Easy Blender Salsa with Fresh Tomatoes - Butter with a Side of Bread (2024)

Published by Jessica on July 10, 2020

Fresh Blender Salsa made with tomatoes, cilantro, onion and lime juice made super fast in a blender! Better than restaurant homemade salsa recipe with amazing fresh flavor everyone loves.

I began making blender salsa years ago and WOW- I had no idea it was so easy. When I heard of blender salsa I envisioned salsa puree- but that’s not actually the case! I have a high powdered blender and it takes just a minute or two to get the perfect salsa consistency. And the flavor! Incredible. This time of year is perfect too because many of us have fresh tomatoes from the garden.

Fresh Salsa Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this salsa:

• 5-6 fresh tomatoes: Garden tomatoes are the BEST! If you have to buy them, aim for a Farmer’s Market or the vine-on variety at the grocery store. They taste so much better ! (You can use canned tomatoes too- aim for about 20 oz of tomatoes with the liquid drained)
• fresh cilantro: no substitutions!
• red onion and/or sweet onion: I personally think salsa tastes the best if you use half sweet onion, half red onion. Try it!
• minced garlic: fresh or jarred is fine. I once used homemade roasted garlic and it was AMAZING!
• lime juice: fresh or bottled is fine
• salt
• pinch of sugar: sounds odd, but don’t leave it out! Just a tiny bit of sugar cuts down on the acidity of tomatoes and makes a big difference in flavor.

Can you use any tomatoes for salsa?

The best kinds of tomatoes you can use for salsa are the ones you have on hand! Ha! I use any kind of tomato. My favorite store-bought tomatoes are the red on the vine tomatoes because I think they have great flavor. Roma tomatoes have fewer seeds, so they’re also popular because you use more of each tomato.

Can you use dried cilantro in salsa?

Dried cilantro, also called coriander is not a good option for salsa because it just doesn’t have enough flavor. You’ll want to use fresh cilantro for this salsa recipe!

How to Make Blender Salsa with Fresh Tomatoes

This homemade salsa takes only about 10 minutes to make, start to finish. Here’s what you need to do:

Prepare the tomatoes

Wash tomatoes and cut out the core. Slice each tomato in fourths. Using a spoon or your hands, gently remove the seeds from each tomato. Make sure you feel around each section and get all the watery seed membrane out. The tomato pieces will look empty and that’s ok!

Roughly chop onion & cilantro

Slice onion into 1″ chunks. My favorite salsa has half red onion and half sweet onion. If you opt for both, you’ll just need about 4-5 one inch chunks of each.

Cut 1/3 of one bunch of cilantro. Take that bunch and cut it in half or thirds, depending on the size.

Blend it!

Add tomatoes to your blender. Top with cilantro, onion, garlic, lime juice, sugar and salt. Place the lid on your blender and pulse 5-10 times. I like to aim for a consistency thinner than chunky salsa, but definitely not pureed.

Store it!

Transfer salsa to a jar. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving. Salsa stays fresh refrigerated in an air tight container for 1 week- 10 days.

How to make spicy salsa

My family isn’t a fan of spicy salsa, but if you want to add some heat, I recommend adding 1/4 tsp Chipotle Chili Pepper seasoning. It adds a wonderful smoky flavor and just enough heat to make it interesting. You can also add about 1/3 of a fresh jalapeno pepper with the seeds removed.

Do I have to let this Salsa sit before eating?

Ideally, this salsa will sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours prior to being served. You can eat it right away, however the salsa is a bit frothy from the blender, so it is best if it sits a couple hours. I aim to make this salsa the night before I want to serve it so that it chills in the fridge overnight. The flavors meld better and it’s AMAZING the next day!

Can I freeze this fresh tomato salsa recipe?

You can freeze salsa! Just store it in an airtight container. You can freeze it for up to 2 months. Just thaw, stir and enjoy!

Why add sugar to this easy salsa recipe?

Just a tiny amount of sugar added to salsa reduces the acidity to make it more palatable. You don’t need much and you can use granulated sugar or brown sugar.

Easy Blender Salsa made with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, onion and lime juice made super fast in a blender! Better than restaurant salsa with amazing fresh flavor everyone loves.

More favorite recipes to try:

• Best Zucchini Bread in the World
• Dutch Apple Bread Recipe
• Garlic and Butter Pasta
• Brown Sugar Marinade for Steak
• Skillet Cinnamon Apples
• Best White Chocolate Chip Cookies