Easy Homemade Salsa Recipe

This is the best Homemade Salsa Recipe! This easy salsa is made with canned tomatoes in 5 minutes and doesn't require any chopping/prep work because it's made in the blender!

This post is sponsored by my friends at Vitamix! As always, all opinions, photos, videos and recipes are my own!

If you're like me, and can devour an entire bowl of chips and salsa at your favorite Mexican restaurant before the meal is even served, then you're going to love this homemade salsa recipe. 

It has the taste and texture of restaurant-style salsa, and it's made in only 5 minutes in the Vitamix blender, which means that there's no chopping or prep work required! Plus, you can adjust the heat to be as spicy or mild as you'd like. I prefer making it kid-friendly (because I have 6 kids), so I make a very mild salsa, but we'll chat about ways to spice it up!

Another great thing about this easy salsa recipe is that it calls for canned tomatoes, which means you can make it year round! No need to wait for the summer to use garden-fresh tomatoes, (although you can use those as well, as we'll chat about that later)! 

Homemade Salsa: Ingredients & Substitutions 

First, let's chat about the ingredients & possible substitutions.

• Canned diced tomatoes. Any variety works well in this salsa recipe. I usually opt for regular diced or fire roasted diced tomatoes. If you want to use some fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes, please do! You'll need about 3 cups of fresh tomatoes, and make sure to remove the seeds to avoid a watery salsa.
• Onion (or onion powder). I have made this blender salsa recipe with both raw onion and onion powder.
• Fresh Cilantro. There's really no substitution fresh cilantro. I buy a bunch every time I go grocery shopping because it's cheap and we eat tacos weekly, so we always use it! 
• Garlic powder (or minced garlic). Both garlic powder but minced garlic make a delicious homemade salsa.
• Ground Cumin. Ground cumin is an essential spice for homemade salsa! Another pantry staple I recommend always having on hand. 
• Granulated Sugar. Sugar is optional but just a small amount really brings out the flavor of the tomatoes. You can substitute brown sugar, coconut sugar, or honey for the sugar.
• Lime juice. This is another ingredient I always keep on hand in the fridge. I recommend using fresh lime juice, either bottled or freshly squeezed!

How to make salsa spicier: 

If you like a spicer salsa here are some additions to kick up the heat: 

• Add some hot peppers to taste:  jalapeño, habanero, etc. 
• 1-2 TBS of your favorite hot sauce
• Add some hot green chilies 

How to make salsa

Like I said before, this homemade salsa recipe is so easy to make. I only have a few tips about the method and possible ways to spice it up! But it's a very straightforward, easy salsa recipe! See below for a quick video, or in the recipe card for my full tutorial with cute little helpers!

 

Blend

Start by adding 1 can of diced tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients into the container of a blender - as always, I recommend using a Vitamix! In this recipe the Vitamix does all the hard work for you...chopping, mincing, etc. Yet another reason it's my BFF in the kitchen!

If you are looking to buy a Vitamix, check out my in-depth Vitamix buying guide and learn why I chose to blend with Vitamix 10 years ago and never looked back! 

Be sure to save one can of diced tomatoes for later!  If using fresh, start by adding 1 ½ cups of tomatoes, blending, then adding the rest. 

Blend for 5-10 seconds until the onions are diced (if using onion powder, you don't have to worry about that). 

Add the second can of diced tomatoes and pulse to combine. The amount of blending here will really depend on your personal preferences. If you like a chunky salsa, just pulse once. If you want a smoother homemade salsa, pulse a few times!

Chill

Transfer the blender salsa to a serving dish or airtight container (if you're going to store it for later) and place it in the refrigerator. I recommend chilling this homemade salsa for at least 30 minutes, however we have dug right in with no complaints (see the video)! Chilling allows the flavors to blend together, so in my opinion, the longer the better!

Serve

Serve this easy salsa recipe with your favorite chips. We always enjoy this salsa on our weekly taco nights with some of our favorite Mexican dishes:

• These sweet potato tacos are my absolute favorite. 
• This is the best nachos recipe ever - with two layers of cheese! 
• Taco night isn't complete without homemade salsa AND homemade guacamole!
• Make these homemade refried black beans to put inside your tacos with this easy salsa!
• Chicken enchiladas are one of my family's favorite meals, and guacamole is a must! 
• These crockpot chicken tacos are easy and delicious! 

Store

Store any leftover salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.

Recipe FAQS

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