10 Minute Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa Recipe

Making 10 Minute Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa in your own kitchen is a snap. It takes only minutes to prepare and the flavor will make you feel like you’re at your favorite Mexican restaurant.

Mexican Food is Varied and Delicious

I love Mexican food. From your standards (tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas) to other interesting Mexican foods (elote, tamales, tostadas, mole), there’s such a wonderful variety of spices and flavors.

One of my favorite food experiences ever was spending the Cinco de Mayo holiday in San Antonio, Texas. My husband and I were down with some friends and we decided to do some exploring.

We ended up in one of the main entertainment areas. There they had areas set up with local food and craft vendors. We ended up going from food stall to food stall trying just about everything we could get our hands on.

Many of these were family businesses where the recipes were handed down from generation to generation. The use of fresh ingredients along with decades (or more) of experience making these dishes made for such a unique and fun experience. We definitely want to get back there again!

The Mexican Restaurant Dining Experience

When we go out to Mexican restaurants back here in Minnesota, it’s pretty common to be served some warm tortilla chips along with a pico de gallo, fresh salsa and/or fresh guacamole. My favorite places have multiple salsas (fresh mango salsa, salsa verde, mild salsa, spicy salsa) which allows you to try some new and different fresh flavors.

Now, my biggest problem with starting off the dinner experience with an amazing salsa, is that I might eat half my weight in chips and salsa before the main dishes come out!

Of course, a good salsa is also used to enhance the flavors of other Mexican dishes and isn’t just a dip for chips. I use it for tacos, quesadillas, Tex-Mex lasagna, on top of grilled fish or chicken, with my morning eggs – so many things. So, I thought it would be great to create an easy salsa recipe and I could have it available whenever I wanted it.

My Go-To Salsa Recipe

This is definitely my go-to salsa recipe. It tastes like my favorite restaurant salsa and I use it in so many things.

It’s also great to have on hand if you need a quick appetizer. Just grab some tortilla chips and you’re ready to go.

This is an easy blender salsa (or food processor) that uses simple ingredients found at your local grocery store. I don’t think salsa ingredients need to be that exotic to make a great fresh homemade salsa.

Also, I do have a personal preference for the consistency of the salsa. For me, the best salsa consistency is somewhere between a really smooth restaurant-style salsa and a chunky salsa.

If the salsa is really chunky, you might as well go with a wonderful pico de gallo. And, if it is a really smooth salsa, it won’t really stay on your chip. Therefore, just like Goldilocks, I want it just right!

Secrets to Making Great Salsa

One secret I’ve found is using canned diced tomatoes. I know I often go for the fresh ingredients, but in this case the canned diced tomatoes work better than fresh tomatoes.

First, it’s a lot less work using canned tomatoes. To help get the right consistency, I find you have to eliminate the tomato skin and seeds from whole fresh tomatoes and that takes a lot of work. Second, great tasting tomatoes are not always in season and frankly, salsa is good any time of year.

​My other secret is to go easy on the blending. The first step is to put onion, garlic, jalapeño peppers, cilantro and lime juice into the blender or the bowl of a food processor and use the pulse button to gently start chopping up those ingredients.

Now, add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until they are combined but not blended into pure liquid. You want it a little chunky.

And, there you go. In just 10 minutes you’ve made a tasty, easy homemade salsa recipe that everyone will enjoy! It’s also a great addition to this Chicken Queso Nacho Bar.

​How Do I Store Restaurant Style Salsa?

The best way to store this salsa is, once you’ve blended it, transfer salsa from the blender to an airtight container. You can keep it in the fridge for 4-5 days. I don’t like to freeze this salsa as I think you lose the fresh flavor of the salsa once you thaw and being back to room temperature.

Tips and Tricks for Blender Salsa

• Be careful not to over process the jalapeño, garlic, cilantro before you add the tomatoes. You still want the salsa to have some texture and not completely pureed.
• I would suggest using regular diced tomatoes rather than petite diced.
• If you would like the salsa to be spicier, you can increase the amount of chili powder to taste, and/or add a little cayenne pepper.

Ingredients Needed to Make 10 Minute Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

• Red onion
• Jalapeno
• Fresh garlic
• Fresh lime juice
• Fresh cilantro
• Canned diced tomatoes
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Smoked paprika
• Salt
• Black pepper

How to Make 10 Minute Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa

• Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro and lime juice to a blender or food processor.
• Pulse a few times to start chopping.
• Add tomatoes and seasonings to blender.
• Pulse until combined, making sure mixture is still chunky. You don’t want to over-process.

More Delicious Dips for Your Party

• Beer Cheese Dip
• French Onion Dip
• Pineapple Serrano Hummus
• The Best Guacamole
• Whipped Feta
• Million Dollar Dip

ENJOY!

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