This easy restaurant-style blender salsa is made with fresh tomatoes for lots of bright flavour. Just add your favourite tortilla chips and dig in!

Top down shot of salsa in a white ramekin with chips around it.

Salsa is always good, whether it’s Strawberry Jalapeño Salsa, Black Bean Salsa, or Pineapple Salsa. But there’s something special about restaurant-style salsa. The flavour is fresher, the consistency is smoother, and it seems to be tailor-made for spooning onto all your favourite Mexican foods, from Vegan Tacos to Loaded Vegan Nachos.

In case you couldn’t tell, this restaurant-style blender salsa is definitely my fave salsa recipe. The best salsa ever, if you ask me. It’s the perfect mix of heat, brine, and acidity, with bold flavour and a great texture. Every bite makes you want even more and pretty soon, you’ll be saying “I thought this recipe made 2 cups…how is it finished already?!”

Don’t worry—in just a few minutes, you can whip up some more!

Bowl of blender salsa on plate with tortilla chips

Notes on Ingredients

Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

  • Fresh tomatoes – If you don’t have fresh tomatoes you can use canned, but as you can imagine, fresh is best!
  • Onion – Yellow or white work best, but red onions are fine too.
  • Jalapeño – Use more or less, according to your heat preference.
  • Garlic
  • Coconut sugar – Granulated sugar works too!
  • Ground cumin
  • Limes
  • Salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Parsley or cilantro – Cilantro is the traditional choice, but if you’re not a fan, use parsley instead.

What’s the Best Way to Juice a Lime?

Take the limes out of the fridge well-before you plan on starting the recipe—you’ll get more juice out of them that way.

When you’re ready to start juicing, roll them on the counter a bit with the palms of your hands, then cut and juice them with a citrus press or reamer. If you don’t have a reamer, you can use a fork instead; squeeze the juice into a small bowl so you can remove the seeds.

Bowl of restaurant-style blender salsa with tortilla chip

How to Make Restaurant-Style Salsa in a Blender

Here we go! It’s time to make the best salsa you’ve ever had. 

Combine the ingredients. Add all of the salsa ingredients to a blender. 

Blend. Turn on the blender and blend for a few seconds until everything is incorporated and the salsa reaches your desired consistency—either completely smooth or with some chunks.

Season. Taste and adjust the salt and seasonings as desired.

Chill. Transfer the salsa to a bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to meld. 

Serve. Pair your restaurant-style salsa with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Hand holding tortilla chip with restaurant-style blender salsa

Tips for Success

These simple tips will help you make sure your restaurant-style blender salsa turns out perfect:

  • Don’t use cherry or grape tomatoes. Smaller tomatoes have more seeds, making them potentially more bitter when blended. 
  • Take the time to chill the salsa. When you first blend the salsa, it will be pink. During the 30 minutes of chill time, the colour will change to red and the flavours will really come together.
  • Strain if desired. If you like your salsa a bit thicker, you can pour it into a fine mesh sieve and let some of the liquid drain off before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Tortilla chips are the obvious choice here, but there’s no need to limit yourself! Spoon your salsa over baked sweet potatoes, add it to vegan taco salad, use it as a garnish for black bean soup, or try it with one of these recipes:

How to Store

Store blender salsa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

While you can freeze this restaurant-style salsa, keep in mind that because it’s made with fresh ingredients, the flavour and consistency won’t be quite as good upon freezing and thawing. That said, it will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer when stored in an airtight container or freezer bag.

Plate of chips with restaurant-style salsa

P.S. Here are some of the items I used to make this recipe if you’d like to use them too:

| WHAT YOU’LL NEED // SHOP MY FAVORITE INGREDIENTS & PREP PRODUCTS |

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Enjoy friends! If you make this restaurant-style blender salsa, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!

Top down shot of salsa in a white ramekin with chips around it.

Restaurant-Style Blender Salsa

This easy restaurant-style blender salsa is made with fresh tomatoes for lots of bright flavour. Just add your favourite tortilla chips and dig in!
5 (from 1 rating)

Ingredients

  • 20 oz fresh tomatoes*, chopped (if you don't have fresh tomatoes you can use canned) 567 g
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 2 tablespoons jalapeño slices
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • Juice of 2 limes, about 3 tablespoons worth
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, add more to taste
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
  • 3-4 tablespoons parsley or cilantro, de-stemmed

Instructions 

  • Add all the ingredients to your blender. Blend for a few seconds until everything is incorporated, leaving maybe only a few chunks if you desire.
  • The salsa will be pink, but will turn red soon (see notes**). Taste and decide if you want to add more salt, heat or seasonings.
  • If you like your salsa a bit thicker, strain over a sieve like I did and remove excess liquid.
  • Allow the salsa ingredients to marry for about 30 minutes in the fridge.
  • Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Notes

  • *Smaller/cherry tomatoes have more seeds, making them potentially more bitter when blended. If you can use larger tomatoes that would produce a better fresh tomato salsa.
  • **I would strongly recommend allowing the salsa to rest in the fridge. The pink colour will turn red after just about 30 minutes in the fridge or up to an hour. The flavours will blend much better if the salsa is left to rest in the fridge.
  • You can store your salsa in an airtight Tupperware container in the fridge for up to 4 days, although I doubt you’ll have salsa in your fridge for four days and not eat everything.
 
Calories: 26kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 224mg, Potassium: 215mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 656IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 1mg

Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.