How have I gotten 5 years into writing a food blog and not provided a simple red salsa recipe?
How dare I? How could I? I know. Shame, shame. But I realized this recently and am excited to fill the void with this EASY, 10-minute Red Tomato Salsa! Let’s do it!
Origins of Salsa
Salsa is thought to have originated in Central America from the Incas, Aztecs, and Mayans. It dates back as far as the 1500s where it was used as a condiment to add flavor and spice.
But in the early 1900s, salsa’s popularity spread beyond Mexico and Central America and it began to be commercially manufactured in the US. By 1991, US sales of salsa had surpassed that of ketchup!
There are many different varieties including salsa roja, verde, criolla, and more! Our inspired version most closely resembles salsa roja, but is not a traditional preparation. You can find more traditional recipes here and here.
How to Make Red Salsa
I did quite a bit of experimenting for this 10-minute, 8-ingredient, 1- bowl recipe.
The dreamy minimalist in me thought, “Cool. I’ll just throw some tomatoes and onion and a pepper in a blender and ‘voila!’ I’ll have salsa!”
Not quite.
While you can go that route, I find that it yields a watery, flavorless salsa, and I’m obviously not down for that. So, instead, I tested multiple canned-tomato varieties as a base and found fire-roasted tomatoes to be the best fit!
They’re extremely smoky and complex, and they add a rich tomato flavor to this salsa. Supporting ingredients like onion, cilantro, lime, garlic, and jalapeño or serrano pepper round the flavors out to yield the perfect red salsa.
I hope you all LOVE this salsa! It’s:
Fresh
Flavorful
Smoky
Spicy
Quick + Easy
& Delicious
This is the perfect salsa for dipping tortilla chips, Frito chips, or even kale chips! It would also make a delicious addition to things like our Mexican Quinoa Salad Cups, Black Bean Butternut Squash Enchiladas, Best Damn Vegan Nachos, Sweet Potato Kale Chip Nachos, or Plantain Black Bean Tacos.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Easy Red Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 (15-ounce) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes* (slightly drained)
- 1 medium serrano or jalapeño pepper (more or less depending on preferred spice level // stems and seeds removed)
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (large stems removed)
- 1 medium lime, juiced (1 lime yields ~3 Tbsp or 45 ml)
- 1/2 cup chopped white or red onion (or sub green onion)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 clove garlic, crushed (or 1 tsp garlic-infused oil per 1 clove garlic)
- Stevia or cane sugar (optional // to taste)
- 2-4 Tbsp diced mild green chilies (optional // for extra heat)
Instructions
- Add tomatoes, pepper, cilantro, lime, onion, cumin, salt, and garlic to a food processor or blender and pulse to mix. You're looking for a well-blended but semi-chunky salsa.
- Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt for saltiness, lime for acidity, garlic for kick/zing, cilantro for herb flavor, pepper or mild green chilies for heat, or a little stevia or sugar to sweeten/offset heat.
- Serve immediately with chips of choice, such as DIY Chili Cheeze Fritos, tortilla chips, or kale chips!
- Store leftovers in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without stevia, sugar, or green chilies (or chips for serving).
*Recipe makes ~2 cups salsa.
Christine says
This is my go to recipe for salsa. The only thing I changed was using parsley instead of cilantro. So easy and so good!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Christine. Thank you for sharing! xo
Virginia says
This is the best salsa recipe!!! Absolutely delicious and simple to make!!
Thank you!!!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Virginia! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
RS says
This is my go to salsa recipe! I get so many compliments on it every time I make it! I don’t use the sugar, I don’t feel like it needs it but everything else is perfect. It is so quick and easy to pull together!
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing!
Stephanie Bric says
This is a fabulous recipe always garners rave reviews the fire roasted tomatoes are a must
Whoop! We’re so glad you’re enjoying it, Stephanie. Thank you for sharing! xo
Paul Welch says
I made this and it was great! I added melted butter to give it a more creamy taste (we ate it all in one sitting so we didn’t need to worry about it clumping!). My husband doesn’t appreciate spice so we also swapped the chilis with watermelon for a fresh summery taste.
Creative! Thank you for sharing, Paul!
