I am sure you have a good recipe for salsa. I used to have what I thought was a good recipe too. But I can promise you, it does not compare to this. This recipe for homemade Mexican-style salsa is hands down the best salsa you’ll ever eat. Made the authentic way with a key step that you won’t want to miss!
Mexican food has always been a favorite of mine. I grew up on it. However, I have noticed that the older I get, the harder it is for me to tolerate Mexican food out in restaurants! Especially since I stick to mostly gluten-free recipes.
As a nutritionist, I am always trying to make some of my favorite Mexican dishes a little lighter. This helps me to know exactly what I am putting in our food. Salsa is no different! An amazing salsa recipe with real ingredients makes all the difference in eating a delicious and restaurant style Mexican meal.
What makes this the Best Salsa?
The old salsa recipe I made went something like this: fresh tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeños, lemon, garlic, and salt. Sound familiar? Yeah, well this recipe takes it to a whole different level.
A dear Mexican friend of mine, whom I will forever be grateful for, had me over for dinner one night a few years ago for some authentic Mexican food. She knew I was missing the good stuff here in Germany. We’re chatting over wine in her kitchen while she is cooking all the food. I noticed she had this on the stovetop:
I told her it looked good and she told me it was for salsa. Say what?!?! Don’t you just throw in some tomatoes, onion, etc. into the blender?
“This is Mexican cooking 101,” she tells me.
So I started paying attention. I tried when I got home a few days later and failed. So then, I had her to my house. I wasn’t going to screw it up this time; I took notes.
For over a year now, I have been making my variation of Yesenia’s recipe. And now my dear readers, I am sharing with you. Oh and Yesenia did give me permission. She is not one of those that likes to keep good food a secret!
Ingredients for the best salsa:
- Vine ripe tomatoes: We will add a smokiness to these by cooking on the stovetop
- Jalapeno peppers: You definitely want some kick to this salsa! I omit the seeds and this still makes it spicy. We also cook these on the stovetop!
- Poblano pepper: I love a smoky poblano pepper, it adds so much depth to a salsa. Another item to add to the stovetop.
- Green onion: I prefer the milder taste of green onions for salsa, and the fact that they add a little crunch.
- Limes: Definitely some tang to make good salsa!
- Fresh cilantro: Don’t skimp! Grab a big bundle and chop it up
- Canned tomatoes: The addition of fresh tomatoes and canned together, really adds more flavor depth! I use Rotel.
- Sea Salt: Definitely need to salt up the salsa!
Making Salsa on the stovetop:
The key to this recipe is to char the tomatoes and peppers on the stovetop. Yes, stovetop. I tried to do it in the oven once and roast the tomatoes & peppers, bad move.
The stovetop method will take you about 20 minutes, but sooooooo worth the wait. You’ll need to rotate the veggies from time to time, so all the sides are pretty even. Here is what the vegetables will look like once they are done:
Tips for making the best salsa:
- After the veggies have cooled, cut into large chunks and place in your food processor or blender.
- I definitely prefer a food processor because the blender will often mix things up too fast and not leave room for a chunkier salsa. However, you will need a large food processor to fit it all in!
- Add the cilantro last, toward the end. Larger chunks of salsa are a good thing!
- If serving for dinner, make this salsa in the morning! If it chills all day in the fridge, the flavors really meld and develop even more.
- You can also make the day before! I love this salsa at one day old.
What to eat with this Salsa:
Here are some of my favorite healthy Mexican recipes that I love to eat with my salsa!!
Sheet Pan Chipotle Steak Fajitas
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The Best Homemade Salsa You’ll Ever Eat
This recipe for homemade Mexican-style salsa is hands down the best salsa you'll ever eat. Tomatoes and peppers are perfectly charred on the stovetop before they're blended with the other ingredients. So good and simple!
Ingredients
- 6 medium size vine ripened tomatoes stem removed
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 cup green onion diced
- 1 lime juice of
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder or sea salt
Instructions
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Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Place tomatoes and peppers in the skillet.
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Continue to saute, rotating the vegetables occasionally, so several sides begin to blister. See photos above. This will take around 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
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Once cooled, chop off the stems of the peppers, and remove the seeds from the jalapeño (you can also keep some seeds for more heat in your salsa). Cut the vegetables into large pieces.
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Place tomatoes, peppers, onions, lime, and rotel into a blender and pulse quickly until just mixed (about 5 seconds). Add garlic, cilantro, and bouillon. Pulse for another 15 seconds until well blended but chunky.
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Place in a large bowl and refrigerate until cooled before serving. Serve with your favorite Mexican dish or with chips.
Recipe Notes
This recipe tastes better after 24 hours. You can refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
This salsa sounds amazing!! I love that the veggies are charred first. I’m sure it adds so much flavor. I need to try this!
You should Jay! I promise you won’t be disappointed 😉
I’ve never seen a salsa recipe like that – and it’s a good thing! I love the creativity of this recipe, and I think my favorite part is the charring of the vegetables. I bet that really amps up the flavor! Great recipe, Amy!
It would go great with your Flautas Heather!!
Ahh! So true, it’s perfect!
Yes I wonder how much fresh cabbage she added that was omitted in this recipe?
How spicy is it on a scale of 1-10, where 1 is mild and 10 is burning a hole in your mouth hot.
To me it’s about a 7, it is spicy, but still has taste. You can adjust the spicy factor by adding another jalapeño or taking one away.
Do you leave the seeds in on all the peppers?
