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Are you sitting down? Because I’m sharing the best damn salsa recipe, with you today! If you’re a salsa person and I know you are, you have got to give this delicious homemade salsa recipe a try. The bright, fresh dip is absolutely irresistible! It’s loaded with delicious, vibrant flavor and it comes together in less than 5 minutes.

homemade salsa in a white serving bowl with cilantro, tortilla chips and lemon slices to the side

This post was originally published on 6/15/2015. It was republished on 4/1/19 with helpful recipe tips and new photos.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SALSA

Chips and salsa are a staple in the Lee household. Especially, for my husband it’s an everyday occurrence. There are a few store-bought brands he’ll eat, but nothing quite compares to the deliciousness of this homemade salsa recipe. It’s so easy to make and one of the most popular recipes on the blog, with great reason!

This recipe makes a large batch – plenty to fill tacos, top omelets, mix into salads and for chip dipping. Our go-to chip for pairing with this salsa is Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla Chips. They have the perfect amount of salt and flavor. Even our picky kids love them! This is not sponsored it’s just a favorite. We always grab a big bag at Costco, but they can also be found at most grocery stores.

Making homemade salsa is super easy with the use of a blender or food processor. I always use a food processor, so that the ingredients are more evenly dispersed, but a blender will do the trick too. Pulse it just a few times, we want the onion, garlic, tomatoes and cilantro to get chopped up, but still be chunky. And you may need to pulse, stir and then pulse again, to get all ingredients evenly diced.

chopped tomato, onion, and cilantro in a food processor

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN HOMEMADE SALSA

This recipe has all the classic salsa ingredients – tomatoes, jalapeños, onion, garlic and cilantro. Garden tomatoes are the star of the show in this salsa, but if you’re not lucky enough to have a garden full of tomatoes, I suggest buying your tomatoes from a Farmer’s Market. You’ll be surprised what a difference in flavor it makes. If you’re looking for a roasted flavor, try my Best Damn Roasted Salsa Recipe and if you only have cherry tomatoes on hand, you’ll love this Fire Roasted Salsa Recipe.

We personally LOVE cilantro, but I know genetically some people think it tastes like soap. If you’re unlucky enough to not like cilantro, simply leave it out. This recipe will work just fine without it. I used red onions, here, but we’ve used white and yellow onions with great results.

blended salsa in the bowl of a food processor

TIPS & TRICKS FOR MAKING THE BEST HOMEMADE SALSA

Adding the ingredients to the food processor. I suggest adding the garlic, jalapeño and onion first. This ensures that they will all get chopped up evenly and the tomatoes won’t get too soupy.

Adjust to taste. The best thing about homemade salsa is that you can customize it and make it your own. The measurements are just a guide – add more or less of the specific ingredients as you prefer. Start with a small amount of salt and cumin and add more to your preferred taste. Leave out jalapeño seeds, if you’re sensitive to spice and add more jalapeño to add more kick to this recipe. Use lemon or lime. We usually use whichever we have on hand and love both. Start off with a small amount and add more later until the salsa has the flavor you’re going for.

My tools. I’ve had this Cuisinart food processor (<–affiliate link) for years and even after many batches of nut butter grinding, it’s still going strong.

Salsa recipe for canning. This recipe works great for canning! Last summer, my husband canned a ton of jars of this salsa and we had fresh garden tomato salsa all through the fall. We bought this canning kit and these large glass jars from Amazon and he watched several YouTube videos for instructions. He kept the recipe the same other than the canning part. In the comments, below, you’ll see that readers have also had success with canning this salsa recipe.

salsa in a serving bowl with a silver spoon

MORE DELICIOUS DIP RECIPES TO TRY

Copycat Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Spinach & Kale Greek Yogurt Dip

Best Homemade Guacamole {video}

Best Fire Roasted Salsa

I’d love to know if you make this (or any) recipe! Tag @kimscravings on Instagram and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.

hand dipping salsa on a tortilla chip

WATCH THE VIDEO, BELOW, TO SEE HOW EASY THIS HOMEMADE SALSA RECIPE IS TO WHIP UP!

homemade salsa in a white serving bowl with cilantro, tortilla chips and lemon slices to the side
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4.27 from 23 votes
Nutrition Facts
Best Damn Salsa Ever!
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 50 Calories from Fat 3
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.3g 0%
Sodium 501.8mg 21%
Potassium 83.4mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 10.4g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2.1g 8%
Sugars 5g
Protein 2g 4%
Vitamin A 27.4%
Vitamin C 82.2%
Calcium 3.8%
Iron 7.9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Servings:4 cups
Best Damn Salsa Ever!
Prep Time:
5 mins
Total Time:
5 mins
 

This homemade salsa recipe is absolutely irresistible! It's loaded with delicious, vibrant flavor and it comes together in less than 5 minutes. 

Ingredients
  • 4 small jalapeño peppers* (leave the seeds in for an extra kick)
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/4-1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • 6 tomatoes of varying sizes, chopped
  • 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (about 1/2 lemon, juiced)
Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. I like to add in the jalapeños, onion and garlic first and then the cilantro and tomatoes, so the tomatoes do not get too soupy. Pulse about 10 or so times and until all ingredients are combined and diced, but be sure to stop before the salsa becomes too soupy.

  2. Taste the salsa and add more ingredients as desired. I would advise stirring in the extra ingredients, not pulsing in the food processor. The salsa will become too soupy, quickly.

  3. Transfer to a bowl and enjoy!
  4. I prefer to refrigerate salsa for 1 day prior to serving to allow the flavors to marry and meld. Salsa will keep for about 1 week in an airtight container or jar in the fridge; however, it's never lasted that long in this household.
Recipe Notes

*4 jalapeños may be too much for some. Consider adding fewer if you are sensitive to heat.
I STRONGLY suggest garden tomatoes or tomatoes from the farmer's market to really make this salsa the BEST!

 

 

Author: Kim Lee
Course: Appetizer, Dip
Cuisine: Mexican, Spanish
Keyword: best salsa, easy salsa recipe, homemade salsa

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