The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
This homemade salsa recipe is easy to make with canned or fresh tomatoes! Simple ingredients blend together for an authentic Mexican salsa recipe that can be served mild or spicy.
Serve this with my Baked Tacos, Chicken Quesadillas, Steak Fajitas and Chicken Enchiladas!
Homemade Salsa
There are few recipes that I can think of where you can throw everything into a blender and end up with something so refreshing.
It’s really easy to control the heat in this recipe as well. Remove the white membrane from the jalapeno for less spicy salsa. You may want to remove the seeds as well, as that can contain heat from touching the membrane.
Check out all of my tips below on how to control the consistency, store it, what to serve it with, and more.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Add all ingredients to blender, food processor, or large pot/bowl with an immersion blender. Pulse until desired consistency is reached.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 1 hour.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with tortilla chips.
Using Fresh Tomatoes
- 28 oz. of fresh tomatoes can be used in this recipe. You can even make these easy roasted tomatoes for this recipe!
- To remove the skins: Cut the fresh tomatoes in half and place cut-side-down on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil for just a few minutes, until you see the skins pucker up and loosen. Let cool enough to touch and the skins will slide right off!
- 1 (28 oz.) can tomatoes = 3 cups undrained = 2.5 cups drained tomatoes.
Pro Tips
- To make spicy salsa: Keep the white membrane that’s found inside the jalapeno.
- For thicker salsa: Don’t blend it too much/keep it chunky. You can also reserve some of the tomato juice and only add it back to the salsa as desired. (Though my personal preference is to leave all of the juice)
- Let the flavors blend for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Overnight is also great if possible.
- Pair this with: Guacamole, Velveeta Queso, and Mango Salsa
- Serve this with: Chicken Quesadillas, Beef Enchiladas, Chicken Enchiladas, Steak Fajitas, Guacamole, White Queso Dip, Nacho Cheese Sauce, Velveeta Queso, Cowboy Caviar, Salsa Chicken, Baked Tacos, Chicken Quesadillas, and more. See all Mexican inspired recipes here.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- PRO Tips if Freezing: Thicken it up with tomato paste after thawing. You can also simmer it on the stove to let excess liquid evaporate. Let it cool completely before serving.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
Try These Next
-
- Baked Tacos
-
- Corn Salad
-
- Taco Stuffed Shells
-
- Steak Fajitas
-
- Chicken Enchiladas
-
- Beef Lo Mein
Get My Free Meal Plan
I’ve got a Free Meal Plan with 7 of my super popular recipes (complete with grocery list)! Sign up for my email list and I’ll send it over now along with weekly dinner recipes!
And follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Homemade Salsa
Ingredients
- 28 oz. whole plum tomatoes, with the juice
- 1 small white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, diced with seeds removed
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 Tablespoons lime juice
- 4-5 Tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor, blender, or large pot/bowl with an immersion blender.
- Pulse until blended to desired consistency. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight.
- Transfer to a serving dish and serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
Using Fresh Tomatoes
- 28 oz. of fresh tomatoes can be used in this recipe. You can even make these easy roasted tomatoes for this recipe!
- To remove the skins: Cut the fresh tomatoes in half and place cut-side-down on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil for just a few minutes, until you see the skins pucker up and loosen. Let cool enough to touch and the skins will slide right off!
- 1 (28 oz.) can tomatoes = 3 cups undrained = 2.5 cups drained tomatoes.
Pro Tips
- To make spicy salsa: Keep the white membrane that's found inside the jalapeno.
- For thicker salsa: Don't blend it too much/keep it chunky. You can also reserve some of the tomato juice and only add it back to the salsa as desired. (Though my personal preference is to leave all of the juice)
- Let the flavors blend for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Overnight is also great if possible.
