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    Home Β» Snack Recipes

    Restaurant-Style Salsa

    Published: May 1, 2020 by Sherri Hall Β· This post may contain affiliate links.

    Are you a fan of the salsa that restaurants typically serve alongside tortilla chips? Then, this restaurant-style salsa is the recipe for you! Easy to make in just 5 minutes with a handful of ingredients, this homemade version will quickly become your new favorite. It's vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and naturally sweetened with pineapple!

    Jump to Recipe
    holding a chip with restaurant-style salsa on it over the bowl of the rest of the salsa

    I have a confession to make.

    I am the person at the restaurant ordering extra salsa to go with the chips because let's face it, there's just never enough in the little bowl they give you.

    overhead closeup of salsa in a white bowl

    Furthermore, I may or may not have eaten most of the salsa during the making of this post.

    If you can relate, then stick around because this recipe is for you.

    chip stuck in a bowl of salsa with some more chips behind it

    In fact, after you see how easy it really is to make restaurant-style salsa at home, you'll want to make it all the time.

    So, let's get started!

    Ingredients you'll need

    • Peeled Whole Tomatoes (Canned)
    • Onion
    • Garlic
    • Jalapeno
    • Cilantro
    • Lime Juice
    • Salt

    And, now for the surprise ingredient used to sweeten the salsa instead of sugar...

    Pineapple!

    Not only does the pineapple add an extra boost of flavor, but it also offsets the sharpness of the onion and the heat of the jalapeno without overpowering the whole salsa.

    Plus it adds some extra vitamin C. 😉

    front view of salsa in a white bowl with cilantro, lime and jalapeno in the background

    I chose to use canned pineapple to make things easier, but you can use fresh if you'd like.

    How to make this restaurant-style salsa with pineapple

    First, add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor.

    ingredients added to food processor

    Pulse until desired consistency is reached.

    You may have to stop to scrape the sides.

    ingredients after being pulsed together in the food processor

    Enjoy right away or refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.

    The flavors will best infuse after a few hours up to 1 day of refrigeration.

    Dipping a chip into the salsa with cilantro, lime and jalapeno in the background

    Ideas for serving tomato pineapple salsa

    Aside from enjoying with your favorite tortilla chips, this salsa is perfect with our sheet-pan nachos and chickpea tacos (both found in our 7 lazy vegan recipes post) as well as our two-bean nachos and our pinto bean tacos.

    It's also great with rice bowls or even on your morning tofu scramble.

    overhead of salsa in white bowl with chips on a wooden board and cilantro, lime and jalapeno behind the chips

    Storing

    Store the salsa in an airtight container, such as a mason jar, in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

    holding a chip with salsa on it over a bowl of salsa

    More vegan dips

    • Homemade Guacamole Seasoning & Easy Guacamole
    • Vegan Cheese Sauce
    • Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
    • Homemade Salsa
    • Mango Habanero Salsa
    overhead shot of hand holding a chip with some of the salsa on it
    Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    5 from 5 votes

    Restaurant-Style Salsa

    Are you a fan of the salsa that restaurants typically serve alongside tortilla chips? Then, this restaurant-style salsa is the recipe for you! Easy to make in just 5 minutes with a handful of ingredients, this homemade version will quickly become your new favorite. It's vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and naturally sweetened with a surprise ingredient!
    Course Appetizer, Dip, Snack
    Cuisine American, Mexican
    Keyword dairy-free, dip, gluten free, pineapple, salsa, vegan, vegetarian
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 0 minutes
    Total Time 5 minutes
    Servings 16 (makes approximately 4 cups)
    Calories 20kcal
    Author Sherri Hall

    Ingredients

    • 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
    • 1 (8 oz) can pineapple chunks in 100% juice, drained
    • Β½ cup chopped white onion
    • 1 clove garlic, chopped
    • 1 medium jalapeno, seeded and chopped
    • Β½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
    • Juice of 1 lime
    • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt

    Instructions

    • First, add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until desired consistency is reached. You may have to stop to scrape the sides.
    • Enjoy right away or refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use. The flavors will best infuse after a few hours to 1 day of refrigeration.

    (Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs and other helpful information for this recipe)

    Suggested Equipment/Tools

    Food Processor

    Notes

    Store salsa in an airtight container such as a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
    The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Accuracy is not guaranteed. Information shown should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 20kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fiber: 1g

    This post originally appeared on Watch Learn Eat on September 14, 2015. It has been republished to reflect both recipe and photo revisions. Changes to the story were also made.

    ©Watch Learn Eat. All content and images are copyright protected. Recipes and images are not to be used or republished without prior permission. If you adapt this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, and link back to this post for the original recipe.

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Darcie Devlin

      January 04, 2021 at 3:45 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is now a family favorite. It's so good I have to phsycally remove the bowl from my husband!

      Reply
      • Sherri Hall

        January 05, 2021 at 8:44 am

        That is hysterical, Darcie! So glad you and your family love the salsa so much! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    2. Christie

      July 14, 2020 at 2:15 pm

      5 stars
      This restaurant style salsa with the pineapple sounds soooo good! I never thought of adding pineapple to my salsas so thanks for the idea Sherri!!!

      Reply
      • Sherri Hall

        July 16, 2020 at 2:19 pm

        Thanks Christie! It's a nice way to sweeten it naturally. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    3. valentina

      February 18, 2016 at 4:11 pm

      I love when recipes just sort of happen. The pineapple is a fantastic addition! Delicious!

      Reply
      • Watch Learn Eat

        February 18, 2016 at 6:35 pm

        Thanks Valentina!

        Reply
    4. Mark, Compass & Fork

      February 17, 2016 at 7:11 am

      5 stars
      The pineapple must add a bit of zing to this. Great idea.

      Reply
      • Watch Learn Eat

        February 17, 2016 at 9:11 am

        Thanks Mark!

        Reply
    5. Sam | Ahead of Thyme

      February 16, 2016 at 9:02 pm

      YUM! I never thought to add pineapple to salsa but this looks absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Watch Learn Eat

        February 16, 2016 at 10:05 pm

        Thanks Sam! It's so good, you should definitely try it! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    6. Jenn

      February 16, 2016 at 3:11 pm

      5 stars
      I have a severe addiction to chips and salsa. I can not get enough of the stuff! I love the addition of the pineapple in this salsa. Delicious!

      Reply
      • Watch Learn Eat

        February 16, 2016 at 3:55 pm

        Thanks Jenn! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    7. Michele

      February 16, 2016 at 2:56 pm

      There is someone quite famous that says from chaos comes great things...I always think of that when something great comes out of the blue, totally unplanned despite all the calamity of life unexpected events. Sounds like you had quite a day but this salsa would definitely make me feel better! Thanks! Pinning to make for friday night cocktails!

      Reply
      • Watch Learn Eat

        February 16, 2016 at 2:58 pm

        Thank you Michele! I hope you enjoy the salsa! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    8. Kristina

      September 26, 2015 at 3:56 pm

      I LOVE restaurant style salsa, adding pineapple is fantastic!

      Reply
      • Watch Learn Eat

        September 26, 2015 at 9:15 pm

        Thanks Kristina!

        Reply

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    Founder, Author, Recipe Developer, & Photographer

    With a lifelong passion for cooking, I specialize in creating easy meatless meals that are omnivore-approved!

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