How to make Restaurant-Style Salsa in 5 Minutes

Name: How to make Restaurant-Style Salsa in 5 minutes
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients: 1/4 cup diced yellow onions (1/2" rough dice); 1/4 cup cilantro; 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped (1 teaspoon); 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes; 1 or 2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon honey; 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice

Published: Oct 7, 2020 · Modified: Jul 11, 2022 by Gitta Grether-Sweeney · This post may contain affiliate links

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This restaurant-style salsa is made in 5 minutes or less. The recipe features ingredients you most likely have at home in your pantry. Once you make this easy salsa, you will never go back to purchasing store-bought again! It's that good!

Salsa in a white bowl with chips tortilla chips surrounding it

Chips and salsa are a staple snack in our house. The combination of salty chips and spicy salsa is delicious together. This snack is perfect for family game night, weekend football, or a quick appetizer when you have impromptu guests coming for dinner.

When we lived in Austin, Texas Tex-Mex Restaurants were on every corner. Our favorite one was just minutes from our house, and we went to eat there on a weekly basis. As soon as you are seated at a table, a bowl of delicious salsa and a basket of chips magically appear on your table. Embarrassingly, we often devoured several baskets of chips before dinner arrived. They were so yummy!

After we moved away from Texas, I created this recipe so that we could continue enjoying restaurant-style salsa. I knew I had the right combination of ingredients when my husband and favorite taste tester, tried it, and said, “This tastes like restaurant-style salsa!"

Give this recipe a try! It is fast to make and your friends and family will love it!

Why will you like this recipe?

The recipe calls for ingredients you probably have at home. This means no extra trips to the grocery store!
Canned tomatoes taste fresh because they are processed at the height of the season. On the other hand, fresh tomatoes can often taste bland when they are not in season and then the salsa is bland. By using canned tomatoes, you know your salsa will taste great every time.
Since the salsa uses canned tomatoes, keep a few cans on hand in your pantry so that you can make the salsa at a moment's notice.
The salsa is spicy; however, you can adjust the spice level to your liking.
It is easy to double or triple the recipe for a crowd.
The salsa is less expensive to make than purchasing store-bought salsa.
By making it yourself, you know what ingredients are in the salsa. No preservatives and unnecessary additives.
The salsa is made with normal everyday ingredients. Nothing exotic.

What ingredients are needed?

Ingredients for salsa in glass bowls, fire-roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, peppers, cumin , lemon juice, chili powder

Tomatoes-Fire roasted tomatoes add an additional layer of flavor to the salsa. I would not recommend substituting plain canned diced tomatoes.
Chipotle peppers-These peppers are key to the salsa. However, they are spicy. Start with one pepper or even half of the pepper and add more if you really like it spicy. Do not leave them out of the salsa because they add so much flavor. I feel the peppers make the salsa taste like restaurant-style salsa.
Onions-I used sweet onions; however, you can use red onions or white onions.
Garlic-It is important to use fresh garlic. If you do not want to deal with cleaning garlic, you can purchase frozen garlic. However, I would not suggest using jarred garlic because it has an odd taste to it-at least to me.
Cilantro-this herb will add freshness to the salsa. If you do not like cilantro or do not have it on hand you can leave it out.
Lime juice-fresh lime juice adds flavor and freshness to the salsa.
Honey-a dash of honey balances the acid in the salsa.
Cumin and chili powder-add an additional level of flavor.

How to make salsa

Onion, garlic and cilantro in a processor bowl — Cilantro, onion, and garlic

Minced onion, garlic and cilantro in a food processor bowl — Cilantro, onion, and garlic

Place onions, garlic, and cilantro in a food processor or blender. Pulse 5-6 times.
Add the remaining ingredients and pulse and additional 10 times or until it is the consistency that you like.

Offset white bowl with salsa in it and surrounded by chips

Spoon salsa into a bowl and serve with corn tortilla chips.

Tips for success

Pulse the onions, garlic, and cilantro before adding the remaining ingredients.
Be sure to use fire-roasted tomatoes. It makes a difference.
Chipotle peppers are key to the success of the salsa.

Storage suggestions

Store the salsa for up to a week covered in the refrigerator. You can freeze salsa, but it can become watery and it might not be appetizing to serve with chips. However, if the salsa does become watery, it is a delicious addition to soups, stews, or spoon it on roasted chicken.

Leftovers

I would not recommend keeping any leftovers where people have dipped chips into it because of the risk of bacteria. It is best to dispose of any leftover salsa that has been served.

Other serving suggestions

Serve salsa on enchiladas.
Top roasted chicken or fish with salsa.
Top scrambled eggs, omelets, or fried eggs with salsa.
Serve salsa with Breakfast Tacos.
Serve on top of Roasted Potatoes.
Top a frittata with salsa.
For a lower-calorie baked potato topping, use salsa instead!
Serve salsa with quesadillas.
Mix equal amounts of Greek yogurt and salsa for a delicious vegetable dip.
The possibilities are endless!

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