13 Ingredients To Elevate That Jar Of Store-Bought Salsa

Salsa is one of the tastiest condiments out there. Its popularity among Americans has been spreading like wildfire for decades. As far back as 1992, the food surpassed ketchup in number of annual sales. 

It's easy to see why people love it. Salsa offers a powerful punch of flavor with just a handful of simple ingredients. Even though it's somewhat easy to make, we don't always have the time to make a fresh batch. There's no doubt that it's much easier to pick up one of your favorite jarred salsas at the grocery store. While there's nothing wrong with cashing in on its undeniable convenience, the reality is that jarred salsa often leaves some room for improvement. 

Luckily, we have a few tricks to help you transform these pre-made products into something truly mouthwatering. Even adding just one extra ingredient can tremendously improve the flavor of jarred salsa. Thankfully, most of these ingredients are things that you probably already have on hand. You won't even need to make another trip to the supermarket. Here are 13 ways to elevate that jar of store-bought salsa.

Keeping your kitchen stocked with fresh limes is always a good idea. Whether you're mixing up a cocktail, making salad dressing, or whipping up some homemade guacamole, there's no shortage of tasty uses for this bright green ball of citrus. Another way to use limes is to add their juice to your jarred salsa.

Some jarred salsas will already contain lime as an ingredient. But the truth is that this flavor is often too tame. It gets overpowered by the taste of salty tomato juice. Squeezing some fresh lime into your jarred salsa will give it an invigorating pop of citrus that livens it up in a delicious way, giving the product a fresher taste. Limes are relatively inexpensive and also simple to prepare, so this hack couldn't get any easier. However, there is one thing to be careful about.

When adding lime juice to your salsa, make sure to taste as you go. Lime juice is primarily sour, so you don't want to overdo it. Try adding a little squeeze at first, stir the salsa, and then taste it. You want to taste the lime juice, but you want the flavor to be complementary, rather than assertive. This ensures that your salsa doesn't become too acidic. Once you reach the right balance, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much this added ingredient improved your jarred salsa.

If mango isn't one of those fresh fruits that you usually have at home, it might be time to make a change. Mango has a deliciously tropical flavor that can suit a wide variety of dishes, including smoothies, salads, and baked goods. Another wise use of mango is in salsa. But rather than having to make the whole batch from scratch, you can simply dice some up and mix it into store-bought, jarred salsa.

Much like lime juice, it's a good idea to be mindful of how much mango you're adding to the salsa. The fruit can be very sweet, so adding too much has the potential to give your salsa an overly sweet flavor. You want to add just enough mango so that the fruit's presence feels more like a tasty surprise rather than a dominating addition. When you dice the fruit, cut it into bite-sized cubes, since bigger chunks will be awkward to chew.

Once you've upgraded your jarred salsa with mango, there are some great foods to enjoy it with. Eating mango salsa with crispy tortilla chips is deliciously rewarding, due to the tasty contrast between salty chips and sweet fruit. The condiment's fruity and tropical taste also makes it useful in seafood dishes. Try spooning some mango salsa over fish tacos, seared tuna, or shrimp kebabs. It also works wonders with fire-grilled chicken. 

Garlic is always an easy way to add a punch of flavor. Whether you're making some fresh marinara, a big pot of beef chili, or a batch of zesty garlic bread, having some fresh bulbs of garlic on hand comes with its perks. Fresh garlic also happens to be a great way to give jarred salsa a serious flavor boost.

For a milder and nuttier flavor, you can roast some fresh bulbs in the oven until the cloves are tender. To do this, simply slice off the top of the garlic bulb. Next, rub this cut portion with olive oil. Then, wrap the whole thing in aluminum foil and place it in an oven that has been heated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave the bulb in for about 40 minutes, then remove it. Once it has cooled, you should be able to easily squeeze out roasted garlic cloves. Once separated from their skins, smear these cloves with a spoon into a paste. Finally, add a little salt and combine it with your jarred salsa. 

