Easy Homemade Salsa with Pantry Ingredients
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An easy, Homemade Salsa recipe, using pantry ingredients you may already have on hand. And it only takes about 1 minute to whip up.
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How often have you thought you had salsa in the pantry, only to find it empty? Me too, so many times I can’t even count them all.
Or, the store bought salsa jar sitting in the refrigerator with a “use within 7 days of opening” label — and that was… when?
Of course, it does always happen on game day, an impromptu gathering, Taco Tuesday, or simply when you’re craving chips and salsa.
Enter… homemade salsa.
It’s incredibly easy to make, utterly delicious with fresh flavors, and completely adaptable to heat and spice preferences.
The best part is that the salsa ingredients may likely be in your pantry right now.
Here’s what you need to make homemade salsa.
Homemade Salsa Ingredients
Specific ingredient measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a summary of the ingredients.
- Can of tomatoes
- Small can of green chilis (or jalapenos)
- Garlic
- Red onion
- Cilantro (dried or fresh)
- Fresh parsley (optional but too good not to!)
- Salt, cumin, chili powder, and a dash of sugar
- Juice of 1/2 lime
Equipment Needed to Make Homemade Salsa
This homemade salsa comes together quickly. All you need is a food processor or blender. I prefer a food processor or mini processor to a blender, but that works, too. Be careful not to overprocess. You want it a bit on the chunky side.
How to Make Homemade Salsa
Add all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse a few times until you achieve the desired consistency.
I like salsa chunkier, so, I pulse in 1-second increments until the ingredients are roughly the same size. If you have about 10 minutes, you might love our fresh salsa recipe which uses fresh tomatoes and other ingredients.
How to Add Heat to Salsa
If you like salsa on the spicy side, switch the canned chili peppers to canned jalapenos, or even fresh jalapenos with their seeds. Or add a drop of hot sauce or sriracha to taste.
FAQs: Homemade Salsa
This homemade salsa will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. I like to refrigerate in a lidded glass jar.
Any kind of canned tomatoes works well. Fire-roasted tomatoes are incredible, canned tomatoes with green chilis also work, as does diced tomatoes. If you can find salsa-style canned tomatoes, they are especially delicious.
Absolutely! Add 1/2 of a roughly chopped bell pepper. Other options are a poblano, Anaheim, Hatch, or serrano for extra heat.
You can absolutely freeze homemade salsa. The fresh ingredients, like herbs, onion, and garlic won’t be as crisp, but the flavors will develop deliciously! If you have leftover salsa, consider freezing it for up to 4 months.
Recipes that use Salsa
Having a jar of fresh salsa in the refrigerator is a delicious way to enhance recipes. Here are a few I use frequently:
- Mexican Shredded Chicken Made 3 Ways
- Quick and Easy Oven Baked Chicken Tacos
- Southwest Chicken Quinoa Bake
- Instant Pot Turkey Burrito Bowl
More Recipes You May Also Enjoy
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Easy Homemade Salsa with Pantry Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 15-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes, slightly drained
- 1 4-oz can fire roasted green chilis (substitute fire roasted jalapenos for added heat)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 red onion roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro or a handful of fresh cilantro — which is superb
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Juice of 1/2 lime
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse a few times until you achieve desired consistency. Be careful not to overprocess as you want to retain its chunkiness.
Video
Notes
Canned Tomatoes
- If using a small or petite diced tomato, stir it in last after onions, garlic, and herbs are chopped in a food processor or blender.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes bring delicious flavor to the salsa but plain diced tomatoes work fine too. If you can find salsa-style canned tomatoes, it’s extra yummy.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
On those days when you’ve run out of salsa, want to make Mexican food, or simply enjoy chips and dip, look in your pantry, you likely already have everything you need to make this super easy and delicious salsa! You’ll find this is my refrigerator often!