This from-scratch salsa recipe is a standby! It comes together in just 10 minutes and tastes like it came straight from your favorite Mexican restaurant. Use it to top beef enchiladas, or tacos, or just grab a bag of chips and dig in! The fresh flavors of tomato, lime, and cilantro will require multiple chip refills and with no leftovers!

A bowl of salsa with a chip dipped into it.

The first time we ate at an authentic Mexican restaurant, we were blown away when the customary bowl of chips and salsa arrived at the table. The salsa was so… different. Different from all of the jarred salsas that we had ever known. The chunks weren’t as big, it had more heat, and you could clearly taste the tomatoes, lime, and cilantro. To say that we loved it would be a massive understatement; we could have easily made a meal of just fresh tortilla chips and that salsa.

It took us awhile, but we eventually found a house standby recipe for restaurant-style salsa so that we could make it at home. We've been making this recipe for nearly 10 years now, and it is by far our favorite salsa, ever.

A bowl of salsa with a spoon in it and tortilla chips on the side.

What Makes This Salsa the Best

There are approximately 378573627364 salsa recipes out there, but this is why you’re going to love, love, LOVE this one.

A simple ingredient list.
Big, bright, and fresh flavors.
A medium heat level that you can ramp up or down.
Low maintenance prep (no finely chopping!).
Ready in just 10 minutes.
Makes a HUGE batch, reliable for parties.

If you’ve tried countless jars of store-bought salsa but just can’t find your salsa soulmate, pretty please give this recipe a try.

All of the ingredients used in salsa prepped and ready.

How to Make This From-scratch Salsa

Okay, are you ready? Pay close attention.

Add ingredients to the blender. All of them, throw ’em in!
Pulse to your desired consistency – less for chunkier salsa, more for a finer consistency.
BOOM! You’re done!

Seriously, that’s it. So, straightforward. We do prefer to pop it in the refrigerator for about an hour so all of the flavors can meld together, but it’s not absolutely necessary if you want to serve it right away.

Sit down with an entire bag of tortilla chips, a bowl of this salsa, and watch them both disappear. Or make one of our favorite speedy snacks (one of our mom’s late-night specialties): spread a little bit of cream cheese on a plate, top with shredded cheddar and microwave until the cheese is melted. Top with salsa and dig in!

Yield: 6 cups
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients

28 ounce ( 793.79 g ) can whole tomatoes, drained
2 10-ounce ( 566.99 g ) cans Rotel
½ ( 0.5 ) small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 jalepeño, seeds removed and thinly sliced
½ cup ( 8 g ) cilantro, loosely packed
½ lime, juiced
¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) salt
¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) ground cumin

Method

Add all ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until it reaches your desired consistency (less for a chunkier salsa, more for a thinner one – our salsa pictured above was 8 to 10 pulses).
Refrigerate for at least one hour, then serve with your favorite tortilla chips. This salsa can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

Rotel is a common canned product found in the U.S. – it is a mixture of diced tomatoes and green chiles. If you cannot find it, feel free to substitute an equal amount of canned diced tomatoes and green chiles.

This makes a large quantity, so if you are using a food processor with less than an 11-cup capacity, work in batches.

This recipe was originally published in May 2011.

[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned ]