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This quick and easy blender salsa is the simplest appetizer you’ll ever make and pairs well with any of your favorite Mexican dishes. The healthiest way to add lots of flavor to any dish is THIS homemade salsa!
What is blender salsa?
Blender salsa is just like the smooth, slightly spicy salsa you’ll find at your favorite Mexican restaurant. It’s loaded with fresh flavors of garlic, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. But it’s made with the convenience of canned San Marzano tomatoes. Which means you can enjoy it all year round!
Why you’re going to love this salsa:
- Did you see that ingredient list!? 8 ingredients that you might already have in your kitchen is all it takes to make this restaurant style salsa. No fancy, exotic peppers or spices. Just simple, straight forward, common ingredients!
- The flavors are AMAZING. Dare I say the flavors are actually better than restaurant salsa?! I think it might have something to do with how FRESH the salsa tastes, but this is hands down the best salsa I have ever had. Period.
- It’s easy to adjust this salsa to suit your personal taste! Like it spicy? Add a little more cayenne or leave the ribs and seeds in the jalapenos. Do you like a strong acid flavor in your salsa? Add an extra squeeze of fresh lime juice. A 1/2 teaspoon of chiles in adobo added to this salsa will give you a great smoky heat too! This recipe is really easy to make your own!
How to make restaurant style salsa:
As the name suggests, you’re going to blend all the classic salsa ingredients together giving you the smoothest, slightly spicy fresh salsa you’ve ever had.
You’ll add a big can of ripe, juicy San Marzano tomatoes to your blender along with chopped red onion, smashed garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, cumin, cayenne and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my ninja blender and use it regularly for soups and smoothies but it’s PERFECT for this salsa!
Blend for about a minute or so and voila! Fresh salsa that tastes just like (if not better than) the stuff from your favorite Mexican restaurant.
Tips for making the best restaurant style salsa:
- If you can’t find fire roasted San Marzano tomatoes, regular diced tomatoes will work just fine! I’m a huge San Marzano fan and would highly recommend spending the extra moolah on them. But if you can’t find them or are trying to stick to a budget, diced tomatoes will work great too!
- You don’t necessarily need a high speed blender for this salsa. If you’re using just a regular blender, you might need to blend for longer than a minute. Use your judgement – when the salsa ingredients are well minced and combined, the salsa is done. You could also use a food processor to make this salsa! Again, just use your judgement
- If you like a chunkier salsa, don’t blend it for quite as long. I’m a HUGE fan of the smooth consistency of restaurant style salsa, but if you like chunks of tomato and onion, scale back the blending time. Give it a few quick pulses until it reaches your desired consistency.
- The longer this salsa sits the more the flavors will blossom. If you’re having friends over, feel free to make this salsa a day or two in advance (and then hide it in the back of your fridge so your kids and husband don’t eat it all)! 24 hours in the fridge will make this salsa the best of the best. ALSO – Add more salt to taste just before serving if it’s been in the fridge for a couple days.
Using fresh tomatoes instead of canned:
This easy salsa is one of my favorite ways to use up all the fresh roma tomatoes that my in-laws give us from their garden! I usually sub about 4 cups of fresh chopped tomatoes in place of the 28 oz. can of San Marzanos.
Serve this salsa with:
- Baked Chicken & Black Bean Taquitos
- Ground Beef Flautas
- Shredded Chicken Tostadas
- Beer Braised Pork Carnitas
- Baked Fish Tacos
- Sheet Pan Quesadillas
Easy Restaurant Style Blender Salsa
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This simple salsa is loaded with canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro. Skip the jar of preservatives from the grocery store and make your own at home!
Ingredients
- 28 oz. can San Marzano whole plum fire roasted tomatoes (juices included)
- 1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
- 3–4 cloves smashed garlic
- 1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- juice of 2 limes
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- pinch cayenne pepper
- a couple large pinches Kosher salt
- large pinch fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor.
- Blend for about a minute until everything is well minced and combined.
- Serve with your favorite tortilla chips!
Notes
If you can’t find fire roasted San Marzano tomatoes, regular diced tomatoes will work just fine! I’m a huge San Marzano fan and would highly recommend spending the extra moolah on them. But if you can’t find them or are trying to stick to a budget, diced tomatoes will work great too!
You don’t necessarily need a high speed blender for this salsa. If you’re using just a regular blender, you might need to blend for longer than a minute. Use your judgement – when the salsa ingredients are well minced and combined, the salsa is done. You could also use a food processor to make this salsa! Again, just use your judgement
If you like a chunkier salsa, don’t blend it for quite as long. I’m a HUGE fan of the smooth consistency of restaurant style salsa, but if you like chunks of tomato and onion, scale back the blending time. Give it a few quick pulses until it reaches your desired consistency.
The longer this salsa sits, the more the flavors will blossom. If you’re having friends over, feel free to make this salsa a day or two in advance (and then hide it in the back of your fridge so your kids and husband don’t eat it all)! 24 hours in the fridge will make this salsa the best of the best. ALSO – Add more salt to taste just before serving if it’s been in the fridge for a couple days.
