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Restaurant Style Salsa

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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!

Close up shot of a hand dipping a tortilla chip into homemade salsa

Blender Salsa?

YES! 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!

Overhead shot of a toddler hand reaching for a chip next to a bowl of salsa

You’ll Love This

  • 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!
Close up shot of a jar filled with fresh homemade salsa

Instructions

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!

An overhead shot of a blender filled with fresh restaurant style blender 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.

A blender pouring fresh homemade restaurant style salsa into a white bowl

Tips

  • 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.
Overhead shot of a white bowl filled with fresh homemade restaurant style salsa

Fresh vs. 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.

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Print

Easy Restaurant Style Blender Salsa

★★★★★

5 from 25 reviews

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!

  • Author: Kylie Lato
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: No Cooking Required
  • Cuisine: Mexican
Scale

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

  1. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor.
  2. Blend for about a minute until everything is well minced and combined.
  3. 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.

Keywords: blender salsa, summer salsa, canned tomato salsa, fresh salsa, blended salsa

Did you make this recipe?

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!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Teri

    Made 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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Best. 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 🙂

      Reply

  3. Gloria | Homemade & Yummy

    This 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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Crabcake

      This 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.

      Reply

  4. Eva

    Great 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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Totally 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!

      Reply

  6. Danielle

    I 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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  7. Amy

    Can’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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  8. Jo

    Salsa 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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  9. Kate

    I 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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  10. lauren

    I 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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  11. Amanda

    I 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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  12. Lorie

    Absolutely nothing beats homemade salsa. And this one is so easy to make—bonus! Stocking up on extra chips so we are ready to scoop!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  13. Julie

    I 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!

    Reply

  14. Daniela

    Absolutely adore homemade salsa!!! So easy to make and so much yummier than the store bought kind! Thanks so much for sharing :).

    Reply

  15. Margaret Hardison

    Can 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.

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Lariza – I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! I too cannot stop eating this one I’ve started, so I usually make a double batch 🙂 Thank you for leaving a review; I really appreciate it!

      Reply

  17. April

    I only added 1/4 of a jalapeño and no cayenne pepper as I don’t like my salsa too spicy. I added more garlic to my recipe because I love it so much. It turned out great. Super easy and delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lisa! This is one of our favorites and so easy to make with canned tomatoes. Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!

      Reply

  19. Erika

    I tried this recipe on Pinterest and it was a huge hit for my family! I agree that it thickens overtime so if you find you don’t like it as smooth that’s an easy fix. I absolutely love the red onion flavor and I would definitely make this again! It’ll really impress people at the next family get together and I’m super excited to share this recipe with everyone! Every ingredient was already in my kitchen and you can taste all of the delicious flavors individually and they come together in harmony. Dare I say this recipe is better then some salsas I’ve had at restaurants!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  20. Jo

    This is my 3rd batch. Love it. Still tweaking a bit. I added some garlic powder and another 1/4 tsp of cumin.

    ★★★★

    Reply

  23. Tami

    This recipe is fresh, easy, and delicious! I’ll never want to buy salsa in the grocery store ever again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Yayyyyy!! Could not agree more – this salsa is better than anything you’ll find at the grocery store! Thanks so much for leaving a review, Tami. I really appreciate it 🙂

      Reply

  25. Ginny

    While we in quarantine, we have been testing out several salsa recipes and we just decided that this was hands down the best one we have tried. My son said we were done testing! He said “one of the best salsas he has ever tasted!”

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      WOW! That is so great to hear! I’m so glad you and the fam enjoyed this salsa recipe – it’s on our family’s favorites too! Thanks for leaving a review, Ginny!

      Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Great question, Jeff! I would recommend storing this salsa in the fridge for up to 5 days but probably not much longer. Since it’s homemade, and there are no preservatives in it, it won’t last quite as long as a typical jar of store-bought salsa. Thanks for asking! I hope you love this one as much as we do!

      Reply

  27. Irene

    Delish!! Couldn’t find whole fire roasted tomatoes so substituted diced fire roasted tomatoes (Muir Glen organic brand). Consistency turned out perfect. Love the blended flavors and can’t wait to open a bag of chips and serve it! Thank you for sharing a great recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  28. mollie duvall

    I am very tardy in writing a review for this recipe. I have made with the canned tomatoes and also, fresh from my garden tomatoes. Delicious, either way. In answer to the comment above, about freezing, the answer is YES! I had an abundance of tomatoes from my garden last summer. I made up a bunch of this salsa and froze it in 1 cup containers. I served the last of it on New Year’s Eve and it tasted like fresh. So good!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Wow, that’s awesome! I’m so glad to hear that you’ve had success with both fresh and canned tomatoes AND freezing. Thank you so much – that’s super helpful! Thanks for leaving a review, Molly!

      Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Good question – I am not sure, though 🙁 I have not tried canning it and I do not have enough experience with canning to surmise. I’m sorry that I can’t be of more help!

      Reply

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