10 Types of Salsa Worth Trying

Of all the types of salsa, this one is our favorite. Meet The BEST Salsa. It's so irresistible, you won't be able to stop dipping! This one is a classic salsa fresca: a tomato salsa using only the freshest, juiciest ripe tomatoes. Add to that white onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper. It's tangy, savory, garlicky, and 100% WOW.

The next most classic type of salsa is salsa verde, literally "green sauce" in Spanish. It's made with tomatillos, otherwise known as Mexican husk tomatoes. They look like green tomatoes, but they have a husk that leaves a sticky residue behind when you peel it off (you can find them at the grocery store or farmers markets in the fall). Why make roasted tomatillo salsa at home when you can buy it at the store? It’s that good. It’s super tangy, garlicky, smoky, and a little spicy, perfect for dipping mountains of chips.

The next most classic type of salsa is probably the most famous of them all: Red Salsa or Salsa Roja! Here's the difference between this one and our Best Salsa Fresca: it's made with canned tomatoes. You can grab your favorite canned tomato from the store to make this type of salsa. This one features fire roasted canned tomatoes with onion, garlic, lime and cilantro.

Another type of salsa is pico de gallo!  Pico de gallo translates to “beak of the rooster” in Spanish. It’s a type of salsa made with fresh tomatoes. If you’ve got ripe tomatoes, pico is the perfect place to use them. Use it as a salsa with tortilla chips, use it on top of grilled fish, or of course, throw it into a taco. Here are all the secrets to how to make this classic Mexican sauce.

Next in our types of salsa: fruit salsas! Sweet mangos are ideal for salsa. And mango salsa is a revelation: it's sweet, savory, and spicy all at once. It's endlessly customizable: scoop it up with tortilla chips, or sprinkle it onto grilled fish. Every time we make it for guests, everyone gathers around the bowl.

Need an appetizer to impress? Try this Pineapple Salsa! It’s one of the best ways to use a fresh pineapple (other than eating it in chunks off the cutting board, of course). The zing of the lime and heat of the jalapeno are the ideal pairing for this sweet fruit. Grab a juicy, ripe pineapple for this one: scoop it up with chips and each bite is an explosion of sweet, savory, salty and spicy.

Peach salsa is another great type of fruit salsa! The sweetness of the ripe fruit is ideal paired with red onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Use it as a sweet savory sauce to top tacos or as a dip for tortilla chips. It's also great with grilled fish.

You can also make tomatillo salsa with fresh tomatillos! The taste of a fresh tomatillo salsa is hard to describe – a combination of sour, sweet, earthy and totally delicious! It tastes like a heightened version of the jarred version you'll find at the store.

Black beans are the perfect protein-packed addition to salsa fresca! This salsa uses fresh tomatoes instead of canned, and adds black beans to make it a filling dip. Use it for dipping tortilla chips, spooning into a burrito or quesadilla, or use it as a topping on tacos, baked potatoes, or grilled avocado.

Got green tomatoes? Use them to make salsa! There are so many ways to use green tomatoes: like this electric green fancy toast, or green tomato pickles. But our favorite way to use them? Salsa. This green tomato salsa that tastes just like salsa verde. Salsa verde is made with tomatillos, but using green tomatoes works just as well: or better! 

Last up in these types of salsa: corn is perfect for salsa, too! This corn salsa is a salsa fresca—a fresh salsa—and embodies everything that’s good about summer. Lightly roasted corn, black beans, fresh cherry tomatoes, and a bit of lime and cumin. Perfect for chips, tacos, and more.