For a potentially quicker method, you can always sauté some diced garlic instead. Be careful not to burn it. If you do, your salsa could end up tasting bitter. If you want your salsa to have a heavy garlic flavor, then you can use raw garlic. No matter how you prepare it, this allium is a fantastic way to enhance your jarred salsa.

Like other pre-made foods, jarred salsa tends to be salty. Don't get us wrong, salt has its place in a good batch of salsa. But when this condiment is not whipped up from scratch, the level of sodium is a bit heavy-handed. To solve this issue, we recommend adding a little drizzle of agave syrup. It combats saltiness, providing your jarred salsa with a more balanced flavor.

Agave syrup — also referred to as agave nectar — comes in a few different varieties. These categories include light, amber, dark, and raw agave. Lighter agave syrups tend to have a more neutral flavor, while darker varieties contain a richer taste that's reminiscent of caramel. In this application, we'd recommend using light agave syrup. You don't want your jarred salsa to taste like candy. All you're trying to do is add a little sweetness and cut through that salt. First try adding a little drizzle of syrup, stir the salsa well, and then adjust according to taste.

With its juicy kernels of buttery sweetness, corn is another effective ingredient you can use to improve jarred salsa. While there's no doubt that fresh corn is best, you can also use canned corn. But rather than adding raw corn to your salsa, we'd recommend seasoning and roasting it first. This helps the corn to more easily complement your other salsa ingredients. 

To quickly roast your corn, add some butter to a pan over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted and started to sizzle, add your corn and cook for about 10 minutes, until it just starts to lightly brown. Then, remove your corn from the heat. Season it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, and paprika. If you have a lime, squeeze a lime wedge over the corn. The resulting dish is so good, it will be challenging not to eat it by the spoonful. Be sure to add the corn to your salsa before it's too late.

Pineapple is another ingredient you can use to upgrade jarred salsa. Because the fruit has a distinctively sweet-yet-tart taste, it's an effective way to balance this spicy condiment. You can always use a fresh one for this hack. However, we recognize that most people probably don't have a whole pineapple lying around. Instead, you can simply pick up a package of pre-cut fruit from the grocery store. That way, you won't have to do the messy work of getting through the pineapple's spiny exterior. Additionally, you can use the canned kind. While this product tends to be cheaper, it may also be less fresh. 

Preparing pre-cut pineapple for this recipe couldn't be more simple. All you have to do is take those bigger chunks and dice them into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Then, you can mix them into your store-bought salsa. This sweeter version of jarred salsa works well with recipes like chorizo tacos or tacos al pastor. 

Beans are another fantastic way to take your jarred salsa to the next level. They taste hearty and also pack a punch of protein, according to Medical News Today. These qualities can help make your salsa more filling and nutritious. We'd recommend using canned beans instead of dried ones. The whole point here is to keep things tasty and convenient. For a recipe like this one, keep things simple. 

The real question here is what kind of canned beans to use. We'd recommend pinto beans, black beans, or a mix of both. Pinto beans have a smooth, creamy taste that's truly delicious. Black beans have a subtle chewiness to them that will add textural variety. Just be sure not to overdo it when adding beans. Add enough to where you'll get just a few in every spoonful. This is one of the tastiest and cheapest ways to take your jarred salsa to the next level. 

If you like spice, you might find yourself disappointed with your store-bought salsa. Most of the major jarred salsa brands don't offer serious heat, which is appealing to some people. But for those of us who happen to enjoy spicy foods, adding hot peppers to jarred salsa is a way of life. 

You can do this by using a jar of pickled jalapeños. Pickled jalapeños have a long shelf life and a tangy flavor thanks to the brine they're packed in. Pluck a few out, give them a rough chop, and stir them into your salsa. Taste while doing so until you've reached your desired level of spiciness. Feel free to also add a few spoons of jalapeño brine. This will add even more flavor and heat.

If that's not enough spice for you, try habaneros. Habanero peppers are much spicier than jalapeños. They also have a different flavor profile, which is more citrusy and floral. These days, you can often find canned habaneros in the same part of the grocery store as pickled jalapeños. 

