Homemade Texas Restaurant Style Salsa is full of tomatoes, jalapeno, white onion and cilantro. Inspired by my favorite Tex-Mex Salsa it is easy and makes a big batch of salsa!
I love the fresh tasting salsa at my local Mexican restaurants in Central Texas. For years, I have been experimenting and trying to recreate my favorite. This is finally it!
The salsa is a combination of fresh roma and canned whole tomatoes, cooked and raw ingredients that give it that fresh and delicious combination of flavor and texture.
Ingredients
- Roma Tomatoes - These are Ideal for making salsa, because they have a lower water content and fewer seeds than many other varieties of tomatoes.
- White Onion - Traditionally used in the salsa of the Tex-Mex restaurants I frequent. You can substitute a yellow onion. Note that you will cook half of the onion and leave the other half raw.
- Garlic - Four cloves of roasted garlic.
- Jalapeño Peppers - I like to roast an extra jalapeño, in case I want to add more heat.
- Canola Oil - Neutral flavored oil to lightly coat vegetables prior to roasting.
- Canned Whole Tomatoes - Uses a 28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes.
- Salt
- Cilantro - Uses about ½ bunch, can adjust amount according to personal preference. I use the top half, including stems and leaves.
- Optional - Lime Juice
How to make homemade salsa
- Start by thoroughly washing the tomatoes, jalapenos, onion and cilantro.
- Roast the roma tomatoes, half of the onion, jalapeno peppers and garlic cloves. There are three different ways to do this: In the oven, stovetop or in the air-fryer
- Once vegetables are cooked and slightly cooled, remove the stems, seeds and membranes from the jalapeno. Cut the onion into quarters to fit in blender or food processor. You can also remove the Roma tomato skins at this point.
- Add canned tomatoes, roma tomatoes, jalapenos and cooked onion to blender. Pulse until incorporated.
- Add raw onion, salt, and cilantro. Pulse a couple of times or till desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate. If desired, you can add a fresh squeeze of lime juice to salsa prior to serving.
Roasting Tomatoes and Vegetables
- Air-Fryer - Working in batches, cook vegetables for 5-10 minutes at 390F. Flip half way.
- Stovetop - In a large skillet, cook vegetables over medium-high heat. Takes approximately 10 minutes.
- Oven - Spread vegetables and tomatoes on a large sheet-pan and bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes.
Storage & Serving
Store in a air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. I like to store in a couple of mason jars with lids. Serve with tortillas chips or on top of entrees.
📖 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
Can this salsa be canned?
While delicious, this recipe has not been tested for canning at home. If you are looking for a recipe to can, I would recommend visiting The National Center for Home Food Preservation which has several recipes for home canned salsa that have been tested for home canning.
What if my salsa is too watery?
If you use a tomato other than roma tomatoes, you may have some extra water in your salsa. You can simply strain this out with cheesecloth or by pouring salsa through a sieve.
Enjoy!
More Tex-Mex recipes you may also enjoy:
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.