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30 30 Minutes or Less GF Gluten-Free DF Dairy-Free VG Vegetarian

Restaurant Style Salsa

4.78
/5
10 mins
35 Comments
Jump to Recipe Video
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 04/27/2022Updated: 04/27/2022

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Salsa, text overlay reads "blender restaurant style salsa."
Salsa, text overlay reads "restaurant style salsa - made in the blender!"
Salsa, text overlay reads "restaurant style salsa - made in the blender!"
Salsa, text overlay reads "blender restaurant style salsa."
Ever go out to eat just for that irresistible salsa? You won't believe how easy it is to make restaurant style salsa at home. Get the easy recipe on RachelCooks.com!

Ever go out to eat just for that irresistible salsa? You won’t believe how easy it is to make restaurant style salsa at home. You’ll find that this homemade salsa quickly becomes a staple in your fridge.

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: This recipe comes together in a matter of minutes and is great on chips and so much more!

How long it takes: 10 minutes
Equipment you’ll need:  sharp knife, blender or food processor
Servings: makes 3 cups

Large bowl of restaurant style salsa with one chip in it.
Table of Contents
open
  • 1 Recipe Overview
  • 2 About This Recipe
  • 3 What You’ll Need
  • 4 how To Make Homemade Salsa
  • 5 How To Make Spicy Salsa
  • 6 How To Make Salsa Without Garlic
  • 7 How To Make Salsa Without Cilantro
  • 8 How To Make Salsa With Fresh Tomatoes
  • 9 FAQs
  • 10 Used in this recipe
  • 11 Storage Suggestions
  • 12 Leftover Love
  • 13 Craving more dips suitable for chips?
  • 14 Get the Recipe: Restaurant Style Salsa

So there’s this Mexican restaurant nearby. It’s pretty amazing. Here’s how you know it’s amazing: Every time we go, we wait thirty-five to forty minutes for a table. With children. And then I consume a week’s worth of calories in a single meal, topped off by a killer margarita (on the rocks, sugar rim).

And their salsa. Oh, my, their salsa. I could literally drink the stuff. But I don’t, obviously. Because, chips. So there’s another week’s worth of calories. But hey, you gotta live a little and this place is certainly worth it.

About This Recipe

I decided it was pretty necessary to at least come close to this salsa in my own kitchen. And you won’t believe how easy it is to make homemade salsa. SO easy. If you’re wondering how Mexican restaurants make their salsa, you’ve come to the right place!

The base of the salsa is canned tomatoes. You add a bunch of fresh ingredients like garlic, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño peppers, and process it all in a food processor or blender. That’s it. You don’t even have to spend a lot of time chopping things up in tiny pieces.

Salsa on a tortilla chip.

I’ll get you started on this easy recipe right here but as always, look for the printable recipe card near the end of the post. It has complete instructions, measurements, and nutrition information.

What You’ll Need

  • Canned Tomatoes: You’ll need a large can (28 ounces) of peeled whole tomatoes. Look for low or no sodium tomatoes if you can find them. If you prefer to use fresh tomatoes, try pico de gallo, a fresh tomato salsa.
  • Jalapeño Pepper: These small green peppers vary widely in size and heat. Taste a tiny bit to determine how hot your pepper is. If it’s a very spicy pepper, you may want to use less, depending on what you like. Remove the ribs and seeds to decrease the spiciness, leave them in to make it a little hotter.
  • Onion: Really, any type of onion is fine. You’ll need half of a small onion.
  • Garlic: The recipe calls for 2 cloves. Use more or less according to how much you like garlic. If I know I’m serving this to people who don’t love garlic, I’ll just use a sprinkle of garlic powder (1/2 teaspoon).
  • Fresh Cilantro: You can use both the leaves and the smaller stems. Cilantro stems are fine to eat and since they get all chopped up, no one is going to say, Hey, there’s a stem in here!
  • Fresh Lime Juice: The lime juice adds flavor and a touch of acidity. Use freshly squeezed lime juice.
  • Sugar or Agave Nectar: It may sound strange but with all those tomatoes, a bit of sweetness is needed to balance all the acidity. It’s not much, just a half teaspoon, but it makes a difference in flavor.
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste
Ingredients needed in separate small clear glass bowls.

how To Make Homemade Salsa

Roughly chop onion, garlic and jalapeño. It doesn’t have to be perfect since you’re adding them to the blender.

