The perfect easy restaurant style crockpot salsa recipe - medium spice level, hardly any chopping, using all fresh ingredients (nothing from a can). Cooking salsa in a crockpot makes for wonderfully balanced flavors. Bonus: leftovers can be frozen too! 🙂
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Why You'll Love Restaurant Style Salsa in Crock Pot
Perfectly blended flavor. Making salsa in your crockpot allows the flavors to meld and blend together wonderfully. It's very easy to customize this to your tastes - milder, spicier, tangier, etc. Check out the Substitution and Variation section below.
Super Easy! Hardly any chopping, no standing over a hot stove. Dump the tomatoes in practically whole - and walk away. Come back later, blend it, and freshen up with cilantro, lime, and green oinons.
Crock Pot Salsa Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this crockpot salsa:
- Roma Tomatoes: roma tomatoes have a firmer denser texture and hold up well when slow cooking
- Beefsteak Tomatoes: while softer, they add more juices to the salsa.
- Jalapeno: this recipe is closer to a medium spice level - depending upon how large and potent your jalapenos are. If you are unsure or like it mild, use 1 jalapeno or 2 with the seeds removed.
- Yellow Onion: I used a yellow onion, but a white may be used. A sweet onion will lend a sweet taste to your salsa.
- Green Bell Pepper
- Fresh Lime Juice: freshly squeezed lime juice is always best.
- Fresh Cilantro: it is preferable that you use only the leaves, but a few stems are okay. Half will be blended, and the half will be added after cooking.
- Cumin
- Garlic Cloves
- Green Onion
- Salt and Pepper: add at the end and season to taste a little at a time.
For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!
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Variations and Substitutions
Here are some suggestions for customizing your crock pot bbq shredded chicken:
- Increase acidity by adding more lime juice.
- To make spicier salsa add more jalapenos or a hotter green chili such as habanero. If you need it spicier after cooking, add finely chopped fresh jalapenos, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce.
- Reduce acidity by adding small amounts of sugar.
- To make very mild salsa, halve the jalapenos and remove the seeds before cooking.
- 1 (15-ounce) can of diced tomatoes, may be used in place of 1 large tomato, regular or fire-roasted tomatoes work well.
How To Make Crockpot Salsa
Here's how to make this easy slow cooker salsa recipe. For full instructions, see the recipe card below. Enjoy!
- Place tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, green bell pepper, cumin, and garlic in the crockpot.
2. Slow cook until the vegetables are very tender.
3. Let salsa cool. Add half of the fresh cilantro leaves. Transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached.
4. Add remaining cilantro leaves, lime juice, and green onions. Salt and pepper to taste.
How to Serve Restaurant Style Salsa
There are several ways you can serve your delicious restaurant style salsa!
Meal idea! Make an easy crockpot salsa chicken by adding 4 chicken breasts and 1 cup salsa to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours until the chicken can be easily shredded. Mix together, add extra salsa if needed and serve in taco shells or on buns.
Use salsa as a dip for tortilla or corn chips.
Top fish, grilled or roasted chicken, pork, and steak. Use as a condiment on tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more!
FAQ's
Store cooled crockpot salsa in air-tight containers or jars in the fridge for up to 5 days. The salsa can also be frozen for up to 5 months.
You can freeze this salsa recipe, yes. Once cooled, transfer to a freezer-safe container. Fill the container, leaving 1" of head space at the top. Label and freeze for up to 5 months. Thaw salsa in the refrigerator.
Yes, you can use your pressure cooker on the slow cooker setting (high) or you can pressure cook it on high for 10 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
Salsa is chunkier in consistency and is most often made with diced raw ingredients. Restaurant style salsa (salsa roja) is actually cooked to blend the flavors, blended until almost smooth, then cooled before serving.
📖 The recipe.
Slow Cooker Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 roma tomatoes (tops removed)
- 2 beefsteak tomatoes (tops and hard core removed)
- 1 large yellow onion (coarsely chopped)
- 2 jalapenos (tops removed; for mild salsa remove the seeds)
- 1 green bell pepper (coarsely chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 3 green onions (sliced)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place whole tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, green bell pepper, and garlic in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or until all the vegetables are very tender.
- Let the salsa cool slightly. Add half of the fresh cilantro leaves. Transfer to a blender, food processor (or use an immersion blender) and pulse until desired consistency is reached (do not overfill, work in batches if needed).
- Add remaining cilantro leaves, cumin, lime juice, and green onions. Salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Don't miss all of our helpful hints, substitution ideas, cooking tips, and other delicious recipes that can be found in our post. Check it out!
- VARIATIONS: 1 (15-ounce) can of diced tomatoes may be used in place of 1 large tomato, regular or fire-roasted tomatoes work well.
- TIPS: To make spicier salsa add more jalapenos or a hotter green chili such as habanero. If you need it spicier after cooking, add finely chopped fresh jalapenos or cayenne pepper to taste. Reduce any acidity by adding a small amount of sugar. Increase acidity by adding more lime juice. To make very mild salsa, halve the jalapenos and remove the seeds before cooking.
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve with tortilla chips, or use as a condiment for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more.
- STORAGE: Store salsa in airtight containers for up to 5 days in the fridge, or you can freeze for up to 5 months.
Nutrition
© 2025 Slow Cooked Eats
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