Easy Fresh Tomato Salsa made in a food processor using ripe Roma tomatoes, green bell peppers, onion, and a touch of jalapeño for flavor. This quick homemade salsa recipe comes together in minutes and is perfect for dipping with tortilla chips or serving alongside tacos, burritos, or your favorite Mexican dishes. Garden-fresh and packed with flavor!
The Best Fresh Salsa with Roma Tomatoes
This is our go to favorite Summer time salsa with our garden fresh tomatoes! Serve with your favorite tortilla chips (or be extra and make homemade tortilla chips) on serve on top of my ridiculously easy chicken nachos!
This salsa is peak fresh. It’s loaded with garden tomatoes, crisp onions, and just the right amount of lime and cilantro to make everything pop. It’s the kind of salsa that doesn’t need anything fancy—just real, simple ingredients that taste just like summer.
Don’t have a garden? That’s ok. Pick up the ingredients at the farmers market on your next visit and then rush home to make this homemade salsa!
Because I love tomatoes, check out my fresh tomato recipe collection. Make sure to try my Fresh Roma Tomato Soup and Fresh Tomato Tart next!
What is the best tomato for salsa?
Roma (or plum) tomatoes are the best for salsa because they’re meaty, not too juicy, and have fewer seeds. That means you get a thicker, less watery salsa with great flavor. Whether you’re making fresh or cooked salsa, Romas always hold up and taste great.
How To Make
Cut each roma tomato up into about 12 pieces. You’re using the whole tomato, skin and flesh.
Then throw them into the food processor and pulse 8 times. You can pulse 6 times and then check to see if the consistency is good enough for you. But usually 8 pulses is the magic number for us. If you don’t have a food processor you can chop it up by hand, dicing them into small, even pieces with a sharp knife.
After pulsing, pour the tomatoes into a large bowl.
Chop up the green pepper and onion finely with a sharp knife. I know it would be easier to throw everything into the food processor together, but I would suggest not doing that as I find they become mushy quick and lose their crunch.
Now add cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes into the bowl.
Then mix it all together. Boom! Bam! Wam! Tada! Wasn’t that so easy? Enjoy your fresh salsa!
What if I don’t have a food processor?
No worries! Simply use a blender, or chop the tomatoes up by hand, trying to finely chop them as small as possible. This will take some extra time, but it’ll be just as delicious!
Can I make salsa without cilantro?
This is a common question I’m asked because shockingly not everyone loves cilantro. I love it, but I get it. If you aren’t a cilantro fan, you can just skip it.
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Fresh Tomato Salsa with Roma Tomatoes
PrintIngredients
- 1.5 pounds roma tomatoes chopped
- 1 small green bell pepper finely diced
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro finely diced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Place your tomatoes into a food processor and pulse 6-8 times, or until they reach a good salsa consistency. Depending on the size of your food processor you might have to do this in 2 batches. Transfer to a bowl once processed.
- Add the chopped up green pepper and onion into the bowl with the tomatoes.
- Add cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes into the bowl and mix until everything is combined.
- Serve with tortilla chips or on top of your favorite Mexican meal!
Sondra says
I’ve always been too afraid to make my own salsa, thinking there was no way I could match my favorite store-bought salsa. THANK YOU for such a delicious – and totally doable – fresh tomato salsa recipe! I prefer recipes that don’t have a long ingredient list. Your recipe checks all the boxes: fresh, simple, delicious!
Callumlyne says
Hey there,
I like your recipe is just great with all those fresh ingredients. I have been experimenting with adding some very finely chopped garlic along with a little extra virgin olive oil and a touch of vinegar.
ruby says
iam happy that i can make sala before mill
Sonya Young says
Can you freeze the salsa?
Pamela says
Hey Sonya, I’ve never frozen salsa so I can’t help you there.
Christina says
I just made my second batch of salsa since it disappeared so quickly! My husband said it was the best salsa he has ever had. I agree! I substituted a fresh jalapeño from the garden and it gave it just the right heat. This is our new family favorite.
