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Home » Recipes » Dip

Restaurant-Style Blender Salsa (Easy!)

Nov 8, 2012 by Kaitlin · 17 Comments

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This zesty restaurant-style blender salsa recipe is made fresh and easy right at home! It's so flavorful, customizable, and tastes similar to the ones you find at a Mexican restaurant. (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)

Restaurant style blender salsa served in a white bowl with chips and fresh cilantro

This easy restaurant-style blender salsa is so refreshing and flavorful! It tastes similar to the ones you'd find at a Mexican restaurant.

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes that I make often. Best of all, it only takes 10 minutes and 8 ingredients.

Store-bought salsa is convenient, but nothing beats the freshness of making your own right at home! Plus you can fine-tune the flavors, spice level, and ingredients to your liking.

I love storing a batch of this easy blender salsa in the fridge throughout the week. And because it uses canned tomatoes, you can enjoy it all year round!

Canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, green chiles, lime, and spice ingredients laid out on a metal tray

Ingredients for Blender Salsa

For this homemade salsa recipe you'll need:

  • Canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes: If you can't find fire roasted canned tomatoes, simply use regular diced tomatoes. They work great too!
  • Canned diced green chiles: I use mild. These typically come in a small 4 oz. can. Or you can substitute fresh jalapeño which I often include as well.
  • Fresh garlic cloves: A little goes a long way since we're using raw garlic. One or two cloves is great, but you can add more as desired. (Roasted garlic could be a tasty addition too!)
  • Onion: Any color works. I've used yellow onion, white onion, red onion, and sweet onion.
  • Fresh cilantro: This is key for fresh flavor. The more the better in my opinion!
  • Fresh lime juice
  • Agave: Or swap in pure maple syrup, a pinch of sugar, or other sweetener of choice. Just a tiny bit helps balance the acidity.
  • Ground cumin: This isn't totally necessary but I find it's a nice addition.
  • Salt: This helps improve and enhance all the flavors, but you can adjust the amount to your taste.
Overhead view of preparing ingredients in a food processor before blending together

Customizing

Make it spicy: This is a mild salsa as written. For a spicy kick, add jalapeño peppers, chipotle in adobo sauce, serrano peppers, medium green chiles (instead of mild), or cayenne pepper to taste.

Texture: You can easily adjust it to your desired consistency. Pulse less for a chunky salsa, or blend more for a smoother salsa. (I use a 9-cup food processor.)

Prefer fresh tomatoes? Try this Fresh Garden Salsa as well!

Restaurant-style blender salsa blended together in a food processor

Ways To Enjoy

This recipe is a fresh, tasty condiment with your favorite Mexican-inspired dishes! Try it:

  • As a chip dip with tortilla chips
  • On tacos (like these Chickpea-Walnut Tacos)
  • In Mexican Stuffed Peppers
  • With your favorite Burritos, nachos, Burrito Bowls, or Fajitas
  • Or even on breakfast dishes like Tofu Scramble or Southwest Tofu Burritos

Storing

This recipe yields about 4 cups of fresh salsa. I find it keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Store it in an airtight container or a mason jar with a tight fitting lid.

Chilling: You can serve it right away, but I find it tastes best after it chills in your sealed container in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight) to let the flavors blend.

Overhead view of restaurant style blender salsa in a white bowl with cilantro garnish

For more inspiration, also browse all sauce and seasoning.

Restaurant style blender salsa served in a white bowl with chips and fresh cilantro

Restaurant-Style Blender Salsa (Easy!)

