Restaurant style salsa made in the blender in under five minutes with tomatoes, onions, cilantro and jalapenos. Never buy jarred salsa again!
This delicious salsa is a take on my absolute favorite restaurant salsa from Guapos, but without the cilantro because this salsa is meant to be able to be kept in the fridge for several days.
Restaurant Style Blender Salsa
When we would visit Guapos in Washington DC we almost always went for the salsa. The food (and margaritas) were delicious and all, but the salsa was legendary. So of course it was one of the first recipes I ever put on the blog (linked above).
This version of that restaurant salsa is almost the same but without the cilantro. In testing the cilantro became slimy after a day while testing without it made for a salsa we could enjoy for a few days.
Some unique ingredients in this salsa include the tomato juice and the cumin. There is a distinct tomato juice flavor in the salsa and while you would think it may be odd, it is actually a secret restaurant ingredient I’ve seen in a number of salsas.
We love making an easy meal out of some grilled chicken, Green Mexican Rice (Arroz Verde) and this delicious salsa spooned on top of the rice (I always secretly want to just hoard the whole bowl for myself).
The most common food eaten with salsa is chips, but salsa can also be used in many different ways including as a creamy dressing (when mixed with sour cream), a french fry dip (when mixed with mayo) and as toppings on grilled foods or other Mexican favorite entrees like enchiladas, tamales and fajitas.
Is salsa healthy?
Absolutely, with no mayonnaise or cream, this salsa is healthy and full of nutrients from the vegetables. In comparison to guacamole and cheese dips, this salsa is a fantastic healthy option to enjoy with your meal.
How do you make homemade salsa dip?
After blending the salsa (but only use half the tomato juice) add in a block of cream cheese (8 ounces). Blend until just combined then serve immediately with chips. For a non creamy option you can instead blend one can of drained and rinsed black beans (again using half the tomato juice).
When looking for a blender I actually burned through a few in the quest to find the one that would work for me the same way my trusty old food processor has been a workhorse for me for almost ten years.
This blender is it, we love it, we have over 3000 uses logged on it already and it amazes us with how powerful and easy to use it is.
Speaking of that food processor, I have had a new one I bought so I could never be without it, still wrapped in the box over five years later.
Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.
Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.
She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.
She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.
As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.
Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.
As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.
Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.
Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.
I made 4 batches of this today and vacuumed sealed and froze. This is delicious! So easy! Thanks for the recipe. I have tried a countless number of your recipes and they always work and are delicious. Thank you for what you do.
P.S. Love your cookbook too!
I’m so sorry to hear this. Did you change any of the ingredients or instructions? If you’d like to troubleshoot, contact me at contact @ dinnerthendessert .com and we can try and figure out what went wrong.
Too much black pepper, will try half teaspoon next time
Good to know. Thank you Riley and thanks for the nice review!
I made 4 batches of this today and vacuumed sealed and froze. This is delicious! So easy! Thanks for the recipe. I have tried a countless number of your recipes and they always work and are delicious. Thank you for what you do.
P.S. Love your cookbook too!
Could I use canned tomatoes instead? If so, would I still need the tomato juice? Thanks!
If I wanted to add the cilantro back in how much should I use?
I would suggest 1/4- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves. Enjoy!
I made it and the salsa turned out to taste like pepper. I mad soo much and now it is all wasted. Please give me feedback
I’m so sorry to hear this. Did you change any of the ingredients or instructions? If you’d like to troubleshoot, contact me at contact @ dinnerthendessert .com and we can try and figure out what went wrong.
I love to try this! Looks really delicious!
Thanks Sandra!
Homemade salsa is the best! I love to try new recipes!
Me too!
One of my all-time favorite snacks, that looks delicious!
Thank you Kimberly!
Homemade salsa is absolutely the best!!
Totally agree! The flavors are just so much better!
Please pass the chips! This salsa sounds perfect!
Thank you!