Jenbas says
I made a batch yesterday for a gathering and one for myself today :) Yummy and easy to make. I ate our batch with avocado and some cannellini beans tonight and will eat some tomorrow with eggs. I may have finally convinced the hubs to make our own vs buying store-bought salsa.
Woohoo! We’re so glad you both enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing! xo
Emily says
I really enjoyed this recipe – I didn’t think it would be this easy or quick to make salsa! I couldn’t find fire-roasted tomatoes so I subbed a chipotle pepper and some adobo sauce for the green chillies to get some of that smoky flavour back. It was flavourful and a big hit.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Emily! xo
Kiki says
Made as directed
So damn good and sooo easy! Perfection thanks!
Yay! Thanks for the lovely review, Kiki!
Linsey says
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I’ve never made fresh homemade salsa before, but salsa is a big staple in my snack life soooo it was time. This salsa is super easy, fresh, tasty, and quick.
I couldn’t find the fire roasted tomatoes so I used plain canned chopped tomatoes. I also used a red onion, added extra lime, used a jalapeño (left some seeds), and added extra garlic. I forgot to add the diced green chilis, but I’m not missing it at all. I would recommend draining the tomatoes really well if you’re like me and plan to add extra lime.
Overall, an excellent, simple recipe. Thanks!
Great! Thanks, Linsey!
Danielle Stoor says
Making this with your refried beans for burritos! 😃😎 I will make my own fire roasted tomatoes, our store does not carry😣, by slicing in half, removing seeds, rubbing little oil and putting over gas flame (or under broiler) till charred and smoky! Thanks a bunch🌺🌻🌼!
Yum! Let us know how it turns out!
Kiran says
Super yummy! I didn’t have fire roasted so used regular whole canned tomatoes and it still turned out so delicious!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Victoria says
I just made this for dinner and everyone loved it! Where I live I don’t have access to fire roasted tomatoes but normal canned ones worked just fine.
Thanks for sharing, Victoria! xo
Teri says
Love the simplicity of your recipes! As we grow oodles of tomatoes, I always prefer to use fresh. To avoid the “watery” texture, don’t add the chopped tomatoes to the food processor or blender; just fold them in after blending the other ingredients. It adds a little extra chunky-ness.
riley spice says
Wow, Great and Easy Recipe of salsa.
Julie Hynes says
I just made this and it was super easy and tasty! Had some dying cilantro but it still tastes great. I used roasted tomatoes that already had garlic but also added the clove. I like the consistency of this salsa, in addition to the flavor.
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Julie. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Sam says
This is for sure the best salsa recipe on the internet. I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now and I my friends always love it. It’s very fresh and tasty. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
xoxo!
Cheryl says
In the winter in the Midwest canned tomato is superior in taste to any fresh tomato in the produce section. This recipe makes great use of fire-roasted canned tomatoes. I don’t use sugar or sugar substitutes. I use sweet shredded carrot to sweeten instead. Carrot needs to be pureed and then it blends into the background.
Thanks so much for sharing, Cheryl!
Jordan Kozushka says
I have never made salsa in my life but have made many things from your recipes. This salsa is probably the best I’ve ever had. It was super easy and is so flavorful and so completely yummy that after every bite I can’t wait to have the next one.
I did modify it by not adding the chilli’s or the pepper, as my 6-year-old daughter does not like spicy things and she loves salsa but other than that this is a 100% winner!
Thank you so much for the recipe!
Judith Ellis says
I made this recipe for friends of mine that are from Mexico and own a successful Mexican Restaurant. The only suggestion they had was to add a little more salt which was my fault because I actually forget to put it in. They said it was as good as any they had in Mexico. Thank you for a great recipe
Wow, thanks, Judith! xo
Vanessa says
Loved the use of canned tomatoes. I’ve always used whole tomatoes and haven’t been able to keep my salsa not watery. I didn’t change a thing, the recipe was great as is!
Michele says
Hi. I am just curious why you would not use fresh raw tomatoes? It gives such a much fresher taste.
Maggie Unzueta says
This dish looks amazing. Mmm!
If you try it, we hope you enjoy!
