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Restaurant-Style Blender Salsa

November 8, 2012 By Kaitlin McGinn 9 Comments

Refreshing, flavorful salsa made right at home in the blender! Easy, adaptable and tastes like the ones you find at a Mexican restaurant.

Blender salsa in a bowl with tortilla chips

This simple recipe for blender salsa only takes 10 minutes and 8 (or less!) ingredients. It’s wonderful year-round, and we enjoy having a batch ready and waiting in the fridge for quick snacks throughout the week. It’s so refreshing, flavorful, and tastes just like the ones you’d find at a Mexican restaurant.

Ingredients for salsa in a food processor

How to Make Blender Salsa

Simply place all ingredients in a food processor (or good blender) and pulse to combine. That’s it! I like to let it chill for an hour or two before enjoying, which helps the flavors combine and mellows the onion and garlic.

Plus this recipe is highly customizable depending on your own favorite flavors or what’s available. (See additional notes below recipe.) If you like your salsa spicy, try adding jalapeno, chipotle, or serrano to taste. Roasted garlic would also be a lovely addition!

Salsa blended up in a food processor

It’s a perfect chip dip and flavorful topper for tacos, burritos, and even tofu scramble. I love the fresh burst of flavor it brings and it’s so refreshing in the summertime. Would love to see your favorite adaptions if you give it a try too!

Come join The Garden Grazer on Instagram and share a photo if you make or adapt this! (Also please leave a review & star rating below if you give it a try. Your feedback is greatly appreciated – thank you!)

Bowl of blender salsa with chips
Blender salsa in a bowl with tortilla chips
Print Pin
5 from 3 votes

Restaurant-Style Blender Salsa

Easy salsa made right at home in the blender! Refreshing, flavorful, and tastes like the ones you find at a Mexican restaurant.
Author: Kaitlin – The Garden Grazer
Prep Time:10 minutes
Total Time:10 minutes
Category: Appetizer, Sauce, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Mexican, Oil-Free, Vegan
Servings:8 (1/2 cup servings)

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric
  • 28 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (or regular)
  • 4 oz. can diced green chiles (I use mild)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro*
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
  • 1/2 tsp. agave (or sweetener of choice)
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cumin (more to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

  • Dice onion and mince garlic. (Or simply place in food processor and pulse a few times.)
  • Place all ingredients in a large food processor or good blender. (I use my 9 cup food processor.) Blend for about 10 seconds to combine. Blend longer to achieve a smoother consistency, or shorter for chunkier salsa.
  • Taste and adjust flavors or add more salt if desired. Can serve right away, but tastes best after it chills for a couple hours or overnight (which also mellows the raw onion & garlic). Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

Recipe yields about 4 cups salsa. (Cut in half if desired.)
*The more cilantro, the better in my opinion! I’ll often double or triple it.
Feel free to omit the small can of green chiles and/or use canned diced tomatoes with green chiles instead.
Variations: jalapeno, roasted garlic, chipotle, serrano, etc. You could even stir in some roasted corn or black beans after blending.

Nutrition Per Serving (estimate)

Calories: 29kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Potassium: 226mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 201IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @thegardengrazer on Instagram and hashtag it #thegardengrazer. I love seeing your recreations!
blender salsa photo collage

Enjoying this blender salsa? Also browse the full “Mexican Inspired” recipe archives for more plant based inspiration!

Filed Under: 30 Minutes or Less, Gluten-Free, Mexican-Inspired, Recipe, Sauce/Seasoning, Sides, Vegan, WFPBNO Tagged With: cilantro, cumin, dip, garlic, naturally sweetened, sauce, tomato

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jacqueline

    November 9, 2012 at 6:01 pm

    I haven't made salsa for an age. This one looks wonderful. I can almost taste it!

    Reply
  2. Sarah

    July 7, 2020 at 8:17 pm

    This was easy and fantastic!5 stars

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      July 10, 2020 at 9:20 am

      Woo! Fun to hear you gave it a try – thanks for the sweet feedback πŸ™‚

      Reply
  3. Susi

    July 8, 2020 at 11:10 am

    Your recipes look delicious, but what’s the sodium content? Many of us really need to watch that, and I’m leery of making any new recipe until I know that.

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      July 10, 2020 at 9:19 am

      Hi Susi! I totally understand the concern with sodium, which is actually why I purposely omit stating the numbers on my site as I feel it’s not nearly a precise enough calculation. Most of my recipes simply say “salt to taste” to let people cater directly to their own needs. Even with recipes that state an amount of salt (like this salsa) I still omit the sodium content as it can vary so significantly with other factors. (For example, differing sodium content between brands, using no-salt vs. salt-added canned tomatoes, etc.) So I always encourage people to calculate their own to achieve a much more precise reading based on their exact ingredients, brands, and amounts. Hope you understand πŸ™‚ Take care. -Kaitlin

      Reply
  4. Susi

    July 10, 2020 at 2:31 pm

    Thanks, Kaitlin!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      July 10, 2020 at 4:15 pm

      Absolutely! Sorry I couldn’t be more help. I know how important watching sodium can be, so I don’t feel comfortable putting any specific numbers out there with so many variables to consider. Thanks for your understanding πŸ™‚ Hope you enjoy this if you give it a try! (For this recipe, you could certainly seek out no-salt-added diced tomatoes and omit the 1/2 tsp. salt to help reduce the sodium.)

      Reply
  5. Teri

    July 19, 2020 at 8:00 am

    Have you ever canned this salsa? I haven’t made salsa in years, but was planning on doing some salsa this summer now that all my jams are finished. I’m just wondering how the flavor holds up with canning?

    Thanks so much,
    Teri

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      August 24, 2020 at 3:34 pm

      Hi Teri! Apologies for the long delay in my response. I haven’t actually canned salsa before, so unfortunately I can’t speak on how this one would turn out. (I’ll be sure to update the recipe with instructions if I ever test it!)

      And I love that you can your own jams! Delicious. Hope you’ve had a beautiful summer πŸ™‚
      -Kaitlin

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Kaitlin! I share easy vegan recipes that are mostly whole food, plant-based, oil-free, & gluten-free. Learn More About Me β†’

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