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
Easy Homemade Salsa Recipe (Blender Salsa)
Ingredients
- 1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes (keep juice), or 2 Roma Tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 small Red Onion, about 1/3 cup coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup Cilantro
- 1 Lime, zested and juiced
- 1 Jalapeno or Serrano Pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 pinch Sea Salt
- 1 pinch Black Pepper
RECIPE VIDEO
Equipment
Recipe Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. *You can also use a stick blender for this salsa recipe.
- Blend on high speed until well-combined.
- Enjoy immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
Becci says
Just made this and it tastes delicious! I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned and the taste was great!
Awesome, Becci! Yep, fresh tomato salsa is always a winner 🙂 Thanks for the review and I'm glad you enjoyed
Noel Lizotte says
Salsa and chips at the restaurant ... isn't that why we go out for Mexican? I mean, the entree is good, but there's nothing like the salsa!
Now I can make it at home!!
All my recipes are super chunky, this looks like it's right off the table at El Campesino!
Ahhhh, thanks Noel! I'll take that as the best compliment 🙂
Krissy Allori says
Homemade salsa is so much better than store bought! This looks great!
Thanks, Krissy! I concur wholeheartedly 🙂
Danielle says
I wish I had this salsa in front of me right at this second. I have a few delicious appetizers but I still need to whip a quick sauce for them. I wish it was this salsa....
Haha thanks, Danielle! In only 5 minutes...you can! And now you have me craving it LOL. Enjoy!
Irina says
Made it! What a wonderful one bowl recipe! Just mix and serve. DELICIOUS! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome, Irina! So glad to hear! This really is my favorite homemade salsa 🙂
Lauren Vavala says
I haven't made homemade salsa in so long! This is a great recipe! In addition to being able to control how salty or sweet it is, I also like that I can puree it a bit to make it less chunky - so good!
Thanks, Lauren! Yes, such a good point about controlling the texture 🙂
Jane says
Such a great video and recipe! Fun and FAST!!
Yay thanks, Jane!! Love hearing that! You're right, this homemade salsa really IS fun and fast 🙂
Sharon says
Love homemade salsa! Right now I have tons of garden tomatoes to use and would like to make a huge batch and freeze it. Do you know if this freezes ok?
Awesome Sharon! I've never frozen this salsa before. Let me know if you give it a try. Thanks!
DG says
Thanks, Traci--I love all your recipes! Do you have one for homemade tortilla chips? Buying them in putting me in the poorhouse. Thanks again!
Hey thanks DG...love hearing it! I haven't published a recipe for tortilla chips yet. I do like to bake mine instead of frying though. How do you prefer yours?
Walt Socha says
For fresh tomatoes, just add equivalent volume?
thanks!
Hi Walt, to be honest, I haven't tried blending this salsa using fresh tomatoes...only canned. If I were to use fresh tomatoes for it, I would use the same amount of tomatoes, but I would probably skip the blending part and just chop everything into a yummy pico de gallo. Hope that answers your question 🙂
Tina says
Love this quick salsa recipe! The addition of the Serrano pepper is a great idea, and will add a nice dimension to this!
Thanks Tina! Gotta have that heat and Serrano pepper brings just the right amount! 🙂
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings says
Why have I not been making homemade salsa? You make it look so easy and my kids eat it all the time. I'm sure this is way better than store bought!
Omgosh Karen, yes! You must get on board...it is SO easy and wayyy more affordable and comparable in flavor to the store bought. Thanks for the kind words 🙂