An easy salsa made right at home in the blender! Refreshing, flavorful, and tastes similar to the ones you find at a Mexican restaurant.
5 from 8 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Comment
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
Author: Kaitlin - The Garden Grazer
Course: Appetizer, Sauce, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Mexican-inspired, Oil-Free, Vegan
Servings: 8 (1/2 cup servings)

Ingredients

  • 28 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 4 oz. can diced green chiles, mild (or fresh jalapeño)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup yellow onion
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro*
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp. agave (or pure maple syrup)
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
  • 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 or pulse 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. You can serve it right away, but it tastes best after it chills for a couple hours or overnight (which also mellows the raw onion and garlic). Store salsa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

*Cilantro: The more, the better in my opinion! I often double or triple it.
Yield: Recipe makes about 4 cups salsa. (Cut the recipe in half and use a 15 oz. can diced tomatoes for a smaller batch if desired.)
Green chiles: Feel free to omit the small can of green chiles. Or use diced tomatoes with green chiles included instead.
Variations: Add jalapeño, roasted garlic, chipotle, serrano, etc.

Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)

Nutrition Facts
Restaurant-Style Blender Salsa (Easy!)
Amount per Serving
Calories
26
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
1
g
2
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Potassium
 
225
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
 
6
g
2
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
3
g
3
%
Protein
 
1
g
2
%
Vitamin A
 
204
IU
4
%
Vitamin C
 
16
mg
19
%
Calcium
 
40
mg
4
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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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If you're enjoying this restaurant blender salsa recipe, also check out:

  • Pico de Gallo (Salsa Fresca)
  • Black Bean and Corn Salsa
  • Cucumber Salad

Follow The Garden Grazer on Instagram, Pinterest, X (Twitter), or Facebook for more updates and inspiration.

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Comments

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    Recipe Rating:




  1. Rebecca says

    December 24, 2023 at 9:04 am

    5 stars
    This is THE BEST easy salsa recipe I’ve ever made! Not only that! This recipe is so delicious! It’s now my go-to quick salsa recipe to use!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin says

      December 24, 2023 at 10:15 am

      Hello, Rebecca! Yay! Absolutely thrilled to hear this, and I appreciate you coming back to let me know. Thanks for your very kind feedback and hope you continue to enjoy it!

      Reply
  2. Katherine says

    February 26, 2023 at 7:35 pm

    Could you can this salsa?

    Reply
    • Kaitlin says

      March 04, 2023 at 10:38 am

      Hello Katherine! I don't have any experience canning salsa, so unfortunately I'm not sure if it would work.

      Reply
  3. Rebecca says

    May 14, 2022 at 4:24 pm

    5 stars
    What an easy recipe to make and also very delicious! It came out exactly how I like too. Thank you for providing! My new go-to recipe!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin says

      May 14, 2022 at 7:18 pm

      Fantastic to hear that, Rebecca! Thanks so much for sharing!

      Reply
  4. Larry Vaught says

    June 25, 2021 at 6:35 pm

    5 stars
    I loved this recipe!! Very quick and easy. Thanks so much!! Definitely a keeper.

    Reply
    • Kaitlin says

      June 26, 2021 at 11:35 am

      Wonderful. Thanks for your feedback, Larry!

      Reply
  5. Jess says

    May 12, 2021 at 10:43 am

    5 stars
    Really good & easy!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin says

      May 12, 2021 at 10:44 am

      Great to hear - thank you!

      Reply
  6. Jennifer says

    March 07, 2021 at 12:27 pm

    Very easy, good flavor and fresh tasting. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin says

      March 31, 2021 at 9:04 am

      Great to hear, Jennifer! Thanks for your kind feedback!

      Reply
  7. Susi says

    July 10, 2020 at 2:31 pm

    Thanks, Kaitlin!

    Reply
  8. Susi says

    July 08, 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 says

      July 10, 2020 at 9:19 am

      Hi Susi! I 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. Take care. -Kaitlin

      Reply
  9. Sarah says

    July 07, 2020 at 8:17 pm

    5 stars
    This was easy and fantastic!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin says

      July 10, 2020 at 9:20 am

      Yay! Great to hear, Sarah!

      Reply

Hello, I'm Kaitlin!
I live in Montana and share vegan recipes that are easy and healthy. About Me →

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