THE Tortilla Factory Salsa Recipe - Best Salsa Recipe. EVER.

58 Comments

  1. Any chance you could point someone in the direction of the non recipe for the TF salsa avocado? I moved to nashville years ago and was very sad when they closed and have watched for years for a leak of a recipe and have yet to find it or any inkling if something similar.

  2. I have been making gallons of this over the last few years. Here is what I have learned. 1) 1 can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz, not 29). I use 1/2 a small white onion, 2 large cloves of garlic, I use 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar. The rest of the ingredients are the same.
    Blend everything smooth EXCEPT the cilantro. Once it is smooth, add the cilantro and pulse a couple of times. You should be able to see flecks of green in the salsa.
    fully agree that letting it rest overnight is the best way to go.

  3. Can I ask what brand of crushed tomatoes you use? Also, can I clarify that you actually use “crushed”, not diced or chopped or whole canned tomatoes? The kind I used seems to taste & has a thicker consistency of a tomato “sauce” like for spaghetti w/a hint of sweetness, but the can ingredient list is only “tomatoes”. When I made it the flavor is close but I seem to remember the Tortilla Factory salsa to be thinner consistency? I also grew up eating there since 1982ish & my mom waitressed there in the late 90’s until 2008. You & your family may have even been one of her regulars, she had a lot of them 😉 For the record, she doesn’t have the recipe either! We LOVED TF!!

  4. Was a long-time resident of Reston, Va. When they were still open, I was able to almost duplicate their salsa recipe. It’s really close to yours but I used regular oregano and didn’t process the red onion, used 1 tbsp. of everything but salt. Sure miss the TF!

  5. We finally found mexican oregano (which is NOT related to Mediterranean oregano) but had some issues. The color came out brown which I think is from pver-blending up the oil, vinegar, cilantro and spices first. Its a bit more peppery than I remember, next time I will back off. Finally I put two Tbs of mex oregano, but I know I flubbed that.

    Thanks, this is so very much appreciated, I am a TF fan who moved away.

    Anyone have any leads on TF’s fajitas and chicken mole recipes?

    1. I’m pretty sure the fajitas were just marinated in the salsa! I worked at TF for a couple of years in High School

  6. Thank you for sharing this! I love Tortilla Factory “TF” and truly miss it. I do want to ask you and anyone else who reads this…does anyone know (or have a good idea) of Tortilla Factory’s recipe for the chicken taco filling? I have struggled to duplicate it….seemingly lacking enough peppers (not sure which kind) and tomatoes (canned? or fresh?). I would appreciate ideas! Many thanks!

  7. I’ve eaten at the Tortilla Factory since 1978, and I was sure I’d never taste that fantastic salsa again. Thanks to you, I am in salsa heaven again! I recently gave a pint of your salsa and a bag of chips to each of my college roommates, as we ate there many times throughout the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s and 2010’s. They all loved it and declared it a perfect replica. Thanks for bringing back the memories! I now make a batch at least once a week!
    Seriously, thank you!

  8. OMG Molly, I love you. I started going there in 1978 when I worked a the USGS. I flew out of Dulles last January and took my son, his wife, and boyfriend there as a goodbye meal. Little did I know it was a Tortilla Factory goodby meal. I went back a month or so later only find they had closed. I searched everywhere to see if closely guarded salsa recipe had been posted by a disgruntled employee to no avail. I will make it this weekend. Now, if I could only make a beef taco salad like they did …

  9. My favorite Mexican restaurant was Chi Chi’s and it closed ages ago. It had an amazing salsa. Sigh…..anyway, I have this sitting in my fridge melding, waiting, with high hopes……for tomorrow I shall hastily rip open the tortilla bag and ingest! Thanks!

  10. Molly I’m so happy you found this recipe and posted it! I was distraught over tortilla factory closing. Now when I go home I never know where to go to eat haha. I can’t wait to make this and reminisce about all the good times I had there!

  11. I love love love Mexican food–and I can’t wait to try this recipe out. It’s the WORST when your fav restaurants close, but at least you got something good (a recipe!) out of it!

  12. You’re my hero. For real. I was seriously devastated when Tortilla Factory closed. I had heard that they were releasing the recipe but I never found it! I’m sharing this with everyone I know. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!

  13. Yummm….I love a good salsa. Heck I love a mediocre salsa. 😉 My hubby just made guacamole for the first time the other day and I’m HOOKED. SO, so good. There is some waiting in our fridge for me at lunch time. *drool*

  14. I’ve never been to Tortilla Factory, but I’m always up for trying anything in the Mexican food genre! And salsa is the top of that list…can’t wait to try this one, Molly!

  15. That sounds delicious. I love homemade salsalsa, and I bet your right it probably does taste better after a day or two when everything has marinated together, which means its perfect for a party because you can make it ahead of time!

  16. I’m sad that your favorite restaurant is closing! I’m sorry to say I’ve never heard of it! However, I’m very intrigued by this awesome salsa recipe! I might have to try it!
    ~Jessica

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.