Create a restaurant style salsa with simple prep and a short cooking time with this Slow Cooker Salsa recipe. It features fresh ingredients like Roma tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, and jalapenos – everything for a good salsa worth sharing!
Be sure to use this salsa in recipes, not just with chips! We love to use this salsa in recipes such as Salsa Chicken, Steak Burritos, and Salsa Meatloaf. If you want a green version of this salsa, try my Slow Cooker Tomatillo Salsa.
Why this recipe works
I love bringing salsa and chips to summer barbecues; everyone seems to go crazy for it. This recipe for slow cooker salsa makes about 2 quarts of salsa! This is plenty enough for a big crowd. Or, you could freeze the leftovers in plastic containers and have some for later. If you love homemade salsa, this is one to try.
Recipe Ingredients
- Tomatoes: This recipe calls for Roma tomatoes and fire-roasted canned tomatoes. These are the base of the salsa and give it its fantastic tomato flavor.
- Other Vegetables: Jalapenos provide a nice kick and amazing flavor, while white onion adds both flavor and a slight crunch.
- Seasonings: Garlic, cilantro, salt, and chopped green onion top off the traditional salsa flavors to create a salsa everyone will love.
Step One – Add the Roma tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, and garlic to the slow cooker.
Step Two – Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours. Don’t be alarmed when you open the top, as the tomatoes will look like they have exploded. The vegetables will be primarily soft as well.
Step Three – Scoop the vegetables, seasonings, and juices from the slow cooker into a blender or food processor, and add the cilantro. Tear off the big chunk stems and discard them. Some stems are okay to keep.
Step Four – Pulse until the salsa is your desired consistency. Then, add salt to taste, the juice of fresh lime, and sliced green onion, and stir. Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
Variations
- Chunky: If you want to make a chunkier salsa, add diced bell peppers (green bell pepper is most commonly used), diced radish, or other fresh vegetables of your choice.
- Citrus: Give the salsa a more citrusy taste by adding extra lime juice and lemon juice.
- Spicy: Since this recipe already has jalapeno peppers, you can add more heat by including more jalapeno peppers.
- Charcuterie: Build a visually pleasing charcuterie board by placing the salsa in the center and surrounding it with tortilla chips.
- Mild Salsa: For a milder salsa, use green bell peppers instead of hot peppers.
Recipe FAQs
No. This recipe will keep well in mason jars for storage but only for a short amount of time (in the fridge or freezer). That’s why I do not include canning instructions. Canning recipes need special ingredients to make them safe.
Roma tomatoes work best for this recipe,e but if you don’t have these on hand, the next best type to use are little or big mama tomatoes or Amish paste tomatoes.
You can pour the crock pot salsa into a bowl or serve it in mason jars; however, it will need to be chilled for at least 3 hours prior.
This salsa should be poured into an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to one week. Or you can freeze for up to two months.
Are you wondering why I don’t add apple cider vinegar? I prefer no vinegar in fresh salsa; adding vinegar makes it tastes like store-bought jarred salsa.
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Slow Cooker Salsa
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 6-7 fresh Roma tomatoes about 1 pound no need to chop, or core, leave whole
- 30 oz. fire roasted tomatoes (two 15-oz. cans)
- 1 white onion peeled cut into 8 wedges
- 3 jalapeños tops cut off
- 4 whole garlic cloves peeled
Wait to add these items
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 lime
- 1 ¼ tsp. salt put in slowly, test it to taste
- 1 bunch green onions sliced (don't blend up, just stir these in)
Instructions:
- Put the Roma tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, onion, jalapeños and garlic in the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 3 hours, the tomatoes will look like they exploded, and the vegetables will be mostly soft.
- In 2 batches (or one if it fits) scoop the items and juices from the slow cooker into your blender or food processer, and add the cilantro (tear off the big chunk stems and discard, some stems are ok).
- Place the lid on. Pulse until salsa is the consistency you would like.
- Pour into a large serving bowl or whatever container you want to store the salsa in. Add the salt to taste, juice of the lime, and the sliced green onion, stir.
- Chill for at least 3 hours before serving. Serve with tortilla chips
Recipe Notes:
- You do not have to use exact measurements for this recipe, make it your own! Love garlic or jalapenos? Add a few more. Just add the salt to taste carefully at the end.
- This salsa should be poured into an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to one week. Or you can freeze for up to two months. This recipe as is, is not safe for canning.
- You can serve this salsa in more ways than just with chips! You can add it back to the slow cooker in recipes such as salsa chicken, Mexican beef or Velveeta dip.
- Are you wondering why I don’t add apple cider vinegar? I prefer no vinegar in fresh salsa; adding vinegar makes it tastes like store-bought jarred salsa.
- This recipe makes about 2 quarts, depending on the size of your vegetables.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Recipe adapted from One Particular Kitchen Salsa Roja – seriously best salsa on Pinterest!
