Homemade Salsa Recipe - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

Last updated on June 22, 2023

This easy homemade Salsa Recipe is made with loads of fresh tomatoes and peppers, and can be made as mild or as spicy as you like it! A few tricks make this recipe easier than the rest.

Summer is here and your garden is bursting with fresh, juicy tomatoes!

Or maybe it’s not. (Anyone else around here with a black thumb??)

This homemade salsa recipe is so easy to make, you’re going to want to find yourself some tomatoes and make it anyway.

We’re skipping the hard parts (peeling those darn tomatoes — who’s got time for that?), throwing everybody in the pot and letting it simmer.

I snagged this salsa recipe from a woman from our church ten years ago.

TEN YEARS.

And I have no idea how long she’s been making it before I nagged her for the recipe, but you know it’s a keeper.

Go raid your garden, your mother-in-law’s garden or pick some tomatoes and peppers up at the grocery store, because once you go the homemade salsa route you’ll never go back.

I mean, it’s going to take your Friday night chips-and-salsa dinner to the next level 😉

How to make salsa:

I’m not kidding you when I say this salsa recipe is easy to make. There’s no peeling tomatoes or any of that nonsense, the hardest part (and I’ll be honest, it will take some time) is just chopped the tomatoes and the rest of your vegetables.

1. Chop chop. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic (or pull an Ashley and buy the jar of minced garlic).
2. Let it simmer about an hour. If you see any tomato skin floaties, grab your tongs and pull them out.
3. Stir in the sugar, tomato paste, and vinegar. Bring it to a simmer.
4. Put in jars and refrigerate or share!

Variations on this homemade salsa recipe:

• It’s pretty easy to adjust the flavor of this salsa to your tastes — feel free to add a little more sugar or a little more spice (adjust the cayenne at the end if you find you want it hotter) after you give it a taste test when everything’s been added.
• It occurred to me as I was making this salsa recipe that there is no cilantro in it, as there is in many traditional salsa recipes. I do not like cilantro, so that’s probably why it didn’t occur to me, but if you do, feel free to just throw some in here.
• There is also no jalapeno in this homemade salsa, though there is a mild but punchy amount of spice, thanks to cayenne. The cayenne makes it so easy to customize the spice level to your tastes because you can add in more at the end of the cook time. If you prefer to dice up some jalapeno at the beginning with the peppers? Go for it! I just can’t advise on how much to add.
• This salsa recipe is naturally gluten and dairy free.

Canning salsa: what do I need to know?

This is one of those recipes you’ll never part with once you’ve got it, and also one that I don’t know the original origin.

Because I don’t know the origin, and I don’t know the pH level of this salsa, I can’t recommend that you can it for liability reasons. I simply cannot say for sure.

I will say that I myself have used the water bath method and canned this salsa, and kept it for up to a year.

But there are serious risks with canning and storing something that is not meant to be canned and there are too many factors for me to consider as I am not a canning expert.

And I would definitely be wary of any canned salsa recipes where you don’t trust the origin 100%.

Thankfully, this salsa will last up to a couple weeks in the fridge, so I think you’d be missing out if you didn’t give it a go! It’s a summer staple around here, and I’m sure it will be in your home too 🙂

Love salsa? Try this Corn Salsa or this Mango Salsa next!

These are affiliate links — which means I make a few cents if you make a purchase.

• A great big pot — so you can make as much as you want and have some to share!
• Some great sharp knives — for chopped through those tomato skins!