Sharon Brown says
I made this with the fire roasted tomatoes and not so impressed. So then I used fresh Roma tomatoes about 5-6
And added a can of diced tomatoes and it was great. I guess I didn’t like the smoky taste of the fire roasted tomatoes. But your recipe with the fresh tomatoes was great
Cera Torres says
Omg I’ve been trying to find a salsa recipe and this sounds and looks amazing! Def gonna give it a try.
We hope you love it, Cera!
Megan says
I have finally made an edible and yummy salsa. Holy cow! Thank you! I’m gonna put this on everything!
Dana says
My roommates and I just made this and LOVED it! I have been looking for a simple, flavorful, and delicious salsa recipe and this is it! Thank you for this and all your recipes! I am looking forward to making this again and adding some pineapple or mango!
joe says
Can I leave the cilantro out cannot find any.
Hi Joe! You could try basil or parsley if you can’t find cilantro!
Vocalmama says
Hi! We just made the salsa and used sweet corn instead of sugar, delicious! I wanted to know if you think this will freeze well? I hope so!! I made a double batch!!
Yes! Store leftovers in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Ashley says
I made this and it was a great hit for my Salsa/Dip bar!!!
Erin says
BEST SALSA EVER. Make it, seriously. It didn’t last long at my dinner party and I gave out the recipe to 3 people :)
Kimberly F says
I have used this recipe almost weekly now for a couple months. Very easily the best salsa recipe I have found. SO DELICIOUS!!
Donna says
I’ve made this several times and it is really good! I took some to work last week and the staff couldn’t get enough of it.
Bre says
Dana, this recipe is amazing! Tastes better than the Lone Star restaurant chips and salsa we love and half the price! So easy to make too. Those fire roasted tomatoes really made the dish. Any Canadians here – you can find Alymer fire roasted tomatoes at Loblaws/Zehrs
Justine says
It was just so so soooo good, thanks!
Ashley says
I have now made this twice, with my husband already asking when I will make it again. We live in Texas, so chips and salsa is pretty much a required appetizer for any social function. I have tried a few different salsa recipes this summer trying to find the perfect one and I’m here to report that this is it! It’s pretty mild on the heat, so you may want to add more peppers depending on how you like it. Thanks so much, Dana!
Kristin says
This was the best salsa I’ve ever made. Just like the salsa at my favorite Mexican restaurant. I used a jalapeno and took all the seeds out b/c I had a kid eating. Had virtually no heat. Leave the seeds in the peppers if you want heat.
Yummycake says
Hi Dana, I think this is the best Red Salsa I have ever seen. Easy to cook and looks very tasty. I would say it’s a great job. Keep sharing such tasty recipes with us.
Kim says
I made this and loved it. And I’m picky about salsa. Seriously thanks so much.
Lily says
This salsa was quick, easy, and really great! I made it to go with tacos and taco salad. It does make a large amount of salsa though, so I froze half for another time in the future. Thank you!
Thanks Lily!
Stacey Mattinson says
YUM! I love salsa!! I’ll have to try this one.
David Nassief says
I just want to say your pictures are amazing. It’s almost like watching a cooking video. They are beautiful and instructional. Thanks David
Thanks David! xoxo
Carol says
This was super easy and it makes a lot. I’ll be taking this to my next potluck at work for sure.
PS, I like to eat it with my new favorite tortilla chips called “Cabo Chips”.
Yay! Thanks Carol!
Little Cooking Tips says
We don’t have these fire-roasted tomato cans here in Greece, but we’ll definitely use you awesome salsa adding ripe tomatoes and a bit of smoked paprika for an extra “smokey” flavor:) Does that sound to you like something that could work?:) Amazing post, amazing work Dana. Congrats.
Mirella and Panos
Hi! Hmm I am not sure. You can also roast your own over an open flame until almost charred – same effect!
Little Cooking Tips says
Thanx so much for clarifying, we appreciate it! :)
Debbie says
I made this tonight to go with enchiladas. This is the best fresh salsa using the fire roasted tomatoes. Great flavors in this salsa! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Debbie!
Jessie Snyder says
You are my hero! Keeping this recipe in my back pocket all summer long. Ps. Your photography lately is just slaying me girl, you are so incredible! Hugs!
