comes together in minutes! Serve as an appetizer or snack with chips or use as a topping on main dishes.

This Corn Salsa recipe is a Chipotle copycat with corn, peppers, onions, and cilantro. It can be eaten with chips or on top of chicken, tacos, or fish!