Spicy Restaurant-Style Salsa in Your Blender (with Video)

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo meets Taco Tuesday (next week!), I've refreshed my homemade salsa recipe just for you. This spicy salsa was one of the first few recipes that I launched Dash of Jazz with over five years ago. I have learned a lot, played with the flavors, and greatly improved my photography game since then and figured y'all deserved an updated post. This easy salsa comes together in a blender--or food processor if that's what you have in your kitchen. It's quite spicy but I've included tips to help you dial back the heat but still get the flavor popping. Let's get into it.

Growing up, I really thought all salsa came in a jar. And I wasn't really into it. Restaurant salsa was different, though. Now I know why. Once I learned to make restaurant-style salsa, it was over! This deliciously fresh blender salsa comes together in just about five minutes with no fancy tools. You will only need the aforementioned blender or food processor and a can opener for some crushed tomatoes that will add beautiful color to the salsa. Wondering what else goes into this easy salsa recipe? Yes, I just read your mind. Here's the list.

Restaurant Salsa Ingredients

• Roma Tomatoes
• Crushed (canned) Tomatoes
• Jalapeño Peppers
• Habañero Pepper
• Red Onion
• Garlic
• Cilantro
• Lime Juice
• Sea Salt
• Sugar
• Water

If this ingredient list already has you feeling flames on your tongue, don't worry. I love a good spicy dish--as in lip tingling, eyes watering spicy (see our family jollof recipe for reference). But I recognize that not everyone needs that kind of action to have a good time. Here are a few tips to scale back the spice level when you make your blender salsa.

• Use just half a habañero pepper or leave it out altogether. This little pepper adds the most heat to the blender salsa so you will significantly reduce the spiciness by cutting it.
• Remove the jalapeño pepper seeds. That way you'll still get the jalapeño flavor without the heat.
• You can also incorporate other peppers. Check out this unbelievably good hatch chile pumpkin salsa next!

How to Make Fresh Salsa in a Blender

If you're a visual learner, like me, here's a video I made that breaks down how to make homemade salsa!

If you recreate this restaurant-style salsa recipe, please let me know in the comments below--I know you'll love it. 🙂 And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!

P.S. More recipes for Taco Tuesday:

• Spicy Shredded Chicken
• Passion Fruit Margaritas
• Pineapple Salsa Chicken

📖 Recipe

Spicy Restaurant-Style Salsa

Jazzmine Woodard

Fresh, all-natural salsa made easily in a blender of food processor.

4.56 from 9 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Sauce, Snack

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Servings 5 cups

Equipment

• ▢
  Blender

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 10-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 4 Roma tomatoes cut in halves
• ▢ ½ red onion cut into quarters
• ▢ 2 jalapeno peppers cut in halves
• ▢ 1 habanero pepper stem removed
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic peeled
• ▢ juice from 1 fresh lime
• ▢ 1 handful fresh cilantro
• ▢ pinch sea salt to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sugar
• ▢ splash water (about one ounce)

Instructions

 

• Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and use the pulse setting on either until the ingredients come together to form a uniform salsa with no large chunks.
• Store refrigerated in an airtight container. Keeps for about one week.

Video

Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment to let me know how it turned out!