This 5-Minute Restaurant-Style Salsa recipe is perfect for entertaining and snacking and is totally foolproof! A healthy, flavorful Mexican dip that is vegan, paleo and gluten-free.
Chips and salsa is a favorite party appetizer and anytime snack. I used to always buy jars of tomato salsa from the grocery store until I learned how easy (and cheap!) it is to make at home. All you need is a food processor or blender, a handful of ingredients and a few minutes to whip it up. And best of all – homemade salsa tastes so much better than anything you can buy from the store.
Fresh summer tomatoes are crucial to making perfect Pico de Gallo (aka fresh tomato salsa). However, canned tomatoes are the key to flawless restaurant-style salsa. This is because canned tomatoes break down into a saucier consistency than fresh ones do, which is really what you want in a good party dip to go with tortilla chips. Canned tomatoes also have a more concentrated tomato flavor that goes incredibly well with green chiles, garlic, cilantro and lime juice. Not only that, using canned tomatoes means that you can make this recipe year-round, not just during tomato season.
This recipe is totally customizable to your own preferences as well. For a thicker salsa, drain the tomatoes before adding them to the blender or food processor. For less heat, remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapeno pepper. For more heat, add another jalapeno pepper. Don’t care much for cilantro? Just leave it out.
If you love Mexican-inspired recipes, be sure to also check out my Mexican Stuffed Peppers and Basic Guacamole!
For This Restaurant-Style Salsa Recipe, I Recommend:
- Food Processor – This is the one I use and love! I have had mine for years and it is one of my favorite kitchen tools. I use mine all the time to quickly combine ingredients and to make sauces and dips.
- Citrus Juicer – If you cook with a lot of citrus, a sturdy juicer is a must. This one works for both lemons and limes and will squeeze out every last drop of juice like a pro. Worth every penny.
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If you make this Restaurant-Style Salsa recipe, let me know! Rate it and leave a comment below, because I love hearing from you!
The Best Easy Restaurant-Style Salsa Recipe (5 Minutes!)
Ingredients
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
- 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed and chopped (seeds and membranes removed, if you want less heat)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor.
- Pulse until everything is evenly combined but still a bit chunky (not pureed).
Notes
Nutrition
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Chips and salsa is one of my weaknesses. I’m craving it looking at your pics! Clearly I need to try this recipe soon 🙂
Haha aww thank you, Kelsie!! You should definitely try this recipe soon! 🙂
Love easy homemade salsa! Looks great!
Thanks so much, Natasha!
I sometimes fill up on the chips and salsa at our favourite Mexican restaurant while waiting for the entree. I love the idea of recreating that deliciousness at home!!
Hey Katherine! I know I am guilty of that too! Haha 🙂 Thanks so much!
i love blended restaurant style salsa! i normally just make the chopped kind at home, so somehow blended makes salsa feel really special (:
Hey Heather! Yeah I love blending the salsa because it makes it nice and saucy!! 🙂
I love how easy this is. It makes such a great snacking treat. And homemade is 100% better than shop bought. Looking forward to snacking on this while watching a movie this weekend! Absolutely love it.
Have a great weekend Alia 🙂
Thanks so much Ashika!! ? I agree, homemade always tastes better than anything you can buy in the store! Hope you have a have a great weekend too! 🙂
That color is gorgeous!! Our football party on sunday NEEDS this! Thanks for posting:)
Thanks so much Maria!! ? And you’re welcome! I hope you have fun on Sunday! 🙂
This looks so good! I love homemade salsa! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Jules! Thanks so much! ♥ You’re welcome!
This looks so yummy! My family will LOVE to snack on this over the weekend!
Hi Rachel! Thanks so much! 🙂
Hi Alia, thanks so much for sharing this recipe. We gave it a try and it’s delicious! We added a serrano pepper and we were glad we did because we like salsa to be a little on the hot side. Without the serrano it would have been fairly mild. This will be the recipe we use for the foreseeable future. Have a great day!
Hi Dave! Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m so glad you liked the salsa. Adding a serrano pepper would definitely taste great in this recipe. I hope you have a great day too! 🙂
I’ve made this recipe many, many times over the past year and a half and I’ve perfected it for my preference of fairly hot but not extremely hot salsa. Here’s what I’ve settled on. My wife doesn’t like raw onions, which is why I substitute onion powder. One thing that makes a huge difference is the brand of tomatoes that are used. The cheap brands just aren’t as flavorful.
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (Delalo brand works great)
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
6 jalepeno peppers, chopped
4 habanero peppers, chopped
juice from half of a lime
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
Blend everything.
Thanks again Alia!
Hi Dave, thank you so much for sharing your recipe and tips! I’m very glad that you were able to tailor my recipe to your preferences. You’re very welcome! 🙂