Cherry Tomato Salsa is naturally sweet with tons of fresh garden flavors. With fresh tomatoes and cilantro, it’s perfect for serving with tacos and tortilla chips, and it could not be easier to make.
Our garden is known for giving us buckets of cherry tomatoes, and I always run out of things to make with them. (As I mentioned in my 5 Minute Garden Salsa post, my husband is a tough critic when it comes to homemade salsa, so I have been hesitant to use these tomatoes for salsa.) But this salsa is delicious and has such a great tomato flavor.
I finally decided to make cherry tomato salsa for myself for lunch, and my husband snuck a taste. I was expecting some critique, but this recipe got a “WOW! That’s REALLY good. It doesn’t need tweaking or anything!” I felt like the “random garden things” salsa master.
This recipe is similar to a pico de gallo style salsa and is also super healthy as most of the ingredients actually came from my garden – it is Paleo, Whole30 friendly, and has no added sugar, though it still tastes sweet from the cherry tomatoes. It’s probably the best salsa (and the most simple salsa) that we make all summer. (And it is one of my favorite recipes.)
Cherry Tomato Salsa Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for the best cherry tomato salsa recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- A Small Sweet or Yellow Onion (You can also use a red onion to change up the flavor)
- 3 – 4 Cloves of Garlic
- A Small or Medium Jalapeño
- Fresh Cherry Tomatoes – I used a mix of little Juliet Tomatoes – they are like baby Roma tomatoes – and some kind of perfectly round cherry tomato hybrid that I have been growing for years. Sweet Million Tomatoes would work really well for this recipe as well. (Really, any cherry or grape tomatoes that you have too many of!)
- Fresh Cilantro – I use the leaves and softer parts of the stems. (I chop off most of the bottom.)
- Kosher Salt
- The Juice of One Lime – Ideally, you want to use fresh lime juice. You can use the refrigerated kind as well.
You’ll Also Need
- A Food Processor, Chopper, or Blender
- A Sharp Knife
- A Cutting Board
- A Rubber Spatula
- A Metal Strainer
How to Make Cherry Tomato Salsa
This salsa is such a great way to make use of a summer abundance of cherry tomatoes, and it is easy to make using a food processor. It comes together so quickly.
First, peel the onion and cut it in half. Then, add the onion and garlic cloves to the bowl of a food processor.
Chop the onion and garlic, then roughly chop one jalapeño and add it to the food processor. (Exclude the membrane and seeds to reduce the heat.)
Chop the jalapeño with the onions and garlic.
Next, add the tomatoes and then the cilantro to the food processor. Chop the cilantro and tomatoes in the food processor to your desired consistency.
This next step is optional, but I like to do it – pour the salsa (the chopped tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno, etc.) into a fine metal strainer over a bowl to get rid of any excess moisture. (The tomatoes and onions release a lot of liquid when you chop them up.)
You want to do this BEFORE adding the salt and lime juice because you will strain out the salt and lime otherwise.
Return the strained salsa to a bowl, then add salt and the juice of a lime.
Mix well, then taste. Adjust with more salt, lime, and cilantro if needed.
There you have it – fresh salsa. Fresh HOMEMADE salsa. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips, quesadillas, plantain chips, or tacos!
Fire Roasted Cherry Tomato Salsa
A great way to use up even more tomatoes is to make a second batch of salsa to try two side by side – an easy roasted cherry tomato salsa. (That is if you have as many cherry tomatoes as we do!)
If you want to make fire-roasted cherry tomato salsa, try roasting some cherry tomatoes, quartered onion, and jalapeño on a baking sheet under the broiler until the tomatoes are blistered. (Do NOT roast the lime or cilantro.) This will give the tomatoes a sweet and fire-roasted tomato or charred flavor. I have a separate recipe for this version as you need to adjust the ingredients a bit to balance out the sweetness the tomatoes develop from being roasted.
Can You Can Cherry Tomato Salsa?
Unfortunately, not with this recipe. Here is a tested recipe for canning cherry tomato salsa.
I also love this recipe for canned salsa, and I also like to make frozen salsa. I prefer to use fresh cherry tomatoes to make “fresh” meals. I also like to freeze cherry tomatoes whole or, I make cherry tomato sauce, cherry tomato soup, and roasted cherry tomato paste. I also like to dehydrate cherry tomatoes to later make “sun-dried” cherry tomato pesto.
Recipe Tips
- Strain the liquid out of your salsa before you add salt and lime – otherwise, you will pour out the salt and lime when you strain it!
- If you don’t like spicy salsa, remove the seeds and membrane from the jalapeño before dicing. This can be a really mild salsa if you need it to be. If you really don’t like spice, start with only half of the jalapeño.
