Trader Joe’s copycat pepita salsa is so easy to make at home, you won’t even believe it. Combine roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), chipotle peppers, canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes, onion, cilantro, garlic, and other seasonings in a food processor. It’s literally that easy to make fun fall seasonal salsa right at home.

I love Trader Joe’s. I love to follow a good hashtag like #TraderJoesFinds. It gives me new things to hunt for at my local Trader Joe’s. Not that I need more things to spend money on or anything. Mike would agree with that statement as well.

The thing I hate about TJ’s is that once you find a cool, seasonal item, it’s gone the next time you go to buy it. I really liked these horseradish chips. They came out around Christmas. I bought them three weeks in a row. Then, boom! Gone. Is it coming back? I have no clue.

When I found the pepita salsa a few weeks ago, I was smitten. I love all things pumpkin seeds as you can see here and here. Not only are they a good snack but they are great to toss into a pesto or granola. Instead of waiting for them to pull this off the shelves, I decided to make it myself.

Trader Joe’s Copycat Pepita Salsa is very similar to the not another restaurant style salsa recipe in my 1st cookbook. It uses canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes as the base. We add in roasted pepitas for an earthy crunch, canned chipotle peppers for a hint of smoky spice, onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper. All the flavors play so nicely together for a mildly seasonal fall salsa.

I only added one chipotle pepper to my first batch and my husband and I agreed that two is better. It makes the spice more noticeable but not overwhelming. You guys are going to love this recipe. Not only do you get to skip the Trader Joe’s let down of not seeing your product, but you can get ready for fall without going all pumpkin on everybody.

Trader Joe's Copycat Pepita Salsa

Yield: Serves 4-6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Fire-roasted tomatoes, chipotle peppers, and roasted pepitas make the perfect base for this at home copycat version of Trader Joe's Pepita Salsa.

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Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds/pepitas
• 2 canned chipotle peppers
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1, 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp lime juice

Instructions

1. Add garlic, pumpkin seeds, chipotle peppers, cilantro, and onion to the food processor. Pulse until minced.
2. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, cumin, and lime juice, Puree until still slightly chunky or more smooth, whichever you prefer.
3. Store in an air-tight sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

If you are nervous about using 2 chipotle peppers, start with one. Puree the salsa and then taste. You can always add the second pepper later and puree again if it isn't too spicy.