Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (2024)

Restaurant Style Salsa is a CINCH and inexpensive to make at home. Learn the ingredient I use to make it taste just like a restaurant's!

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Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (1)

I’m about to share with you one of the greatest restaurant hacks of all time: making homemade, restaurant-style salsa is not only easy, but inexpensive, and is best – BEST! – made with canned tomatoes. While fresh tomatoes make great pico de gallo, you gotta go with canned tomatoes if you want that true restaurant salsa flavor.

You heard it here first, folks!

Watch How to Make It!

I’ve been making this homemade salsa recipe since college, which is when I found out that canned tomatoes are the secret to the addictive-deliciousness of restaurant style salsa (ie, I begged the waiter at Carlos O’Kelly’s to tell me how they make their salsa. SO GOOD!) Of course I occasionally slack and buy salsa at the store, but this recipe gives you the restaurant experience at home, and takes just a few minutes to make.Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (2)

Recipe Details

  1. My recipe for Restaurant Style Salsa makes 4 cups of salsa for under $5. That said, its very economical and great for serving at parties and get togethers.
  2. Homemade salsa will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge. While I don’t have experience canning, I know enough to confidently say this recipe would can well.
  3. I use my 14 cup food processor to whip this salsa up in just a few minutes, though a blender would most likely work well too.
  4. As written, my recipe is mild on the spice scale, but feel free to leave the seeds in the jalapeno to increase the spice level, and/or experiment with adding different kinds of chili peppers.

Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (3)

How to Make Restaurant Style Salsa

There’s just one step involved in this recipe – throw a bunch of ingredients into the bowl of a food processor then pulse – woo!

We’ve got caned whole peeled tomatoes, red onion (white onion works great too), fresh cilantro, fresh garlic, jalapeno,salt, sugar, and fresh lime juice.

NOTE:if your canned tomatoes contain sugar in the ingredient list then omit the sugar in the recipe.

Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (4)

Pulse the ingredients until you reach your desired consistency then taste and add more salt and/or lime juice if necessary. That said, this salsa is best eaten 24 hours or more after making, so the flavors have time to meld, and so I like to adjust the seasonings just before serving the day after making.

Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (5)

Scoop the salsa into a 4 cup mason jar or bowl with a tight fitting lid then refrigerate for 24 hours to let the flavors really meld before digging in. The salsa will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks, though mine never ever sticks around that long. I hope you love this EASY restaurant style salsa at home! Enjoy!

Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (6)

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Description

Restaurant Style Salsa is a CINCH to make at home, plus it's much cheaper then buying salsa from the store. Learn the ingredient I use to make it taste just like a restaurant's.

Ingredients

makes 4 cups

  • 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
  • 1/2 red or white onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped (leave in seeds for a spicier salsa)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • juice of 1/2 - 1 whole lime
  • 1 teaspoon sugar*

Directions

  1. Add ingredients — whole tomatoes through salt — to a food processor. Add the juice of half a lime, plus the sugar if your canned tomatoes do not contain sugar (if sugar is listed as an ingredient on your canned tomatoes, omit the sugar.)
  2. Pulse ingredients until desired consistency is reached then taste and add more lime juice and/or salt if necessary. Refrigerate overnight for best results then serve.

Notes

This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.

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106 Comments

  1. Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (8) Rachel 02.01.2024

    I wonder how this works out with frozen tomatoes. I usually just throw my garden tomatoes in my freezer whole. When I use them, I defrost and slide the skin off and use in place of canned tomatoes. The salsa might be a little watery, but I think I’ll try!

    Reply

    • Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (9) Kristin 02.05.2024

      It feels strange to feel passionately about this, lol, but I strongly suggest against using fresh or frozen-fresh tomatoes in this salsa. The flavor is really muted when using fresh vs canned!

      Reply

  2. Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (10) Mike J 10.19.2023

    This recipe is amazing! Two things:

    1) Definitely drain the tomatoes, salsa is plenty liquidy without the extra water.

    2) Add 1/2 tsp each of chipotle powder and ancho chili powder to give it some extra heat and smoke. Happy dipping!

    Reply

    • Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (11) Kristin 10.20.2023

      I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Mike – love the addition of the chili powders!! I do recommend not draining the tomatoes though to reach the consistency of salsa in these photos! That said I believe salsa consistency is truly a personal preference so drain if you want a thicker salsa!

      Reply

  3. Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (12) Linda Long 03.19.2023

    I have searched for the past 4 or 5 years for a GOOD salsa. I didn’t care if it was store bought, home canned or homemade and this is the winner!! Thank you for sharing the recipe.

    5

    Reply

  4. Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (13) Amy 02.13.2023

    I made this for taco night when we had family in town over Christmas and it was so good that my husband requested it again for super bowl snacks. I love that it’s so easy and the results are super tasty.

    5

    Reply

  5. Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (15) Danielle 11.07.2022

    Think I could use canned diced tomatoes rather than whole peeled tomatoes if that’s all I have? Going to make this tomorrow to go with your slow cooker black bean soup :)

    Reply

    • Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (16) Kristin 11.15.2022

      That should be fine, Danielle! :)

      Reply

  6. Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (17) shane 09.08.2022

    Nicely done. I’ve been chasing after this recipe for a long time. Used to hit up Carlos O’Kelly’s all the time as a teenager when I first got my license because my friends and I were all zany about the salsa, so with your intel, it’s final! Delicious! Who would have thought the canned tomato was the secret?

    Sincerely,
    Another (former) Iowan

    Reply

    • Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (18) Kristin 09.13.2022

      Right?! So glad it delivered. :)

      Reply

  7. Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (19) Christy 07.17.2022

    I still make this all the time. There is no need for any other salsa recipe. LOVE it.Question: what is the refrigerator shelf life? Thank you.

