Pico de Gallo

Our easy pico de gallo recipe is made with 6 simple ingredients: juicy tomatoes, crisp white onion, fresh cilantro, zesty lime, jalapeño, and salt. It comes together in minutes with no cooking required. It’s a bright, chunky fresh salsa that’s endlessly scoopable with tortilla chips.

My Go-To Fresh Salsa

Pico de gallo is hands down in my top 5 (maybe top 3) favorite toppings and condiments of all time. I’m pretty picky about it, and I make it as often as I can. Once you try my homemade version, the jarred stuff just doesn’t compare.

The secret is in the fresh ingredients (trust me, ripe summery tomatoes make ALL the difference!). Fresh lime juice gives it tanginess and acidity. Good cilantro keeps it bright and garden fresh, and salt brings out all the flavors. It’s the kind of dish I make on repeat all summer long.

Serve it as a dip with tortilla chips, spoon it over tacos and burritos, or pile it on eggs, home fries, grilled meats, and rice bowls. Don’t miss my other fresh Mexican-inspired recipes, like guacamole, restaurant-style salsa, shrimp tacos, and Mexican casserole.

Homemade Pico de Gallo

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Author: Kimberly Vargo

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Rest Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 Servings

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Ingredients

• 4 tomatoes, roma or tomatoes on the vine; deseeded and diced
• ⅔ cup white onion, finely diced
• ½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and membranes removed
• 1 tablespoon lime juice, juice from 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

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Instructions

 

• Combine all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Let the ingredients sit and meld together for about 15 minutes.
  4 tomatoes

  ⅔ cup white onion

  ½ cup cilantro

  1 jalapeño pepper

  1 tablespoon lime juice

  ½ teaspoon salt
• Serve with chips, tacos, burritos, eggs, or your other favorite foods.

Notes

• Fixing watery pico de gallo: Make sure to deseed the tomatoes and hold off on salting until just before serving if making ahead. If it does get watery, just drain off the excess before serving.
• Removing the raw onion taste: If you’re worried about a heavy onion flavor, soak them in a bowl of ice water for 20 to 30 minutes before adding them to the other ingredients. Pat them dry before mixing.
• About the heat: Jalapeño spice comes from the seeds and white membranes, not the flesh. Remove both for mild, leave some membrane for medium, keep the seeds (or swap in a serrano) for spicy.
• Fixing bland tomatoes: If your tomatoes taste flat, add an extra pinch of salt. Cherry or grape tomatoes are often more flavorful year round but contain seeds that can’t be removed.

Storage

• Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container up to 3 days. Drain excess liquid before serving leftovers.
• Make ahead: Chop ingredients up to a day in advance and store separately. Combine with lime and salt 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cupCalories: 18kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 150mgPotassium: 177mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 600IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 0.2mg

How to Make Pico de Gallo

Chop the Ingredients: Deseed and dice the tomatoes (I like roma or tomatoes on the vine), dice the white onion really small, finely chop the cilantro, and deseed and mince the jalapeño.

Combine the ingredients: Add the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño to a medium bowl. Squeeze in the fresh lime juice and sprinkle with salt.

Let it Rest: Stir everything together and let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving. This gives all the flavors time to meld together and makes a big difference in flavor.

Serve: Scoop it up with tortilla chips, pile it on tacos and burritos or your other favorite foods.

More Ways to Use Pico de Gallo (Beyond Chips)

Homemade Cheese Dip

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Fish Taco Bowls

Potato Nachos