Easy Homemade Salsa Recipe: Fresh and Flavorful Mexican Salsa for Any Occasion

Cinco de Mayo was yesterday.  I asked my neighbors if they normally had a celebration here, and learned this is not a holiday celebrated in Mexico. According to my Canadian neighbors, it is only celebrated in the US. But this is Mexico, so any reason for a party.

I offered to bring my black beans, rice, and salsa. I will share all these recipes, I will starting with my homemade salsa.

Salsa is so easy to make!  I have not purchased salsa in years. It’s also one of the most versatile sauces in my pantry.  It just takes a few basic tools and ingredients to have a flavorful sauce that you will use daily. Let’s start with the ingredients:

Tomatoes, I am using fire-roasted canned tomatoes; you can use fresh, but be sure to roast or grill them to capture the right flavor.

Onion, white or yellow, cut into quarters. No need to chop since we will be lending it.

Garlic, I used 3 cloves, but you can adjust to your taste.

Ground Cumin, salt, and pepper. Anaheim Chile, I prefer my salsa mild, so I used 3 slices, but you can switch to jalapeno or serrano if you like more heat. You could also use canned green chiles in the US (usually Anaheim Chiles). They do not have these in Mexico. You can get chopped canned jalapeno and serrano, but nothing milder.

2 limes, juiced. Fresh is best, but you can use bottled lime juice if you do not have fresh. You could also substitute lemon juice.

Cilantro, I prefer fresh; you could substitute dried or replace it with flat-leaf parsley. You may also prefer less than I do. We like a strong cilantro flavor. PRO TIP: Don’t throw away those stems. They blend up beautifully and have the same flavor as the leaves.

Toss it all in a blender, add the lid, and process on high. You may need to pulse the blender to get it started.

You can make it as coarse or smooth as you like.  I prefer it to have some texture. 

You can easily double or triple this recipe.  I make this small batch weekly and store it in the refrigerator. It will last a couple of weeks. The flavor improves as it sits.

When it is tomato season, I grow them or buy them fresh in bulk to make large batches to water bath can. For the large batch, I smoke the vegetables for about 30 minutes, then make the salsa.  It has an entirely different flavor, but we love it. 

You can use this salsa to dip tortilla chips. I also use it to make my baked Mexican rice. We also love it on eggs. When I want shredded Mexican chicken, I throw a jar of salsa in with a couple of chicken breasts into my Instant Pot and pressure cook them.  The chicken is great in tacos or enchiladas.  What is your favorite way to use salsa?

Tried the recipe?  Let me know what you think.