How to Make Salsa for Fajitas

You won't believe how simple and tasty this easy tomato salsa is! It's ready in minutes and beats any jarred version hands down. Plus, it's packed with fresh and healthy ingredients that are great for your waistline.

It's the ideal dip for your next taco Tuesday or topping for any Mexican dish!

It's easy to assume that making a tomato salsa recipe takes a lot of effort. But while making my chicken fajita recipe, I found a quick way to make this really good salsa. In fact, it's now my favorite salsa ever!

It takes a whole 5 whole minutes with fresh ingredients. From start to finish! This easy salsa recipe really is just a matter of chopping some tomatoes and mixing them in a bowl with some yellow onion, seasonings, and vinegar.

And you know what? This is the tastiest tomato red salsa I've ever eaten. It's not an authentic Mexican taco sauce recipe, but I know exactly what I've put in it and it's only 160 calories for it all!

Jump to:

• ✔️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
• 🛒 Ingredient Notes
• 📋 Instructions
• 👩‍🍳 Substitutions
• ⚖️ Variations
• 🔪 Equipment
• ❄️ Storage
• 💡Pro Tips
• 🍽️ Serving Suggestions
• ❓ FAQ
• ➕ More Mexican Cuisine
• 🍽️Pairing
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

✔️ Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy for a taco night
• Adjust it to your own spice level
• Perfect for a low calorie diet
• This fresh salsa only takes 5 minutes to make
• You know what's gone into this unlike store-bought salsas
• This different recipe requires very little prep using fresh flavors
• Uses real ingredients that are easy to find in local grocery stores
• No cooking in a large skillet is required, unlike an authentic Mexican salsa recipe

🛒 Ingredient Notes

Please see the printable full recipe card with exact ingredient quantities, daily values, and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post.

• Vine tomatoes - these are diced tomatoes with the skin left on. If you don't have fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes are a good alternative
• White onions - diced onions (or 1 onion)
• Tomato puree - (tomato paste) for a concentrated tomato base
• Malt vinegar - for some quick pickling
• Red chili peppers - (optional), deseeded & sliced for a very spicy salsa
• Seasoning - sea salt and black pepper
• Natural sweetener - or a squidge of honey or low sugar syrup
• Fresh coriander - (fresh cilantro) to boost the flavours

📋 Instructions

Here's how to make fresh homemade salsa the easy way!

Tip: If you want to leave it to rest for the vinegar to pickle more, or leave it overnight, you can.

👩‍🍳 Substitutions

Depending on your dietary needs, here are a few simple swaps you can make and still make the best salsa for your diet:

• Vine tomatoes - give the best flavor, but you can use any tomatoes you wish, such as canned, cherry tomatoes, or tomato sauce. Alternatively, make salsa verde (tomatillo salsa AKA green salsa)
• Diced onions - swap for shallots, spring onions (scallions/green onions), or onion powder instead.
• red chili peppers - you can use tomato paste, tomato sauce, or ketchup
• Malt vinegar - a great option is to swap for use apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or lemon juice instead.
• Red chilli - you can use jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, or red pepper flakes instead.
• Sea salt - you can use kosher salt, table salt, or celery salt instead.
• Natural sweetener - you can use honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, or sugar instead.
• Fresh coriander - you can use parsley, basil, mint, or cilantro instead.

⚖️ Variations

Here are some great things you can add to add so much flavor, depending on your tastebuds!

• Mild - if you don't like the spicy flavor of red chili salsa, you can omit the red chilli or use a milder variety, such as a bell pepper
• Cheesy - for a creamy and cheesy twist, you can add some grated cheddar cheese or cream cheese to the salsa and mix well
• Garlicky - add minced garlic cloves for a more complex taste
• Deluxe - to add extra vitamins, stir in some extra virgin olive oil
• Fruity - for a sweet and tangy contrast, you can add some chopped fruits to the salsa, such as mango, pineapple, peach, or apple.
• Smoky - for a deeper and richer flavour, you can use smoked paprika, chipotle peppers, or liquid smoke to the salsa.
• Baked - if you prefer, you could add everything to a baking sheet or dry skillet with some cheese and break it up with a fork once plump and juicy

🔪 Equipment

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• Chopping board
• Chopping knife
• Weighing scales
• Measuring spoons
• Mixing bowl
• Spatula
• Salt and pepper grinder

❄️ Storage

Storing - we prefer eating this homemade salsa recipe about 15 minutes after making it to allow the flavours to settle, but it can be stored in an airtight container refrigerated, and eaten within 3 days.

Freezing - I don't recommend freezing this fresh salsa as the tomatoes will become mushy and unappetizing.

Heating - If you want to heat it up, you can cook it in a medium saucepan and simmer it for a few minutes over medium-high heat. You may want to add a splash of water though to loosen it

💡Pro Tips

• Only you know what the right amount of heat is, so experiment with a little bit of chilli, or different types of chillies when making it the first time. You can also remove the seeds to reduce the heat
  
• Use ripe and juicy tomatoes for a Mexican restaurant standard. You can skin them in boiling water if you prefer, but it's not necessary
  
• Chop your ingredients finely or coarsely depending on how chunky you like your salsa. You can also use a food processor for a smoother salsa, but don't over-blend it or it will become too watery
  
• Season your salsa with salt, pepper, lemon juice (or lime), and fresh herbs. You can also add some sugar or honey to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and vinegar
  
• Let your own salsa sit for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to meld. You can also refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
  
• If you have firm tomatoes, consider cooking them for a few minutes over medium heat to release the juices.
  
• For a runny sauce like salsa roja, simmer the ingredients with cups of water, oil, and serrano chiles, then blend before reducing in a pan

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Snacking: it's perfect for dipping tortilla chips!

Wraps: use it as a pico de gallo (salsa fresca) dressing on protein in some corn tacos, along with some sour cream or homemade guacamole recipes on top of your tacos in this carnitas recipe

Bruschetta - this is the perfect addition to Italian toasted bread such as ciabatta

Relish - instead of using tomato relish from squeeze bottles, it's a great substitute on your beef burgers, bacon sandwiches, and more

Sandwiches - use it in place of sliced tomatoes with cheese in pan fried sandwiches (or in a sandwich maker)

Salad - it's great as a side salad dressing, which is a great accompaniment to any Mexican cooking

Pasta - combine it with chicken fajitas and cooked pasta for chicken fajita pasta sauce, or simply add it to your favorite Mexican dishes as a side!

❓ FAQ

➕ More Mexican Cuisine

Love Mexican food? Why not try some of our favourite recipes here:

🍽️Pairing

Here's what we think are the best things that go with a variety of salsas!

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📖 Recipe