- Try making roasted cherry tomato salsa by roasting the cherry tomatoes under the broiler until they are blistered before making salsa to get a fire-roasted/charred flavor.
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Storage
Serve your cherry tomato salsa immediately, or let it sit for a few hours to let the flavors develop.
Leftover salsa can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week, but it is best eaten within a few days.
Homemade Salsa Recipe Variations
- If you don’t have a lime, you can replace it with a small amount of lemon or lime juice.
- You can add different kinds of peppers to make your salsa really spicy.
- Cumin or chipotle powder adds a different flavor to salsa – adding just a pinch can completely change this recipe.
- Blister the cherry tomatoes under a broiler before serving to give the salsa a “fire-roasted” taste.
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
Quick & Easy Cherry Tomato Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes I used little Juliet tomatoes (small Roma tomatoes) and regular cherry tomatoes
- ½ white or yellow onion
- 1 – 2 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 jalapeño Seeded and membrane removed
- ½ cup cilantro More if desired. You can use a mix of leaves and stems.
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt Add more to taste if desired.
- 1 lime, juiced
Instructions
- First, peel the onion and cut it in half. Then, add the onion and garlic cloves to the bowl of a food processor.½ white or yellow onion, 1 – 2 cloves fresh garlic
- Chop the onion and garlic, then roughly chop one jalapeño and add it to the food processor. (Exclude the membrane and seeds to reduce the heat.)1 jalapeño
- Chop the jalapeño with the onions/garlic.
- Next, add tomatoes then cilantro to the food processor.3 cups cherry tomatoes, ½ cup cilantro
- Chop the tomatoes and cilantro to your desired consistency.
- This next step is optional, but I like to do it – pour the salsa into a fine metal strainer over a bowl to get rid of any excess moisture. (The tomatoes and onions release a lot of liquid when you chop them up.) You want to do this BEFORE adding the salt and lime juice because you will strain out the salt and lime otherwise.
- Return the strained salsa to a bowl (or the food processor), then add salt and the juice of a lime.½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 lime, juiced
- Mix well, then taste. Adjust with more salt, lime, and cilantro if needed. Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Strain the liquid out of your salsa before you add salt and lime – otherwise, you will pour out the salt and lime when you strain it!
- If you don’t like spicy salsa, remove the seeds and membrane from the jalapeño before dicing. If you really don’t like spice, start with only half of the jalapeño.
What to Serve with Cherry Tomato Salsa
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips, quesadillas, plantain chips, or tacos!How to Store Homemade Salsa
Serve your salsa immediately or save it for later. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, but it is best eaten within a few days.Special Equipment Needeed
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
🥫Other Great Seasonings and Sauces
- Easy 5 Minute Fresh Garden Salsa
- Taco Seasoning Recipe
- Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce
- Copycat Raising Cane’s Sauce
- Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
🙋♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! That is one of the perks of using cherry tomatoes – the tomatoes can just be thrown in and used as-is as long as you use fresh tomatoes.
To make this salsa spicier, add some of the membrane and seeds from your jalapeño or another seeded jalapeño. Do this gradually – once it is too spicy, it is very hard to reduce the heat.
To cool down salsa, you need to balance the heat with salt, acid, and sweet. If your salsa is too spicy, you can add more salt, more lime juice, and a little bit of sugar. If that doesn’t help, you can always add more tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.
For fresh tomatoes, you can use Campari, Roma, or Plum tomatoes. (You can use other kinds as well, but the consistency/flavor will be a little different.) You can also use canned tomatoes (diced or whole) without their juices.
Great, simple, fresh salsa!
I’m so glad you liked it!
Can I freeze it
I think the tomatoes would get soggy if you freeze it, but you could purée it and freeze it to make a more restaurant style salsa. I’m just concerned it would get watery.
The directions on how to make the salsa are redundant. In one breath you’re saying put stuff in the food processor and then in another breath you’re saying chop the ingredients up. Makes no sense.
Sorry that it’s confusing! I do a rough chop (cut the onion into quarters and remove the stem/seeds from the jalapeño) so that the ingredients combine together a little better when you put them in the food processor – otherwise you might end up with a huge chunk of jalapeño or a big bite of onion.
My husband is picky about his salsa, and he loved it! My son doesn’t usually eat salsa, and he liked it! I liked it too! Thank you for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it!
Super easy! I used the lemon substitute because I didn’t have a lime. I added the 2nd jalapeno because we like the spice, plus some cumin as suggested & chili powder for some extra heat! Also broiled my tomatoes for a few minutes. I made this all in my Vitamix.
Easy & so delicious!! Thanks for a great recipe!