Chili’s salsa is the best part of the meal, and it usually shows up before the food does. The real thing turns out to be almost stupid-simple to make at home – just canned tomatoes, jalapenos, and a few seasonings pulsed together in a blender, then chilled until the flavors settle in. Give it a few hours in the fridge (overnight is even better) and you’ve got a bowl that tastes just like the one that lands on your table the second you sit down.

I just like Chili’s chips and salsa. Always have. Once I found out how incredibly simple it is to make at home, I couldn’t help myself. Now I make a batch whenever the craving hits.

It’s smooth, a little spicy and a little smoky, with that same cumin-and-lime flavor and the restaurant-style texture you can’t get from chunky jarred salsa. Ten minutes of work, a few hours in the fridge, and it tastes like you’re sitting in a booth waiting on your order.

Tips for the Best Copycat Chili’s Salsa

The one thing you can’t skip: the onion goes in raw, stirred in by hand after everything else is blended – never pulsed in with the tomatoes. Blend it in and the whole batch turns into a raw-onion bomb instead of salsa. Beyond that, keep the blender pulses short and check as you go so you end up with some texture left instead of tomato juice, and don’t rush the chill time – the flavors really do need those few hours to come together.

Zesty Copycat Chili’s Salsa

5 from 1 vote

A fresh, blender-easy copycat of Chili’s classic salsa – bright tomatoes, jalapeno heat, and a punch of lime, chilled until the flavors come together.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Servings: 4 cups

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 4 oz can diced jalapenos hot
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2.5 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 cup onion finely diced
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh cilantro optional, chopped

Equipment

• Blender or Food Processor

Method

 

1. Add the diced tomatoes (with their juice), jalapenos, lime juice, salt, and cumin to a blender or food processor.
2. Pulse gently in short bursts until the mixture is mostly pureed but still has a little texture left – you’re not making tomato juice, so stop as soon as it looks right. It’s easy to over-blend this, so go slow and check often.
3. Pour the blended mixture into a bowl and stir in the raw diced onion by hand. Do not blend the onion in with the rest of the mixture – pulsing it into the blender will make the whole batch taste like raw onion instead of salsa.
4. If you’re using the cilantro, stir it in now. It adds a nice fresh note, though it will pull the flavor a bit away from the classic Chili’s taste.
5. Transfer the salsa to a tupperware or mason jar with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Overnight is even better – the extra time lets the flavors fully come together.
6. Serve cold with tortilla chips.

Notes

Don’t skip the onion warning above – stirring it in raw, after blending, is what keeps this tasting like Chili’s salsa instead of a raw-onion bomb.

The cilantro is completely optional. Leave it out for the most authentic copycat flavor, or add it if you like a fresher, brighter salsa.

Makes about 4 cups. Keeps in the fridge for about a week.

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Serve it icy cold with a big bowl of chips, or spoon it over tacos, eggs, or grilled chicken – this one doesn’t tend to stick around long once people know it’s in the fridge.