You’re the kindest! xoxo
Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen says
Salsa is the best! This one definitely sounds like one I need to try.
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen says
This looks so flavorful! I’m attempting to grow tomatoes and jalapenos in my garden this year in the hopes of delicious and fresh salsa! Thanks for the recipe inspiration! :)
Caroline | RD-Licious says
Yessss I’ve been needing a good salsa recipe lately! Definitely going to try this, looks amazing Dana!
James | Thyme to Mango says
I always make salsa as an afterthought and, as you said above, using fresh tomatoes always leaves a watery texture; it’s something I’ve always just shrugged off as a normal salsa “thing”. But with fire roasted tomatoes… Yes! Tomatoes are out of season here at the moment, but I may just try it with red bell peppers as a substitute!
kim jackson says
This is so wonderful! Well done :)
Wally Jay
Paul says
Looks oh so good!! Cankot wait to try.
I don’t do sugar. Would anyone know if I can substitute honey?
Thanks!
sassygirl says
just leave it out!
Donna says
I left out the sugar and it’s great!
Susan Ferguson says
I will now be using your fire-roasted tomatoes tip…I have used the unnamed chili-cilantro sauce as a starter for years, always adding fresh tomatoes and lots of cumin, lime juice and roasted fresh red or yellow pepper. But your recipe allows me to make great salsa all year round – thank you so much!
Lovely, thanks Susan!
Hilary says
I love fire roasted tomatoes! I have used them in so many recipes, they are just the perfect addition with just the right amount of flavor!
Alexis deZayas says
YUM! This looks so good!!
travelingwithmarilyn.com says
that salsa is amazing I will be making that for all my social friends gatherings. thank you
Julie says
This looks wonderful!
Patricia Tolbert says
This recipe sounds almost identical to the Fire Roasted Salsa recipe in the Thug Kitchen Cookbook. That is a great recipe so I am sure yours is also. Fire roasted tomatoes are the best!
Hi Patricia! I don’t own their cookbook and came up with this recipe on my own. Hope you enjoy it!
Noreen says
Ive never heard of fire roasted tomatoes. Can you get them in the uk?? Do they have another name??
Hmm, not sure! You can also roast your own over an open flame until almost charred – same effect!
Leslie | Bessie Bakes says
I love that you used roasted canned tomatoes as that makes the process sooooo much easier. It lends such a vibrant red color too! Because of the tedious nature of skinning fresh tomatoes, I never make fresh salsa, but I think you’ve changed my mind. Such a peeeerty salsa ?!
Elaine says
I have not found fire roasted canned tomatoes. I’ve looked at Albertsons and Smiths.
BTW-all of Dana’s recipes are dependable and crowd pleasers. I know I can count on never throwing food out!
sadie says
Muir Glen has them. Try Amazon.
Joyce says
I found fire roasted tomatoes at WalMart
Mary Jane says
My grandma makes the best salsa in the world, nothing has ever come close. We live in California right by the border where there is the best Mexican food. My grandparents crossed as children but always visit Baja and with them they brought home all these amazing techniques. The salsa is just so good, I wish I could bottle it and send it to you! Her tip is she uses dried anchos and guajillos, does some crazy stuff, blends em, and BAM the best salsa in the world. I need to get the recipe and share it with you, what makes it so different is it has no tomatoes. This salsa recipe you have is perfect as I just made your fast vegan Mexican cheese, and a black bean corn mango salsa, I’ll be eating a good lunch today! Tip, roast your own tomatoes for better flavor!
Thanks for the tips!
Elaine says
It is probably the “does some crazy stuff” that makes it! Haha. When you figure that out I’d like to know!
CA says
Hi, Mary Jane, I have been searching for the type of salsa that doesn’t use tomatoes. Your description sounds like the salsa I get at my local taco truck. I would love your Gma’s recipe. Hope you’ll post to this site! And, Dana, this is very similar to the salsa I make all the time. The only difference is I put in chipotle and adobo sauce to give it an extra smokiness and kick! Thanks
Paige says
This salsa looks amazing! Totally need to try it soon!
Paige