This quick and easy Roasted Cherry Tomato Salsa is fresh, flavorful, and super simple to make!
If you’re like me, and often have an abundance of cherry tomatoes, this recipe is exactly what you need!
This sassy and speedy salsa (helloooo alliteration!) is the ultimate snack and makes a great topping for tacos, quesadillas, salads, enchiladas, nachos, burritos, and so much more!
Can you tell I absolutely have a “type” when it comes to my food? I love all things Mexican and Tex-Mex inspired and this seriously scrumptious salsa reminds me of the kind served at many of my favorite restaurants.
Salsa isn’t traditionally made with cherry or grape tomatoes but oh man, when you spot a sale of buy one get one free pints of tomatoes or have a boatload of ripe tomatoes coming out of your backyard garden, this rockin’ recipe is a lifesaver for using them up in the most delicious way!
Homemade Salsa Tips and Tricks
So of course I couldn’t share this tasty roasted cherry tomato salsa recipe without also sharing some of my favorite tips for making it next level delicious!
1. Roast the jalapeños and onion with the tomatoes
This softens the veggies and adds a little extra flavor to the mix! You could roast the garlic as well (make sure you roast it skin-on and then peel before blending) if you would like a milder garlic flavor, but I *really* like to keep my garlic raw for a little zing!
2. It’s all about the texture
For the ultimate salsa texture I like to blend my salsa up pretty well using a food processor. A blender or immersion blender also work if needed.
I add the roasted tomato, jalapeno, and onion along with the juices from the pan. Then toss in the minced raw garlic and spices.
I usually stop blending once the jalapeño and onion have a nice super-fine mince to them. This leave the tomatoes nice and saucy. I then snag a Roma tomato or two and give it an ultra-fine dice and toss it into the salsa so there are some perfect little chunks in every bite. Lastly fold in the chopped cilantro and you’re good to go!
3. Season to taste
I’ll give you a starting measurement in the recipe card, but when it comes to the cumin, salt, pepper, and even the cilantro, you’ll want to adjust these levels to taste. For a smokier salsa you can even add a pinch of smoked paprika to the mix!
While we’re on the subject of seasoning, let’s talk about spice! This salsa leans a bit on the spicier side, as we’re using two jalapeños with all their spicy seeds in tact. It’s my perfect level of spiciness so I stick with this ratio. If you want to fan your face, you’re welcome to even add a little extra, lol!
For a mild salsa, you can 100% halve your jalapeños before slicing and scoop out all the seeds and “veins” to nix a good portion of the spice. Find it too mild like this? Save the seeds and add them in to taste to get your perfect level of spice.
Roasted Cherry Tomato Salsa
The ingredients for this spicy and scrumptious salsa are fresh, flavorful, and super simple. Ready to dive in? Let’s get our salsa on!
Since salsa keeps oh so well for a few days in the fridge, it’s a great make-ahead option as well. Enjoy some now an save some for later!
Roasted Cherry Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
- ¼ white onion
- 2 jalapeño peppers
- 2 cloves garlic (smashed, peeled, and minced)
- 1 lime , juiced
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp salt plus extra to taste
- ⅛ tsp black pepper plus extra to taste
- ⅛ tsp dried oregano
- 1 cup fresh chopped cilantro or to taste
- 1-2 Roma tomatos for topping, optional but so tasty!
Instructions
- Raise oven rack to top rack (or the rack below if additional room is needed). Preheat oven to broil on high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and spritz with your favorite spray oil.
- NOTE: If it is difficult to move the oven's center rack or you want a less smoky/charred salsa, keep the rack in center position.
- Decide if you want mild, medium, or spicy salsa. This salsa leans a bit on the spicier side, as we’re using two jalapeños with all their spicy seeds in tact. It’s my perfect level of spiciness! If you want to fan your face, you’re welcome to even add a little extra. Slice jalapeño peppers into discs for more roasting surface area.
- For a mild salsa, you can 100% halve your jalapeños before slicing and scoop out all the seeds and “veins” to nix a good portion of the spice. Find it too mild like this? Save the seeds and add them in to taste to get your perfect level of spice.
