Best Pico De Gallo Recipe {Fresh Tomato Salsa}
- By Amy Dong
- Published Jul. 13, 2018
- Updated Aug. 17, 2022
It’s a happy day because the Best Pico de Gallo recipe sits at your fingertips right now. Pico de Gallo is the classically simple, fresh tomato salsa that’s made with only a few ingredients and tastes amazing over tacos, burritos, enchiladas, salads, and…chips!
Pico de Gallo Recipe
I might be the greediest Pico de Gallo eater anyone has ever met. When I go to Chipotle, I nicely beg for triple scoops of their mild fresh tomato salsa, which is essentially pico de gallo. Ditto goes for pretty much any Mexican style restaurant I step into – I can’t help but ask for extra pico de gallo to use on everything.
You all know that I’m unabashedly fond of food that’s easy to make, fresh and healthy-ish, and… it absolutely must win over the taste buds.
This restaurant style pico de gallo recipe fits the bill. It’s the easiest, most delicious way to make your favorite dishes explode with flavor. This classically simple salsa uses a handful of ingredients and is done in a handful of minutes.
If I could only eat just a handful of chips with this stuff…
What is Pico de Gallo
Pico de Gallo is basically a pure and simple form of Mexican salsa that consists of 5 ingredients: fresh tomatoes, chopped cilantro, chopped onions, diced jalapeño (or serrano,) and freshly squeezed lime juice. It’s traditionally seasoned with just salt; sometimes an addition like chopped avocado can be added, but it’s delicious in its classic form.
The main difference between Pico de Gallo and other salsas like this blender version is that many salsas contain plenty of liquid. Pico de Gallo, on the other hand, is simply chopped and left chunky as-is.
How to make Pico de Gallo
Because there are only a few basic ingredients in pico de Gallo, you’ll want to be sure to use quality, super fresh ingredients.
Most recipes call for Roma tomatoes, but in the summer we highly recommend taking advantage of various sweet cherry tomatoes, ripe off the vine. If you’re lucky enough to either grow your own or nab them from a local farmers market, they truly offer the best flavor. They’re sweet, crisp, and bursting with irresistible tomato flavor.
We use sweet white onions in our pico de Gallo, as it’s the classic choice and offers a bit of sweetness to the mix. However, red onions are fine and they’ll provide a pop of pretty purple in your pico.
Not to be forgotten are the fresh green cilantro leaves and juicy limes. We use plenty of both in our pico de Gallo. If I make this for others, I just the leaves of cilantro. When it’s just for me, I love including chopped cilantro stems as well; I’m a total cilantro monster.
Oh, and a fresh jalapeño or two gives a nice kick to this fresh salsa. I always use gloves to remove the seeds, prior to dicing the peppers.
Pico de Gallo is a wash, chop, and mix kind of deal. It’s an easy, quick, and fail proof crowd pleaser.
What to serve with Pico de Gallo
This is the most fun part. Our favorite things to use Pico de Gallo on are:
- Tacos, like Crispy Baja Fish Tacos with Creamy Lime Sauce
- All variations of Burritos
- Enchiladas or Healthy Creamy Chicken Enchilada Bake
- All kinds of bowls, like chipotle chicken burrito bowls
- Salads (my favorite way to pack on the pico flavor!)
- Chips. Just chips.
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Best Pico De Gallo Recipe {Fresh Tomato Salsa}
Ingredients
- 1 pint sweet cherry tomatoes, diced (drain if desired)
- 1 small sweet white, or red onion, about 1 cup diced
- 1 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 large lime, juiced
- 1-2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, gently fold all ingredients together until well incorporated. Cover, chill, and serve within a couple of hours.
Notes
Nutrition (per serving)
Scrumptious Salsas:
Mango Black Bean Salsa Dip– it’s zesty, slightly sweet, and unbelievably refreshing. You may never go back to “regular” salsa again.
Restaurant Style Salsa – ever wondered how restaurants make their salsas just-so? Here’s the secret.
Chunky Salsa with Corn – this super satisfying chunky salsa is perfection with tortilla chips or paired with your favorite Mexican meal.
