Homemade Blender Salsa with Canned Tomatoes

Here's a Homemade Salsa recipe with all the goodness of restaurant salsa in 5 minutes! This blender salsa recipe is made with canned tomatoes and can be enjoyed immediately with chips or other Mexican recipes. Substitute it for fresh Pico de Gallo when tomatoes are out of season.

I love a fresh Pico De Gallo with garden tomatoes during peak season. When it's not tomato season, this super easy canned tomato salsa recipe just hits the spot. It's a no-frills, 5-minute blender salsa recipe that requires NO cooking and, quite frankly, tastes as good as any store bought salsa. You also might love that you can use reduced-sodium canned tomatoes and be in control of the salt content.

Homemade salsa recipe key ingredients

• canned tomatoes (or Rotel) - I prefer reduced-sodium so I can add my own salt
• fresh cilantro - if you don't love cilantro, you can skip it
• red onion - or any onion
• fresh lime - go with fresh lime here
• Serrano pepper - or Jalapeno pepper
• fresh garlic - don't even bother with garlic powder, go with fresh
• salt, black pepper, and cumin

How to make blender salsa

• Add canned tomatoes to food processor or blender (with juice). * Note: you can substitute 2-3 fresh tomatoes.
• Loosely chop the red onion, garlic, cilantro, and Serrano pepper and add to blender. The chopping isn't required, but it helps the blender create a uniform salsa in a shorter time span. This means you’ll get less friction from the blades and you won’t “cook” your salsa.
• Pulse the food processor or blender until ingredients are well-combined. Season with salt, black pepper, and cumin.
• Refrigerate 3-5 days in an airtight container; serve chilled.

What I love about this blender salsa recipe

• Since this salsa is made with canned tomatoes, you can make it all year and it's always delicious.
• Homemade salsa is cheaper than restaurant salsa.
• This salsa recipe takes 5 minutes to make. A couple of easy steps gets everything into a blender and enjoyed immediately.
• You can use no-salt or reduced sodium canned tomatoes and adjust salt to your liking
• This salsa recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and paleo! For the win!

How long does salsa last?

Anywhere from 3-5 days. It really depends on how airtight your storage container is and how often it's opened and closed. That means less air exposure is better to keep the salsa fresh. This salsa is so good though, it doesn't last more than 2 days in our fridge.

How to make salsa spicier or less spicy

It's all about how many peppers you add. However, no two jalapeño or Serrano peppers have identical heat, so you'll have to experiment. If you have already blended your salsa and want it spicier, you can add more peppers in small amounts. If you prefer a less spicy salsa, start small and work your way up because it's easier to make it hotter than to reduce the heat.

Can you freeze homemade salsa?

Freezing salsa made with canned tomatoes is a great way to save money and time. Just freeze and thaw as needed. However, if you substitute the canned tomatoes with fresh tomatoes, like my Pico de Gallo, I'd say definitely don't freeze because it creates an unpleasant texture and appearance of the produce once it thaws.

Recommended tools

• chef knife and cutting board
• rubber gloves (for seeding peppers)
• garlic press
• 7 cup food processor (fitted with the chopping/mixing dough blade)
• airtight container

More salsa recipes

• Classic Pico de Gallo (Salsa Fresca)
• Fresh Peach Salsa Recipe
• Mango Avocado Salsa
• Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Easy Mexican recipes

• Instant Pot Taco Pasta
• No-Roll Vegetarian Enchiladas
• Chicken Tacos
• Totchos Tater Tot Nachos
• Cilantro Lime Rice