- Spread your tomatoes, onion, and jalapeños onto the lighlty oiled pan and cook for 5 minutes.
- Then carefuly roate the pan 180° and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until veggies are charred to your liking. If cooking on center oven rack, you'll want to increase the cook time by an extra 5-10 minutes.
- Allow veggies to cool slightly then carefully transfer to a food processor or blender. Be sure to transfer all the jucies as well.
- Toss everything but the cilantro and the roma tomatoes in the food processor and pulse a few times and blend to your favorite level of smoothness or chunkiness. I blend mine pretty smooth so the onino and jalapeno are minced, then chop up the romato tomato(es) extra fine and sprinkle them on top for a little chunkiness. Love it so!
- Finely chop your cilantro leaves and fold into the salsa.
- Cover and chill in the fridge until desired temperature is reached (I also adore it at room temperature or slightly warm – SO GOOD!) and dive in face first with some crispy tortilla chips.
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this roasted cherry tomato salsa recipe, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
More Tasty Homemade Salsa Recipes to Try
- Black Bean Salsa– Reader favorite!
- Restaurant-Style Salsa
- Avocado Salsa Verde
- Spicy Green Salsa aka Spicy Salsa Verde
- Chile de Arbol Salsa via Isabel Eats – looks so good!
- Avoado Cucumber Salsa via Stef @ Sarcastic Cooking
- Chipotle Corn Salsa
Questions & Reviews
It is easy and fast to whip up. It has such a great flavor. I made it with a chunky consistency. We love it!!!
Thank you Carolyn!!
For my tastes, a cup of cilantro was TOO much. I wish I had used about 1/4 as much. I threw in chopped cucumbers to dull the cilantro a bit and this worked nicely.
Super easy to make and tastes great. Do you have any recommendations on preserving this salsa – can it be frozen or preserved by canning?
Hi Mary! So glad you loved the salsa! A few readers have frozen the salsa with great results (I just recently started freezing leftover salsa when I have an abundance) and for canning, you can do that too! This site has some good tips for safety/acidity adjustments for canning homemade salsa: Adding Lemon Juice when Canning Salsa
WOW!!! We have had a pint of cherry tomatoes from the CSA for two weeks running and it was finally cool enough today to use the broiler. I’m so glad that I did. All of the produce minus the lime came from the CSA. I threw in a small onion and a small head of garlic in to roast and used both in the salsa and regret nothing there. I got lazy with the cilantro and threw it into the blender and I now see why that gets hand-chopped because my salsa’s a bit brown and creamy. It doesn’t diminish the taste at all. This is a love note to August.
I am about to make this with my cherry tomatoes as well and was wondering how much vinegar you add for canning? I have never canned before and I’m so scared.
I’ve made this 2x now and it’s been an absolute hit! I’m being bombarded with cherry tomatoes in my garden this year, so finding this recipe was a Godsend! Making and canning 3 jars right now! Thanks for the great recipe!
do you mind share how did you canned this salsa? thank you very much.
Made this twice now. My son, a salsa connoisseur, enjoyed first round so much I had to make again. Super easy recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Had an abundant crop at cherry tomatoes at the lake so made this with my Magic Bullet and couldn’t have been easier! With fresh basil and parsley from the garden as well instead of cilantro, which I don’t care for. Like that I can control the spice level so made to order!
Delicious salsa and so little effort. Definitely a keeper.
Is this safe to WB can? My family is obsessed and I would love to make it and preserve it for year round enjoyment.
Hi Ashley! I’m so honored that your family has been loving the salsa! I haven’t tested it out yet myself but a few readers have canned this salsa. This site has some good tips for safety/acidity adjustments for canning homemade salsa: Adding Lemon Juice when Canning Salsa
good recipe except you do not reveal when to add the lime juice.
Hi Mark! So glad you enjoyed the salsa. The lime juice is added in step 8 – “Toss everything but the cilantro and the roma tomatoes in the food processor and pulse.”
Super easy the first time the paper caught fire. So I will try foil this time
Eek! Was it wax paper instead of parchment? I made that mistake one time when I bought the wrong kind and it nearly did the same thing when I roasted veggies. Foil should work great!
