Make easy, authentic Texas restaurant-style salsa at home. This blender recipe uses both fresh and canned tomatoes, roasted vegetables, and raw veggies to create a flavorful and delicious salsa.
This authentic Texas restaurant-style salsa recipe is inspired by my favorite Central Texas Tex-Mex spot. This easy recipe combines roasted fresh vegetables with canned whole tomatoes for a perfect balance of depth and fresh flavor. This from-scratch recipe is made with Roma tomatoes, jalapenos, white onion, and cilantro. It makes a big batch that's perfect for a feeding a crowding or snacking on throughout the week.
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Ingredients for Texas Restaurant-Style Salsa
- Roma Tomatoes - These are ideal for making salsa from scratch because they have a lower water content and fewer seeds than other varieties, preventing the salsa from becoming too watery. Choose Roma tomatoes that are bright red and feel soft but slightly firm to the touch.
- White Onion - Traditionally used in authentic Tex-Mex salsas. You will roast one half, and leave the other half raw for a crisp, fresh bite. If white onion is not available, yellow onion would be the closest substitute.
- Garlic - Four cloves of roasted garlic add a deep, savory flavor.
- Jalapeño Peppers - I recommend roasting 4 to 5 medium jalapeños.
- Canola Oil - Just a couple of teaspoons of a neutral-flavored oil to lightly coat the vegetables before roasting.
- Canned Whole Tomatoes - Combining canned tomatoes with fresh roasted is the secret to that classic restaurant-style texture.
- Cilantro - Uses about ½ bunch. You can use the top half of the bunch, including both the stems and leaves.
- Salt - Helps bring all the salsa flavors together.
- Lime Juice (Optional): A fresh squeeze at the end adds a bright, acidic finish.
How to Make Homemade Blender Salsa
Start by thoroughly washing the tomatoes, jalapeños, onion and cilantro. For measurements and full instructions, please see recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Roast the vegetables: Start by roasting the Roma tomatoes, half of the white onion, the jalapeños and the garlic cloves. This helps give the salsa its signature flavor and depth. You can roast the vegetables in the oven, air fryer or in a large skillet on the stovetop.
- Blend: Transfer the canned tomatoes (including their juices), roasted Roma tomatoes, roasted jalapeños, roasted garlic, and the roasted onion into a large blender or food processor. Pulse a few times until the mixture is broken down but still chunky.
- Add fresh ingredients: Add the reserved raw white onion, fresh cilantro and salt to the blender. Pulse a couple more times until you reach your desired consistency. Be careful not to over-blend as you want to maintain some of that chunky texture in the salsa. If you want to add more heat, you can add some fresh Serrano pepper at this point too.
- Chill: Adjust seasonings to taste. For the best flavor, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
3 Ways to Roast Vegetables for Salsa
- Oven: Spread the vegetables and tomatoes on a large sheet pan, lightly coat with a neutral flavored oil and bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes.
- Air-Fryer: Working in batches, cook the vegetables for 5-10 minutes at 390°F. Flip halfway through.
- Stovetop: In a large skillet, cook the vegetables over medium-high heat. This takes approximately 10 minutes, turning occasionally to blister all sides.
How to Adjust the Heat in Your Salsa
Every batch of fresh jalapenos is a little different, so you'll want to taste as you go to achieve your desired heat level.
For a Mild Salsa: Remove the seeds and inner membranes from the roasted jalapeños before they go in the blender. You can scrape them out with a spoon. Safety Tip: Wear disposable gloves when handling cut peppers and scraping out the seeds to prevent the spicy oils from burning your skin. If you don't have gloves, wash your hands thoroughly with dish soap after handling them.
For a Spicy Salsa: Leave the jalapeño seeds and membranes. If you want to add more heat, add a fresh, raw serrano pepper to the blender when you are adding the fresh ingredients.
Storage & Serving
Refrigerate: Store the salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. I like to use glass mason jars for this.
Serving Ideas: Serve salsa chilled with a bowl of your favorite tortilla chips, or use it to top your entrées like migas, ground beef tacos, and fajitas.
📖 Recipe
Texas Restaurant-Style Salsa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium Roma tomatoes (about 1 pound)
- 1 large white onion, divided (cut in half)
- 4-5 medium fresh jalapeño peppers
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
- 2 teaspoons canola oil (or another neutral oil)
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed (about ½ bunch)
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- Optional: 1 Tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Roast the vegetables: Preheat oven to 350 °F. Place the Roma tomatoes, half of the white onion (cut into quarters), peeled garlic, and whole jalapenos on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with canola oil and toss until lightly coated. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened and blistered and the jalapenos have developed dark, charred spots. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Prep the jalapenos: Once cool enough to handle, remove the stems and seeds from the jalapenos. Leave the roasted skins on, they add flavor and those signature charred flecks to the salsa. For the roasted Roma tomatoes, slice off and discard the hard stem spots (cores). No need to remove the tomato skin and seeds.
- First blend: In a large blender or food processor, add the canned tomatoes (with juices), roasted Roma tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos and roasted onion chunks. Pulse 4 to 5 times until the mixture is broken down but still pretty chunky.
- The second blend: Add the reserved raw white onion (roughly chopped), fresh cilantro, and salt. Pulse 3 to 5 times until you reach your desired restaurant-style consistency. Avoid over-blending, which can make the salsa foamy.
- Chill and serve: Taste for seasoning and add a pinch more salt or lime juice, if needed. Transfer the salsa to an airtight container (mason jars work great) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to allow flavors to meld. Serve chilled with your favorite tortilla chips.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQ
What kind of blender is best for homemade salsa?
You can use any standard kitchen blender with a "pulse" function. You want a chunky, restaurant-style texture rather than a puree.
Can this salsa be canned?
While delicious, this recipe has not been pH-tested for home canning. For safe, tested recipes specifically designed for water-bath canning, I recommend visiting The National Center for Home Food Preservation, they have several salsa recipes available online.
What if my salsa is too watery?
If you use a variety other than Roma tomatoes, you might end up with extra water. You can easily fix this by pouring the finished salsa through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth to strain out the excess liquid until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Enjoy! I hope y'all enjoy this batch of homemade salsa as much as we do! The best part about making it from scratch is that it is completely designed for you to adjust to your own taste and spice preferences. Whether you leave the jalapeño seeds in for an extra Texas kick or keep it perfectly mild, I'd love to hear how it turns out.
Be sure to let me know in the comments below what you add (or don't add) to make it your own. Thank you so much for reading!
Alaine
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Gianna says
I love how easy this recipe is and how good the salsa is! The only thing I would change is how much jalapeno is in it, this varies depending on your spice tolerance though! That's all, so overall it's an amazing recipe!
Alaine says
Thank you for your feedback! Exactly and each jalapeño is a little different so you can definitely use less to adjust to your spice preference.
Robert Wood says
Hands down the best salsa I've ever had. I'm a salsa aficionado from Texas. Followed the recipe to the letter, although I added a little more salt. Thanks. I made it for Superbowl tomorrow but end up eating half. Lol
Alaine says
Glad to hear it, thanks! That always happens to us when we make the salsa too haha.
Teresa says
I made a double batch today. I added the lime juice and extra cilantro. My family also likes it hot, so I left the seeds in three of the jalapenos. It still did not have the heat required, so I added a can of hot rotel. It turned out perfect-we could not be happier-thanks so much for the recipe.
Alaine says
Thank you for the comment! I'm glad to hear adding the hot Rotel brought up the heat level enough for y'all, I will have to recommend that to others.