This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
This is the BEST Easy Salsa Recipe – it’s done in 5 minutes! It’s made with canned tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapenos, and seasonings for the best flavor. Blend everything together and you get a delicious homemade salsa! If you’re looking for a quick salsa for Taco Tuesday, this is the recipe you need.
Best Simple Salsa in a Blender
I’m all about salsa, whether we get a big basket of chips and a bowl of salsa at our favorite restaurant or having some at home for happy hours or Taco Tuesday. And while I’m not opposed to jarred salsa, most of the time I whip up this 5 minute salsa – it’s seriously easy!
The best part? It tastes way better than jarred salsa! I can totally tell the difference and you will, too, once you try it.
All you need is about five minutes to make this blender salsa. I call it my 5-minute restaurant salsa recipe because it tastes just as good, but I don’t have to leave the house to get my fix!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- I use canned tomatoes to make it really easy. They also have a great flavor! Tomatoes are canned at their peak, so you get that great tomato flavor. Making salsa from canned tomatoes is so easy and it really does taste better than jarred.
- If you have a blender or a food processor you can make this quick salsa recipe! There’s hardly any prep work – everything goes in the blender and, after a few pulses, it’s ready to serve.
- You can make it as spicy as you want – that’s the beauty of making your own.
- Choose it smooth or chunky – totally your choice!
Salsa Ingredients
- Canned whole peeled tomatoes: I like to use San Marzano tomatoes because they have the best flavor! I would avoid generic brands and canned diced tomatoes which are processed more.
- Peeled Garlic: I love garlic in salsa!
- Onion: White or yellow onion is fine.
- Jalapeños: For some spicy flavor!
- Spices: I LOVE using cumin and chipotle chili powder, and salt and pepper.
- Fresh cilantro: Cilantro makes it amazing – but you can skip or reduce if you don’t love it as much as I do.
What spices do you put in salsa?
I like to add ground cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper along with fresh cilantro. Of course, there are a lot of ways to make salsa, so you have a lot of other spice choices you could try.
What I suggest is making this basic salsa recipe first and you can always add to it after you give it a taste. The best seasoning for salsa is the one you love, so feel free to experiment!
How to Make Salsa from Canned Tomatoes
- Place the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and jalapeno in a blender or food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are roughly chopped.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until the salsa is as thick or thin as you like it.
- Transfer it to a bowl or container for serving or storage.
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- The best blender for salsa is a stand blender, although you can use an immersion blender as long as you blend the salsa in a large bowl with tall sides.
- If you’re having a hard time getting the ingredients to blend, you can always add a little lime juice to the blender.
- It gets better as it sits so I recommend making this ahead of time.
- If you want a chunky Mexican salsa recipe, this one will work. Pulse a few times to keep the salsa chunky.
- If you like spicy salsa, blend up the seeds from the jalapeno. If you like it less spicy, remove the ribs and seeds before you blend the salsa.
- This simple salsa recipe will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator. Just keep in mind the flavors will get stronger (looking at you, onions) so I usually try to use it up within three to four days.
FAQ
Add the seeds from the jalapeno to make spicy salsa.
Yes, you can reduce the amount of chili powder and/or remove the seeds from the jalapeno. Or, you can use less jalapeno.
Yes, you can make salsa in a food processor. It works great!
Store homemade salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yes, this salsa recipe freezes great!
A lot of the time it’s because of the ingredients they use although my homemade salsa recipe tastes just as good!
If you’ve been looking for the best salsa recipe, your search stops here! Making homemade salsa is super easy and tastes so much better than jarred. With just a few ingredients and a blender, you can have salsa for dinner tonight.
Easy Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 28 ounce (793g) can can whole peeled tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- ½ white or yellow onion about 1 cup or 128g
- 1 large jalapeños or 2 medium, see note
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 handful cilantro about 12g
Instructions
- Place tomatoes, garlic, onion, and jalapeno in blender jar. Pulse until roughly chopped.
- Add the spices and cilantro and blend (pulsing) until you reach your desired consistency.
- Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Recipe Nutrition
Use Salsa on:
This Easy Homemade Salsa is just that – easy and homemade and tastes way better than any jarred version!
Mine turned BROWN. What on earth did I do wrong?
Well, red (tomatoes) and green (cilantro) does make brown. So possibly you added more cilantro than I did? Did it still taste ok?
Featured In
Rate This Recipe
Recipe Ratings without Comment