This makes the best salsa and is super easy
Thank you for posting this recipe. I needed an easy recipe for a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes. It was delicious everyone loves it, even the kids. We didn’t have any tortilla chips so we toasted some bagels buttered them spread this on top and then sprinkled them with cheddar cheese. It is a new family favorite, so much so the jar I made is almost done so I’m planning a bigger batch that I’m going to try to jar and can for the winter months. This is way better than store bought and the best thing is I know exactly what goes into it so its healthy too. Thanks again.
Can this be canned?
Hi Pat! I haven’t tested it out yet but it should be possible to can the salsa. Let me know if you get a chance to try it out! This site has some good tips with canning methods and acidity adjustments for canning homemade salsa: https://www.mrswages.com/how-to-can-salsa/
This is a super recipe- perfect for alllllll those cherry tomatoes falling off the vine in late summer! I made as written be a I do like it hot- and it’s a super spicy roasted flavor. Absolutely will make again. Might freeze some for a December treat.
Seriously the BEST SALSA my husband and I have both ever had, EVER! Very easy to make as well. 10/10 recommend!
Ahhhh yay! Thank you Christie! ❤️❤️
Absolutely delicious
Made tonight and it was good! I would probably reduce the amount of cilantro next time but delicious!
I made this because I was looking for a recipe that uses cherry tomatoes as I have an over abundance from my garden and it turned out fabulous!! My only suggestion is to add more salt! That’s me though as cherry tomatoes are naturally sweet and I like a little more saltiness to my salsa! And I added smoked paprika and it was perfect!!
My. Family. LOVES. This. Recipe!
Would canning work for this recipe?
Hi Nicole! You can absolutely can it using your favorite method.
Do I cut the cherry tomatoes in half before I roast them? I thought I read that somewhere in the recipe, but as I read it over, I don’t see that it says I have to do that. Thanks!
Keep ’em whole. For this recipe we want all the juices from the tomatoes trapped so we don’t miss adding it to our salsa. Hope you adore it as much as I do! xo
Thanks, Jenn! I can’t wait to try it!!
you’re super welcome!
It’s delicious and easy!
Thank you Jen!
Amazingly delicious! I went a little wild at our local Farmer’s Market last weekend and ended up with too many cherry tomatoes. I googled a recipe for cherry tomato salsa and found yours! It is perfectly delicious and fresh. I will say, the cherry tomatoes add a bit of sweetness but delish nonetheless. Thank you so much. This recipe will be my “go to” for salsa. YUM!
This was good! I felt that it was very cilantro heavy and I’ll probably use half a cup next time. I used two cups (equal to pint) of cherry tomatoes. Was that not enough? My salsa was almost green from the cilantro ha.
Happy you enjoyed it, Hank! You can absolutely use less cilantro! Do you measure it packed into the cup or measure it loosely? That can make a huge difference in the end result so for sure add it to taste. It’s one of those easy to customize salsas where you can add a little, taste, add a little more, and keep going until it’s your perfect ratio. Hope this helps! xo
Hi there, I don’t see what temp. To put the oven on…
Hi Carlianne! You will be using the “BROIL” setting on your oven. There is usually an option of high or low. For this recipe I use high.
Soooo tasty and easy to make.
This is the best salsa I’ve ever had or made! My family went crazy for it! So excited to pick my tomatoes today and make more! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Brenda, you just made my day! I’m so stoked the salsa was a hit!
How long can this be in the fridge?
Hey Renee! Homemade foods you typically want to treat the same as leftovers (4 days in the fridge) and then a few readers have mentioned for longer storage it can be frozen and then defrosted in the fridge when you’d like to dive back in. My favorite thing to do is have it the first 1-2 days as a snack/side and then use it to make salsa chicken or tortilla soup another night. So good!
The recipe calls for a pint of tomatoes. I’m using home grown and want to know how much tomatoes would you use since you can’t really measure out a pint? Would it be a pound of tomatoes or like two cups of chopped tomatoes?
Hi Melissa! You’ll want to snag 25-30 cherry tomatoes or around 10-11 ounces. Salsa is pretty forgiving so if you feel like you need more spices/cilantro/lime/etc… simply add extra at the end. xoxo
Can you freeze this salsa?
