This homemade fresh salsa recipe is made with only 6 ingredients – tomatoes, onions, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, and lime juice. Ready to eat in only 5 minutes!
I’m a huge fan of chips and salsa, especially when they’re homemade!
Nothing is better than thick and salty tortilla chips paired with a fresh salsa recipe like the one I’m sharing today. I’ve made two batches of this recipe in the last week, and I’m still not tired of eating it every night. It’s so good, I love eating it by the spoonful!
If you’re ready to get an homemade salsa on the table in 5 minutes, keep reading for the recipe.
What You Need
- tomatoes
- onion
- cilantro
- garlic
- jalapeño
- lime juice
How to make Fresh salsa
- Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor. Pulse until the salsa is blended to your liking – either chunky, a little chunky or smooth.
- Taste and season with more salt, if necessary.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
Should I use a blender or food processor?
I’ve made this salsa in a blender and a food processor, and here’s what I’ve learned.
Blender: Using a blender tends to produce a smoother, more “liquidy” salsa. If you like your salsa smooth, then this isn’t a problem. But if you prefer a chunkier salsa, I recommend pulsing it a few times in very short 1-second increments. Then remove the lid, scrape down the sides and stir it together to check the consistency. Keep pulsing and scraping the sides until it’s to your liking.
Food processor: Using a food processor is my favorite way of making this salsa because it’s the best of both worlds – it can easily produce a chunky consistency or a smooth consistency. The blades of a food processor are sharper and cover more surface area, which makes it easier to get the salsa exactly how you want it on the first try. If you’re in the market for a great food processor, here’s the one I have that I absolutely love.
Tips and Tricks
- Use fresh tomatoes. This salsa is all about that freshness factor, and using raw tomatoes is my favorite way to achieve that summer sun flavor. If tomatoes aren’t really in season and you don’t want to use store-bought raw tomatoes, you can use a 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes without the juices. Once it’s blended with all the ingredients, add in some of the juice if you prefer. If you’d like a deeper flavor, you can roast your raw tomatoes in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 400ºF before pulsing them in the food processor.
- Use short pulses to avoid accidentally over blending. The beauty of making your own salsa at home is that you can get the consistency exactly how you like it. I prefer my salsa somewhere in the middle – not too smooth, not too chunky. The trick to getting the consistency right the first time is to pulse it a few times, open up the blender and food processor and check to see if it’s blended enough. If it’s still too chunky, keep pulsing it until it’s perfect. If you accidentally over blend it and make it too smooth for your taste, simply strain out some of the liquid.
- Start with a small amount of heat, then work your way up. If you don’t want your salsa to be spicy at all, I recommend leaving out the jalapeño completely. If you like a little bit of spice, add in the jalapeño but remove the seeds and the veins. Like the heat? Add in the jalapeño with the seeds and all. Are you a heat fanatic? Try using some serrano or habanero peppers to really kick it up a notch.
What’s the difference between pico de gallo and Fresh salsa?
Pico de gallo is a specific type of salsa that always uses ingredients that are raw, diced and tossed together. The mixture isn’t liquidy or soupy at all, and it’s chunky because it’s not blended or pureed.
Salsa refers to Mexican sauces in general. They’re typically blended or pureed, at least a little bit, and are usually more saucy. Ingredients can vary greatly, from totally raw to roasted or even fried.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Roma tomatoes (about 6 medium-large tomatoes)
- ½ medium white onion
- 1 jalapeño pepper, stem removed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup packed cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor. Pulse until salsa is blended to your liking – chunky, a little chunky, or smooth.
- Taste and season with more salt, if necessary.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Isabel’s Tips:
- Makes a total of 2 1/2 cups.
- If you accidentally over-blend your salsa and it becomes too watery, simply strain out some of the liquid until it’s just right.
- Discard the jalapeño seeds if you don’t want the salsa to be spicy. If you prefer a lot of heat, add in an extra jalapeño, a serrano, or even a habanero.
- This homemade salsa can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 10 to 12 days.
Nutrition Information
Fresh salsa was delicious. great, simple recipe! Thank you!!
Looks delicious we’ve got plenty on home grown tomatoes this year
Super easy, really good. My go to salsa recipe!
Do you have a recipe for Chile de arbol?
Hello David! Yes, we do have a recipe for chile de arbol salsa on our site!
Do you ever make chicharrones con Chile verde ???
Hi Toni! We don’t have a recipe for that yet but it sounds delicious!
Can I use pickled jalapenos? That is all I have after buying two jars that were bogo. Thanks.
Hi Sandi! We haven’t tried this recipe with pickled jalapenos so we’re not exactly sure. Pickled jalapenos have a much different flavor than fresh, so the flavor of the salsa will be different, but you are more than welcome to try! Let us know how it goes!
Would love to make big batches and freeze it. Have you had any experience freezing salsa ?
Hello Katie! You should be able to freeze the salsa!
Girl, I ❤️ your enchilada recipe!! Ever since I’ve been FOLLOWING you. 👓 Right now I’m looking for a stuffed jalapeño poppers recipe. Hope you have one. If not, I hope you’ll have one soon. Keep the reps coming!!
Your recipe ,sounds good can I can this up as I have quite a few tomatoes
Hi! Yes, you can.
Super easy and loved the fresh flavor. No more store bought salsa for me!I used cherry tomatoes Sugar Bombs. So good!!! Thank you!
So easy to make and delicious! I don’t own a food processor and had to use a blender, so I was worried about over blending it and having it be very watery. But the tip about using a strainer solved that problem perfectly.
I made this today using tomatoes from our garden. I used a bit more cilantro and I added a tad o sugar…My husband was shocked as this was my first time making salsa!! ty for the recipe xoox
Can purple onions be used if desired?
Yes, you can. Just note that this might slightly change the flavor of the salsa.
Great recipe, Delicious! Roasted the tomatoes in oven first and used a red onion. Made in a food processor,came out perfect. This is a keeper!
Perfect and easy recipe. Love it.