This easy Fresh Garden Salsa recipe only takes 10 minutes! Super refreshing and great with tortilla chips or spooned on your favorite Mexican-inspired dishes. (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)
This vibrant Garden Salsa comes together in just 10 minutes!
It's made entirely with fresh ingredients instead of canned goods. (Unless you want to add any, of course!) The result is incredibly refreshing, plus easy to customize with your favorite flavors.
It's especially great in summertime when garden veggies are in peak season. Serve it up as a snack, appetizer, or flavorful topper on your Mexican-inspired dishes!
Ingredients for Fresh Garden Salsa
For this homemade salsa, you'll blend together in a food processor or blender:
- Ripe tomatoes: You'll need about 1.5 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, which is about 4 or 5 tomatoes. Just be sure they're ripe and flavorful! (We'll remove most of the excess liquid from the tomatoes so the salsa isn't overly watery.) You can also substitute with beefsteak tomatoes, fresh roma tomatoes, etc. For an even bolder, sweeter flavor you could also try cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, but I haven't tested those.
- Green bell pepper: The fresh bell pepper and jalapeño adds lot of tasty flavor to this dish!
- Onion: Either red onion, white onion, or yellow onion works great.
- Garlic cloves: Feel free to add more or less depending on how much you enjoy the flavor. The raw onion and garlic flavors mellow a bit after the salsa chills in the fridge.
- Jalapeño pepper: Use more or less jalapeño depending on how much spice you prefer. I find jalapeños range in their spiciness, so use cautiously if you don't want it overly spicy. I remove the seeds and ribs before using.
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh lime juice: You'll need two tablespoons, which is about one lime. You can also include a bit of lime zest as well.
- Ground cumin: This adds a slightly earthy, warm flavor to accent the salsa.
- Salt: I use fine grain salt for this recipe. Use as much or as little as desired. If you find the flavors in the salsa don't quite pop, then add a pinch more salt.
Customizing
Make it spicy: This is a fairly mild recipe depending on how spicy your jalapeño is. Spice it up with more jalapeño, cayenne pepper, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or canned medium/hot diced green chiles to taste.
Other flavors: Try fresh lemon juice instead of lime juice, more garlic or even roasted garlic, shallots, green onions (scallions), or a splash of apple cider vinegar. You can also add a hint of sweetness with 1/2 teaspoon agave or your own favorite sweetener.
Peppers: These add a lot of great flavor to this salsa, so change it up with a variety of your own favorites. Try a combination of bell peppers, jalapeño, Anaheim, serrano, poblano, etc.
Texture: Adjust the texture and consistency of the salsa to your liking! For a smoother salsa, pulse it more. For a chunkier salsa, pulse it less.
Serving
I love salsa as a snack, appetizer, or side dish with tortilla chips. But you can also spoon it on a variety of main dishes to enhance the flavor. A few ideas include:
- Tacos and tostadas: Try it on these homemade Chickpea-Walnut Tacos.
- Burritos and burrito bowls: This Vegan Burrito Bowl is delicious topped with a variety of sauces & salsas.
- Breakfast dishes: Scoop it on Tofu Scramble (or this Southwest Tofu Scramble). It's also tasty in breakfast burritos!
- Flavor your rice: I often take plain rice to the next level with flavorful "salsa rice" for burritos, fajitas, etc. Simply stir together freshly cooked rice (or quinoa) with salsa to add quick and easy flavor.
- Bean dips: Instead of fresh diced tomatoes, top this crowd-pleasing warm Vegan Bean Dip with salsa instead.
- Nachos, fajitas, and quesadillas: These "meaty" Portobello Fajitas only take 30 minutes and are great topped with fresh salsa and guacamole.
Storing
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I find it keeps in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
More Salsa Recipes!
For more inspiration, also browse all vegan tomato recipes or summer recipes.
Fresh Garden Salsa (Easy!)
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. vine-ripened tomatoes*
- 1 medium green bell pepper
- 1/3 cup onion (red, white, or yellow)
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 2 Tbsp. lime juice
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. salt (more or less to taste)
Instructions
- Roughly chop the tomatoes and remove all of the excess liquid and seeds. Then roughly chop the bell pepper, onion, garlic, jalapeño (seeds and inner ribs removed), and cilantro.
- Add all salsa ingredients to a food processor or blender. (I use a large 9-cup Cuisinart food processor which works great.) Pulse to combine until the salsa reaches your desired consistency. (Pulse more for smoother salsa, or less for chunky salsa.)
- Taste and adjust the flavors if needed. (If the flavors don't quite pop, add a pinch more salt. If it's too spicy or acidic, add a small amount of sweetener.) You can serve it immediately, but it tastes best after it chills in the refrigerator for a couple hours or overnight.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium content: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
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Ella says
Needed way more tomatoes. I added diced fire roasted tomatoes. Love using the fresh ingredients. My husband loved it!
Kaitlin says
Glad you enjoyed it with your fire-roasted tomato addition, Ella! Great idea.
Stephanie says
What a great summer recipe! We added an extra large jalapeno for spice and had it with our taco dinner. Thank you!
Kaitlin says
Awesome to hear! Great call with the extra jalapeno and taco pairing - thanks for sharing!