I made my first batch of salsa using this recipe today and I love it! I like a little more spice and a thicker salsa so I used 3 jalapeños and didn’t include the extra juice since the tomatoes give off so much juice in the food processor. It came out perfect! My husband doesn’t even eat much salsa and he was he kept coming back for more. Thanks so much for posting this recipe.
Ho w many jars did you get? Anyone have any idea?
Wow! #2 recipe I’m going to try! I have tomatoes galore in my garden and they will be put to good use in this recipe. I just have to wait for the tomatoes to turn red!!!
Years ago a I made salsa (it was a 2 day recipe) and canned the salsa. I sterilized the canning jars first in a boiling water bath, filled the hot jars with the still hot cooked salsa, and then processed in a 15 minute water bath. The jars were suspended above the boiling water on a rack in one of those big enamel pots. When you removed the jars with the lifter to set out to cool, you’d hear the lids ‘click’ as they sealed tight. The salsa kept very well, and always tasted as good as the day it was made. I also make apple butter using the same canning method.
Salsa should be hot going into the jars? We are using the water bath.
Recipe looks great
Yes. If you put cooled down salsa into the hot sterilized jars you may risk cracking the glass. Hot cooked salsa into hot jars, then into the water bath. Be sure to suspend the jars off the floor of the pan. I’ve had the bottom of the canning jar completely break away. Always check jars for small cracks or imperfections before using.
Would a regular blender work for this project? I always feel my salsa gets too watery without a fancy food processor (which I don’t have). Any suggestions?
I used a regular blender, just pulse it slowly, being careful not to over blend. 🙂
I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to spice. What level of heat would you say this recipe has?
Thanks!
It depends on the jalapeño, on a scale of 1-10, ours turned out to be a 5. You can always blend up the salsa with one jalapeño at a time. 🙂
Could regular tomatoes e used and could I freeze the salsa instead of canning?
Yes, regular tomatoes would work fine, just weigh out about a pound of them. I freeze this salsa myself, works great!
Can fresh plum tomatoes be used instead of the can??
Yes that would work fine!
Love, love, love this salsa recipe. Taste just the the Mexican restaurant salsa that we enjoy so much. Thanks for sharing Sarah.
Do you have to remove the skin on the Roma tomatoes?
Nope, the skins get blended up. 🙂
Can you add extra veggies, like bell peppers?
Yes, bell peppers would be great in this salsa!
i have done some canning tomatoes do not need to be pressure canned.
they are ok in a water bath. have made lots of salsa. just take finished product and put in jars leavings head space and water bath about 30 minuites. that will seal them and yu can store them
my husband loves this recipe, hes eaten this salsa everyday since I made it ty, I love it because its so easy.
I am making this right now but i replaced half of the can tomatoes with Fire Roasted tomatoes. I hope it turns out ok!
I never even thought of using the slow cooker! Brilliant!
Re: canning, there’s a lot of discussion about that on the original post, but bottom line seems to be pressure canning would be okay, water bath canning would not.
Erin, I was so skeptical about the salsa in the slow cooker, because your original recipe is amazing. But it worked great! Thanks for the canning info 🙂
Tomatoes can be water bath canned or pressure canned. I usually pressure can only because most tomatoes varieties grown today have a low ph. Adding lemon juice, which you don’t really taste in the finished the product, makes sure it’s safe to water bath.
I used to can salsa all the time. A water bath is fine.
This sounds amazing! Yum! I can’t wait to try it! Thank you for posting the recipe 🙂
I love salsa and love the use of the crockpot in making this one. Do you think you could can the salsa instead of freezing it?
I’m not a canning expert, but think there has to be a perfect ratio of acid in it, like lemon juice. If anyone know how to convert a recipe to a canning recipe, please comment! 🙂
I have canned salsa for years. There is enough acid in tomatoes that no other is needed. I just put it in my jars and do a water bath for 20 minutes. I always have mine eaten in 6 months to a year. Ready for the next year’s tomatoes to come off in the garden. However, I have never used to canned tomatoes to make my salsa only fresh. Could that be the lemon juice difference?
I have canned crockpot salsa for several years and do not do the hot water bath. There is acid in the tomatoes and also vinegar added. Has anyone besides me done this before. It is so fresh tasting and easy to make. No preservatives at all, just garden fresh produce.
I can tomatoes every year and I have never done the water bath. I am VERY careful to boil the jars and lids(and bands) for about 10 minutes before pouring salsa or tomatoes in the jars. Have had only one come unsealed in years and no problems about bacteria.
Unless you are using green ones and then you need to salt them and leave them overnight to get enough acid.
It is OK to can tomatoes, but salsa is not acidic enough in a waterbath without adding a lot of vinegar or lemon juice. There are recipes for canning salsa but I have never found one I like–too acidic. It is OK to can it with a pressure canner. I did a lot of research on it a couple of years ago because I always canned salsa assuming it was OK. I never had a problem, but I guess botulism is a problem you only have once!