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No Cooking Required
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: blender salsa, summer salsa, canned tomato salsa, fresh salsa, blended salsa
This post was originally published in August of 2017. It was updated in April of 2019 to include process shots and tips for making the best restaurant style salsa every single time!
Kylie Lato
May 6, 2019 at 9:27 pmThis is the EASIEST and most delicious salsa recipe you’ll find on the internet!
★★★★★
Teri
May 27, 2019 at 4:20 amMade this yesterday and where has this been my whole life? The flavour is excellent and it takes about three mins to whip up in the blender. If you store in fridge, it also firms up a little bit. Best part is that it is mostly made with pantry items and can be made any time. A keeper!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 27, 2019 at 8:48 amBest. Review. Ever. I’m SO glad you enjoyed this one Teri!!! It’s one of our family’s favorites – and you’re right – it’s almost too easy to make!! Thank you 🙂
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
May 27, 2019 at 12:22 pmThis salsa looks delicious. So easy to whip this up at home Much better than store bought…even the organic store bought. Have printed…and it will be a hit on Mexican themed dinner nights.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 27, 2019 at 1:33 pmCould not agree more Gloria!
Crabcake
January 9, 2020 at 3:48 pmThis recipe is a great base. I recommend draining the tomatoes and adding the liquid as needed. Maybe it’s the brand of tomatoes I used, but it came out so soupy I had to strain and re-season. I used plain (not roasted) tomatoes, so I added smoked paprika for extra flavor.
Eva
May 27, 2019 at 2:12 pmGreat fan of canned tomato salsa here! *raises hand*
Of course we all love a chunky slasa with fresh tomato, a real pico de gallo… but sometimes good tomatoes are just not in season or simply not available at home. This is why blended salsa with canned tomatoes is such a great solution. I also have a recipe for a similar blended salsa, but I am curious to try yours as it has slightly different seasoning in it.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 27, 2019 at 2:15 pmTotally agree Eva!! Those canned fire roasted San Marzano tomatoes are just perfect for a quick yummy salsa!! Fresh tomatoes have their place too but canned tomatoes are good all year round!
Denise
May 30, 2019 at 11:28 amThis looks incredible! I plan to whip up a batch this afternoon! I’m excited to try it!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 31, 2019 at 11:32 amYou’re going to love in Denise!
Danielle
May 31, 2019 at 1:30 pmI have a pack of chips in the kitchen, and you won’t believe how much I want to dip every single one of them into this salsa. This recipe if absolutely magnificent, and I can’t wait to try it!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 31, 2019 at 1:49 pmI’ll bring the wine! 🙂
Amy
May 31, 2019 at 2:38 pmCan’t believe how easy this is! My family loves to snack on chips and salsa before dinner most nights — I’ll have to share some of this with them!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 31, 2019 at 2:49 pmThey are going to love it!
Jo
June 1, 2019 at 7:50 amSalsa and summer go hand in hand. I can’t stop eating salsa and this restaurant style salsa looks absolutely perfect. I wish to have some nachos and salsa right away.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
June 1, 2019 at 9:49 amMe too Jo!!
Kate
June 1, 2019 at 4:20 pmI really like that you can make this with canned tomatoes – fresh tomatoes at the store can be hit or miss so with this recipe I know it will taste great every time!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
June 1, 2019 at 4:41 pmYou are so right Kate!
lauren
June 2, 2019 at 9:04 amI love how simple and fast this recipe is! Pantry and refrigerator staples in this house. I have to agree I love the texture of this blender salsa. I won’t say no to chunky salsa but this is much more my style.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
June 2, 2019 at 5:18 pmThanks Lauren!
Amanda
June 2, 2019 at 1:53 pmI love how quick and easy this recipe is! It’s so perfect for patio nights, and I plan on making this quite a bit over the summer. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
June 2, 2019 at 5:18 pmThanks Amanda!
Lorie
June 2, 2019 at 9:52 pmAbsolutely nothing beats homemade salsa. And this one is so easy to make—bonus! Stocking up on extra chips so we are ready to scoop!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
June 2, 2019 at 9:56 pmYou are SO right Lorie!!
Julie
June 2, 2019 at 10:36 pmI love how quick and easy this is! I usually roast my vegetables before making salsa which means it’s definitely not weeknight friendly. I’m giving this a try next week — it will save us so much time!
Kylie Lato
June 3, 2019 at 8:18 amI might just have to do a roasted salsa version too!! That is one of my favorites when I have the time to make it 🙂
Daniela
June 3, 2019 at 1:33 amAbsolutely adore homemade salsa!!! So easy to make and so much yummier than the store bought kind! Thanks so much for sharing :).
Kylie Lato
June 3, 2019 at 8:18 amThanks Daniela!
Margaret Hardison
January 4, 2020 at 3:53 pmCan you can or freeze this recipe for later? We always have leftovers after taco Tuesday but it’s not as good next week just storing it in the fridge.
Kylie Lato
January 4, 2020 at 5:45 pmGood question! I am not positive, but I’d worry that the texture of the salsa might break down if frozen. I did a quick Google search though and it looks like with a few additional steps it can be frozen: https://www.wikihow.com/Freeze-Salsa. Great questions Margaret!!