15 Salsa Recipes You'll Want To Use On Everything

Forget jarred salsa — the homemade stuff is way better. Whether you're putting out a spread of chips and dip or you want to top your tacos with something bold and flavorful, homemade salsa always does the trick. But you don't have to stick with the same-old, same-old salsa recipes you use time and time again. By switching up your ingredients (and, occasionally, your technique), you can reimagine all of your favorite recipes in countless, flavorful ways.

We've collected some of our all-time favorite salsa recipes to offer you more fresh and veggie-packed options to accompany all your favorite foods. Feel free to follow these recipes to the letter, or simply let them inspire you to test your own salsa recipes at home. And don't feel like you can only use them on Mexican or Mexican-inspired dishes: We believe that fresh, homemade salsa can go on just about anything savory.

Don't worry — you don't have to fire-roast the tomatoes yourself to make this fire-roasted salsa at home. Instead, you can simply grab a can of fire-roasted tomatoes at the store along with ingredients like onion, garlic, cilantro, lime, and cumin. After pulsing the ingredients in a blender a few times, you'll have an intense salsa that has just the right amount of complexity. Whipping up a quick salsa to add to your dinner has never been easier.

Recipe: Fire-Roasted Salsa

Who says that salsa has to be completely tomato-based? Certainly not us, and certainly not while this recipe for fresh mango salsa exists. Mango, of course, plays the starring role in this recipe, but tomatoes, avocados, and red onion add juiciness, creaminess, and a pop of sharpness, respectively. Lime juice and cilantro provide those extra touches of freshness, which make this salsa truly shine. The subtle sweetness of the mango means that this salsa pairs particularly well with salty grilled meats and vegetables.

Recipe: Fresh Mango Salsa

Some salsa is on the chunkier side, but others are more blended, with the ingredients more integrated — that's exactly what's happening with this salsa. You'll broil many of the ingredients until they've taken on a nice, charred exterior, then blend them together with the fresh ingredients until you've achieved a smooth consistency. Then, cooking the salsa down for a few minutes on the stove will reduce it so it's not too watery. You'll be amazed at how concentrated the flavor of your salsa will be when you make it this way.

Recipe: Easy Salsa

Some of the best salsa is complex and smoky, and that's just what you'll get in this recipe. The key here is really focusing on charring the tomatoes, garlic, onions, and jalapeños — this is what will give this salsa its signature smoky flavor. The addition of agave helps counteract all the acidity you get from the lime juice. Sure, it takes a bit more work to make this salsa than some of the others on this list, but we think the extra time and effort are worth it once you taste how delicious it is.

Recipe: Charred Tomato Salsa

Some people like their salsa as mild as can be, but if you're the kind of salsa eater who can handle some heat, then this spicy salsa roja is calling your name. The spice in this recipe comes from serrano peppers. Make sure to keep the seeds in if you really want that extra heat. Cooking all the ingredients down before adding them to the blender ensures that you're getting a lot of complexity in this recipe — and that the heat will be very well distributed throughout the dish.

Recipe: Spicy Salsa Roja

Some people think of salsa as a tomato-studded topping, but in reality, a tomato-less salsa verde is sometimes exactly what you need for dipping chips and topping tacos. This version of salsa verde is especially creamy, which adds a lovely textural element to whatever you're eating it with. The main ingredient you'll rely on for this recipe is tomatillos, but cilantro, avocado, and jalapeños also play an important role in infusing this salsa with as much flavor as possible.

Recipe: Creamy Salsa Verde

When you're looking for a milder, lighter-tasting salsa, look no further than this cucumber- and avocado-studded number. It's not super spicy, and it has a creaminess that works well in dishes that could use a cooling, refreshing quality. Not only will you utilize cucumber and avocado in this recipe, but corn kernels also play an important role, adding just a touch of sweetness and texture to the dish. Don't forget the red onion, which provides a pop of flavor that would otherwise be absent from this mild salsa recipe.

Recipe: Cucumber Avocado Salsa

Broiled tomatillos offer this recipe a rich, charred flavor that's enhanced by the additions of jalapeño, cilantro, and onion. Even though you will have to take the time to actually broil the tomatillos, this recipe still comes together in only 15 minutes, meaning that you can whip it up at the last minute, right before you're ready to top your tacos. If you can get your hands on some fresh tomatillos, this is a salsa recipe you absolutely have to try.

Recipe: Fresh Tomatillo Salsa Verde

There's nothing like a fruity salsa that delivers both savory and sweet flavors in a single bite. That's why we love this pineapple salsa recipe so much. Pineapple really plays the leading role here, but it works because pineapple provides both sweetness and a fresh acidity to the dish, the latter of which is enhanced by lime juice. The red onion and jalapeño here are really nice touches, as they help to counteract the sweetness of the fruit and give the salsa a fresh boldness.

Recipe: Pineapple Salsa

Sure, we love guacamole, but it's not the only avocado-based sauce that can give new life to your favorite meals. This creamy avocado salsa verde employs both avocado and tomatillos to create this rich green sauce. Broiling the tomatillos helps bring out a more interesting flavor. After that point, you really just have to blend all of the ingredients together to yield this ultra-flavorful salsa. Feel free to leave out the jalapeño if you don't particularly like heat.

Recipe: Creamy Avocado Salsa Verde

You can use either fresh or frozen corn to make this incredible corn-based salsa. Arguably, the most important step in this recipe is actually roasting that corn in the oven. It gives the salsa a unique smokiness that you won't find in every recipe, and it brings out some extra sweetness in the corn. That sweetness balances nicely with other included ingredients, like onions, lime juice, and fresh cilantro. You'll also include tomatoes in this recipe, but they function more as an enhancement to the recipe and not the most important element.

Recipe: Roasted Corn Salsa

Who knew that watermelon could make up the bulk of one of the most delicious salsas you've ever tasted? When you're looking for an especially refreshing salsa, try this recipe. You'll need watermelon, of course, but this recipe also calls for ingredients like red onion, cucumber, cilantro, and lime juice. The yellow bell pepper is a nice touch because it adds both sweetness and a bright pop of color to the mix, and mint is an unexpected but super fresh-tasting addition as well.

Recipe: Refreshing Watermelon Salsa

There's something about a good mango salsa that can completely transform just about any meal (or make for the perfect accompaniment to tortilla chips). Make sure you're using ripe mangos here, as you'll want to taste the sweetness in the fruit. We love this recipe because it's incredibly straightforward and doesn't require any cooking at all. In just 15 minutes, you can have a bowl of bright, juicy mango salsa on your dinner table.

Recipe: Easy Mango Salsa

Craving the salsa at Chili's, but don't want to spend the money on going out to eat? We've been there before, which is why we love this recipe for copycat Chili's salsa so much. This salsa is more on the watery, less chunky side, which is perfect for dipping chips into. You'll use both canned and fresh tomatoes for a bowl of salsa that's both super juicy and fresh-tasting. Feel free to adjust the spice levels by adding more or less jalapeños depending on your heat preference.

Recipe: Copycat Chili's Salsa

One of the more unique salsa recipes in this lineup, our smoky negra salsa is an easy way to instantly upgrade just about any salsa-adjacent recipe. Morita chiles and skinless peanuts give this salsa its unique, smoky, nutty flavor, adding instant complexity to whatever you eat it with. For this recipe, you'll skip the lime juice and instead use apple cider vinegar to give it the freshness it needs.

Recipe: Smoky Salsa Negra

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