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Delicious homemade salsa fresca (aka fresh salsa) made in just 5 minutes. Forget fine dicing and use your blender instead! It’s bursting with the fresh flavours of ripe tomatoes, onions, garlic, chillies and cilantro. This fresh salsa doesn’t make you feel like you ate too much because it’s all vegetables. No oil!
If you love this fresh salsa recipe, check out my Pork and Cheese Quesadillas to serve alongside!
When it comes to hassle free summer entertaining, chips and salsa are my baseline. Everyone enjoys them and they are so easy to serve!
There are some tasty choices in supermarkets for those of you living in North America. But here in England we only have two. It’s either salsa that tastes like canned tomatoes or salsa that tastes like barbecue sauce.
Choices may have widened in the years that I’ve lived in the UK, but nothing that has landed on our supermarket shelves can compare to this homemade salsa! This is the only one that I would ever consider serving to my family or my guests.
Ingredients
One clue to the ingredients in this restaurant-style blender salsa is the name fresca, meaning fresh. It uses only fresh vegetables and let’s their flavour shine.
It’s not a big list and nothing that will be difficult to find:
- ripe, fresh tomatoes
- white or red onions
- chilly peppers such as jalapeños
- garlic
- fresh cilantro/coriander
- fresh lime juice
When choosing tomatoes, look for ones that are fresh so they have the best flavour and are slightly firm so they don’t turn to mush.
I’ve been making this easy blender salsa recipe for years, and have refined the recipe until it matches our taste perfectly. But your own preferences may vary. I suggest making the salsa according to my recipe once, and then adjusting over time until it’s perfect for your taste.
Cilantro/coriander in particular can be controversial, but it’s popular in my house so I use a generous amount. You can definitely adjust if it’s not something you love.
Difference between pico de gallo and salsa fresca
If you like the taste of one, you will probably like them both, but there is quite a difference in texture. The ingredient list is similar but fresh salsa is generally much smoother and is usually made in a This is an affiliate link.blender or a This is an affiliate link.food processor.
Pico de gallo on the other hand is prepared by finely dicing all ingredients.
But why choose? They go down differently, so no one will judge you for making both for taco nights!
How to make it
This salsa is my go-to, everyday recipe partially because in only requires 5 minutes to make.
Just throw everything in a blender or a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until all ingredients are roughly the same size.
It’s sounds too good to be true, but there really is nothing more to it. It’s a fantastic recipe that requires a minimum of effort but still gives you restaurant style salsa.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- It’s important not to over process this salsa, otherwise you will end up with a spicy tomato soup, especially if you use powerful blenders like Blendtec or This is an affiliate link.KitchenAid. Just a few short bursts of the pulse setting will do!
- Love spicy salsa or looking for something a little more tame? You are in control, so easy to make this salsa to your taste! We like a bit of spice, so use 1/2-1 chilli, depending on the size and type. I wouldn’t go less than a 1/2, but you can definitely add more!
- Remember to give your salsa a taste test! It’s important that there is enough spice, garlic, salt and lime juice, so add more if you feel it’s lacking in any way. But because it’s important not to blend too much, it’s better to test the taste before it’s done all the way, in case it needs to be adjusted. If adding salt or lime juice, you are better off mixing these in by hand rather than a blender.
Serving suggestions
Enjoy with tacos, burritos or anything else you can think of! Scroll down for recipes. It’s a simple, classic recipe that can be served in so many ways, it’s impossible to list the all!
It will even work for breakfast. Next morning drizzle this salsa fresca on top of your morning eggs. YUM!
But my absolute favourite is just to serve it as a dip with tortilla chips, especially with creamy homemade guacamole on the side. It’s the perfect mix of fresh and creamy, with the glorious crunch of the chips.
Storage and leftovers
This fresh salsa will keep for up to 2 -3 days in a refrigerator. If kept longer, it will start tasting a bit off due to the presence of lime juice, that makes the tomatoes go a bit fizzy.
So keep that in mind and enjoy your salsa while it’s still fresh and flavourful. Since it’s so quick and easy to make I prefer preparing mine the day of serving.
The time you can store it is less than store-bought salsas because there are no preservatives here, but I’m sure you’ll eat it long before the time is up! Store them in the fridge, in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container.
More Tex Mex recipes to enjoy with this salsa
- Chicken Fajita Bowl
- Chicken Chilaquiles with Warm Corn Salsa
- Lamb Birria Tacos
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos
5-Minute Blender Salsa Fresca
Ingredients
- 1 onion, medium
- 1/2-1 red chilli
- 25g-35g / ¼-⅓ cup cilantro/fresh coriander, leaves and stems
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lime, juice only
- 4 tomatoes, large
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add a quartered onion, garlic, cilantro and a fresh, deseeded chilli to the bowl of a blender or a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.
- Add tomatoes, salt and lime juice. Pulse until desired consistency.
Video
Notes
- Be careful not to over process this salsa or it can turn into a tomato soup. This is especially true if you are using a powerful This is an affiliate link.blender. Just a few pulses are usually enough.
- You are in control of how spicy this salsa is! I like a little spicy, so use 1/2-1 chilli, depending on how big it is and what type of chilli. I wouldn’t use less than 1/2 of a chilli, but you can definitely use more!
- Always give the salsa a taste test. Make sure there is enough of each ingredient and that the salsa has a good balance. It’s easy to add more spice, garlic, salt and lime juice if needed.
- But remember that you don’t want to over-blend the salsa, so check the taste before it is fully blended in case you need to add anything. If you need to add salt or lime juice, I recommend mixing these in by hand rather than using a blender.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just made this for our upcoming Tachos (Tacos with Tater Tots) Thanksgiving Dinner. With so many visits to extended family on the big Day the kids asked for something that’s not Turkey related. This fresh salsa smells and tastes delicious and will be the perfect accompaniment for Thanksgiving Tachos!😉
I am so happy to hear this salsa was kid approved! Thank you for sharing this with me, Kimberly.
Making this today! It’s taco Tuesday and this salsa is perfect to add to the mix.
Love the simplicity of this! I can see the addition of corn or black beans or both (after pulsing) for stretching and mixing it up a bit. I tried a salsa that recommended cumin not long ago – not going there again!
Yes, corn and black beans go really well with this salsa, Mary! I add them as well and even chickpeas sometimes.
I really loved how easy it is to make! Thanks for sharing the recipe! It was a huge hit!
Thanks so much, Toni!
When I lived in low Angeles most of my friends were Hispanic. The Pico De Gallo was made with the ingredients you list with the exception of the chile. They almost always used jalapeno or serrano chiles. In the ten years that I loved there I don’t recall seeing a red one. Most people didn’t even use fresh tomatoes unless it was for a special occasion.
Gosh I hate autocorrect
Sometimes I use jalapenos but serranos are impossible to find in the UK.
They’re basically the same thing. Serranos can be a bit more picoso sometimes.
So easy and delicious! Love how fresh this salsa tastes!
Thanks for a great review, Taylor!
I love fresh salsa but I especially love how quick this was to make, thanks!
Thanks so much, Stephanie! I love my blender for tasks like that!
This is so fresh and delicious! Better than at any Mexican restaurant!
Thanks so much, Lauren!! Nothing beats fresh summer produce!
Best summer snack!
What a great idea! Love fresh salsa and when it’s so simple, even better 🙂
I love fresh salsa and you can’t beat 5 minutes! 🙂