Homemade Salsa Recipe

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This Homemade Salsa Recipe is a cinch to make, and it tastes so much better than jarred salsa at a fraction of the cost. If you love salsa as much as my family does, then this is a must-try recipe. You will be so pleased with all the delicious fresh flavors just bursting through.

A chip full of tomato salsa over a bowl of salsa.

You can have this beauty prepared in about five minutes. It is perfect with chips, quesadillas, burritos, and tacos. You can spoon over quiche, scrambled eggs, omelets, and frittatas. You can slow cook it with chicken, beef, or pork. The uses of salsa in recipes and cooking are unlimited.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients on the recipe card below.

Tomatoes: Use meaty tomatoes like Roma tomatoes. They have less water and seeds. You can use other meaty tomatoes. You can also use fresh or canned San Marzano tomatoes.
Onion: Use sweet yellow onions or red onions.
Lime: Use fresh lime juice for the best flavor.
Jalapeno: Remove the stem, and if you want a milder blend, remove the seeds.
Cilantro: Use fresh cilantro, not dried.

How To Make Homemade Salsa

This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.

Score and blanch the tomatoes, then plunge them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Peel the tomatoes with your fingers.
Add the onion and garlic to a food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Pulse a couple of times.
Add the jalapeno to the food processor and pulse several times.
Add the cilantro, lime juice, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, and tomatoes. Pulse a few more times until the desired texture is reached.

Some of the steps for making homemade salsa. Score and blanch the tomatoes, then plunge them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Peel the tomatoes with your fingers.
Add the onion and garlic to a food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Pulse a couple of times.

Some of the steps to making homemade salsa. Add the jalapeno to the food processor and pulse several times.
Add the cilantro, lime juice, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, and tomatoes. Pulse a few more times until the desired texture is reached.

How long does it last?

To keep fresh salsa at its best and prolong its shelf life, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Homemade salsa will keep for about 5-7 days. If it smells bad or develops mold, discard the salsa. Salsa can be frozen and will maintain quality for about 6-8 weeks.

What Are The Best Tomatoes For Salsa?

Any tomato that is vine-ripened, meaty, and tasty makes a good salsa tomato. Roma tomatoes are always a good bet. If the tomatoes that you purchase or grow seem a little too juicy, cut them in half horizontally and scoop out some of the seeds and juice before adding them to the food processor.

An overhead view of a bowl full of homemade salsa surrounded by chips.

Perfect Pairings

Tacos: ground beef tacos, shredded chicken tacos, and ground turkey tacos.
Eggs: breakfast tacos, microwave scrambled eggs, and breakfast burritos.
Casseroles: chile relleno casserole, chicken fajita casserole, and chicken taco casserole.

A close up view of a bowl full of homemade tomato salsa surrounded by tortilla chips.

So if you love flavor-packed salsa without all those additives and preservatives, grab that food processor and whip up this fresh salsa. It will leave you wondering why you have not made it yourself all along.