Pamela says
This makes me so happy to hear Christina! I’m so glad your family is loving this salsa! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
John Michelle says
Pam, I like your recipe is just great with all those fresh ingredients. I have been experimenting with adding some very finely chopped garlic along with a little extra virgin olive oil and a touch of vinegar. I prefer Asian vinegar as it is not quite as tart. Keep up the good work. John Michelle
ps lemon juice works also
Pamela says
Hey Joan, I’m so happy to hear you like this salsa! Thank you for commenting – I love that touch of garlic you add in!
keira says
Love it and sounds yummy…
There is nothing better than salsa
Beautiful color and wonderful flavors!
caroline says
I just made this salsa for my church group and everyone loved it! 2 ladies even wanted the recipe! Thanks Pamela!
Louise says
What, no garlic???
Joan says
What! No jalapeños? This is not a true salsa.
Pamela says
Hey Joan, feel free to add some diced jalapenos in the salsa if you’d like! We prefer red pepper flakes in ours.
Kate @ Framed Cooks says
This recipe is gorgeous! I think homemade salsa and chips would be a perfectly great dinner on a night like tonight when it is supposed to be 95 degrees, right?
Pamela says
It would be the perfect salsa! Hope you enjoy it Kate!
helen adams says
Thank you.
Pamela says
Of course, hope you like the salsa Helen!
MIke says
You show a bulb of Garlic in one of the photos but no garlic is listed on your ingredients list?
Garlic or no garlic?
Pamela says
Hi Mike, that’s a onion straight from the garden, not garlic. 🙂 Enjoy!
Sarah says
Do you have instructions for canning salsa? Also, I have many more beef steak type if tomatoes than Roma. Will they work as well or oh use Roma?
Pamela says
Hi Sarah, roma and plum tomatoes are best because they have less seeds and less juice making it a less watery salsa. You can use beef tomatoes but it will be more liquidy so I recommend straining the tomatoes after pulsing them to remove the excess water.
Tricia says
Love it and sounds yummy…
I am so ready to have enough tomatoes to start canning our salsa this year.
But thank you for helping me decide to grow cilantro in my garden next year.
Pamela says
Enjoy your tomatoes Tricia! 🙂
BRENDA says
I have a recipe that oyou use a jar of salsa to make QUICK tacos I might make this up and see how it works for the quick taco recipe, IF IT MAKES IT THAT FAR. LOL It might hit the counter and the chips might just fall out of the cupboard.
Pamela says
Hahaha, I know the feeling. Before I can even put it into a mason jar to store, there are hands and chips dipping into the salsa. Enjoy! 🙂
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
There is nothing better than salsa made with just picked ingredients.
Pamela says
I agree Karen!
jackie @ Marin mama cooks says
Hi Pamela. This salsa looks amazing and it’s so vibrant in color. I’m in MN right now and I tried to find ripe tomatoes the other day thinking it would be easy, but their tomatoes are not ripe at all. Everything is still hard here which surprises me. They had a long winter, so maybe thats the case. I’ve been spoiled by my California crops. We’ve had ripe tomatoes since May and they are only getting better. You must be doing something right because you have such an abundance of tomatoes and they look gorgeous! Totally going to make up some of this salsa when we return from vacation. xoxo, Jackie
Pamela says
Hey Jackie, I hope you guys are having a great trip and that you are taking a bunch of pictures to share on the blog! Our tomatoes usually start turning red in late June and last until about September. I know in some places though it’s been a rough season with the temperature being so extreme then chillier, causing the tomatoes utter confusion. Have a great time and talk to you soon! 🙂
Debra says
Oh, how I need tomato growing tips. 🙁
Pamela says
Sending you good luck tomato vibes! 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
wow Peak Summer Salsa! Beautiful colour and wonderful flavours!
Pamela says
Thanks Angie!
Nik@ABrownTable says
That is one vibrant and delicious looking salsa.
Pamela says
Thanks Nik!
Pam says
My kind of salsa! It looks delicious, especially since you used home grown tomatoes.
Shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com says
Love chunky salsa! This salsa I could drink from a bowl!
Pamela says
Hahaha, loving your comment, have fun! 🙂
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) says
This does look like the quintessential summer salsa that I long for! Definitely have to try it out.
Pamela says
I hope you do Kim, enjoy your salsa! 🙂