This homemade salsa recipe is made with chunks of fresh juicy tomatoes, spicy jalapeños and scallions. Simply seasoned with vinegar and sea salt. This easy, tasty salsa is great as a dip or to add flavor to your favorite dishes.
Total carbs 4g, net carbs 2g
At under 5 grams of carbs per serving, this salsa is keto-friendly, vegan-friendly and gluten-free so you can share it with your friends!
Ingredients in Salsa Fresca
Here's what goes into making a fresh salsa:
- Onions
Chopped white or red onions are commonly used to make salsa. I used scallions here because that is what I had. Feel free to use onions. - Chili Peppers
Use any type of chili pepper that you have handy. Serrano, jalapeño and habanero peppers are traditionally used. - Tomatoes
Use fresh, ripe red tomatoes for best results. If you don't have medium-sized tomatoes, don't worry. I understand. I often get a wide variety of tomatoes from the farm and more often than not will improvise. Whether you have cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, heirlooms or beefsteak tomatoes, feel free to use any type of tomato that you have. They should yield about 1 to 1 ⅓ cups of chopped tomatoes. - Cilantro
Use as much or as little fresh cilantro as you like or none at all. - Lime juice, lemon juice or vinegar
I used vinegar in this recipe because I didn't have any limes and I wasn't about to run out to the store to get them, but if you have them use a splash of lime juice to add a hit of acidity. - Salt
Sea salt is best. I love to use Celtic sea salt in salsa, the added minerals are refreshingly thirst quenching and bring out the juiciness of the tomatoes.
How to make Salsa Fresca
No cook, fresh salsa is simple. You don't need a food processor or a pot, just chop and mix.
- Chop. Finely chop onions or scallions and place in a bowl that can hold about 2 cups of salsa.
- Season. Add a splash of vinegar or lime juice and a generous pinch of salt.
- Stir. Mix well to combine.
- Chop. Finely chop jalapeño (or chili pepper of your choice).
- Chop. Roughly chop tomatoes and add to bowl. Give it another stir to mix all the ingredients together.
- Garnish. Use fingers to break up bits of fresh cilantro leaves over the salsa. You can skip this step if you aren't a fan of cilantro or don't have any handy.
- Serve! If you are counting carbs, 8-10 tortilla chips are approximately 15 grams of carbs. Enjoy your chips and salsa!
Storing leftover Salsa Fresca
Store in the fridge
You can store salsa in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days. It will last longer if you stir in a splash of vinegar or lemon or lime juice first.
A note for double-dippers: If there is any saliva in the salsa (ie; someone double-dipped into the serving bowl or tasted the salsa with a spoon and put that used spoon back into the bowl) then the digestive action of the saliva will cause the salsa to spoil quicker.
Store in the freezer
Store salsa in an air-tight container and freeze for up to 2 months.
Frequently asked questions
'Salsa fresca' means 'fresh sauce'. It is a type of chunky salsa made from fresh, uncooked tomatoes, onions, and chile peppers. White and red onions are commonly used as ingredients in salsa fresca. For this recipe I used scallions because they are what I had on hand. Serrano peppers, jalapeños and habanero peppers may be used to make fresh salsa. This salsa is traditionally seasoned with salt, cilantro and lime juice. You may substitute lemon juice or vinegar if you don't have limes on hand.
Salsa fresca means 'fresh sauce'.
Pico de gallo means 'rooster's beak' and is another name for salsa fresca.
It is also called salsa cruda, meaning 'raw sauce'.
These names are all interchangeably used to describe raw, fresh chunky salsa used in Mexican cuisine.
Watch How To Make Salsa Fresca
Salsa fresca
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
This homemade salsa recipe is made with chunks of fresh juicy tomatoes, spicy jalapeños and scallions. Simply seasoned with vinegar and sea salt. This easy, tasty salsa is great as a dip or to add flavor to your favorite dishes.
Ingredients
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- a pinch of salt
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 sprig cilantro
Instructions
- Chop. Finely chop onions or scallions and place in a bowl that can hold about 2 cups of salsa.
- Season. Add a splash of vinegar or lime juice and a generous pinch of salt.
- Stir. Mix well to combine.
- Chop. Finely chop jalapeño (or other type of chili pepper)
- Chop. Rough chop tomatoes and add to bowl. Give it another stir to mix all the ingredients together.
- Garnish. Use fingers to break up bits of fresh cilantro leaves over the salsa. You can skip this step if you aren't a fan of cilantro or don't have any handy.
- Serve! If you are counting carbs, 8-10 tortilla chips are approximately 15 grams of carbs. Enjoy your chips and salsa!
Notes
- Use any chili pepper you like. Serrano, jalapeño and habanero peppers are traditionally used.
- Use any onion that you like. Feel free to swap scallions with whatever you have - white or red onions or shallots.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Chop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Mandy says
Thanks for posting, I’ve been looking for an easy salsa recipe for a while - now I’ve found one!
Sachi says
So glad you like it!
Meggan says
My favorite salsa!!
Sachi says
Awesome!
Cindy says
Oh! this is so FRESH and tasty! It was pretty easy to make too. Thanks for the great recipe.
Sachi says
Yay, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Jennifer says
Such an easy recipe and so much flavor!
Sachi says
My family gobbled it up! ❤️
Donna says
So much flavour in this salsa, and so fresh! Loved it
Sachi says
❤️❤️❤️
Kim says
My whole family loved this recipe! Fresh is so much better than store bought!
Sachi says
Agreed! It's too easy not to make it at home.
Shobee says
Lovely post, girl. Love the pictures too.
Sachi says
Thanks Shobee! Enjoy!
laura says
The PERFECT recipe for diabetics houses. Our type one diabetic LOVES salsa and taco night!!
Sachi says
That's great, I'm so glad to hear that!
Sherry says
My family loves, loves, loves your fresh salsa Fresca!! I used fresh ingredients from our garden which made this recipe even more special!
Sachi says
That's fantastic! Garden Fresh is best!