Let's make easy homemade salsa with basil, fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, and peppers in 30 minutes or less. It's the best summer or anytime appetizer; enjoy with tortilla chips, on tacos, in scrambled eggs, and more!
My family could eat salsa for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Case in point… I made a big bowl of basil salsa, and it was nearly gone by the end of the day. We love salsa!
With tomatoes and peppers from our garden, I can make tomato basil salsa in no time at all. My tomatoes are all different colors, so they add a lot of color to the salsa, which I love.
For awhile now, I've had an obsession with basil. I put it in my eggs, on grilled cheese, on tomatoes, on chicken, on our pizzas, and more. Basil has sorta become a staple in my house. So, it's only natural to make fresh basil tomato salsa.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The best part about this salsa recipe is, once your veggies are washed and seeds removed from the peppers, you plop everything into the blender and let it do all the heavy lifting. I use my Ninja blender, and it works like a charm.
- I love a chunky salsa, and this salsa has a slightly chunky consistency, perfect for dipping!
- Most of the ingredients you'll need are fresh ingredients, and there are only 8 ingredients total.
Ingredient Notes
- Onion – I prefer the spicy sweet flavor and crispness of a red onion for salsa.
- Peppers – You'll need a green bell pepper (though you can use any color you have on hand, including purple), a jalepeño pepper, and a chili pepper. They'll need to be sliced open, stemmed, and de-seeded.
- Tomatoes – Generally, ripe but not wrinkled Roma or Amish Paste tomatoes are best for salsa… Amish Paste have a slightly sweeter flavor than Roma. You can use grape or cherry tomatoes for salsa, but they are going to give a sweeter flavor. You can also mix grape/cherry tomatoes with Roma or Amish Paste to give more depth to the flavor of your salsa.
- Basil – Fresh is best!
- Garlic – Again, fresh is best.
How to Make Salsa with Basil
There is a bit of prep involved, mainly washing the vegetables you plan to use, then chopping and slicing as needed.
To make tomato salsa with basil, just follow these steps…
- Peel the onion and slice it into quarters.
- Slice the bell peppers, jalapeño, and chili pepper open; carefully remove all the seeds.
- Chop the tomatoes into quarters.
- If using fresh garlic, peel and slice; or you can use already minced fresh garlic.
- Place all the ingredients, including the onion, peppers, tomatoes, basil, garlic, and salt, in a blender.
- Pulse the blender until the salsa has the desired chunky texture and consistency.
- Serve with tortilla chips, on crostini with mozzarella, as a topping for beef tacos or chicken tacos, on baked or grilled fish fillets, on scrambled eggs, to make taco chicken, or whatever else your heart desires. This salsa also makes a tasty addition to your next mashed potato bar or baked potato bar.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ's
Since this is more of a fresh salsa, you don't need to add vinegar. But if you were canning this recipe, you'd definitely want to make sure there's enough acidity for canning, and that's why vinegar or lemon juice is added to canned salsa. I'd refer you to the Ball Book of Canning and Preserving for more information.
Color may depend on the color of the peppers and tomatoes that you use. Color is also affected by the amount of air that blending adds into your salsa as it blends. So it may not be a bright red color when all is said and done.
Nope. In fact, leaving the peeling will add more texture, more nutrients, and more flavor.
No, not this recipe. The fresher, the better, especially for flavor.
You can store it in an airtight container like a mason jar with a lid; be sure to keep it in the fridge. A jar of salsa should keep for 6-7 days in the fridge.
More Easy Tex-Mex Appetizers:
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Fresh Tomato Salsa with Basil
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Peel the onion and slice it into quarters.
- Slice the bell peppers, jalapeño, and chili pepper open; carefully remove all the seeds.
- Chop the tomatoes into quarters.
- If using fresh garlic, peel and slice; or you can use already minced fresh garlic.
- Place all the ingredients, including the onion, peppers, tomatoes, basil, garlic, and salt, in a blender.
- Pulse the blender until the salsa has the desired chunky texture and consistency.
- Serve with tortilla chips or whatever your heart desires.
