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Nothing tastes better than fresh homemade salsa! This restaurant style salsa is SO easy to make, much less expensive than buying it in the store and customizable to suit your exact tastes. Get this BEST EVER salsa recipe right now, grab your ingredients (likely already in your pantry) and serve it up with your favorite chips or tacos.
Easy Restaurant Style Salsa
Have you ever gone to a restaurant and been served salsa and chips and realize, just as your meal is coming, you aren’t hungry anymore because you’ve devoured so much of the them? Same. And same thing will happen at home with this delicious restaurant-style salsa! It’s delicious and fresh tasting (all while using mostly pantry staples) and a CINCH to put together. Seriously it takes like 5 minutes from start to finish. Serve as is, or pair with your favorite taco recipe (we’ve got a few you might like).
Ingredients Needed for Salsa
- Canned Diced Tomato (this is essential for that restaurant style taste)
- Canned Green Chiles
- Garlic Clove
- White Vinegar
- Tomato Paste
- Red Onion
- Diced or Grape Tomatoes (you can omit if you don’t have them, but this gives the salsa a bit of a fresh feeling!)
- Salt
How to Make Salsa in a Blender
This explanation is going to be short and sweet because all you need to do to make restaurant style salsa in the blender is place all of the ingredients in the blender and give it a few pulses! That’s it. Depending on what type of blender to use, just start off with two pulses and then check to see the consistency. Keep pulsing with the blender until it is the right consistency for you. I found 3 pulses were enough to blend my salsa! This can also be done in a food processor.
Do I need to use fresh tomatoes for salsa?
NO! While you definitely can, we made a version that comes together so quickly, doesn’t require fresh tomatoes, and tastes just like the restaurant salsa you know and love!
Customize your Salsa
This recipe is pretty basic. Feel free to add in some other flavors or ingredients to customize it the way you want. Here are some ideas:
- You can use fresh tomatoes if you have an abundance on hand: now, it will taste less like restaurant style salsa, but can be pretty darned delicious.
- Add in fresh herbs: grab some fresh cilantro!
- Add in some spices: have some fun with some smokey flavor with either smoked chipotle peppers or even smoked paprika. Other spices? Cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and garlic powder!
- Want a kick? Add fresh jalapeño! Remember, the seeds are the spiciest part. Know your audience, too.
- Make it different: add in roasted red peppers for a unique twist.
- Add in some bonus items: you can add fruit, such as pineapple or mango for a tropical twist.
- Brighten it up: once you make it, taste and if you want a little something extra, add a little fresh lime juice.
How long will homemade salsa last?
It should last for roughly one week in the fridge in a sealed container!
Serving salsa:
It goes great with so many things, like our Homemade Guacamole, 15-Minute Chicken Tacos, Two-Ingredient Salsa Chicken (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker), and as dressing on our Taco Salad!
If you like this salsa dip recipe, check out these other appetizer dips we love:
- Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde
- Healthy Spinach & Artichoke Dip
- Roasted Eggplant Dip
- 5-Ingredient Buffalo Chicken Baked Hummus Dip [VIDEO]
- 7 Layer Taco Dip
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Hummus Dip
- Jalapeño Popper Dip (Options for Dairy and Dairy-Free)
- Southwestern Hummus Dip
RESTAURANT STYLE SALSA
Ingredients
- 1-28 ounce can diced tomato
- 1-4 ounce. can green chiles
- 1 garlic clove roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes or diced whole tomato
- 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender (or food processor). Pulse 2-4 times, until salsa has reached your desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more vinegar or salt, if needed.
- Serve, or store for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Avoid puree'ing the salsa completely - think if you want it more smooth or chunky!
- I like to chill it before serving!
- This recipe was originally published in 2015, and updated with new photos in 2020.
Smoothies!
This looks like a fantastic blender! It will definitely come in handy with my meal prepping on the weekends, especially soups this winter!
Recipes of things you wouldn’t think of doing in a blender would be pretty awesome. I made tomatillo salsa and it was delicious!! Smoothies and hummus and a lot of other stuff!! Sometimes I want to use my blender but change my mind just because it takes FOREVER trying to blend anything in it!! It gets stuck about 20 times before I finally get a “decently” blended smoothie or any other stuff!!
I would use the blender to make healthy smoothies
My favorite thing to make with a blender is green smoothies!
I “NEED” this blender! I have a Ninja right now, but it does not do the trick when making my Paleo recipes! I would make your restaurant salsa, green smoothies, nut milk, your Paleo Nutella and pancakes! I wouldn’t be the only one to benefit from winning this, my friends, family and boyfriend would all have happy and full hearts and tummies 🙂 PICK ME!
I’ve been wanting a Blendtec for ages!
I would absolutely love this blender to use for all sorts of creations, especially my homemade salsa.
Green smoothies and clean simple ice creams
I would absolutely love to win this amazing blender I have been trying to save up for two years now after starting a detox that transformed my life and became obsessed with fruits and vegetables but had to use the money for a family emergency! I would love to use your delicious recipes in the blender as well as making green smoothies that taste smooth and give my family and I all nutrients we need!! Thank you for this chance to win and for the recipes my family and I cherish so much !
Xoxo
Salsas, smoothies, sauces, soups, etc….this would get used every day at my house!
veggie juices!
Would be the most-used appliance in my apartment kitchen
I’d love this blender to make baby purées and smoothie for my kids. I have a 2 year old and 7 month old twins anything that could help me out in the kitchen for a speedy and healthy food preparation is HIGHLY NEEDED! My older son has never been on baby food I always made his at home either blending in a food processor or hand mash but, I can’t seem to keep up with the twins growing need for lots and lots of baby purees!!!!
Our family loves soups which I’m sure this blender is ideal for that. Also my husband is jumping on the healthy boat with me and has been really hooked on his morning protein smoothies. We don’t have a blender we have a small food processor which is working :/ for the moment but this blender would help out family out so so much!
Trying to get more creative in the kitchen with food in general and learning new easy homemade sauces, etc. This would be an amazing addition to my kitchen and to get my cooking going even more!
soups & green smoothies!
i love to make smoothies but would like to try the awesome salsa recipe you posted. And try some different soups. My blender wouldn’t be able to keep up!
Would love this blender!!
I would love to win this blender!
Ah have been wanting this for so long but haven’t had the funds!!! I’d love to see a spring asparagus soup!