Common Ingredients in salsa Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over a hundred popular salsa recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredient in salsa dishes is onion.

Cilantro, lime, garlic, olive oil, jalapeno pepper and tomatoes are also common ingredients in salsa recipes. Variations include:

• parsley in place of cilantro
• jalapeno pepper in place of garlic
• tomatillos and bell pepper in place of tomatoes

Salt is in 80% of salsa recipes and pepper, 40%.

The average salsa recipe has about 10.4 ingredients, with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 29.

In terms of directions, salsa recipes have about 3.5 steps on average, ranging from 1 to 17 instructions.

An average salsa recipe takes about 3 hours 40 minutes to prepare, ranging from 2 minutes to 4 days 45 minutes.

Salsa Subcategories

"Salsa" is a variety of sauces used as condiments for tacos and other Mexican foods ... Though the word salsa means any kind of sauce in Spanish, in English, it [usually] refers to to the chunky tomato-and-chili-based pico de gallo, as well as to salsa verde.

Salsa online recipes, in general, has a few variations. When one main ingredient in salsa can be substituted, such as tomatoes for tomatillos, we create a subcategory of salsa.

The popularity of each type of salsa is marked, and each subcategory has at least 8 different recipes to be called out.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Salsa

For 1 medium onion (110 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single salsa recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with onion	Potential subsitutions
cilantro	0.74 cup (12 g)	0.87 cup (14 g)	66%	parsley
garlic	2 clove (6 g)	4.3 clove (13 g)	51%	jalapeno pepper
lime juice	5.5 tablespoon (83 g)	9.2 tablespoon (139 g)	46%	lemon juice
olive oil	2.7 tablespoon (37 g)	3.7 tablespoon (50 g)	44%	vegetable oil
jalapeno pepper	2.2 (31 g)	4.4 (62 g)	41%	garlic scallions white onion serrano chile parsley
tomatoes	1.2 pound (565 g)	1.5 pound (665 g)	33%	tomatillos bell pepper
cumin	1.4 teaspoon (3 g)	1.9 teaspoon (4 g)	24%	salt basil
tomatillos	1.5 pound (665 g)	1.6 pound (708 g)	16%	tomatoes scallions bell pepper

Ingredients by Average Weight in Salsa

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in salsa recipes. This would be: 37% tomatoes, 13% tomatillos, 12% onion, 11% lime juice, 7% olive oil, 5% white onion, 4% jalapeno pepper, 4% garlic, 4% scallions, 1% lime and 1% cilantro.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

salt

Salt is the most popular ingredient in salsa dishes. In fact, over 80% of salsa recipes contain salt.

Salt is often included in salsa dishes in amounts of half a teaspoon, 1 teaspoon or a quarter teaspoon.

In salsa recipes that contain salt, it is on average, 0.3% by weight.

For salsa recipes, salt is frequently used with cilantro, garlic, onion, olive oil and lime juice.

Potential substitutions for salt in salsa:

• cumin
• basil

Also, salt is not often used with jalapeno pepper, mango, sugar, wine vinegar, coriander, pineapple, bell pepper and black beans.

onion

Another popular ingredient in salsa is onion. From the recipes we've sampled for salsa, over 55% have onion.

Variations of onion include:

• white onion: 10% of recipes

In recipes for salsa, onion is often used with salt, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and olive oil.

Potential substitutions for onion in salsa:

• scallions
• white onion
• parsley

Also, onion is not often used with wine vinegar, basil and lemon juice.

cilantro

Cilantro is another common ingredient in salsa dishes. In fact, over 50% of salsa recipes contain cilantro.

Chopped, minced and packed are frequent preparations for cilantro in salsa dishes.

Common quantities for cilantro in salsa dishes include half a cup, a quarter cup or 2 tablespoons.

In salsa recipes that contain cilantro, it is on average, 0.9% by weight.

Salt, lime juice, onion, jalapeno pepper and garlic are commonly used together with cilantro in salsa dishes.

Potential substitutions for cilantro in salsa:

• parsley

Also, cilantro is not often used with olive oil, tomatoes, black pepper, scallions, sugar, wine vinegar, coriander, basil, lemon juice and oregano.

lime

Another popular ingredient in salsa is lime. From the recipes we've sampled for salsa, over 45% have lime.

Variations of lime include:

• lime juice: 43% of recipes

For salsa recipes, lime is frequently used with salt, cilantro, onion, jalapeno pepper and olive oil.

lime juice

Another popular ingredient in salsa is lime juice. From the recipes we've sampled for salsa, over 40% have lime juice.

Squeezed is a frequent preparation for lime juice in salsa dishes.

Common quantities for lime juice in salsa dishes include 2 tablespoons, 1 tablespoon or a quarter cup.

In salsa recipes that contain lime juice, it is on average, 9% by weight.

Salt, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, onion and olive oil are commonly used together with lime juice in salsa dishes.

Potential substitutions for lime juice in salsa:

• lemon juice

Also, lime juice is not often used with garlic, tomatoes, black pepper, tomatillos, white onion, sugar, wine vinegar, parsley, basil, vegetable oil and oregano.

garlic

Garlic is another common ingredient in salsa dishes. In fact, over 45% of salsa recipes contain garlic.

Salsa dishes often call for garlic to be minced, pressed, unpeeled, chopped, grated, smashed, peeled, quartered, crushed, sliced, halved and roasted.

Garlic is often included in salsa dishes in amounts of 1 clove, 2 cloves or 3 cloves.

In salsa recipes that contain garlic, it is on average, 3% by weight.

In recipes for salsa, garlic is often used with salt, cilantro, onion, olive oil and lime juice.

