This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission - at no extra cost to you.
This post was previously published on Robust Recipes in 2016. The recipe and photos have been updated for a better reader experience. Enjoy.
Hi Friends!
Welcome to the last summer recipe of 2020. This is always a bittersweet transition for me to make. Summer is my favorite food season. Yet, there are so many cozy, comforting recipes to be made in the fall and winter.
Let’s get to it, shall we?
As stated above I originally made this recipe in 2016. It has brought in a good amount of traffic the fast few years, around August through September, and sometimes part of October. People are looking for ways to use up all those grape tomatoes that are abundant in their gardens.
If that is you, this fresh grape tomato salsa has your name on it!
Is this grape tomato salsa really a salsa?
Yes, and no.
I now realize that the title of this post might be a bit mis-leading. I probably should have originally called it “grape tomato pico de gallo”.
The difference between salsa is that a salsa is usually cooked, (and often canned), whereas a pico de gallo is made from fresh tomatoes, and eaten soon after it is made.
However, to change the URL of a post messes with google, and SEO rankings, and all that really important stuff that helps a food blog be successful. And when you get right down to it, a salsa is made from tomatoes and some other flavorful veggies, and eaten with a tortilla chip for dipping.
So, yes, this is a salsa recipe in the most basic form of salsas. However, it is technically more like a grape tomato pico de gallo – or, we could just call it a fresh grape tomato salsa and everyone is happy.
I just want to make that clear.
Either way, names and SEO stuff aside, you’re gonna love this fresh grape tomato salsa.
In the original grape tomato salsa recipe I pretty much added everything to a food processor, and pulsed it all together.
I updated the recipe so that you chop the tomatoes and other ingredients by hand. Does this take more time? YES. Is it worth the extra time? I think so.
You end up with a more uniform, and a more beautiful looking fresh grape tomato salsa.
Plus, here is the real big change that makes all the difference:
Now we drain the grape tomatoes….
What does that mean?
It means that after chopping the grape tomatoes, you place them in a fine mesh siv that’s placed over a bowl, toss the tomatoes with salt, and allow them to sit for 15 minutes while you chop the remaining ingredients.
What happens is the salt draws out the extra liquid from the tomatoes, so that the end result of the grape tomato salsa is less watery, yet, still has all that delicious tomato flavor.
It’s an extra step that is totally worth it.
As you can see, I cut have a little trick using two lids from yogurt containers to help make quick work of slicing up my tomatoes. I share directions for this technique in the recipe card below.
It’s a seriously a huge time saver anytime you need to slice grape tomatoes!
Can you can this grape tomato salsa recipe?
No.
That is the short answer.
I have never canned before, so I am not an expert, but after doing a little research it sounds like canning salsa can be one of the trickier foods to can. Salsa is considered a borderline low acid food, in the canning world at least. If you don’t have the correct PH balance when canning salsa it can change the safety of the food, and the shelf life. This is why many canned salsa recipes call for vinegar.
Also, the proportion of tomatoes to other vegetables can throw things off.
It is recommended to follow a recipe that was specifically created for canning. This fresh grape tomato salsa has not been tested to be a canned recipe.
If you want a canned salsa recipe I recommend checking out this post – Canning salsa 101: Our Favorite Salsa Recipe for Canning, from Wholefully.
Lot’s of good info about canning salsa in that post.
Here is a good middle ground salsa recipe that tastes cooked, but that still doesn’t require cooking, or canning:
The secret is to use store bought, canned fire roasted tomatoes, and pulse them up in the food processor along with all the other goodies. Seriously so easy, and so good.
What does this fresh grape tomato salsa taste like?
Umm, like summer on a tortilla chip.
If you like salsa, and you like grape tomatoes, you will LOVE this recipe.
Sweet, fresh grape tomatoes that have been marinating with cilantro, onion, jalapeno, garlic, and lime juice. Once you dip a salty, crunchy tortilla chip into this fresh grape tomato salsa, you will be addicted.
You have been warned 😜 .
How to enjoy fresh grape tomato salsa?
- With tortilla chips for dipping.
- As an appetizer.
- As a side dish to any Mexican meal.
- You could also serve it on top of chicken to easily spice things up a bit.
- You could add it on top of bowls, or even scrambled eggs, or breakfast tacos.
- The possibilities are endless.
Mexican inspired recipes you can serve this fresh grape tomato salsa with:
- Sofritas burrito bowls
- chicken enchilada casserole
- 30 minute sheet pan chicken fajitas
- Mexican shrimp cocktail
Ingredients for fresh grape tomato salsa:
- grape tomatoes
- kosher salt
- red onion
- garlic cloves
- jalapeno (optional, of course)
- cilantro
- juice of a lime
- tortilla chips (For serving)
That’s it. Simple fresh ingredients.
What’s great bout this fresh grape tomato salsa recipe is it’s super easy to make, yet impressive, and bursting with flavor. It’s naturally vegan and gluten free.
You can’t go wrong with this one, my friends.