Ingredients in food processor.

Add to a blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients and pulse until ingredients are combined and salsa is the desired consistency. Don’t overprocess it until it’s completely smooth (unless you prefer it that way!). There should be small evenly sized chunks.

Salsa in a food processor with black handle.

Pour into a container and cover. This salsa will taste even better after it sits for about 30 minutes in the fridge!

That’s pretty much all there is to it. It’s SO EASY. I’m confident you can handle it. I don’t know if it’s authentic but I’m going to authentically stuff my face with it.

Don’t forget the guacamole! And did you ever try making your own baked tortilla chips? They’re super good (warm chips right out of the oven!) and you only need 3 ingredients: corn tortillas, a sprinkling of salt, and and light spray of olive oil! You can also make air fryer tortilla chips, they’re so easy!

Enjoy! Margarita optional. Sorta. A spicy Paloma is fantastic with chips and salsa, too.

Bowl of homemade salsa surrounded by chips, cilantro, lime.

How To Make Spicy Salsa

If this salsa isn’t hot enough for you, there are a few ways you can increase the burn.

  • Use 2 jalapeño peppers. Include the ribs and seeds (they contain much of the heat).
  • Add a half teaspoon (or more) of red pepper flakes.
  • Add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
  • Throw in a can of chopped green chiles.
  • For a spicier salsa recipe, try my chipotle salsa with fire roasted tomatoes and a couple of canned chipotle chiles.

How To Make Salsa Without Garlic

I get it, not everyone is a fan of garlic. That’s the beauty of making your own homemade salsa, you can leave out the ingredients you don’t care for. Just omit the garlic cloves or substitute 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder for a much milder garlic flavor.

How To Make Salsa Without Cilantro

Does cilantro taste like soap to you? It seems like folks either love it or hate it. While restaurant salsa usually contains fresh cilantro, since you’re the cook today, just leave it out if you don’t care for it. Substitute fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley for the cilantro, or if you’re against things green and leafy in your salsa, substitute a 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin.

Personally, I at least double the cilantro. I love it!

How To Make Salsa With Fresh Tomatoes

Prefer salsa with fresh tomatoes? Maybe you have a garden full of vine ripened tomatoes or just got back from the farmers’ market. Instead of this recipe, try pico de gallo, which is a chunky fresh tomato salsa.

FAQs

What does restaurant style salsa mean?

More than anything, it means it tastes a lot like the salsa from your favorite restaurant! It’s not the thick cooked salsa you’ll find in jars in the middle aisles of the grocery store but more like the refrigerated fresh kind you can buy in your produce department.

Is it cheaper to make or buy salsa?

Honestly, it’s much cheaper to make it! The ingredients needed are all very reasonably priced: a can of tomatoes, garlic, onion, jalapeño pepper, cilantro, lime juice.

How can I add flavor to salsa?

You can begin by adding more of any of the flavors in this recipe. Try adding a little more salt if it tastes bland. A little more lime juice really brightens things up. If you love cilantro, increase the amount a little. Obsessed with garlic? Add an extra clove or try roasting it first. More heat? Add more jalapeño. I also love adding a can of chopped green chiles. You get the point.

Salsa with chips in the background.

Used in this recipe

  • blender or food processor
  • rubber spatula

Storage Suggestions

Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. Salsa can be frozen for up to 2 months in a freezer safe container. Allow a little room for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and give it a good stir before serving.

Leftover Love

Use leftover salsa to make Instant Pot shredded chicken with this salsa and taco seasoning. So yummy for tacos or burritos.

Craving more dips suitable for chips?

You’re not alone.

  • Chipotle Salsa — similar to the restaurant salsa but with the smoky flavor of chipotle
  • Pico de Gallo — fresh tomato salsa
  • Citrus Salsa — really good on fish tacos, too!
  • Healthy Southwestern Creamy Black Bean Dip
  • Stovetop Spinach Dip with Sundried Tomatoes
  • Homemade Salsa Verde (so delicious, much better than store bought!)
  • Black Bean and Avocado Salad/Dip (similar to cowboy caviar or Texas caviar)
  • Ultimate 7 Layer Dip Recipe (with a couple of twists that really make it stand out!)
  • Mexican Corn Dip – skinny and easy to make!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Close up of restaurant style salsa with a chip being dipped in.
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Restaurant Style Salsa

4.78 from 9 votes
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
12 servings
Print Rate Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark
Ever go out to eat just for that irresistible salsa? You won’t believe how easy it is to make restaurant style salsa at home.