Potential substitutions for garlic in salsa:

• jalapeno pepper

Also, garlic is not often used with lime juice, mango, wine vinegar, coriander, avocado, pineapple, lemon juice, bell pepper and black beans.

pepper

Pepper is another common ingredient in salsa dishes. In fact, over 40% of salsa recipes contain pepper.

Variations of pepper include:

• black pepper: 25% of recipes

For salsa recipes, pepper is frequently used with salt, onion, garlic, olive oil and lime juice.

Potential substitutions for pepper in salsa:

• jalapeno pepper
• black pepper

Also, pepper is not often used with cilantro, lime juice, tomatoes, tomatillos, white onion, serrano chile, sugar, avocado, corn tortillas, lemon juice and black beans.

olive oil

Another popular ingredient in salsa is olive oil. From the recipes we've sampled for salsa, over 40% have olive oil.

Olive oil is often included in salsa dishes in amounts of 2 tablespoons, 1 tablespoon or a quarter cup.

In salsa recipes that contain olive oil, it is on average, 6% by weight.

In recipes for salsa, olive oil is often used with salt, cilantro, garlic, onion and lime juice.

Potential substitutions for olive oil in salsa:

• vegetable oil

Also, olive oil is not often used with cilantro, jalapeno pepper, tomatoes, tomatillos, white onion, serrano chile, sugar, coriander, pineapple, bell pepper and black beans.

jalapeno pepper

Jalapeno pepper is another common ingredient in salsa dishes. In fact, over 35% of salsa recipes contain jalapeno pepper.

Diced, stemmed, seeded, sliced, minced, chopped, removed, halved and deveined are frequent preparations for jalapeno pepper in salsa dishes.

Common quantities for jalapeno pepper in salsa dishes include 1 jalapeno pepper, 2 jalapeno peppers or half a jalapeno pepper.

In salsa recipes that contain jalapeno pepper, it is on average, 4% by weight.

Salt, cilantro, lime juice, onion and garlic are commonly used together with jalapeno pepper in salsa dishes.

Potential substitutions for jalapeno pepper in salsa:

• garlic
• scallions
• white onion
• serrano chile
• parsley

Also, jalapeno pepper is not often used with salt, olive oil, tomatoes, tomatillos, wine vinegar, basil, lemon juice and pineapple.

tomatoes

Another popular ingredient in salsa is tomatoes. From the recipes we've sampled for salsa, over 30% have tomatoes.

Diced, drained, chopped, peeled, seeded, halved, sliced and cored are frequent preparations for tomatoes in salsa dishes.

Tomatoes is often included in salsa dishes in amounts of 1 pound, 4 tomatoes or 2 mediums.

In salsa recipes that contain tomatoes, it is on average, 42% by weight.

For salsa recipes, tomatoes is frequently used with salt, garlic, onion, cilantro and lime juice.

Potential substitutions for tomatoes in salsa:

• tomatillos
• bell pepper

Also, tomatoes is not often used with cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, jalapeno pepper, mango, parsley, coriander, avocado, pineapple, vegetable oil, black beans and oregano.

scallions

Another popular ingredient in salsa is scallions. From the recipes we've sampled for salsa, over 15% have scallions.

Chopped, sliced, trimmed and minced are frequent preparations for scallions in salsa dishes.

Common quantities for scallions in salsa dishes include 2 scallions, 3 scallions or 1 cup.

In salsa recipes that contain scallions, it is on average, 8% by weight.

Salt, olive oil, garlic, lime juice and cilantro are commonly used together with scallions in salsa dishes.

Potential substitutions for scallions in salsa:

• jalapeno pepper
• tomatillos
• white onion
• serrano chile
• bell pepper

Also, scallions is not often used with cilantro, black pepper, mango, avocado, corn tortillas, pineapple, oregano and black beans.

cumin

Cumin is another common ingredient in salsa dishes. In fact, over 15% of salsa recipes contain cumin.

Ground is a frequent preparation for cumin in salsa dishes.

Cumin is often included in salsa dishes in amounts of half a teaspoon, 2 teaspoons or 1 teaspoon.

In salsa recipes that contain cumin, it is on average, 0.2% by weight.

For salsa recipes, cumin is frequently used with salt, onion, cilantro, lime juice and jalapeno pepper.

Potential substitutions for cumin in salsa:

• salt
• basil

Also, cumin is not often used with white onion, wine vinegar, parsley, lemon juice and pineapple.

tomatillos

Another popular ingredient in salsa is tomatillos. From the recipes we've sampled for salsa, over 10% have tomatillos.

Salsa dishes often call for tomatillos to be husked, rinsed, quartered and chopped.

Tomatillos is often included in salsa dishes in amounts of 1 pound, 4 mediums or half a pound.

In salsa recipes that contain tomatillos, it is on average, 45% by weight.

In recipes for salsa, tomatillos is often used with salt, cilantro, garlic, onion and jalapeno pepper.

Potential substitutions for tomatillos in salsa:

• tomatoes
• scallions
• bell pepper

Also, tomatillos is not often used with lime juice, olive oil, jalapeno pepper, black pepper, sugar, mango, wine vinegar, parsley, coriander, basil, lemon juice and black beans.

Other salsa Ingredients

Other significant ingredients used in salsa recipes include:

• serrano chile - 10%
• mango - 5%
• sugar - 5%
• wine vinegar - 5%
• parsley - 5%
• coriander - 5%
• corn tortillas - 5%
• avocado - 5%
• vegetable oil - 5%
• pineapple - 5%
• basil - 5%
• lemon juice - 5%
• bell pepper - 5%
• oregano - 5%
• black beans - 5%

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