Looking for the perfect way to add flavor and texture to summer recipes? This quick and easy tomato relish is sweet, tangy and refreshing – perfect for topping grilled proteins, tacos, and more.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Great use of seasonal produce: This recipe is the perfect way to take advantage of the fresh summer produce from the farmers market or (if you're lucky), in your backyard garden. With tomatoes, jalapeños, green peppers and fresh herbs, this tomato relish is packed with seasonal favorites.
- Versatile topping: This easy tomato relish is tangy and sweet, and is a great addition to salads, sandwiches, burgers, grilled veggies, tacos and so much more!
- Quick and easy: Once everything is chopped up, simply combine in a bowl and toss. This is a no-fuss, no-cook recipe that can be ready in under 5 minutes and tastes incredible!
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this tomato relish:
Ingredient Notes
- Tomatoes: Any variety or color of tomato will work for this recipe as long as they're firm and ripe, including cherry, Roma, San Marzano, and Heirloom tomatoes. My personal favorite is heirlooms, especially if they're straight from the garden. I love using a mix of colors for different flavors and textures.
- Onion: We use yellow onion for this relish, but you could also sub with shallots or red onion.
- Oregano: If you don't have fresh oregano on hand, basil is a great substitute.
- Sugar: We used caster sugar in this recipe, which is a finely granulated sugar also known as baker's sugar or ultrafine sugar. You can also just use regular white granulated sugar – we just like that the caster sugar dissolves quickly!
- Vinegar: We used red wine vinegar because we think it pairs well with tomatoes, but you could also use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. You could also use balsamic, but you may want to cut back on the quantity as it will be a bit stronger in flavor.
- Jalapeño: If you don't love spice, be sure to remove the seeds and membrane of the jalapeños. You can also sub out the jalapeño with an equal quantity of bell pepper.
Instructions
(1) Add the tomatoes, onions, green pepper, jalapeño, oregano and parsley to a large bowl.
(2) Add in the red wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine.
(3) Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving, or enjoy right away if you can't wait!
Serving Suggestions
- Serve it like a salsa with tortilla chips.
- Use it as a spread on sandwiches, like our Scrambled Tofu and Avocado Breakfast Sandwich.
- It's perfect at a summer BBQ - use it as a topping for burgers and hot dogs.
- Since tofu can be a bit bland, this relish is the perfect sweet-and-spicy accompaniment. We love it on this bbq grilled tofu.
- Serve simply atop toasted bread and olive oil – bruschetta style!
- Use as a topping for tacos (regular or breakfast tacos) or nachos.
- What's your favorite way to use homemade tomato relish? Let us know in the comments below!
Tips and FAQs
- Storage: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. A mason jar works great for this.
- Freezer: Since this recipe is packed with fresh vegetables, we wouldn't really recommend freezing this recipe as the textures won't be quite the same when defrosted.
- Chopping: One of the keys to this recipe is making sure the vegetables are diced and the herbs chopped finely. This will help to create that relish consistency and make it a great topping for other dishes.
- Looking for some extra spice? We removed the ribs and the seeds of the jalapeño. If you like the extra heat though, you can keep these in for an added kick.
- For the best flavor, let the relish sit before enjoying. With an hour or two of time, the vinegar will slightly pickle all of the vegetables, adding flavor, taking the bite out of the onions, and softening all of the veggies a bit. This also gives you a chance to let it chill in the fridge for extra freshness. It's worth the wait!
- Fresh vs. dried herbs: This is one of those recipes where it's really worth the extra cost/effort to use fresh instead of dried herbs. Dried just won't add quite the same flavor. If you don't have the suggested herbs on hand, try something else, like basil, tarragon or chives.
More Tomato Recipes to Enjoy
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📖 Recipe
Tomato Relish
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Looking for the perfect way to add flavor and texture to summer recipes? This quick and easy tomato relish is sweet, tangy and refreshing – perfect for topping grilled proteins, tacos, and more.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups finely diced tomatoes*
- ½ cup finely diced yellow onion
- ⅓ cup finely diced green bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely minced jalapeño
- 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh oregano
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
-
Add the tomatoes, onions, green pepper, jalapeño, oregano and parsley to a large bowl. Add in the red wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving, or enjoy right away if you can't wait!
Notes
*Tomatoes: Any variety or color of tomato will work for this recipe as long as they're firm and ripe, including cherry, Roma, San Marzano, and Heirloom tomatoes.
Oregano: If you don't have fresh oregano on hand, basil is a great substitute.
Storage: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. A mason jar works great for this.
Chopping: One of the keys to this recipe is making sure the vegetables are diced and the herbs chopped finely. This will help to create that relish consistency and make it a great topping for other dishes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: Dips and Spreads
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 26
- Sugar: 4.3 g
- Sodium: 210.6 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 0.6 g
Deborah L Bartlett says
Great recipe! I made this today. Will serve it on the side with grilled chicken breast. Very easy to make. I had all the ingredients on hand. Thanks!!
Lexi says
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks so much!