Ingredients

  • 1 can (28 ounces) peeled whole tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, roughly chopped (remove seeds and ribs, if desired, to decrease spiciness)
  • ½ small onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (see note)
  • 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and stems
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon sugar or agave nectar
  • ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Pulse/blend until combined, scraping down sides as needed. Watch carefully for right consistency. The salsa should be slightly chunky with no large pieces remaining.
  • Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container.

Notes

  • If you don’t love garlic, omit the garlic cloves. For more subtle garlic flavor, substitute ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
  • Makes about 3 cups.
  • Nutrition information does not include chips.
  • Salsa can be refrigerated for up to one week in a covered container. 

Nutrition Information

Serving: 0.25cup, Calories: 11kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 147mg, Potassium: 84mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 143IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 1mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
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  1. Robert L Lillard says

    March 4, 2021 at 6:19 pm

    If you get the chance you should try a seasoning blend called “Salsa” available from Olde Westport. It adds great flavor to homemade salsa. Available from their website.

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      March 4, 2021 at 9:06 pm

      Thanks for the recommendation!

      Reply
  2. Louis says

    November 29, 2020 at 6:49 pm

    Just discovered RachelCooks – love the salsa recipe and air cooker french fries – looking to make both soon. What brand of air cooker do you use/recommend? If you publish a weekly recipe, please sign me up!

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      December 1, 2020 at 10:34 pm

      Aww, thank you so much! I don’t really really love my air fryer so I don’t recommend it, but I’d just take a look at reviews and go by that. If you want to sign up for my emails, you can do that here. Thank you so much!!!

      Reply
  3. Liz says

    June 14, 2020 at 8:07 pm

    This recipe has been sitting on my “to make” list for some time now. My only regret is that I didn’t make this easy and yummy salsa sooner!! Please do yourself a favor and make this salsa! 
    I will be making this to bring to parties when we are allowed to get together again!

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      June 15, 2020 at 10:28 am

      So glad you liked it! It’s one of my favorites, too!

      Reply
  4. Dan Nielsen says

    February 3, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    I made this for Super Bowl Sunday. It was great! I made it on Saturday, but forgot limes. I added lime juice on Sunday and it was a great addition. I added an extra jalapeno and extra garlic. So, there’s plenty of room to customize this salsa. One other change that I’ll try next time is to withhold some of the canned tomato juice. I just dumped the whole can in. We generally like our salsa a little thicker, so next time I’ll start with less, then add as necessary.

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      February 3, 2020 at 1:48 pm

      So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment with your adaptations!

      Reply
    • Cindy says

      July 4, 2020 at 10:55 am

      Try adding a tsp or two of tomato paste next time. It’s my secret ingredient that makes salsa perfect!

      Reply
      • Rachel Gurk says

        July 5, 2020 at 12:38 pm

        Thanks for the tip!

        Reply
  5. Lucy S. says

    May 6, 2019 at 12:23 pm

    Loved this recipe.

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      May 7, 2019 at 8:06 am

      So glad to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!

      Reply
  6. Beki says

    April 13, 2018 at 9:21 pm

    This has easily become the best salsa we have ever made!  And we make a lot!  Today I had some left ever as well as left over grilled chickens. We fork shredded heated through in the salsa and the soccer team ate tacos with it like it was going out of style!!  

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      April 14, 2018 at 8:26 am

      I’m so happy to hear that! I love it with shredded chicken, too. Sometimes I cook chicken in the Instant Pot with a bunch of the salsa and then shred it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!

      Reply
  7. Carolyn says

    February 23, 2018 at 9:05 pm

    I have always wanted to try making homemade salsa!

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      February 25, 2018 at 10:34 am

      You would love it!

      Reply
  8. Megan says

    February 19, 2018 at 9:34 pm

    Looks like a legit Mexican restaurant salsa!!

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      February 20, 2018 at 9:53 am

      Thanks!

      Reply
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