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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.

Chip being dipped into a bowl of easy salsa


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!
Overhead shot of ingredients needed to make easy salsa

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.

Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

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.
One bowl of easy salsa topped with sliced jalapenos surrounded by tortilla chips

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

How to make it spicier?

Add the seeds from the jalapeno to make spicy salsa.

Can I make it less spicy?

Yes, you can reduce the amount of chili powder and/or remove the seeds from the jalapeno. Or, you can use less jalapeno.

Can I make this in a food processor?

Yes, you can make salsa in a food processor. It works great!

How should you store it?

Store homemade salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Can you freeze it?

Yes, this salsa recipe freezes great!

Why does restaurant salsa taste better?

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.

One bowl of easy salsa topped with sliced jalapenos surrounded by tortilla chips

Easy Salsa Recipe

5 from 2 votes
Perfect for Taco Tuesday this easy salsa recipe can be made hot or mild and is done in 5 minutes!

Recipe Video

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 serving

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
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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 Notes

Note on jalapeño: this creates how spicy it is. If you like mild salsa, be sure to clean out the ribs and seeds and discard them. If you’re unsure how much jalapeño (or the seeds) to use, start with a smaller amount then taste the finished product and add more as desired. Want it spicy? Add more!
Want a chunky salsa? Use a food processor and chop each ingredient separately. Pulse it slowly each time so you don’t over chop it – then mix in a bowl.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 4kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 11mg | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 2.5mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American

Use Salsa on:

This Easy Homemade Salsa is just that – easy and homemade and tastes way better than any jarred version!



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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2 Comments

    1. Well, red (tomatoes) and green (cilantro) does make brown. So possibly you added more cilantro than I did? Did it still taste ok?