Our Favorite Garden Salsa Recipe

By: Angela Judd | September 8, 2025

An abundance of tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and onions from the garden means it’s time to make and can our favorite garden salsa recipe. As fresh ingredients ripen, I make several batches so we can enjoy salsa year-round and share it with friends and neighbors. A jar of salsa tied with a simple bow makes an easy, delicious gift.

Jars of homemade salsa and sauce, some with festive lids and ribbons, featuring our favorite garden salsa recipe, on a kitchen table and cooling rack.

This fresh garden salsa is the perfect way to use ripe tomatoes, peppers, onions, and herbs straight from the garden. It’s simple to make, easy to customize, and bursting with fresh flavor—perfect for chips, tacos, grilled meats, or preserving the taste of summer.

Jump to Recipe

Jars of our favorite garden salsa recipe cooling on a wire rack on a granite countertop, mugs hanging above.

No garden yet? Start one here: Gardening for Beginners: How to Start a Garden in 8 Simple Steps. While you wait for your first tomato harvest, you can use ripe tomatoes and peppers from your favorite market.
Not sure about heat levels? See Pepper Varieties: Types of Peppers and try small test batches with different hot peppers until you find your perfect spice level.
Questions about canning? The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning is a helpful resource.
For a refreshing pairing, try my Homemade Lemonade.

Garden Salsa Tested-Recipe Safety Notes

When canning, it’s important to follow tested ratios of high-acid and low-acid ingredients.

Use bottled lime juice and white vinegar with 5% acidity for consistent pH.
Keep the total volume of peppers the same even if you mix varieties for heat.
Pints or half-pints only for this recipe.
Don’t thicken before canning. Skip flour or cornstarch. If you want a thicker salsa, drain tomatoes well and simmer to reduce before filling jars.
Wear gloves when handling hot peppers. Use any mix of hot peppers you like, but keep the total pepper amount the same.

A pile of fresh red tomatoes in a metal colander, ready to be transformed into our favorite garden salsa recipe.

Canning Equipment

Boiling-water canner or deep stockpot with rack • Pint or half-pint canning jars with new lids and rings• Jar lifter • Wide-mouth funnel • Clean towels • Large nonreactive pot (8-quart) • Colander • Cutting board and knife

See my complete list of canning supplies on Amazon

Three photos: cooking Our favorite garden salsa recipe in a pot, boiling jars in water, and sealed salsa jars cooling on a rack.

Garden Salsa Altitude & Processing Time

Boiling-water processing time for hot-pack pints
0 to 1,000 ft: 15 minutes
1,001 to 6,000 ft: 20 minutes
Above 6,000 ft: 25 minutes
Phoenix metro is just over 1,000 ft, so use 20 minutes.

Our Favorite Garden Salsa

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 45

Servings: 5 pints

Course: Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Mexican

Calories: 197

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

8 pounds Ripe paste tomatoes See note
2 cups Mild Green peppers (Anaheim or poblano) Seeded and diced
⅓ to ½ cup Hot peppers (Jalapeño or Serrano) Seeded and diced
2 cups Onions Diced
½ cup Fresh cilantro Chopped
½ cup Lime juice Fresh or bottled
½ cup White vinegar 5%
⅓ cup Tomato paste
5 cloves Garlic Minced
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds toasted and crushed
1 teaspoon Black pepper

Equipment

Boiling-water canner or deep stockpot with rack
Pint or half-pint canning jars with new lids and rings
Jar lifter
Wide-mouth funnel
Clean towels
Large non-reactive pot 8 quart
Colander
Cutting board and knife

Method

Peel and prep tomatoes.

Wash tomatoes and remove stem ends.
To peel, bring several inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Immerse tomatoes a few at a time for 30 to 60 seconds until skins split.
Transfer to cold water, slip off skins, and discard.
Remove cores and seeds, then chop. Measure 15 cups of chopped tomatoes and place in a large colander set in the sink. Drain for 30 minutes so your salsa is not runny.

Simmer tomatoes to thicken.

Transfer drained tomatoes to an 8-quart nonreactive pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 1½ hours, stirring often, until thickened to your liking.

Add remaining ingredients.

Stir in peppers, onions, bottled lime juice, 5% white vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, salt, crushed cumin seeds, and black pepper. Return to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Fill jars.

Prepare clean, hot jars. Ladle hot salsa into jars leaving ½-inch headspace. Wipe rims clean. Apply lids and rings until fingertip tight.

Process.

Place filled jars on the rack in a boiling-water canner with water covering lids by at least 1 inch. Return to a vigorous boil and process for the time in the table (see notes). When time is up, turn off heat and let jars rest in the canner for 5 minutes. Remove to a towel-lined counter. Do not tilt. Let cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.

Check seals and store.

Remove rings, check seals, wipe jars, label, and store in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use within 1 year. Refrigerate after opening and enjoy within 1 to 2 weeks.

Notes

Tomatoes: I love using Roma or San Marzano tomatoes, but you can use whatever you’d like. Peel, core, seed, and chop them roughly and then measure 15 cups of chopped tomatoes.

Processing Times for Hot-Pack Pints:
0 to 1,000 ft: 15 minutes
1,001 to 6,000 ft: 20 minutes
Above 6,000 ft: 25 minutes
Phoenix metro is just over 1,000 ft, so use 20 minutes.

Tried this recipe?

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Tips for Best Salsa Texture and Flavor

Three glass jars filled with red tomato sauce, made from our favorite garden salsa recipe, sit on a wooden surface with greenery in the background.

Draining tomatoes for 30 minutes and simmering them down before adding vegetables keeps the salsa from being watery.
Toast cumin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, then crush for a deeper flavor.
For milder salsa, replace some hot peppers with more Anaheim or poblano, but keep the total pepper volume unchanged.
Always taste a tiny piece of each hot pepper so you have a sense of the heat you are adding.