5 Minute Restaurant Salsa Recipe
This quick and easy blender salsa takes just 5 minutes to throw together thanks to fire-roasted canned tomatoes. It’s loaded with fresh flavors and tastes just like that smooth restaurant-style salsa from your favorite restaurant!
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 fire-roasted tomatoes. This means you can enjoy it all year round!
You Will Love This
- The ingredient list is short and sweet! 8 ingredients that you might already have in your kitchen are all it takes to make this restaurant-style salsa. No fancy, exotic peppers or spices. Just simple, straightforward, 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. This easy restaurant-style salsa pairs perfectly with Baked Black Bean Flautas, Sheet Pan Shredded Chicken Nachos, or Cheesy Vegetarian Enchiladas!
- 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 use as a blueprint and make it your own!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fire-roasted Diced Tomatoes – If you can’t find fire-roasted tomatoes you can just use regular diced tomatoes, but fire-roasted are going to add another layer of delicious flavor.
- Red Onion – You could also use white onion or yellow onion in place of the red onion in this recipe.
- Fresh Garlic – This restaurant-style salsa really does taste best with fresh cloves of garlic. If you’re in a pinch you could use the jarred minced garlic or garlic powder, but it will alter the flavor of the salsa.
- Jalapeno – If you like spicy salsa, try leaving some (or all) of the ribs and seeds in the jalapeno. I prefer mild salsa, so I remove the ribs and seeds completely from the jalapeno.
- Cilantro – Fresh cilantro is a really important ingredient in this salsa. It adds a ton of freshness. Do not omit it.
- Lime Juice – If you don’t have fresh limes on hand, this is our family’s favorite bottled lime juice.
- Cumin – I like the earthy, warm flavor that cumin adds, but if you don’t have any on hand it’s not a big deal. The flavor of this blender salsa will still be delicious!
- Cayenne Pepper – Just a pinch of cayenne pepper is going to boost the other flavors in this salsa without making it spicy. If you prefer it spicy, feel free to add a few extra pinches of cayenne pepper to taste.
- Salt & Pepper – The ingredient list for this restaurant-style salsa recipe is short, so be sure to salt and pepper moderately to enhance the overall flavor.
Instructions – How to Make Salsa
Add all ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor.
Blend for about a minute until everything is well minced and combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Enjoy immediately with crispy tortilla chips or store in the fridge for 24 hours to let the flavors really come together!
Tips
- If you like a thicker salsa, feel free to drain the juices from the canned tomatoes before blending. I prefer a nice smooth consistency, so I blend the juices along with the tomatoes and other ingredients.
- 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.
- 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 judgment – 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 judgment on 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. This salsa will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Fresh vs. Canned Tomatoes
- You can use fresh or canned tomatoes for this recipe. I prefer the consistency that canned tomatoes offer because living in Wisconsin, we only get juicy ripe tomatoes for a few months out of the year. Canned tomatoes allow me to enjoy fresh, homemade salsa all year round!
- If you’re using fresh tomatoes for this recipe, I recommend using them when they’re in season and try to find beefsteak or Roma tomatoes as those tend to have the best flavors for salsa. Be sure to check out my Roasted Tomato Salsa if you’re looking for another recipe to use up fresh tomatoes!
FAQ
Restaurant-style typically has a more smooth texture. The ingredients are finely minced and the salsa has a thinner consistency. This is why a blender is so helpful in making restaurant-style salsa. Chunky salsa usually has a chunkier texture and less liquid.
It’s much easier than you think thanks to fire-roasted diced tomatoes! Typical salsa ingredients include tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and salt. You can either chop or blend all the ingredients together and voila – you’ve got homemade salsa!
Homemade salsa costs about the same as storebought salsa. You can either spend a few dollars on a jar of salsa or a few dollars on the ingredients to make your own! But homemade salsa allows you the flexibility to customize the ingredients to suit your tastes!
Serve Salsa With
- Sheet Pan Shredded Chicken Nachos
- Crispy Ground Beef Flautas
- Beer-Braised Pork Carnitas
- Easy Baked Fish Tacos
- Sheet Pan Chicken Quesadillas
Did you love this recipe?
Please leave a 5-star rating and review below!
Easy Restaurant Style Blender Salsa
This quick and easy blender salsa takes just 5 minutes to throw together thanks to fire-roasted canned tomatoes. It’s loaded with fresh flavors and tastes just like that smooth restaurant-style salsa from your favorite restaurant!
- 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
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 (15 oz.) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 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!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
If you like a thicker salsa, feel free to drain the juices from the canned tomatoes before blending. I prefer a nice smooth consistency, so I blend the juices along with the tomatoes and other ingredients.
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.
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 judgment – 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 judgment on 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. This salsa will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of salsa
- Calories: 33
- Sugar: 2.9 g
- Sodium: 211.8 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 0.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This post was originally published in August of 2017. It was updated in February of 2021 to include process shots and tips for making the best restaurant-style salsa every single time!
This recipe was excellent and very easy to make! I liked it so much, that I made 6 jars and canned it!
Wow – you are set on salsa now! So glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Barbara! Thanks so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it! 🙂
Can this recipe be canned? I’d love to make this in batches and can to gift during the holidays.
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!
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!!!
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!
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!
WOOHOO! Muir Glen is my favorite brand too! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for leaving a review!!
Do you know how long it lasts in the refrigerator? Like to make more than one at the time. Thanks
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!
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!”
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!
So stinking good!!
WOOHOO! So glad you enjoyed this one, Sarah. Thanks for leaving a review!
This recipe is fresh, easy, and delicious! I’ll never want to buy salsa in the grocery store ever again.
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 🙂
Fresh is the best!
Could not agree more 🙂 Thanks Debbie!!
The Best Recipe!!! Making again!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Denise! Thanks so much for leaving a review!!
This is my 3rd batch. Love it. Still tweaking a bit. I added some garlic powder and another 1/4 tsp of cumin.
Awesome! So glad you’re liking this one Jo!
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!
WOOHOO! Best review ever, Erika!! I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe – thanks so much for leaving a review!! 🙂
Was great!! Will make again, soon!!
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!
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!
I ALWAYS add more garlic in this recipe too 🙂 You can never have enough!! Glad you enjoyed this recipe April – thanks for leaving a review!!
A must try !! So delicious could not stop eating !
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!