Name: The BEST Homemade Fresh Tomato Salsa Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 4 medium Tomatoes ((halved)); 1 small Onion ((cut into large chunks)); 1 cup Fresh cilantro; 1 medium Jalapeno ((seeds removed)); 3 cloves Garlic ((minced coarsely)); 1 tbsp Lime juice ((optional)); 1/4 tsp Sea salt

FREE PRINTABLE: LOW CARB & KETO FOOD LIST!

Join 170,000 others to get a FREE keto food list, plus weekly keto recipes!

GET IT NOW

This post may contain affiliate links, which help keep this content free. (Full disclosure)

Homemade salsa with fresh tomatoes and cilantro is a must for Mexican night! Some people save it for Taco Tuesday, but I’ll take it any day of the week. So, I want to share one of the quickest low carb Mexican recipes I’ve ever made. It’s fresh tomato salsa, and it requires no cooking at all.

With five ingredients and five minutes prep time, it’s the best homemade salsa recipe ever when you want quick and easy. And who doesn’t?!

Homemade Fresh Tomato Salsa Ingredients

In my book, the best homemade salsa is the one that you’ll make again and again. Even when you’re super busy.

Because let’s face it, gathering a million ingredients or endless simmering for just a small part of your meal – even if it’s a super awesome, super important part! – just isn’t going to happen very often.

That’s why I’m all about this easy homemade salsa with fresh tomatoes. Five simple ingredients. Five quick minutes. And you’re done.

Here’s what you need:

Fresh tomatoes – of course!
Cilantro
Onion
Jalapeno
Garlic

Plus, salt and pepper, of course.

I also recommend adding a bit of lime juice for tang and to make it last longer, but that part is optional. Up to you!

The other great thing about this homemade salsa recipe is it’s super flexible. Feel free to adjust the heat by adding more jalapenos.

If you’re not a cilantro lover, you can use another fresh herb, like parsley. Or, even combine a bunch of different herbs for the flavor you want! But for true Mexican flavor, go with cilantro all the way.

How To Make Homemade Salsa With Fresh Tomatoes and Cilantro

So, how do you make homemade salsa with fresh tomatoes? It’s super easy. (Noticing a theme here?)

Making salsa at home takes all of – wait for it! – three steps:

Chop the large vegetables into big chunks – just the tomatoes and onions. For best results, mince the garlic as well.
Throw everything in your food processor.
Pulse until desired consistency is reached.

It doesn’t get any simpler than that! You can easily customize the homemade salsa from there. Feel free to add something else, toss in some spices or other herbs, or adjust the salt.

Tip: Taste the salsa to determine if you need to adjust salt a bit before you reach the consistency you want. That way, you can adjust the salt more and pulse again.

How Long Does Homemade Salsa Last in a Mason Jar?

Wondering how to store homemade salsa with fresh tomatoes? The best way is in a Mason jar in the fridge!

I recommend these particular Mason jars, because their wide mouth makes for easy access. Best of all, they are the perfect size for this homemade salsa recipe – they will hold the entire recipe amount perfectly. Besides, they are also the right size for making a low carb Mason jar salad.

On the other hand, if you are also going to be making homemade avocado mayo in a Mason jar, it’s better to get these Mason jars instead. Then you can just use two jars to store the homemade salsa in them. That has the advantage of taking up less room in your fridge for the second, smaller jar once you’ve gone through the first one.

How Long Is Homemade Salsa Good For?

As a general guideline, this homemade salsa with fresh tomatoes and cilantro will last, refrigerated in a Mason jar, for about a week.

The exact amount of time that homemade salsa will vary a bit depending on several factors. The more fresh your veggies are, the longer it will last. Also, if you include the optional lime juice, it will last a bit longer. The acidity acts as a natural preservative.

It will be easy to tell when the salsa has gone bad. Watch for a strange smell, visible mold, or a significant darkening in color.

How To Can Salsa At Home

This homemade salsa recipe is also suitable for canning, so that’s totally an option if you want to go that route. You’ll need to sterilize the jars and lids first, and it does require some effort. But, the reward is that the salsa can last a couple months or even longer.

Here are the steps for how to can salsa:

Sterilize the jars. In a large stockpot, submerge the jars and lids in water. Simmer to sterilize them. (You don’t need to simmer the bands, only the jars and lids.) Keep them simmering until step 3.
Simmer the salsa. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the salsa to a gentle boil. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Fill the jars. Remove the jars from the water and put them on a towel. Fill with salsa, leaving 1/4 inch space at the top. Wipe any salsa from the rim. Remove the lids from the water, one at a time, dry off, and close tightly with the band.
Process the jars. Place the sealed jars back into the stockpot with boiling water, over medium-high heat, such that they are almost submerged but the tops are above the water. Cover the pot and let it boil for 15 minutes. After that, remove the jars and put them back on the towel to cool, without moving.
Check the seals. Check the seal after 24 hours – it should not flex when pressed.

Can You Freeze Homemade Salsa?

Yes! Freezing homemade salsa is definitely doable, though it’s not ideal. Don’t expect the salsa to be identical to freshly made.

Keep in mind that freezing homemade salsa breaks down the cell walls in the vegetables, so the end result will be more watery and less flavorful after thawing. Still, for convenience it can be worth it.

If you want to freeze this homemade salsa recipe, you’ll need to cook it. This will bring out some of the water upfront, so that you don’t end up with a totally watery mess after thawing. It also slows enzyme activity in the vegetables, which means the flavors preserve a bit better.

