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This fresh tomato salsa recipe creates a classic topping for tacos, burritos, nachos and more. This homemade salsa knocks any store bought jars right out of the park with its fresh, bright flavors.
Fresh Tomato Salsa
We have an obscene amount of taco nights in this house. Like it’s almost ridiculous. But tacos are the one food that everyone including my very picky 5 year old will happily eat, and that’s saying a lot because the kid basically survives on applesauce and chocolate milk.
One of my very favorite ways to dress up tacos? Fresh salsa. Now I love all kinds of it including this peach salsa, but this tomato version is the classic, restaurant style version of fresh salsa that goes so well with a big bowl of tortilla chips or on the top of almost anything you can think of.
Ingredients
Fresh salsa
For this fresh salsa you need:
- Tomatoes– I like cherry or grape tomatoes in this recipe but use any kind of firmer tomato.
- Garlic– Fresh garlic cloves add tons of zip and tang. Use a garlic press for the best texture.
- Jalapeno– The amount of jalapeno you use determines the heat level. We add a whole jalapeno to ours because we love hot and spicy. Feel free to use as much or as little as you like. Omit it all together if you prefer a more mild salsa.
- Onion– Red onion adds lovely color, crunch and a mild onion flavor. Sweet yellow onions also work well.
- Lime juice– A squeeze of fresh lime adds brightness and tang. This citrus press is easy to use for juicing lemon and lime.
- Spices– Sea salt, black pepper, and fresh cilantro finish this salsa off nicely.
How to Make
Chop the veggies
This recipe is embarrassingly easy to make. Basically, you just chop up all the veggies, press the garlic and toss with lime juice, sea salt and pepper. Then if you are feeling fancy you can add fresh chopped cilantro to finish everything off. That’s all there is to it.
Can I use a food processor to make salsa?
My blue nailed paw on my lovely Kitchen Aid food processor.
Ok here’s the deal. You can use a good food processor to make salsa. (I like this Kitchen Aid food processor. Seriously obsessed.) BUT…
If you use a food processor to make salsa you won’t get a salsa that’s as chunky unless you just pulse the ingredients a few times. This is totally a personal preference thing. For me, I like more of a bruschetta like fresh salsa. And if it’s not a super chunky, less wet salsa, then I need my salsa to be pulsed into oblivion with almost no chunks of veggies what so ever. There’s no in between.
That said, if you want more of the texture of jarred salsa with more liquid and softer tomato pieces then running your salsa through a food processor is the way to go.
How long does this keep?
Homemade tomato salsa
This homemade salsa recipe is best within a day of making it but will store well covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Be aware though: the salsa will give off more liquid the longer it sits. Plus, refrigerating tomatoes makes them softer and more mealy.
Recipes to Serve With It
Homemade salsa
Of course, you can always do tortilla chips with this or dunk veggie sticks into it for a healthy snack, but I adore finishing off tacos with fresh salsa. Here are some favorites:
- Ground beef taco meat
- Instant Pot chicken tacos
- Pineapple beef tacos
- Taco sliders
- Beer battered fish tacos
- Chimichurri steak tacos
- Beef and quinoa taco bowls
- Barbecue chicken tacos
- 5 Ingredient Easy Chicken Taquitos (Baked Not Fried!)
Other Salsa Recipes
- The Best Zesty Pineapple Mango Salsa
- The Best Fresh Pineapple Habanero Salsa
Fresh Tomato Salsa Recipe
This fresh tomato salsa recipe creates a classic topping for tacos, burritos, nachos and more. This homemade salsa knocks any store bought jars right out of the park with its fresh, bright flavors.
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Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
Course: dips, Side Dish, spreads
Cuisine: American. Mexican
Keyword: fresh salsa recipe. tomato salsa, homemade salsa recipe, how to make salsa
Servings: 2 -3 cups
Author: jfletcher
Ingredients
- 16 ounces of cherry tomatoes about 3 cups
- 1/2 a red onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 jalapeno
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro chopped
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Finely chop the tomatoes. Dice the onion and finely dice the jalapeno. Add the diced veggies to a bowl and add the juice of 1 lime, and 3 -4 pressed cloves of garlic. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Then add the chopped cilantro. Give everything a toss to mix it evenly together. Serve right away with chips, fresh veggies or as a taco or nacho topping.
Notes
To control the spice level, reduce or omit the jalapeno all together. You can also remove the seeds and white ribs of the jalapeno before dicing to remove a lot of the heat but still leave the flavor.
To make this in a food processor, add the onions and garlic and pulse until the onions are rough chopped. Then add the tomatoes, lime juice, salt, pepper and cilantro and pulse again until the salsa reaches your desired consistency.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
