Posted Sep 22, 2019, Updated Sep 30, 2024 If you’re like me, and can devour an entire bowl of chips and salsa at your favorite Mexican restaurant before the meal is even served, then you’re going to love this homemade salsa recipe (also try this black bean & corn salsa and guacamole)! It has the taste and texture of restaurant style salsa, and it’s made in only 5 minutes in the blender, which means that there’s no chopping or prep work required! Plus, you can adjust the heat to be as spicy or mild as you’d like. Another great thing about this easy salsa recipe is that it calls for canned tomatoes, which means you can make it year round! No need to wait for the summer to use garden-fresh tomatoes, (although you can use those as well, as we’ll chat about that later).
Homemade Salsa: Ingredients & Substitutions
Canned diced tomatoes. Any variety works well in this salsa recipe. I usually opt for regular diced or fire roasted diced tomatoes. If you want to use some fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes, you need about 3 cups of fresh tomatoes, and make sure to remove the seeds to avoid a watery salsa. Onion (or onion powder). I have made this blender salsa recipe with both raw onion and onion powder. Fresh Cilantro. There’s really no substitution fresh cilantro. Garlic powder. 1 Tablespoon minced garlic is a good substitute for 1 teaspono garlic powder. Ground Cumin. Ground cumin is an essential spice for homemade salsa! Another pantry staple I recommend always having on hand. Granulated Sugar. Sugar is optional but just a small amount really brings out the flavor of the tomatoes. You can substitute brown sugar, coconut sugar, or hone. Lime juice. bottled or fresh both work well.
Add Heat/Spice
If you like a spicier salsa here are some additions to kick up the heat:
Cayenne or chili pepper hot peppers to taste: jalapeño, habanero, etc. 1-2 Tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce hot green chilies
How to Make Blender Salsa
Like I said before, this homemade salsa recipe is so easy to make. I only have a few tips about the method and possible ways to spice it up! But it’s a very straightforward, easy salsa recipe! See below for a quick video, or in the recipe card for my full tutorial with cute little helpers! Start by adding 1 can of diced tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients into the container of a blender – as always, I recommend using a Vitamix! In this recipe the Vitamix does all the hard work for you…chopping, mincing, etc. Be sure to save one can of diced tomatoes for later! If using fresh, start by adding 1 ½ cups of tomatoes, blending, then adding the rest. Blend for 5-10 seconds until the onions are diced (if using onion powder, you don’t have to worry about that). Then, add the second can of diced tomatoes and pulse to combine. The amount of blending here depends on your personal preferences. If you like a chunky salsa, just pulse once. If you want a smoother homemade salsa, pulse a few times!
Chill
Transfer the blender salsa to a serving dish or airtight container (if you’re going to store it for later) and place it in the refrigerator. I recommend chilling this homemade salsa for at least 30 minutes, however we have dug right in with no complaints (see the video)! Chilling allows the flavors to blend together, so in my opinion, the longer the better!
Serve
Serve this easy salsa recipe with your favorite chips. We always enjoy this salsa on our weekly taco nights with some of our favorite Mexican recipes:
Ground beef tacos and ground chicken tacos. These sweet potato tacos are my absolute favorite. This is the best nachos recipe ever – with two layers of cheese! Taco night isn’t complete without homemade salsa AND homemade guacamole! Make these homemade refried black beans to put inside your tacos with this easy salsa! Chicken enchiladas and ground beef enchiladas absolutely must be served with homemade salsa! These crockpot chicken tacos are easy and delicious!
Store
Store any leftover salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing this recipe. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
