Delicious homemade salsa fresca aka fresh salsa made in 5 minutes. Forget fine dicing, use your blender instead! Bursting with 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 Beef Tacos 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.
Not exciting or something I would ever consider serving to my family or my guests.
(Disclaimer: Choices have widened somewhat in 8 years we’ve lived here but this homemade salsa version is still our favourite!)
What ingredients go into Salsa Fresca?
- ripe tomatoes
- onions
- chillies
- garlic
- cilantro/fresh coriander for the UK folks
- fresh lime juice
What is the difference between pico de gallo and salsa fresca?
Not much difference in the taste but there is some in texture. The ingredient list is the same but fresh salsa is generally much smoother and is usually made in a blender or a food processor.
Pico de gallo on the other hand is prepared by finely dicing all ingredients.
How do I make fresh salsa?
This salsa is my go-to, everyday recipe that requires 5 minutes.
Just throw everything in a blender or a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until all ingredients are roughly the same size.
Don’t over process this salsa, otherwise you will end up with a spicy tomato soup, especially if you use powerful blenders like Blendtec or KitchenAid. Just a few short bursts will do!
How long does salsa fresca keep in a fridge?
This fresh salsa will keep for up to 2 -3 days. 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.
Fresh salsa pairing suggestions:
Enjoy with tortilla chips, tacos, burritos or anything else you can think of! Scroll down for recipes.
Next morning drizzle this salsa fresca on top of your morning eggs. YUM!
More Tex Mex recipes to enjoy with this delicious salsa:
- Fish Tacos with Blackberry Chilli Lime Salsa
- Chicken Fajita Bowl
- Chicken Chilaquiles with Warm Corn Salsa
- Black Bean and Corn Salsa
- Chile Verde Recipe
- Lamb Birria Tacos
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos
Recipe originally published in 01/2015. Updated with new photos and text and republished in 08/2019
Ingredients
- 1 onion, medium
- 1/2-1 red chilli
- 50g/2cups cilantro/fresh coriander, leaves and stems
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 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
Becky Hardin says
Making this today! It’s taco Tuesday and this salsa is perfect to add to the mix.
Mary says
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!
vikalinka says
Yes, corn and black beans go really well with this salsa, Mary! I add them as well and even chickpeas sometimes.
Toni says
I really loved how easy it is to make! Thanks for sharing the recipe! It was a huge hit!
vikalinka says
Thanks so much, Toni!
Jeffrey Sellegren says
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.
Jeffrey Sellegren says
Gosh I hate autocorrect
vikalinka says
Sometimes I use jalapenos but serranos are impossible to find in the UK.
Jeffrey says
They’re basically the same thing. Serranos can be a bit more picoso sometimes.
Taylor says
So easy and delicious! Love how fresh this salsa tastes!
vikalinka says
Thanks for a great review, Taylor!
Stephanie says
I love fresh salsa but I especially love how quick this was to make, thanks!
vikalinka says
Thanks so much, Stephanie! I love my blender for tasks like that!
lauren kelly says
This is so fresh and delicious! Better than at any Mexican restaurant!
vikalinka says
Thanks so much, Lauren!! Nothing beats fresh summer produce!
Rachael Yerkes says
Best summer snack!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
What a great idea! Love fresh salsa and when it’s so simple, even better 🙂
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love fresh salsa and you can’t beat 5 minutes! 🙂