Chili’s Copycat Salsa Recipe
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We love Chili’s salsa in this family. Our mom got us hooked at a young age. We order take out, but only for the salsa! After a lot of trial and error, we think we are pretty close to the real thing!
(And yes, my mom and sisters ate this in one sitting!)
Chili’s Copycat Salsa Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 cans (14.5 oz each) whole tomatoes, drained
3-4 canned, whole jalapenos (not pickled)
1 yellow onion, quartered
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 yellow onion, quartered
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons lime juice
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients together into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Serve with tortilla chips.
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We love chips and salsa around here, I can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks for posting it!
This is the easiest salsa recipe I have ever read and I am trying it out this weekend for a party! Thanks so much!
OMG,I love Chili’s salsa and chips!!! Can’t wait to try this out, and it it a super easy recipe! Thanks for sharing:)
We love Chili’s chips and Salsa too. Last time we were there we got 6 bags of chips to go, with salsa. And now it’s gone. Thanks for this post because now I can make my own, fresh when I want it.
sounds yummy, I can’t wait to try this recipe. But I have a question for you. What size cans do you use for the whole tomatoes and the jalepenos? Like how many ounces? Thanks ashleymuir14@gmail.com
I was actually needing a salsa recipe and Chili’s salsa is the best! Thanks so much for sharing! I can’t wait to make it!
Have a great weekend!
Just made this and it is amazing!! 5 months pregnant and all I’ve been craving is Chili’s salsa… and now the husband will be pleased we do not need to go there every other day. Thank you!!
Made it tonight . . . it was AMAZING! Thanks for sharing
what size of cans of tomatoes did you use?
Thanks
^ I am wondering the same thing, and also how many servings does this make?? just a guesstimiate would work:)
This is delicious and very close to Chili’s recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
I just made this and used the 14.5 oz. cans of tomatoes… problem is that I misread the amount of salt to add. I used 1 1/2 tsp. The recipe says 1/2 – 1 tsp. Had I used the right amount of salt, the 14.5 oz. cans would have been perfect. Oh well!
Jana
Just made this. Didn’t have whole tomatoes, so used two cans of diced. It turned out pretty good, except toooo many jalapeños!! Lol i used a whole small can of diced, next time I might leave out a scoop. I started with 1/2t of salt, and ended up added a pinch more at the end. Great recipe thanks !! Oh I believe the sized can i used was 15oz?? It’s the regular size
This sounds great but is it missing cilantro? I’m going to do it but add lots of fresh cilantro. Chilis is salsa has tons of cilantro.
I just made this! Turned out pretty good. I have been trying different recipes of salsa, trying to find one I like best.
For anyone who may want to know, these are my details:
Instead of 2 cans of whole tomatoes (14.5 oz) I used one can of 28oz whole tomatoes…mine had tomato sauce in the can, dont suggest using the sauce. I just picked the tomatoes out. Also, my jar of jalapenos was 13oz, and I only pulled out maybe 3. Salsa turned out plenty spicy. I adjusted amounts of salt and lime until it tasted right to me. I also probably used more like, 1/2 cup of onions vs. the 1/4 cup.
Overall, pretty good! Thanks for sharing!
I’m excited to try this! I have another Chilis-copy salsa recipe which worked fairly well (I don’t think it was blended finely enough to rival the Chilis salsa’s smoothness) so I will need to compare and try this out.
Miche, I don’t think Chilis uses much cilantro (if any) in their salsa. It’s one of the reasons I love it so much. I can’t stand how overpowering cilantro is (tastes nasty to me) and it’s is in most salsas at restaurants. I could practically drink Chilis salsa by itself and I don’t recall EVER tasting a hint of cilantro. If it is in there, well, kudos to Chilis for hiding the flavor.
This is true. I used to work at Chili’s and was responsible for helping make the salsa… NO cilantro!!!!!
Now, if I could just find out the secret to their chips…
Any hints? : )
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My husband is a general manager for Chili’s and he said there is indeed cilantro in the salsa base!
He said chili’s puts cilantro in almost everything. 
This is very close to the Pioneer Woman’s Restaurant salsa I make (which always reminds me of Chili’s salsa)
Thank you so much for everyone’s help! The sister that made this has been moving and feels bad that she couldn’t answer your questions. I added the can sizes that she used to the recipe. Miche, the recipe we use doesn’t call for cilantro, but it would probably be a yummy addition!
Thank you so much for posting this! My good friend and I LOVE Chili’s, especially their salsa, so I am going to have to make this! Lovely blog!
Liesl
This is the BEST salsa ever!!! We made it for college football Saturday last week and it was devoured! Will have to make two batches next time
)
I found this recipe in Pinterest (and again through TT&J) and I can’t wait to try it. Chili’s salsa is my absolute favorite!
