Salsa is one of those foods where there’s a big difference between fresh made and store bought. Delicious homemade salsa recipes have a vibrancy that even the best brands at stores tend to lack.
Fortunately, it’s so easy and quick to make salsa at home, and you’ll have a lot of fun tweaking recipes to your own taste. It can add so much not only to snacks, but meals. Try it on meats, veggies, and even in freezer meals.
The Basics of Fresh Salsa
At heart, salsa is tomatoes, chilies and onions (with cilantro optional) with salt and lime juice. But there’s no end to variations you can make with it. While you can use canned tomatoes in many recipes, using fresh herbs will add terrific flavor.
Roasted ingredients, like garlic or fire roasted tomato, make it richer and a bit smokier. Raw ingredients keep it sharp and vibrant. Ingredients like fresh cilantro and just-squeezed fresh lime juice bring homemade salsa to the level of restaurant style salsa.
Keep in mind that as salsa sits in the refrigerator, the flavor changes. Typically, it improves, becoming richer and more complex, but some salsa recipes should be served immediately to preserve that garden fresh flavor. So pay attention to how long the recipe tells you to refrigerate before serving.
Yet other recipes are for canning. They will taste just as good when they come out of the can as when you put them in.
Fresh Salsa Recipes & Pico De Gallo
This Salsa Fresca is vibrant, fresh, and made with just a few simple ingredients.
This salsa is a classic pico de gallo with a bit of tequila added for the best flavor! This recipe is perfect for dipping or piling high on tacos.
Pico de gallo is a classic Mexican salsa that's used to top fajitas, burritos, tacos, enchiladas, and chimichangas. Made with very simple ingredients, this healthy salsa adds a great flavor boost to any Mexican dish.
This sweet and spicy salsa will knock your socks off with flavor. Just a few ingredients and easy to make.
Do your salsa differently and go smoked! Fire up the smoker and make some of the best darn Smoked Salsa around - you just can't get salsa more flavorful than this!
It’s full of flavor, easy to make, and healthy!
This easy fermented salsa verde is rich in beneficial bacteria, just like yogurt. It has a vibrant, bright flavor thanks to plenty of serranos, tomatillos, and cilantro. Fermentation gives it a pleasant, salty-sour kick.
I love this little fruit salsa recipe because it’s flexible, quick, easy and adaptable to your taste. Great as a condiment for fish or chicken, taco filling, cheese & cracker topping and more.
Learning How to Can Salsa is not terribly difficult and you can make it exactly like you prefer. It’s a great way to preserve the harvest from your garden.
Mango Salsa is a refreshing salsa with amazing flavor. Everything you expect from salsa except with mangos instead of tomatoes.
This Argentinian salsa is always present in our table anytime we grill anything from meats to vegetables!!! It’s so refreshing & flavorful.
Not your beloved (and familiar) restaurant-style "salsa," this Chipotle Pepita Salsa is a little zippy, a little smoky, and a lot flavorful! Try it on grilled or roasted vegetables, and brushed on pork chops and salmon steaks. This is a versatile and super flavorful salsa!
Charred corn salsa is the best way to bring out the natural sweetness of corn! It's smoky, mild, flavorful, and so delicious.
This Salsa Verde recipe is super fresh and so much tastier than jarred tomatillo salsa. It’s easy to make in the food processor in under 15 minutes.
Zucchini salsa two ways! Make either raw salsa or cook it to concentrate the flavors. The raw salsa tastes light, crisp, and fresh, while the cooked salsa has a deeper, more robust flavor and is sweeter.
This grilled peach and vidalia onion salsa is inspired by the best southern, summer produce! Enjoy it with chips or scooped over grilled fish or chicken.
Try this easy Mexican Salsa Ranchera for a homemade and great tasting salsa! Made with roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, chili, and cilantro. This delicious salsa requires just 6 ingredients and 30 minutes of your time!
This salsa rivals anything you’ll eat at a Mexican restaurant, and you can make it all year long.
