Tortilla chips and salsa are always a crowd pleaser. But, what if you made your own homemade salsa? You’ll save money, be able to make as much as you want, and enjoy a better salsa topping for tacos, nachos, burritos, and more.
Once you try this homemade salsa recipe, there’ll be no stopping you and no eating out at restaurants. You can make so many Mexican food dishes yourself at home for less. Be sure to try your hand at Carnitas Tostadas for a quick easy dinner and to serve Huevos Rancheros for brunch soon.
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Find that you’re regularly buying mediocre, store bought salsa that disappoints? Today is the day that ends. Making homemade salsa is super quick and easy and takes just a handful of ingredients.
This delicious homemade salsa is perfect for dopping as well as for piling on Bean Tostadas or Cheesy Sausage Enchiladas. It’s a must-have Taco Filling and a perfect addition to your Burrito Bar options.
Why Make This
It’s easy. I’ve had kids as young as 8 prep this salsa themselves. It’s just a question of loading the blender or food processor with a few simple ingredients.
It’s delicious. It’s amazing that fresh cilantro and jalapeno can transform the humble tomato into something out of this world tasty. Even my pickiest child (who once hated tomatoes) loves this salsa!
You can make it just the way you like it. Some salsas are too hot or too bland, not homemade salsa. You can adjust the seasonings and the heat to be just the way you like it!
It’s uber-affordable. You can easily make a huge batch of this easy homemade salsa for just a couple bucks. It’s one of those budget-friendly appetizers everyone loves.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Easy Jalapeno Salsa:
diced tomatoes – While you can certainly use fresh tomatoes if that’s what you have on hand, canned tomatoes, especially fire-roasted tomatoes, work just as well. They are often cheaper and they’re shelf-stable so you can stock up when you have a sale.
fresh cilantro – Fresh cilantro must be fresh. Dried or frozen really don’t work as well in this easy tomato salsa. Be sure to store your cilantro so it doesn’t go bad; that way you can stretch your purchase.
jalapeño chiles – You can control the heat in this fresh tomato salsa by how much jalapeno you use and whether or not you remove the ribs and seeds of the chile which is where the heat lies. If you want to make it spicier leave them in. You can also add an extra jalapeno if you want to make it really spicy! Remember you can freeze jalapenos if you find a sale or buy extra. You can use the frozen jalapeno in this easy salsa recipe just as you would fresh. If you’d like a milder salsa, use canned diced green chiles instead of the fresh jalapenos.
green onions – I like to use scallions because they rarely get bitter in salsa. You can use brown or red onions. Keep in mind that they can sometimes be bitter when they are fresh. You can deflame them by rinsing chopped or sliced onions with cool water. Remember that you can freeze onions you won’t use right away.
tomato sauce – While not absolutely necessary in your fresh salsa, I find that adding tomato sauce to your salsa recipes helps give it a rich texture and fresh tomato flavor.
fresh lime juice and salt to taste – Just a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a generous amount of salt helps bring all the flavors together. Do this to taste so that you can prep your homemade salsa just the way you like.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make Homemade Salsa:
- In the bowl of a blender, food processor, or a blender party cup, place ½ to ¾ of the can of tomatoes, the cilantro, jalapeno pepper to taste, and the scallions. Blend until smooth. Pour this mixture into a medium mixing bowl or storage container.
- Alternatively, you can chop the cilantro, jalapeno, and scallions and mix these ingredients together in a bowl with the tomatoes.
- Add the remaining tomatoes, the tomato sauce, lime juice, and salt to taste. Adjust seasonings and serve.
FAQs
Since you’re making homemade salsa with whole fresh ingredients, it’s considered unprocessed. It’s all vegetables so unless there’s an allergy or other food sensitivity, it’s a healthful food, full of nutrients and fiber.
Promptly store leftovers in an airtight container and consume within 4 days. Do not use salsa that has been left out at room temperature for longer than two hours.
You definitely can freeze salsa! It should last frozen for about 2-3 months. Just be sure to place in a freezer-safe airtight container. And then let thaw in the fridge. It may be a little watery after thawing. If you like you can drain off some of the liquid before stirring to recombine the ingredients.
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Easy Homemade Salsa
Equipment
- food processor
- high speed blender
- chef's knife
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1 jalapeno cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
- 2 green onion chopped
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a blender, food processor, or a blender party cup, place the can of tomatoes, the cilantro, jalapeno pepper to taste, and the scallions. Blend until smooth. Pour this mixture into a medium mixing bowl.1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, ½ bunch fresh cilantro (chopped), 1 jalapeno, 2 green onion
- Alternatively, you can chop the cilantro, jalapeno, and scallions and mix these ingredients together in a bowl with the tomatoes.½ bunch fresh cilantro (chopped), 1 jalapeno, 2 green onion
- Add the tomato sauce, lime juice, and salt to taste. Adjust seasonings and serve.15 oz tomato sauce, 2 tablespoon lime juice, salt
Video
Notes
- You can control the heat in this fresh tomato salsa by how much jalapeno you use and whether or not you remove the ribs and seeds of the chile which is where the heat lies. If you want to make it spicier leave them in. You can also add an extra jalapeno if you want to make it really spicy! Remember you can freeze jalapenos if you find a sale or buy extra. You can use the frozen jalapeno in this easy salsa recipe just as you would fresh. If you’d like a milder salsa, use canned diced green chiles instead of the fresh jalapenos.
- I like to use scallions because they rarely get bitter in salsa. You can use brown or red onions. Keep in mind that they can sometimes be bitter when they are fresh. You can deflame them by rinsing chopped onions with cool water.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on May 10, 2016. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Sarah
Delish! Love the simple ingredients.