I made this recipe tonight! It was yummy but to my tastebuds it was a little heavy on the cumin. I think I will reduce it next time.
Yum!! My mouth is watering !!
Thanks again for partying with us at Show & Share!
Yum this looks fantastic! I just posted on a paprika chips recipe that would go perfectly with this salsa at partydish.net – http://wp.me/p1XfKv-ag
Enjoy!
Any ideas on the tortilla chips? Chili’s chips are so good!
The chips are just corn tortilla’s cut into quarters and deep fried… I work there and they make them all day long. I believe we use just ordinary vegetable oil.
now if i could only make the chili’s chips at home
The chips are just corn tortilla’s cut into quarters and deep fried… I work there and they make them all day long. I believe we use just ordinary vegetable oil.
Is it true Chili’s chips are fried in the same oil as the meat? I used to only go there for the chips in salsa, but when I heard the chips weren’t fried separate from the meat, I quit going all together. Why can’t they just be vegan-friendly?!
They do fry them in the same oil but, they always do the all the chips first thing the morning before any meat is cooked in the oil, so the answer is really no.
chilis does not use any cumin or sugar in their recipe. -former employee
This is AMAZING!!!! THANKS
…but Lol @ “former employee” ….some bored know-it-alls have throw their two cents in……and why would you brag about working there??
I think they were simply trying to let people know the ingredients, and give credit that they would know since they worked there, it didn’t look like “bragging” to me.
Just made the salsa. I love some spicy food but 4-5 whole jalapenos is too much heat for me to enjoy this recipe. I have to drink a sip of water after every bite and in 4 bites, I’m stuffed. I would recommend either seeding the jalapenos or using 2 or 3.
I just posted on my blog about how much I LOVE Chilis…I know that is weird…but that is how much I LOVE it. THANK YOU for this. I will be trying this tonight!
Stacy
2nd Grade Paradise
Going to get stuff to make this tonight for the Fiesta Bowl!!! GO POLES!!!!!!!!
Just made this! i used the 1tsp of salt, but i think 1/2 would have been fine!
Chili’s has the BEST salsa. Can wait to try this recipe!
I am loving this recipe. I found some chips at Wal-mart called Tia Rosa and they are thin like Chili’s chips. Now the salsa to go with them!! YUMMY!
holy CRAP! I just saw this on pintinterest and I can’t even BEGIN to describe how excited I am for trying this this weekend… now, might you have a delicious homemade tortilla chip recipe to accompany it?
Oh man, I am very excited! My husband has to drive to Chili’s at least once a week to buy chips and salsa. I think I will be the best wife ever if I can pull this off!! Thanks for linking up!
I just featured this tonight–thanks for inspiring!
http://www.oopseydaisyblog.com/2012/01/wednesdays-wowzers-2-2.html
Can you add fresh jalapenos that aren’t cooked yet? If so how many would you suggest?
@Michelle,
I think it would work fine with fresh jalapenos! I would add 2 or 3 and see how hot it is and add more if you think it needs it!
I made this salsa tonight and although I forgot the jalapenos, it was very delicious! It actually doesn’t remind me chili’s salsa but I think it tastes exactly like On The Border’s salsa, which is 10x better in my opinion! Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be making it again!
they use cilantro
and they boil their onions
i wont give away any more secrets
Just tried this and it is great! Although, it’s a little salty for me. I also added black beans and corn. Yummy Yummy and soo easy! Thanks!
I take fresh tomatoes and puree them, stir in a jar of Pace picante….super easy and tastes just like chilis!
Just wondering…about how many cups does this recipe make???
Literally just made this in 4 minutes and it tastes yummy!
Made it and LOVED it. SO addictive!!
Just made it!! Its amazing and was super easy
i made this and it was great. but i made it in the blender and the color turned a little brown (im thinking the red tomatoes plus green jalapenos) would using a food processor help avoid the color change?
Ooooh, I can’t wait to try this. I am a salsa fanatic!
Just made missing something but great salsa does come close
I just made this last night. I didn’t want too much spice (hubby’s kinds picky) so I only used two jalepenos. But doing that made the cumin stand out a LOT. This morning I added more jap’s and they added a lot of heat, but definitely countered the taste of the cumin. Now, I can’t stop eating it, even though I need a glass of milk by my side, lol!
**To that end, I’d recommend that if you don’t want to use 4 jalepenos, then cut down on the cumin accordingly by quarter-teaspoons (1/4 tsp for every jalepeno).**
I’m definitely going to make this again. I forgot how much I like smooth/paste-like salsa. You get ALL the flavors in EVERY bite. Chunky looks nice and pretty, but blended up tastes way better
This recipe sounds great. Thanks for sharing, I cannot wait for my tomatoes to grow so I can make lots of salsa!
