5 Minute Blender Salsa (Restaurant-Style) Recipe | Little Spice Jar (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to make salsa in a blender or food processor? ›

If you don't own a food processor, then don't fret–you can still make excellent salsa by using your blender. Just make sure to pulse your ingredients instead of blending to achieve that yummy salsa texture. You may get a smoother, more liquid salsa with your blender, but still delicious and full of flavor.

At the very least, a little fresh lime juice and some minced cilantro can wake up even the sleepiest of salsas, ushering back in the flavor of just-squeezed citrus and herbs that taste like they came from a living plant. Beyond that, a crunchy raw vegetable or two never hurts.

Once the salsa is ready, pour hot salsa into clean hot pint canning jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rim and cap each jar as it is filled. Process jars for 40 minutes* in boiling water bath canner. Turn off heat, carefully remove canner lid, and let jars stand for 5 minutes in canner.

While some restaurant-style salsas may be prepared in large batches to meet demand, the emphasis on using fresh, high-quality ingredients remains a constant, no matter the quantity. A unique blend of fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime juice contributes to the vibrant, lively taste of restaurant-style salsa.

A unique blend of fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime juice contributes to the vibrant, lively taste of restaurant-style salsa.

If you don't have a food processor, you can definitely use a blender instead, or feel free to chop everything by hand. It helps to mince the ingredients so the flavors combine really well.

Buying whole spices and fresh herbs will result in more vibrant flavors. Of course, making the salsa to order and eating it fresh out of the blender with hot chips is as close as you'll get to the true restaurant experience.

Cook the salsa, and you'll trade bright, fresh flavors for something deeper, sweeter. Roasting the tomatoes, garlic and/or chiles creates rich, smoky flavors. 3. Layer in flavor, color, and texture with bell peppers, jicama, radishes, fresh corn kernels, avocado, or black beans.

Whether you're canning salsa or making it fresh for a Mexican feast, a thin consistency can ruin tacos and slip right off your tortilla chips. The most common culprit for watery salsas—especially homemade salsa rather than jarred or canned options—is the tomato used as the base.

You don't have to, but you could

Deciding on keeping tomato skins on or off is really a matter of taste — and how much time you've got on your hands. You don't need to peel them.

How long does homemade salsa last in a glass jar? ›

An open jar of store-bought salsa lasts about 2–4 weeks in the fridge, but you should always check for signs of mold, fuzz, funky smells, and any other signs that something is awry before diving in. If you make your own salsa, it'll stay good for just five to seven days in the fridge.

Heat salsa to boiling, stirring constantly. Pour ¼ cup bottled lemon or lime juice for each clean pint canning jar. Pour in hot salsa ingredients leaving ½ inch headspace.

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.

I've found restaurant style to be less salty and slightly thicker than cantina, best with salsa or in nachos. Whereas cantina is thinner, crunchier, and salty, best for snacking.

Use a blender if your final product is something you can drink, such as a mocktail or protein shake, drizzle or dip. In addition to pureeing, a food processor can slice, grate, shred, dice and more. As a general rule, use a food processor if the outcome will be eaten with a fork or spoon.

a blender is better than a food processor at handling anything liquidy, like smoothies, as well as puréeing soupy or saucy items. Blenders perform best with at least a little liquid to get things going. Blenders are also more efficient than food processors at getting food incredibly smooth.

You can use a food processor to blend liquids, too, but they aren't leakproof and are more prone to overflowing, and the result won't be as smooth as if you used a blender. Food processors can also be useful when making buttery doughs, like shortcrust pastry or cookies—just be careful not to overprocess the dough.

Made with fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes. It's a budget-friendly version of restaurant salsa. Use any blender such as Vitamix, Nutribullet, Ninja, or stick blender; or use a food processor like I did in the photos you see for this recipe.