If there's one thing that jarred salsa is lacking, it's fresh herbs. There might be a little hint of cilantro in there, but it often isn't nearly enough. The good news is this can be quickly rectified by using fresh cilantro, which is easily found in the produce section of your grocery store. You'll find it near other fresh herbs like parsley. 

Modifying jarred salsa with fresh herbs like cilantro is simple. First, give your fresh cilantro a thorough wash. Next, dry it off with some paper towels. Then, dice the herbs until you have a couple of spoonfuls of chopped greens. Stir the cilantro into your jarred salsa slowly, tasting along the way until you've hit the sweet spot. This step will add so much freshness to your store-bought salsa that your guests may think the condiment was homemade. Just be sure to dice your cilantro small enough so that it distributes evenly. 

Peaches have a delicious flavor and juicy flesh. Both qualities can add some major "oomph" to your jarred salsa. While using a fresh peach is the tastiest option for this hack, there's also nothing wrong with using canned peaches. If you do, we'd recommend getting peaches canned in water. Avoid the kind packed in syrup. This syrup adds a lot of extra sugar which isn't helpful in this application. When attempting to upgrade your salsa this way, be sure to dice your peaches into smaller bits. 

A diced peach can take your jarred salsa from boring to breathtaking in no time. Peach salsa has a lovely complexity to it. Fruity peaches and tangy tomatoes are known for being a killer combination. You'll often see people enjoying these summer fruits together in salads. This produce pairing also shines in salsa. You can use peach salsa in additional recipes like grilled chicken tacos. 

The addition of diced cucumbers in salsa isn't something you see very often. But we think it's time for that to change. Cucumbers are cool and crispy. This fresh crunchiness is just what jarred salsa needs. Most of these store-bought condiments lack freshness and texture. Diced cucumbers are the perfect way to remedy this issue. Cucumbers also offer a contrast to spicy salsa ingredients like jalapeños.

It doesn't take that much cucumber to make an impact. A spoonful or two might be all that it takes. The trick here is to make sure the diced cucumber is the right thickness. If you go too thin, the texture of the cucumber will be lost in the salsa. On the other hand, if you cut it too thick, the salsa will take on an unpleasant level of crunch that distracts from other ingredients. The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle: thick enough for a little crunch, but thin enough to not steal the spotlight.

One of the easiest ways to add some major flavor to your jarred salsa is hot sauce. Hot sauce has a briny spiciness that's guaranteed to give your store-bought condiment a special sparkle of heat. The real dilemma here is deciding what kind of hot sauce you'd like to add. Luckily, there are plenty of delicious ones to choose from.

One tasty and mild option is the brand Cholula's Chipotle Hot Sauce. This condiment brings a smokiness to the table that's bound to give your jarred salsa a boost in complexity. If you like your hot sauces even spicier, you could try Secret Aardvark's Habanero Hot Sauce. This brand's hot sauce is mostly made with roasted tomatoes, habaneros, carrots, and vinegar. Its creamy texture, as well as its tomato base, helps the sauce to easily blend into whatever store-bought salsa that you have on hand. Many other hot sauces will work as well. Try this hack yourself to find your favorite. 

Dicing up some avocado is also a great way to improve salsa. Avocado has a mild creaminess that offers a lovely respite from the spicier, saltier ingredients typically contained in jarred salsa. It's just a matter of not adding too much. Going overboard could run the risk of turning your salsa into something more like guacamole. It's all about balancing these ingredients.

Start by selecting a ripe avocado. When you cut into an avocado at its peak, its texture should be buttery, yet slightly firm. If the avocado is overripe, it could be too soft. This texture could cause the fruit to get lost in the salsa, rendering it a pointless addition.

Eating avocado also offers a wide range of health benefits. According to WebMD, this piece of produce contains tons of healthy fat and potassium. Consuming avocados could even have a positive effect on your eyesight, mood, heart, energy, brain, bones, blood sugar, and more.