- Pair this with: Guacamole, Velveeta Queso, and Mango Salsa
- Serve this with: Chicken Quesadillas, Beef Enchiladas, Chicken Enchiladas, Steak Fajitas, Guacamole, White Queso Dip, Nacho Cheese Sauce, Velveeta Queso, Cowboy Caviar, Salsa Chicken, Baked Tacos, Chicken Quesadillas, and more. See all Mexican inspired recipes here.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- PRO Tips if Freezing: Thicken it up with tomato paste after thawing. You can also simmer it on the stove to let excess liquid evaporate. Let it cool completely before serving.
This is an absolute must try recipe! I will never buy store bought salsa again(I never realized with 5 minutes of prep you could end up with these flavors). The freshness ia amazing I like mine a little more spicier so just added an extra jalapeño with some seeds.
I love that you’ll be going with homemade salsa from now on Lauren, to me it can’t be beat! My husband loves it with a little extra jalapeno too, thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!💗
Stephanie, by the looks of the photo it appears the salsa has been cooked in the instructions you did not state that. Please advise. Thank you….I cannot wait to make!! Sounds wonderful.
HI LINDA! 🙂 I’ve never cooked salsa, I’m not sure why it appears cooked to you, but it’s not! 🙂
Great taste. I put mine in water bath to enjoy all year.
Thanks so much for the great review Patty, I’m so happy you liked it!💗
Another hint for peeling tomatoes that I learned by accident is to freeze tomatoes that you intend to uses in sauces or soups. When you bring them out of the freezer run warm water over the tomatoes one at a time. The skin will loosen and peel right off.
When I have a bumper crop of tomatoes, especially Romas, I freeze them whole.
Great tip Mike, thanks so much for the great review!😃
This was amazing and so easy to make! I used only one jalapeno but will likely use 2 next time. At first it seemed very liquid-y but it ended up being perfect and full of flavor. I used Muir Glen canned plum tomatoes with all the juice but honestly think brand wouldn’t really matter. This will be my go-to salsa recipe from now on.
I’m so happy you liked the Salsa Tina! This one definitely gets better as it sits in the fridge 😋. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
I am making this today for the 3rd time since mid June. I actually used store brand canned tomatoes the 2nd time and it was just as good as when I used the Muir Glen! Anyway, I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
I’m so happy you’re enjoying the salsa Tina! Thanks so much for the great comments and for your support, much appreciated!🙌
This salsa recipe has more depth of flavor than the ones that include what can be the watery ingredients of Rotel or green chiles. I find that this is the best quick homemade salsa I have had and does stack up to Mexican restaurant salsas. Salsa is extremely important to those of us living in the Southwest, something we take very seriously.
These comments make me so happy Lorena, thanks so much!💖 I take my salsa very seriously lol so I took my time perfecting this one!
I have made with fresh and canned tomatoes and it turned out great each time.
That’s so great to hear Renee!💖 I love this salsa so much. Thanks for the great comments!
About how many tomatoes are in 28ozs?i
I’m using a variety from my garden.
Thanks!
Ohhh I can’t give a count unfortunately, it varies depending on the type of tomato you’re using.
Thanks for the quick reply! I’ll just eyeball & taste & see how it goes.
This has to be the best salsa recipe I have tried so far! I added a little extra garlic and some really hot peppers my husband is growing in the garden. I made a big batch so I can snack on it all 4th of July weekend. Thanks for the recipe!
I am so happy to hear that Joleen! I love that you used hot peppers, I am jealous! I love spicy salsa but I have to keep it mild for my daughter. Thank you so much for the review! -Stephanie
Thanks for the quick reply. Just to let you know, I have enjoyed some of your recipes and I like your web site. Keep up the good work.
I’m so happy to hear that Nanci, thank you so much! I will keep the recipes coming! Really appreciate your support! 🙂 -Stephanie
The measurement for the cumin is I think incorrect. It has 1.2 teaspoons. Is that 1/2 teaspoon, 1.5 teaspoon or what?
Hi Nancy! That should be 1.5 teaspoons, thank you for noticing!! I’ll fix that now 🙂