Tomatoes and peppers often get the most attention as ingredients for salsa, but we think onions are the true stars. 
Onions add crisp crunch, sweetness, and a pleasant punch of bold flavor to nearly every kind of salsa. We’ll show you how onions make salsas better. and show you some great new recipes to try.
What kind of onions should I use for making salsa?
Red onions and white onions are the most popular choices for making salsa, but any type of onion works well. Red onions add a nice pop of color while sweet onions often have a milder flavor when used raw in salsas. Be sure to check out our onion usage guide for the best onion to use whether you are adding raw onion to your salsa or you plan to roast it first to make better salsa with onions.
How do you chop onions to make salsa?
A small dice is often the best cut for onion when it will be stirred into the other ingredients. This allows you to get a little of each of the ingredients with every bite giving you the most flavor. It makes it easy to scoop up your salsa with chips or to spoon it over tacos. We show you how to dice an onion in our How to Cut an Onion guide. If you are making a pureed salsa a larger dice or a rough chop is often okay because you will be using a blender or food processor to puree all the ingredients.
Do I need to cook onions before making salsa?
Onions can be enjoyed raw and do not need to be cooked before you add them to your salsa. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t cook them. Depending on the type of salsa you want to make, sautéing or roasting onions caramelizes them and intensifies their sweet flavors. This allows them to add even more balance to spicy salsa with chiles or an acidic salsa with a lot of tomatoes.
Is there a good salsa that I can make with my kids?
Fresh salsas are ideal for making with kids because regardless of age they can help stir all of the ingredients together. If they are old enough to use a knife, they can help with chopping, but consider other alternative activities such as tearing pieces of cilantro instead of chopping it. Simple salsas with few ingredients are more likely to win kids over versus complex flavors that are too spicy. In the free downloadable Onion Ninja Odyssey Activities Book, you’ll find our recipe for Yummy Salsa that is perfect for kids to make and eat.
What are the best recipes that use salsa with onions?
You’ll want to check out our Latino and Mexican Food recipes for a list of fun foods that are ideal for serving with salsa. You’ll find recipes for street tacos, quesadillas, and more. We also like to serve salsa over our Ranch-Style Breakfast Burrito and this Onion Potato Breakfast Frittata.
Grab an onion and try one of these salsa recipes!
Sauteed Mushroom and Onion Salsa
Red Onion, Tropical Fruit and Avocado Salsa
Smoky Onion-Charred Poblano Salsa Fresca