More tasty dip and sauce recipes for you to try:
- easy homemade salsa (restaurant style)
- best ever guacamole
- spicy chipotle black bean hummus
- epic 11 layer taco dip
- salmon cream cheese ball
Happy snacking!
If you made this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment down below along with a star rating. This helps me grow my business more then you know. Also, I enjoy connecting with you all. Thanks, friends. 😉
Print
Fresh Grape Tomato Salsa
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: sides, appetizer, sauces and dips, snacks
- Method: chop
- Cuisine: gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Easy fresh grape tomato salsa recipe (AKA pico de gallo). Enjoy it with tortilla chips for dipping, on top of eggs, on chicken, on bowls, or with Mexican inspired dishes. So fresh, so tasty!
Ingredients
- 4 cups (about 2 pounds) grape tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (to “drain” the tomatoes)
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 to 2 jalapenos, minced (remove seeds for less heat)
- 1 cup cilantro, leaves, and tender stems, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For serving
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes: Use a serrated knife to slice the tomatoes in half and then slice each half into smaller pieces. This is a chunky salsa, so no need for a super tiny dice. Here is my trick for quickly slicing tomatoes (see photos in the post): use 2 clean plastic lids from something like a store-bought yogurt container, that are the same size. Place as many tomatoes as you can, in one even layer, onto one lid that has the lip facing up. Place the other lid, lip facing down on top of the tomatoes. Use one hand to hold the lid down. Use the other hand to use the serrated knife to slice in between the two lids. And just like that you sliced a bunch of tomatoes in half at once! From you here you can then slice the tomatoes into smaller pieces.
- “Drain” the tomatoes: Fit a fine mesh strainer over top of a mixing bowl. Transfer the cut tomatoes to the fine mesh strainer. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt, give the tomatoes a little toss. Allow the tomatoes to sit for 15 minutes. This will help the excess liquid to drain from the tomatoes so that we have a less watery salsa.
- Prepare the remaining ingredients: While the tomatoes are draining. Chop the red onion, garlic, jalapenos, and cilantro. Place them into a large mixing bowl and add the lime juice.
- Finish: After the tomatoes have drained, discard the tomato liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Add the tomatoes to the larger bowl with the remaining ingredients. Add the 3/4 teaspoon of salt and gently toss to combine.
- Chill: Cover and chill the salsa for at least 2 to 3 hours. It’s really best if the salsa is nice and chilled, it brings out all the flavors.
- To serve: Serve chilled, with tortilla chips, for dipping. Or serve it on top of chicken, tacos, in burritos, on top of eggs, etc. Recipe ideas to serve it with: easy chicken enchilada casserole, sofritas burrito bowls, 30 minute sheet pan chicken fajitas.
Notes
Salt: It may seem like there is a lot of salt in this recipe, but most of the salt that we use to “drain” the tomatoes gets discarded with the tomato water.
Jalapenos: You can omit the jalapenos completely, if desired. However, keep in mind that most of the heat lives in the seeds and the ribs, so if you want a really mild heat just make sure to remove the seeds of the jalapeno.
Leftovers: Leftovers will keep int he fridge for up to 3 days.
This looks absolutely AMAZING! Perfect for Cinco De Mayo coming up! 😀
Thanks Lauren! It’s very addicting! 🙂
Love this recipe?
Thank you Patricia! Glad to hear you’re enjoying it! 🙂
Can this be canned? Does the recipe change at all when canning? How long would the process time be?
Hi Sandra, I have never canned before so I really have no idea if this recipe will work for canning. Sorry I can’t me more help. Let me know if you give it a try. I’m curious how it will turn out, Thanks.
Yes! 10 minutes in a hot water bath. It will keep for up to 2 years. There is a similar recipe on the web put out by the ball glass company that includes corn, and it gives the instructions for canning. FYI… it calls for 5 lbs of cherry tomatoes, which is about 100. I triple it- if you are going through all thos work, make a big batch! 🙂
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing how to can the recipe Debi! Glad to know there is a way to can it, I’ll have to give it a try sometime.
Do you have to heat the salsa before you put in jars for canning
Hi Marge, I have never canned before so I don’t really know if cooking the salsa is needed to kill off bacteria, for storage or not. I made the recipe as more of a fresh salsa that is eaten soon after it is made.
I think I found the recipe from ball jar that Debi recommended. Their recipe does say to simmer the salsa for 10 to 15 minutes before putting it in the jars. Again, I don’t know if this is just their preference for the recipe or if this is necessary to help preserve the food for canning. Any other canning experts out there who would know?
Here is the recipe I found. https://www.freshpreserving.com/traditional-salsa—ball-auto-canner-recipes-br1399.html
I hope this is helpful. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Excellent!
Thank you. Glad to hear you liked it! 🙂
I made this salsa at 7am and I’m pretty sure it will be gone before the day is over. I realized that I forgot the garlic, but it’s still amazing. It’s so fresh and full of flavor. Thank you!
That’s awesome to hear! Glad you are enjoying the recipe so much. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
We have an over abundance of grape tomatoes. I found this recipe and we have made several batches. It doesn’t last long and we love it!
Thanks for the great recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! So good! Thanks for sharing 🙂