This restaurant style salsa is fresh, simple, and can be made in 5 minutes! Juicy tomatoes, jalapeños with a kick, fresh cilantro, and tangy lime make this appetizer just as tasty as the salsa we all enjoy at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Add this to your favorite Mexican dishes like tacos and quesadillas, or enjoy it on its own with your favorite tortilla chips.
Summer has officially begun here in Texas. So the crockpot has been stored away for the season, and we are cooking with a lot more fresh ingredients. While I love that about this time of year, it does require some creativity in the kitchen to use up those ingredients before they go bad.
I love sharing recipes that are perfect for using up what you have, and this delicious appetizer is no exception. The last time I made this salsa was because I had jalapeños that needed to be used up, and it was the perfect addition to taco night! Lately I’ve been making homemade tortillas with sourdough discard to have on hand for tacos during the week. I know it sounds complicated, but I promise it’s not. You should try it!
Why You’ll Love This 5 Minute Salsa
You control the ingredients – I love enjoying salsa at restaurants, but often times there is a lot of salt added to it. By making this at home, you get to control how much salt or spice is added to this recipe.
Customizable – You can customize this salsa however you’d like! If you enjoy spicier salsa, add more jalapeños. If you like yours a little tangier and want to add more lime juice, go for it! This salsa is all about you and what your family enjoys!
Quick – The food processor does most of the work for you which makes things so much easier. All you have to do is throw all of these delicious ingredients into one kitchen tool and you’re done!
Tips for Making Restaurant Style Salsa
- Feel free to be a little lazy while chopping the veggies for this recipe. The food processor is going to do most of the dicing for you so just chop enough to make sure everything fits into the food processor.
- We will be using whole, peeled canned tomatoes, but I highly recommend adding a fresh roma tomato first. The tanginess of the roma tomato cuts through the sweetness of the canned tomato which balances out the flavor.
- If you are looking for a smoother salsa, add some of the tomato juice from the can until you get your desired consistency.
- For storing the leftover whole tomatoes, transfer them to a glass jar with the juice. This will help preserve the nutrients and flavor.
Tools You May Need
Food processor – I’ve found that using a food processor is a bit easier to chop and blend recipes that are a thicker consistency. If you like your salsa a bit chunkier, don’t worry about this. Just dice up your ingredients a bit more.
Cutting board
Knife – These are optional, but good to have if you need to chop your ingredients in order to fit everything into the food processor.
5 Minute Restaurant Style Salsa Ingredients
Whole, peeled canned tomatoes
Fresh roma tomatoes
Onion – I used red onions, but any onion will work.
Jalapeños – I used fresh, but if you have pickled jalapeños that’s okay too.
Garlic cloves – I typically use two, but if yours are on the smaller side, feel free to add one more.
Cilantro
Lime – We’ll be using juice from half a lime, but if you’re feeling fancy, drizzle some lime juice at the end with the other half!
Salt
Salsa Add-In Ideas
This restaurant style salsa can be made in so many ways, and will take 5 minutes no matter what you add or take away. Here are some add-ins for some inspiration!
Mango
Chili lime seasoning
Adobo peppers – For a chipotle flavored salsa.
Sugar – Adding the tiniest bit of sugar to tomato based recipes is a game changer!
Fire roasted tomatoes
More peppers – Like serrano, chili peppers, poblano, and if you’re feeling daring, habanero!
Tomatillo – For salsa verde.
Any of these additions would make the most delicious salsa!
How to Make The Best Restaurant Style Salsa in 5 Minutes
Roughly chop the onion, jalapeño, and roma tomatoes and add them to the food processor.
Throw in the cilantro (adding the stems is okay), both garlic cloves, and lime juice into in the food processor as well.
Next, pulse everything until it looks like chunky pico del gallo. If it seems a bit too chunky that’s okay.
Once the veggies have been chopped, add in 4 whole canned tomatoes and the salt.
Finally pulse everything together until it starts to look like salsa. How easy was that?!
Storage – This salsa can be stored in the refrigerator in an air tight container for about 4 days.
FAQs:
You may have blended everything a little too long. Be sure to pulse the food processor when chopping the vegetables. A little goes a long way.
A blend of Roma and canned tomatoes! Roma tomatoes are a bit tangier than the rest, and balance out the slight sweetness from the canned tomatoes. However, the canned tomatoes in this recipe provide that restaurant style consistency we are looking for.
Fresh tomatoes make EXCELLENT pico del gallo. However, if you are looking for that restaurant style consistency, canned tomatoes mixed with a little bit of roma tomato is the way to go.
More Fun Recipes to Try:
How to Make Whipped Feta in Under 10 Minutes
Simple Crispy Shrimp Tacos with Citrus Ranch Sauce
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you came back and gave it 5 stars! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @thejonesfamilytable.
Restaurant Style Salsa in 5 Minutes
Equipment
- Food processor
- Cutting board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 4 whole tomatoes, canned
- 1/2 roma tomato, fresh
- 1/4 red or white onion
- 1 jalapeno
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup cilantro, fresh
- Lime juice from 1/2 a lime
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Roughly chop the onion, jalapeño, and roma tomatoes and add them to the food processor.
- Throw in the cilantro (adding the stems is okay), both garlic cloves, and lime juice into in the food processor as well.
- Pulse everything until it looks like chunky pico del gallo. If it seems a bit too chunky that's okay.
- Once the veggies have been chopped, add in 4 whole canned tomatoes and the salt.
- Pulse everything together until it starts to look like salsa.
Notes
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