Fresh Homemade Salsa made with diced tomatoes, fresh chopped peppers, green onions, cilantro, and seasonings. They combine to create this fabulous mild salsa! It’s so good you’ll want to eat it with a spoon and skip the chips!

Updated: February 12, 2025

This is big folks! BIG! I’m going to share my “top secret” Fresh Salsa recipe! I learned to make this salsa from my “bestie”, my Aunt Janie.

Well… I thought I did?! One day she was over visiting, and I was whipping up a batch of “her” salsa. I told her I was making her recipe! She laughed and said “Oh, it’s great salsa but, this isn’t my recipe! I’ve never made my salsa like this!

” SAY WHAT?!! Shut the front door and color me purple! I turned to her and said, What are you talking about?! I’ve watched you make this salsa a hundred times and this is EXACTLY how you make it! She laughed again and said “Nor, this isn’t how I make my salsa!”

Hmmm! Maybe she did share “her” recipe with me that day but, if she did, I don’t remember, and honestly, as far as I’m concerned… this is HER salsa and I make it perfectly! Ha!  Oh boy! I can hear her now giggling up above and shaking her head…

Fresh Salsa vs. Canned

So, let’s discuss the differences between “fresh” salsa and “canned” salsa.

Fresh is made with, well… fresh ingredients and has a limited “shelf life.” It has to be kept in the refrigerator. Its ingredients are crunchy because they haven’t been cooked and processed.

Canned Salsa has been cooked and processed. It remains canned, and on your shelf, until you open it and use it. Its ingredients are soft, not crunchy.

Let me be clear, for the record, I love all types of salsa! However, if you want to know my favorite, it’s fresh! I love the crunch of the peppers and onions. I love the burst of fresh flavors! I love the smell of the cilantro, tomatoes and spices all blending together to create the perfect salsa. Yum! Trust me when I say, this is a delicious salsa recipe!

Ingredients

• 2-14.5 ounce cans of petite cut tomatoes
• 1 large green bell pepper, finely cut or chopped
• 7 green onions, sliced about halfway up to the green stems
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 pickled jalapeño, seeded for less heat.
• 2 Tablespoons of juice from pickled jalapeños

How To Make Fresh Salsa

Drain 2 cans of petite cut tomatoes. Place in a food processor and blend for 15–20 seconds. Just enough so they are no longer in chunks. Place the processed tomatoes in a large bowl, reserving 1/4 cup in the food processor.

Add 1/2 slice of canned jalapeño, with seeds removed, to the tomatoes left in the food processor. Blend until combined. Add the mixture to the tomatoes in the bowl.

Add one large, finely chopped green pepper. Slice and chop 7 green onions and add to the tomato mixture. 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon of coarse black pepper, 1 teaspoon of garlic salt.

Add 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the canned jalapeños.

Stir the salsa ingredients to combine. Sample to see if more garlic salt or pepper is needed. Plus, it’s a great excuse to eat extra salsa and chips and that is never a bad thing!

Place the fresh salsa in a storage container. I like to use a couple of large mason jars with screw on lids.

Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Serve with chips or place in tacos, guacamole, and eggs!

Doesn’t that look AMAZING?! 

TIP: One thing to keep in mind when making this recipe…you determine the amount of heat you want! I prefer to make mine a little mild so those who don’t care about heat can enjoy it. But, if you’re a “hottie” go for it! 

Is there anything better than an endless supply of chips and dip? I honestly am so happy when I have a basket full of chips and a big ol’ bowl of fresh salsa!

I really hope you’ll give this recipe a try! I think once you’ve tried it you’ll agree it’s one of the freshest and tastiest salsa recipes around! Thanks for the recipe, Aunt Janie! Ha!

Favorite Mexican Food Recipes

• Chili Relleno Casserole
• Oven Baked Loaded Chimichangas
• Best Skillet Chicken Tacos
• Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Verde
• Fish Tacos with Amazing Sauce
• Pork Carnitas from Allrecipes.com

Recipe Card

Aunt Janie’s Fresh Homemade Salsa

A wonderful fresh salsa recipe that can be tailored to your heat preferences. Enjoy!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 8

Calories 16 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 – 14.5 oz cans petite cut tomatoes
• 1 large green bell pepper finely cut up or chopped
• 7 green onions Sliced and chopped.
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 canned pickled jalapeno
• 2 Tbsp of the juice from the marinated jalapeno’s

Instructions

 

• Drain canned tomatoes.
• In a food processor or blender process the tomatoes for about 5 – 10 seconds per can. Just enough so they are no longer diced but, crushed. You want the tomatoes to still be chunky! Careful not to over process.
• Place the processed tomatoes into a large bowl, leaving a tiny bit of the tomato in the processor.
• Add the seeded jalapeño and process till the mixture is like soup! Add the jalapeño mixture to the tomatoes.
• Next add in the diced green bell pepper, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro.
• Add in the coarse black pepper and garlic salt. Stir. Add in the tablespoon of juice from the canned jalapeño.
• Mix again until well blended. Cover and let refrigerate for one hour. Serve with fresh corn chips or on top of any of your favorite Mexican dishes. Will hold for one week.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 cupCalories: 16kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gSodium: 127mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2g

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Meet the Author

Meet The Author

Photo Credit: Jenelle Lacy Photography

Hi! I'm Norine, the cook, baker, and recipe creator behind Norine's Nest. I love sharing and creating recipes that invite family, friends, and neighbors to gather around the dinner table. Sharing good food and creating memories with those we love brings me happiness. Thanks for stopping by my Nest!

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