Simply simmer on the stove for at least 10 minutes, up to as long as 45 minutes, to bring out the extra moisture. Then, you can let it cool and freeze in plastic freezer bags. After thawing, drain off any excess liquid before serving.

What To Serve With Homemade Salsa

There are about a zillion ways to use homemade salsa with fresh tomatoes! Here are a few ideas:

Chips – Try this homemade salsa recipe with some keto low carb tortilla chips, zucchini chips or simple cheese crisps. I used cheddar for the pictures this time, but one of my favorite ways is with my hybrid cheddar parmesan crisps.
Tacos – Make tacos with some coconut tortillas or cheese taco shells. Or, sneak a veggie in there and make cauliflower tortillas instead.
Fish – It’s delicious over some salmon or whitefish!
Chicken – How about mixing it with some shredded chicken?
Tortilla chips – Try it with low carb tortilla chips!
Healthy taco salad – If you’re having a super busy night, a salad is one of the quickest ways to use homemade salsa with cilantro and tomatoes. It’s even easier than making actual tacos, and just as delicious.

And since it’s definitely going to be Mexican night when you serve this homemade salsa, don’t forget the skinny margaritas!

Oh, and if you prefer pico over salsa, try this homemade Pico de Gallo recipe.

Tools To Make The Best Homemade Salsa Recipe:

Click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.

Food processor – This one is powerful, reliable and a good size for any task. If you want to make fresh tomato salsa in a food processor, I highly recommend this one. And, I use it almost every day for all kinds of other recipes!
Chef’s knife – To get your veggies cut into large chunks before processing.
Mason jars – Convenient for storing homemade salsa with tomatoes in the fridge. And, you can also use these if you want to make canned salsa.
Large stockpot – To process the canned salsa. (See instructions above).
3-piece canning kit – A must-have if you’ll be making canned salsa! This includes a jar lifter (to get the jars out of the hot water), a funnel (to avoid salsa on the rim where it can break a seal), and a magnetic lid lifter (to get the hot lids out of the water easily).
Freezer bags – Use these if you want to freeze homemade salsa.

Homemade Salsa with Fresh Tomatoes and Cilantro:
Pin it to save for later!

Follow Wholesome Yum on Pinterest

Reader Favorite Recipes

The recipe card is below! Readers also made these similar recipes after making this one.

RECIPE CARD

Un-save Recipe Save Recipe Go Ad-Free

Rate this recipe:

5 from 4 votes

The BEST Homemade Fresh Tomato Salsa Recipe

An easy, FAST homemade salsa recipe with fresh tomatoes and cilantro! See how to make fresh tomato salsa with just 5 ingredients & 5 minutes. It's the best homemade salsa recipe ever!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword gluten-free, keto, low carb, salsa, tomatoes, vegetarian

Calories4kcal

Prep Time5minutes

Total Time5minutes

AuthorMaya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings32servings

Recipe Video

Click or tap on the image below to play the video. It's the easiest way to learn how to make this recipe!

★ Review

US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

Click underlined ingredients to see where to get them.
Please ensure Safari reader mode is OFF to view ingredients.

Instructions

Get RECIPE TIPS in the post above, nutrition info + recipe notes below!

Click on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

Put everything in a food processor. Pulse until desired consistency is reached.

Made this? Leave a rating!

Rate this recipe

Share your recipe picture with @wholesomeyum or #wholesomeyum on Instagram or in our Facebook support group, too - I'd love to see it!

Recipe Notes

Serving size: 2 tbsp

Check the post above for instructions on storing, canning, or freezing homemade salsa.
Due to the serving size, nutrition info shows 0 carbs and sugar. The tomatoes and onion do both have a very tiny amount of both, but the amount per serving comes out to be negligible.
Optional lime juice is not included in nutrition info, but does not significantly change it.
Exact number of servings will vary depending on the size of your tomatoes.

Video Showing How To Make Homemade Salsa with Fresh Tomatoes:

Don't miss the VIDEO above - it's the easiest way to learn how to make Homemade Salsa with Fresh Tomatoes!

Want some moral support or recipe help?

Join Our Free Keto Group

Nutrition Information Per Serving

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories4

Fat0g

Protein0g

Total Carbs0g

Net Carbs0g

Fiber0g

Sugar0g

Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. You can find individual ingredient carb counts we use in the Low Carb & Keto Food List. Net carb count excludes fiber, erythritol, and allulose, because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. (Learn about net carbs here.) We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.

Want to save this recipe?

Create a free account to save your favourites recipes and articles!

More Low Carb Resources

If you want to know more about how to start a low carb diet, want to substitute sweeteners, need a food list, or need support, check these guides:

Low Carb & Keto Diet Plan
Starter Guide Sweetener Conversion Calculator Keto Low Carb Macro Calculator Low Carb Keto Food List + Printable PDF

Shop My Must-Have Keto Ingredients

Use the buttons below to buy my new Besti sweeteners and Wholesome Yum keto ingredients, developed by me personally!

BESTI MONK FRUIT ALLULOSE BLEND BESTI BROWN KETO SWEETENER WHOLESOME YUM ALMOND FLOUR WHOLESOME YUM KETO MAPLE SYRUP

Get the full low carb pantry shopping list, browse low carb product discounts, and visit my Amazon Shop!