Awesome!! My family can’t get enough!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Excellent flavor! I just finished it, and I do wish I had stopped with 3 peppers instead of 4. Whooeeee! Hot but good! thanks ladies!
can this be canned?
Hi traveler,
I have never tried canning it, but I assume it would be fine. Let us know how it goes!
I think the brown is from the cumin. I made without cumin or sugar tastes better to me.
Made this yesterday! I tweaked the recipe a little, but it turned out amazing! Thanks for posting! http://andreakay1014.blogspot.com/ I gave yall a shout out on my blog. =)
found this on pinterest! yay
just ran to the store and got everything to make this! It is very good..simple and easy! I have never had Chili’s salsa (ugh..and feeling like the left out girl) but I’m sure it compares.
I used 1 jalapeno pepper from the farmer’s market (those ones are the hottest) after cutting it..and the tears stopped..I’m glad I only used 1.
Also I used a 28oz can of whole toe’maters because my store doesn’t carry 15 oz whole ones, ain’t small towns grand!
This salsa is amazing! My husband and I (and everyone else we share it with) can’t get enough of it! I’m hoping to make a bunch and can it to have all winter. I’ve been using fresh tomatoes (about 4 cups chopped), jalapeños, and onions from our farmer’s market and the results have been fantastic. This is the yummiest and easiest recipe to follow. Thank you so much for sharing!
I used diced tomatoes instead of whole and left about 1/3 can in mixed so I could have a bit of chunk in it. I am used to cilantro in my salsa in the Mexican resturants in my town, so I could add that next time. I used 3 whole jalapeños and it’s just the right amount of kick.
Make one of the cans of tomatoes Roasted tomatoes and you will get even closer to the flavor.
Would this work okay with fresh garden tomatoes and jalapenos??
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I’m dieting and the chips are a high calorie thing I don’t want to indulge in so I use cucumber slices, iceberg lettuce leaves, radishes and celery. I even brought my iceberg lettuce to the restaurant with me when we went out for Mexican the other night.
I’ve lost 44 lbs. and I’m feeling great!
I added 2 teaspoons of lime juice and made again I’ll take out the 1/2 teaspoon of table salt and add more jalepenos since my husband and I like our salsa super hot.
I tried this today and it was pretty good. I also ended up adding a touch more salt and some fresh cilantro. I can’t imagine my salsa without it.
I’m curious to try it again in a few hours after the ingredients have had a chance to mingle and party together. Thanks for the recipe! Definitely a good one that you can easily adjust to your taste. 
I still don’t understand how you use “canned” jalapenos & they’re not pickled? I’ve only heard of fresh or pickled. Am I missing something? thanks
Thanks for this recipe!! I LOOOOOOVVVE Chilis salsa, and we live over and hour away from the nearest Chilis…so this will solve my cravings!
Do you think I could bottle this salsa?
Hi Danielle!
I think that would work fine, especially where so many of the ingredients are canned. Thanks for the comment!
Does anybody know if this would freeze okay? I have a ton of fresh tomatoes and don’t want them to spoil. I’d love to make salsa with them but don’t want to “can” them with a pressure cooker and all. Thoughts?
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May I ask why my comment has been removed? I made the recipe and I said how it came out (which wasn’t a “copycat” in my opinion) and said what I thought would work more. But I guess only comments that praise the recipe are allowed? Wow. If that is the attitude, I won’t be using this website again.
We appreciate your comment on our salsa. We are reviewing it and will consider the suggestions you gave us. We honor your opinions and are open to suggestions. Thanks so much for your input. -The Six Sisters
wow just made this and hit the spot for my pregnancy cravings for chilis salsa! I omitted the cumin because I am not a huge fan of that flavor and it tastes just like chilis!!another great pinterest find! thanks
I don’t like too much spice (like, at all, haha) so I only used 1 smaller jalapeno and I think the other woman was right that the cumin then stands out a little too much with less peppers? I’m going to let it marinate in the fridge overnight, then might go back and pick up another pepper to toss in there and see if it balances things out…
Just made this last night and it was awesome! I used three jalapenos with seeds and stems removed and one with the seeds. It tastes really close to chili’s, my favorite! I’ve actually never made salsa before and this one is so easy I can’t imagine buying store-made again unless I’m really in a pinch.
Note on the chips: I love how thin chili’s chips are and the closest I’ve found in a store is the Xochitl (pronounced so-CHEEL) brand. They’re not everywhere, but Whole Foods and some other random grocery stores carry them.