No, I take out the seeds in all but 1 pepper. Sometimes I even take all of them out! I love spicy, but I also want my tastebuds to enjoy it ????
We tried this last night in Berlin. We couldn’t find a Poblano, but used a Spitzpaprika (similar to an Anaheim pepper where I’m from) instead. We also only had one Jalapeno, so we added a tiny bit of Birdseye to even it out. It gave it a sneak attack, starts sweet, then bites you later. Love it.
The problem we had though, was what to do with the Tomatoes after roasting them, Typically other salsa recipes would remove the skin and seeds, but that seems kind of meaningless in this instance. Could you share your method here please?
Also we seemed to have way too much fluid, even though we didn’t add any water. Is there a way to avoid this?
Thanks!
MRI
I leave the skin on, and dive into chunks. Also, it is heavy on the liquid. When using real veggies there is no way around it.
We’re a household of two so we started with less ingredients overall and this was not overly liquidity at all. We charred two medium-sized tomatoes and added about what amounted to one more that were already partially used from the ‘frig and about 2/3c of diced tomatoes from the can. The chunkiness after food-processing (instead of a blender, it was handier) worked out fine. You can adjust the seasonings to the amount of tomatoes used.
do i need to change it to produce and can thirty six pints and i am grilling the veggies on bbq grill instead of stove top…..
Can you can this?
I wish I knew! I am not smart with canning at all and have never tried.
I cut the jalapeno down to 1/2 pepper and it was still too spicy. My kids won’t touch it. Next batch won’t have it. May switch from pablano to chipotle pepper as well.
Hi Dana! Sorry it was too spicy. Did you take out the seeds? That really cuts down on spice. Also, some jalapeños are spicier than others and sometimes you get unlucky with a super hot one.
Great recipe! Is the poblano pepper fresh or dry?
Fresh!
How much does this make in cups? Pints?
I made this salsa today and it was excellent. I only used I jalapeño pepper as my family can’t do the heat but I think I will use 2 next time.
Finally!!! A salsa we love! Easy instructions and cheap ingredients! Thank you for sharing!
Glad you love it!!
Hey how much lime juice? It just says 1 lime juice of?
Hi Joy, it’s the juice of 1 lime. This will yield a 2-3 tbsp.
Excellent salsa!
Agree. So good!
I can’t believe I didn’t know this trick! Thank you!! We absolutely loved this salsa. Definitely the best.
Glad you love it, Jenna!
Hi! Do I need to drain the rotel? Making this for cinco de Mayo tomorrow!
Nope! Go ahead and put in with the juices!
This IS the best salsa ever! I’ve made it twice. Easy to follow recipe and makes a ton.
So glad you love it, Erin!!
Can you char the peppers and veggies on a BBQ grill instead of the stove top?
I’ve never done it that way, but I don’t see why not.
You stated that you’re Mexican Friend used Cabbage ? But I don’t see it in the recipe
Hi Tony, I don’t use cabbage in my variation. You can add it you would like. About 1 cup of shredded cabbage after the salsa is done.
Tonight, I followed this recipe exactly as written. It was absolutely incredible!! Without a doubt, this is the best salsa recipe that’s been made in my kitchen. Thank you for sharing it.
That makes me so happy!!
Again, thaks for all good and easy recipes.
Can I get the nutrition data for this salsa recipe, please? Thank you!
Hi there! It’s updated with nutrition info in the notes section of the recipe. The serving size is about 1/4 cup.
Chipotle peppers are dried jalapeños. Be careful !
Great recipe, but would like to share something I learned recently. The heat from a jalapeño is not in the seeds but in the membrane that holds the seeds. Take that out if you want to lessen the heat!
Do you use diced tomatoes in tomato sauce or Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies? I’ve made this once before and forgot what I did. My Dad loved it!
Rotel diced tomatoes with diced green Chilis!
Why so many sentences before the recipe? Everything looks great but way too much info. LOL 😆
Please stop perpetuating the myth that chile seeds have heat. They do not. The heat is in the pith, or placental tissue. The seeds only have residual heat from being in contact with the placenta. No seeds actually contain capsaicin.
We’ve taken cooking classes in Mexico and love the charring of the peppers and veggies! Jalapeño and poblano peppers are the least hot/heat peppers and we can take the heat in this household (we cook true Thai curries with fresh chilies!). This is a fantastic recipe but we added a tsp of fresh cumin and coriander (crushed through a mortar and pestle) and some paprika. Feshly-made, I didn’t like the flavor but after an hour in the ‘frig – it really jelled – delish! This tasted like the real thing – mmmmmm
Thank you so much for the kind words and thoughtful review! I love all things spicy.
What was the key difference between stovetop and oven roasted? What made the stovetop version better?
It just allows for more of a “char” on the tomatoes and peppers. The grill would also work well!
Are you using Rotel for the canned tomatoes?
Yes, I use Rotel tomatoes
Can this salsa be frozen for later use?
I really enjoyed your recipe! The question I have can you canned this recipe? I made 5 pints out this recipe but I made 2 batches. I was afraid to canned so I warmed up the salsa then placed in my jars and bathed for 20 minutes. Was it necessary for me to warm up the salsa? Thank you!
I am not smart whatsoever with canning! So I really have no idea. Let me know how it turns out!
This really is the best salsa recipe. Simple but excellent. I’ve made a batch every week for the last month. I cooked all my veg in the air fryer instead of stove top. Worked perfect and easy.