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 is excellent. Best and easiest recipe I’ve seen. It can be modified to suit ones taste. More of this and less of that. But still, a great recipe!
Thanks bunches
I’m so glad you enjoyed this easy salsa recipe, Leah! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
I love this!!! Up until about a week ago I never tried making fresh salsa. In the past week I’ve made it about 5x…lol. This is so easy and has the most amazing taste! Thank you for sharing🥰
For a smoother Salsa without blending, it’s probably also what a lot of restaurants use, is “Passata”, which also can be bought in a can, jar, even paper / cardboard box 🙂 It’s just another word for a very smooth blended can of Tomatoes 🙂
Great tip! Thank you for sharing!!
I’m not going to rate this because I didn’t follow the recipe to a T. Coming from a Mexican border town I’ll say it’s pretty good. Canned tomatoes aren’t in lack where we are so it’s definitely not authentic but we used them and can’t quite tell. We did omit cumin because that’s not a typical ingredient in any salsa we’ve ever had. Take or leave the lime as it’s good either way. We kept all of the jalapeño parts because we prefer a kick. All in all a great recipe!
Wonderful
Midwestern girl here. Better than my local Mexican Restaurant Salsa. Easy and yummy! Won’t make salsa any other way!
(I will say I also made this with roasted tomatoes from my garden. And can’t tell the difference between the canned vs fresh!)
You cannot beat the fresh taste of this salsa. I doubled the amount of cumin, though, as it is one of our favorite seasonings. I think next time I will use sweet onion instead of red (or 1/4 red and 1/4 sweet onions). After three days in the refrigerator, the onion taste was quite distinctive. I added a teaspoon of sugar, and that helped tame the distinct onion taste and allowed other flavors to come through. (If you have a suggestion for those of us who won’t eat it all in a day or two to prevent this, please share.) Thank you for an easy and delicious recipe.
Do you know if this recipe can be frozen or canned?
I have not tried either! I think that if you’re canning salsa you’ll want to use a recipe that is designed for canning so this one might not be best for you. Sorry, I can’t be of more help!
I have frozen it but it tends to get looser once thawed so not as good.
That is good to know! Thank you for sharing!
You might try rinsing your chopped onion under running water for a minute or so before adding to food processor. Saw this in a Rick Bayless pico de gallo recipe. The pico de gallo was excellent. Might work here.
You can soak a peeled sliced onion in ice water for about 10 minutes to tame the punch
Great idea, Leah! I’ve never heard of that before but it sounds ideal for this recipe!! Thank you for taking the time to share 🙂
I made the salsa this afternoon and left a few seeds on the jalapeño and added a little more garlic and a little more cumin and added a teaspoon of sugar! I tasted it after I blended it together and it was great I can’t wait to taste it after it sits in the fridge for a day! Thanks so much for this recipe it definitely taste better then store bought!!
If I am making several jars do I have to cook it or as long as its in sealed jar it will be fine?
This recipe is not written for canning – it’s just meant as a fresh salsa using canned tomatoes. I know there are some specific things that need to be done when canning to avoid botulism so a recipe that is specific to canning might be a better option for your needs. Hope that helps!
I loved this. I made adjustments I made it with fresh tomatoes and added more jalapeños and cumin and cayenne perrer in as we like ours hot. I also just used ingredient list to make my batch since I wanted to make a lot and use my garden ingredients.. I loved how it turned out!!! Will make again.
You already have lime juice. But you also can it. Just make sure you add a little bit of Sugar, white vinegar to it and cook to boil put in jars. Cook to what your pressure cooker or other advises.
Haven’t made this one. But others similar. It is a great one.
Question. Have you ever been to Milwaukee and had La Fuentes salsa or Botanas? I’m going to try this… hope it is similar.
I haven’t! But I’ll definitely check them out if I’m in the area! Can’t wait to hear what you think, Brian!
This recipe is fantastic! I used a can of whole San Marzano tomatoes flavored with garlic and red chili, and a chipotle pepper in adobo, along with the remaining ingredients. This is definitely going in my permanent recipe file!
I could (and probably will) eat this with a spoon.
This salsa is fantastic! I am eating it with one hand and typing with the other.
I didn’t have fire roasted tomatoes so I used a Mexican flavored stewed tomatoes.
I’ll definitely be making it again.
Thank you!
How many (16oz )jars does each recipe make? Trying to decide whether to double the recipe?
It will make slightly less than 2 (16 oz.) jars. Hope that helps!
Just made this tonight and it is delicious! Will be making this a lot! Thank you for the recipe
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Kelly! Isn’t it so quick and easy?! Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
This is good
Didn’t have fire roasted so used regular San Marzano tomatoes. Added an extra clove of garlic and a couple slices of habarnero pepper. Husband said it is the best salsa he’s had. Was perfect for our Taco New Years Celebration. Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that, Michelle!! The fire roasted San Marzanos are hard to find sometimes so I’m glad you were able to use regular ones with success!! Thank you so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
Faaan tastic Ty so much for inspiring me! . I had roasted some frozen corn in the oven & added this to the pico & made veggie nachos with. sharp cheddar! So so delish! ❤
YUM! Corn would be such a great addition to this salsa – and those nachos sound delicious!! Thanks so much for leaving a review, Eileen. I really appreciate it!! 🙂
This was really easy to make and so very good!
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Barbara. Thank you for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
I just want you thank you,Kylie.
I have made and gone through a 3 other recipes and adjusted according to my taste.This just so happens to require minimal modification compared to the others but it is now my permanent go to.
During taco night or a sports game.People ask what’s my secret.I simply say,Thank Kylie and her taste buds.
Everyone-
“Whoever she is.Thank you”!