    5

    Reply

    • Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (20) Kristin 07.18.2022

      I’m so glad you love it, Christy (and I totally agree!!) I usually say 4-5 days in the fridge.

      Reply

  8. Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (21) Chloe 07.07.2022

    The first time I made this it was unreal, I’ve made it several more times and it hasn’t ever been as intensely flavored as the first time- it’s almost watery and not tomatoey? What could I be doing wrong?

    Reply

    • Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (22) Kristin 07.08.2022

      Hi Chloe! What brand of canned tomatoes are you using?

      Reply

  9. Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (23) Grams 02.10.2022

    If you like a chunkier salsa use diced canned tomatoes and diced onion instead of blending it otherwise it’s the same ingredients. Just mix everything together and done.

    Reply

  10. Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (24) Larry 10.25.2021

    Made it- everyone loves it.Family said tasted like the Mexican restaurant. Only question is it has a grey/green look not bright red as pictured. Did I put too much cilantro in it or mix too long???

    Reply

    • Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (25) Kristin 10.27.2021

      Wohoo!! You got it – if the cilantro is overpureed it can lend that green/gray color to the entire salsa. In the future you could puree the salsa to your desired texture then add the cilantro to the food processor and give it a few more pulses to roughly chop. Glad the taste was spot on for you though!

      Reply

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hi, i'm kristin!

I’m a Midwestern wife and Mama, and after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2013 I began sharing delicious and approachable gluten-free recipes made with everyday, in-season ingredients. Welcome!

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Restaurant Style Salsa - Iowa Girl Eats (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between salsa and restaurant-style salsa? ›

Compared to regular ol' salsa or something like pico de gallo, restaurant-style salsa is usually smoother—just how I like it! It's blended up in a food processor so that all the pieces get minced really finely. This is no place for big chunks of tomatoes, man.

What is restaurant salsa called? ›

Salsa Roja

In Spanish, salsa roja means “red sauce”. This is a general term that covers any type of blended red salsa made with tomatoes. Salsa roja can be made from raw ingredients, cooked ingredients, or a combination of both. It can be pureed until it's completely smooth or blended slightly for a chunky consistency.

Why does Mexican restaurant salsa taste so good? ›

Unlike jarred or canned salsa, restaurant salsa is essentially small-batch, freshly made salsa. These establishments have access to high-quality ingredients and equipment to streamline the salsa-making process and ensure a consistent product.

Does restaurant salsa have sugar in it? ›

Ingredients. Diced Tomatoes in Tomato Juice, Water, Unpeeled Ground Tomatoes in Tomato Puree, Onions, Jalapeno Peppers, and Less than 2% of the Following: Salt, Garlic Powder, Vinegar Pectin, Sugar, Natural Flavors, Tomato Paste, and Spices (including cilantro).

What are the three types of salsa? ›

There is a whole culture of salsa making in Mexico, we have lots of different salsas depending on the region. Today I am making three basic salsas: Morita chilli, arbol chilli and Tomatillo.

What do Mexicans call pico de gallo? ›

Pico de gallo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpiko ðe ˈɣaʝo], lit. 'rooster's beak'), also called salsa fresca ('fresh sauce'), salsa bandera ('flag sauce'), and salsa cruda ('raw sauce'), is a type of salsa commonly used in Mexican cuisine.

What salsa do Mexicans use? ›

Pico De Gallo

Perhaps the most well-known of Mexican salsas, this chunky sauce is made with all raw ingredients. Diced fresh onion, garlic, tomatoes, jalapeños, and cilantro make a lovely and colorful presentation.

Do real Mexicans eat chips and salsa? ›

Chips and salsa is a U.S. invention, full stop. Restaurants in touristy places in Mexico serve it, because their tourist customers expect and demand it. And it tastes different because it is not a dish that Mexicans are accustomed to serving.

Why does salsa taste better the next day? ›

Our seasoned experts agree

When you have it the next day, the sauce has had time to firm up and create an even richer tomato taste,” she says.

Why does store bought salsa taste different? ›

One of the problems with store-bought salsas—especially ones that are made in the style of fresh salsas, like salsa verde and pico de gallo—is that the high-heat canning process kills those fresh flavors. Whatever vitality they had before they went into the jar doesn't come out so great on the other side.

What's the difference between chunky salsa and restaurant-style salsa? ›

What is the difference between restaurant style salsa and chunky salsa? The texture is the main difference between the two salsas. Restaurant style salsa is much smoother and the ingredients are more finely chopped, thanks to a whirl in the blender or food processor. Chunky Salsa just has a chunkier texture.

What happened to old El Paso salsa? ›

The only salsa discontinued is the Hot version but you can still find the medium and mild at your local store. Please try our product locator bit.ly/2zMVID9 or speak to the store staff.

What thickens salsa? ›

Often used to achieve a deep flavor and rich consistency in other popular sauces like barbecue and marinara, tomato paste is a thick, concentrated form of tomatoes.

What is the difference between Pace restaurant-style salsa and picante? ›

Salsa and Picante sauce are made with the similar ingredients (tomatoes, onions, our specially-bred jalapeno peppers). The main difference is in texture — picante sauce is smoother and saucier than salsa. Salsa is chunkier with larger pieces of vegetables and is primarily used as a dip.

Which salsa style is most popular? ›

LA-style salsa is probably the most popular form of salsa dancing in the world. It is the style of salsa that is taught most broadly, and most dancers of other styles of salsa dancing will have at least some familiarity with it.

What is the difference between salsa and salsa casera? ›

A: "Casera" just means "homemade," so it's just Herdez's way of saying this is a chunky, homemade-style salsa. This particular salsa comes in hot (notice the little temperate range on the left side of the green "Casera" band), but as hot sauces go, it's not very spicy.

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