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    Home » Recipes

    Pico de Gallo Recipe

    Published: Sep 5, 2024 · Author: Tiffany Aasted · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Satisfyingly fresh, and a little spicy, this Pico de Gallo recipe is the best one you’ll find! Making your own pico de gallo at home is easy, calling for just 6 ingredients and coming together in about 15 minutes.

    Whether you like to use pico de gallo as a burrito topping or to dunk crunchy tortilla chips in, you can’t go wrong with this fresh treat. This recipe is great for any season.

    Get the pico de gallo recipe as well as some juicy tips that make dicing and chopping much easier and way faster.

    served pico de gallo with chips

    Fresh, juicy and delicious, homemade pico de gallo is a must-have recipe for your collection. 

    For us, I wanted to make our own pico salsa because it allowed me control over the ingredients. We eat mostly organic foods at our house, which works perfectly for a  fresh recipe like this one.

    You’ll love this recipe because it’s

    • Easy to prepare in around 15 minutes with no cooking involved
    • Tastes great on everything from tortilla chips to burritos to hashbrowns with eggs
    • Makes large batch quantities to feed a crowd at your next party
    homemade pico de gallo in glass mixing bowl

    Find creative ways to use pico de gallo, such as a topping for homemade mozzarella sticks!

    Ingredients

    When possible, use the freshest ingredients to make this pico de gallo recipe. Since this is inherently a fresh salsa that is meant to be eaten fresh, I make pico the same day or within a few days of buying the ingredients.

    Tip:

    Don’t put fresh tomatoes in the refrigerator, as it changes the DNA, rendering tomatoes flavorless as well as changing them to a mushy texture.

    ingredients for homemade pico de gallo

    Gather these ingredients to make pico de gallo at home:

    • Red onion (about half), 1 cup, diced fine - Not only does red onion look good in pico salsa, but tastes amazing! You can use white onion, though red onion gives this dish a much better flavor.
    • Lime, 1, fresh squeezed juice - There is nothing quite like fresh squeezed lime juice, and it makes all the difference here. If you don’t have fresh limes, use store-bought lime juice.
    • Roma tomatoes (about 5-6), 2 ½ to 3 cups, seeded, diced fine - Be sure to remove the chambers and seeds or it will make your pico extremely wet, bordering on mushy. Whatever you do, don’t refrigerate tomatoes. They become flavorless and mushy, because refrigeration actually changes the DNA of tomatoes.
    • Jalapeño, 1, seeded, diced fine - Whether you remove the seeds or not is a matter of preference. If you like spicy, after removing the seeds, veins and pith, finely dice the flesh/body. Separately, roughly dice the seeds, veins and pith and add everything to the mixing bowl. Otherwise, if you want a mild version, remove and discard the seeds, veins and pith. Then, finely dice the flesh, adding only it to the bowl.
    • Cilantro, ¼ to ½ cup, roughly chopped small - Love it or hate it, cilantro is a staple in this Mexican salsa. Roughly chop the cilantro fairly small before adding to the mixing bowl.
    • Salt, ½ teaspoon - A little salt always goes a long way in salsas, considering you may be pairing this pico with salty chips or cheese. Start with ½ teaspoon salt and taste test. You can always add more, but you can’t remove it.
    served pico de gallo with chips

    Tip:

    The acidity of lime juice actually cooks the onion a little. Because of this, the first step I recommend is to dice the onion finely and then squeeze the lime over the onion. After mixing it together, let it sit while you finely dice the Roma tomatoes.

    Instructions

    1. Finely dice the red onion and add it to the mixing bowl. Squeeze the lime over the onion and mix to coat.
    finely diced red onion in glass mixing bowl
    lime for salsa at home
    lime over red onion in a glass mixing bowl
    1. After removing the seeds and finely dicing the Roma tomatoes, add them to the bowl.
    finely diced roma tomatoes in a glass mixing bowl
    1. For the  jalapeño, if you like it spicy, finely dice the jalapeño whole—seeds and all—and add it to the bowl. Otherwise, after removing the seeds, veins and pith, finely dice the  jalapeño and add it to the bowl.
    finely diced, tomatoes, red onion and jalapeno in glass mixing bowl
    1. Roughly chop the cilantro small and add it to the bowl.
    finely chopped fresh cilantro in small glass bowl
    1. Add the salt and stir to combine. Taste test to see if you need more salt. You can always add more later but you can’t take it out.
    homemade pico de gallo in glass mixing bowl
    1. Serve immediately.
    served pico de gallo with chips

    Serving Suggestions

    Pico de gallo at home means you get the freshest version possible! Think of creative ways to serve pico at your next brunch or holiday get-together.

    • Breakfast - Serve freshly made pico de gallo over crispy hashbrowns with eggs and cheese.
    • Appetizer - Throwing a party? Make a large batch of homemade pico de gallo to accompany crispy tortilla chips of the white, yellow and blue corn kind.
    served pico de gallo with chips
    • Snack - Make a quick afternoon snack with pico de gallo as the topping for mini tacos, cheese quesadilla or with tortilla chips.

    served pico de gallo with chips

    Pico de Gallo Recipe

    Author: Tiffany, Mornington Lane
    Satisfyingly fresh, and a little spicy, this Pico de Gallo recipe is the best one you’ll find! Making your own pico de gallo at home is easy, coming together in about 15 minutes.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Snack
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 4 cups

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup Red onion (about half an onion), diced fine
    • Juice from 1 lime, fresh squeezed
    • 2 ½ to 3 cups Roma tomatoes (about 5-6), seeded, diced fine
    • 1 Jalapeño, seeded if you don’t want it spicy, diced fine
    • ¼ to ½ cup Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped small
    • ½ teaspoon Salt

    Instructions
     

    • Finely dice the red onion and add it to the mixing bowl. Squeeze the lime over the onion and mix to coat. Tip: I learned that the acidity in lime juice actually cooks the onion a little, so do this step first before anything else.
    • After removing the seeds and finely dicing the Roma tomatoes, add them to the bowl.
    • For the jalapeño, if you like it spicy, finely dice the jalapeño whole—seeds and all—and add it to the bowl. Otherwise, after removing the seeds, veins and pith, finely dice the  jalapeño and add it to the bowl.
    • Roughly chop the cilantro small and add it to the bowl.
    • Add the salt and stir to combine. Taste test to see if you need more salt. You can always add more later but you can’t take it out.
    • Serve immediately.
    Keyword best pico de gallo recipe, easy pico de gallo, easy pico de gallo recipe, homemade pico de gallo, pico de gallo recipe
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    Mornington Lane's author Tiffany Aasted

    Hello, I’m Tiffany, author, founder and photographer behind the blog. Here you’ll find home decorating tips, DIY projects, entertaining ideas, home organizing solutions, and recipes. I love timeless design and classic style, mixing high-end and budget-friendly decor, and sharing where to buy the most beautiful finds for your home. I’m so excited to share all things home with you! Read more


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