Hey Ricky! A few readers mentioned they freeze fresh salsas. I keep forgetting to do this when I have a ton on hand but from what I’ve read you can totally freeze it!
Thank you for sharing! I have so many cherry tomatoes and was looking for something to do with them, and so glad I came across this recipe! Turned out amazing!!!
Yay!!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Tracey. Thanks!
Disregard the previous question. It helps to read the comments first! Lol
lol no worries – let me know how it goes! xoxo
Considering making this for canning, can I do that?
I’m so glad I found this recipe for the abundance of cherry tomatoes! Delicious. I wouldn’t change a thing. How long does this keep in the fridge?
So glad you’re loving the recipe Kelsey! It’ll keep around the same as typical leftovers in the fridge. I love taking the leftover salsa and adding it to my tortilla soup recipe or making breakfast tostadas with salsa on top – SO GOOD!
My go to recipe for salsa!!
Ahhh yay!!! So so happy to hear it!
Do you need to peel the cherry tomatoes or do you just blend the peel with everything?
Hey Tammy! Since the cherry tomatoes are so little (and the peel has awesome nutrients too) I don’t peel them.
If I use beefsteak tomatoes from my garden, instead of cherry tomatoes, do you believe it would turn out the same? I realize I’ll have to cut my tomatoes in chunks but do you see anything else I should change? Thank you!
Totally the same! I’ve done this with all sorts of tomatoes and it’s delish every which way. You can totally keep them whole or cut each into four wedges.
We thought cutting the cilantro by half was just right. I used one jalapeño and one Serrano pepper which was perfect. I removed the seeds from both. This fresh salsa is DELICIOUS!
The flavoring in this salsa is beyond any store bought salsa that I have tried before! So amazing!
So glad you’re loving it Steph – thank you!
Thanks Allison! Happy to hear it!
I hate cilantro, so made it without, and love it. I was looking for a way to use excess cherry tomatoes. I’m sure I’ll be able to freeze it as well.
Can this be frozen?
Hi Grace! I’ve never frozen salsa before but *SO* many websites say it can be done! Most instruct you to drain/pour off any excess liquid that forms when defrosting for best results. I’ll have to give this a try as well since I’m super curious! xo
Love this salsa, but was wondering, any pointers on canning it? (you’d have to blanch the tomatoes to remove the skins… but any ideas beyond that? (like processing time)) thanks so much for the recipe!!
So glad you’re loving the salsa, Maddie! I’m in temp housing right now (in the middle of a big move) so while I can’t play around with canning at the moment it’s on my list for 2022 so I can provide y’all with all my tips and tricks and canning adventures! I feel like America’s Test Kitchen may have some good canning resources in the meantime? Also my friend Cassie has oodles of canning tips and such on her blog Wholefully. Both should help fill in the blanks until I get to formally immerse myself in all things canning! xoxo
Any updates on how to can this recipe? I’m just starting on canning and would love info for this recipe. Thank you
Hi Melanie! I still have not had a chance to try out traditional canning but it is on my bucket list as I really want to learn how! Life is just really nuts right now. I would find a canned salsa tutorial from a trusted source and then use this recipe as the salsa.
You can absolutely can this, just add either citric acid or lemon juice to the jar, and you don’t have to blanch, when you roast, scoop everything out with a slotted spoon and puree all the garlic, onion and tomatoes. Then add your herbs.
I’m trying my hand at canning for the first time this year. You said to add lemon juice to the jar. How much and do I just squeeze some on the bottom. Of the jar? Also, I plan on using a water bath. Would I still need to do that after everything is in the jars?
I canned this salsa before knowing about adding lemon to it. I did a large lime for the recipe. If I didn’t add anything. Does it mean that my salsa is now no good?
Citric acid comes from lemons and limes, I personally think it’ll be fine, and shouldn’t compromise the flavor. Watch for excess of bubbles, and if the cap pops up or not. I canned 5 pints of salsa the other day, and the recipe didn’t call for lemon juice or citric acid.
This looks fabulous! I know salsa is a side dish but I could eat this as a main dish! Yum!