Sweet and spicy super easy salsa recipe that has two yum fruits - pineapple and mango. Pineapple Apple Salsa makes for the perfect summer treat with chips.
This recipe is seriously the best homemade salsa for canning. Full of garden fresh vegetables, ripe tomatoes and the perfect combination of spices!
A refreshing winter salsa that's great with pan-fried or grilled fish and chicken.
When it comes to chunky salsa, this Black Bean and Corn Salsa is a snack time favorite. It’s packed with veggies and perfect for those who don’t love tomatoes! Easy to prep and make ahead for the big game, party or late night snack!
This Creamy Jalapeño Salsa is super quick and easy to make, and is absolutely delicious to add to your tacos, enchiladas, or anything you want to add some extra spice and flavor to!
Spicy Peach Salsa comes together with 6 simple ingredients. Bursting with sweet and spicy flavor, enjoy this salsa with tortilla chips or in tacos!
Melon Cucumber Salsa is crisp, refreshing, and flavorful! It comes together with fresh melon, cucumber, red onion, jalapeño, lime juice, and cilantro.
This black bean pineapple salsa is hearty with a tropical twist. It's mild in flavor but so tasty on tacos, over fish or chicken.
This Mexican Salsa Recipe is made in your blender and ready in minutes! It’s full of fresh ingredients and goes perfectly with a big basket of chips.
This Mexican cabbage salsa is so delightfully crunchy and flavorful. Try it instead of coleslaw!
Strawberry Salsa is a delicious fruit salsa recipe that adds flavor to everything from meat and fish to chips and vegetables.
Of course this is great with tortilla chips, but it's amazing with grilled fish and chicken too. Enjoy!
Give salsa a unique twist by incorporating fresh cranberries! This Cranberry Salsa Recipe is delicious with tortilla chips or add to your favorite dishes for some extra flavor!
Avocado Lime Crema with Yogurt is a lightened up healthy crema for tacos and so much more. Yogurt and low fat buttermilk stand in for sour cream or Mexican crema, and the result is fewer calories with all of the flavor of a traditional avocado crema recipe!
Ground cherries make the most surprising and delicious salsa. Try some today!
Fresh, tangy and naturally sweet, this roasted red bell pepper salsa is a delicious snack or side dish.
Here is a recipe for a salsa that is so good, it will not last long at all. Simple to make with fresh Ingredients.
Salsa Quemada is a dry roasted Mexican salsa. It is a smoky and spicy dip served with tortilla chips, or overtop tacos, burritos, or quesadillas for lunch or dinner.
Mango Avocado Salsa is ideal for serving with tortilla chips and the perfect topping for grilled fish and fish or shrimp tacos! But to enjoy it, all you really need is a spoon!
There is truly no better way to enjoy fresh grapes than in a produce-packed salsa with red onion, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice.
The best tomato jalapeno salsa is chock-a-block with fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro, and a kiss of lime.
Try the unique flavors of the manzanao pepper to make this "warm" salsa.
Salsa de Aguacate is a creamy and tasty Mexican appetizer. It’s made with avocado and tomatillos and an absolutely scrumptious treat.
Chile de Árbol salsa is a spicy and tasty addition to tacos, taquitos, and more. Or, serve as with chips for dipping. Simply delicious!
Refreshing and bursting with flavor - everybody asks for this recipe! It’s unique yet super-simple and can even be make it ahead of time, too!
Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce is a riff on the more traditional Argentinian sauce. It's just as fresh and bright, but includes fresh cilantro, sherry vinegar, and generous amounts of garlic and red pepper. It comes together in a flash, and pairs well with many dishes, but is glorious on beef!
Try this easy to make, restaurant-style Roasted Chipotle Salsa! All you need is a few minutes of hands on prep and only 7 ingredients! The veg is roasted for more intensified, smokey flavour that’s sweet, spicy and incredibly fresh!
Spicy green tomato salsa verde for canning or served fresh. A great salsa verde recipe for using those green tomatoes that will just not ripen anymore.
Papaya Mango Salsa is a refreshing and versatile dip for chips, and delicious topping for seafood and chicken!
