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Learn how to make a quick 5-ingredient Pico de Gallo! This recipe calls for easy ingredients, and Pico de Gallo can be used on tacos, fajitas, or served straight with your favorite tortilla chips!
It’s chip and dip season!!
A batch of homemade Pico de Gallo is a staple in our house once spring hits. Nevermind the fact that my husband won’t even look in the general direction of raw tomatoes. Okay, it’s me. I eat all the pico in the house, alright! I admit it! It’s a simple, low-calorie, and rest assured, a healthy recipe that adds tons of flavor to salads, serves as a quick snack with tortilla chips and goes with any and allkinds of meat that you throw on the grill this season!
I ate pico by the buckets on our honeymoon, is that even a surprise now? And years and years later, I still remember the way it tasted. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort, and they made pico fresh with the most delicious ripe tomatoes. So needless to say, I was piling it high on my eggs, loading it up in my shrimp tacos, and for dinner, you got it, more pico de gallo on the side, please!
My favorite thing to make come April is all the things for Cinco de Mayo. And since I shared blender salsa the other day, I figured it was time for Pico. Living in Texas certainly has it’s perks, like having full access to the best Tex-Mex food. That meansI get to try all the things and then come back here and share them with you! This is without a doubt the best job perk.
In previous years, I’ve shared how to make elotes (grilled corn with all the things), Mexican street corn salad, Mexican shrimp co*cktail stuffed avocados (a personal faveee), street tacos, easy refried beans, shrimp enchiladas in cheesy sauce, avocado corn and rice salad and the list goes on and on,
What I’m trying to say is that if you haven’t planned your Cinco de Mayo menu, rest assured I’m going to be bombarding you with a few more Cinco de Mayo recipes before the big day!
What is pico de gallo?
Depending on where you are in the world, pico de gallo is also referred to as salsa fresca. It’s a blend of fresh tomatoes and a few select ingredients. Pico de Gallo tastes great on homemade tacos and burritos, but you can also serve it with tortilla chips.
What is the difference between pico de gallo and salsa?
Pico de gallo or salsa fresca uses fresh ingredients as the name suggests. Salsa can also be made with fresh tomatoes, but some salsas are made with canned tomatoes and some with canned fire-roasted tomatoes (and sometimes the onions and peppers are roasted too.) The ingredients in pico de gallo are the starting point of salsa, but salsa often contains fresh garlic and spices, which Pico does not. Pico de Gallo is made by chopping onions, tomatoes, and peppers finely whereas most salsas are made in a blender or food processor.
Ingredients to make homemade pico de gallo:
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Jalapeños
- Cilantro
- Lime juice
- Salt
How to make the best pico de gallo:
I have a special trick to share with you if you want to make the best restaurant-style Pico de Gallo. Start by mincing the onions finely and allowing them to sit in the lime juice while you chop the remainder of your ingredients. I find this small little step helps take away the harsh bite from the onion and makes it much more pleasant to eat in a gathering!
Ways to use homemade salsa fresca:
You can pretty much use Pico de Gallo on anything you like! I love it with homemade taquitos, but also with my chicken or beef fajitas, served simply with chips for a dip trio, along with my homemade avocado dip+ blender salsa. You can also serve it with my chicken carnitas, or street corn chicken tacos. Plus, my homemade Pico de Gallo can be used anywhere you see fit!
Yield: ~ 2½ cups
5-Ingredient Pico de Gallo
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Learn how to make a quick 5-ingredient Pico de Gallo! This recipe calls for easy ingredients, and Pico de Gallo can be used on tacos, fajitas, or served straight with your favorite tortilla chips!
Ingredients
- 5-6 Roma tomatoes, chopped (about 1 ¼ pounds)
- ½ cup onions, finely minced (or more to taste)
- 1 -2 minced jalapeños, seeds and ribs removed
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped (use stems too!)
- 2 - 3 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more as desired)
Instructions
- Add onions and jalapeños to a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of lime juice and salt, and stir to combine, let sit for 5 minutes while you chop your tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and cilantro. Taste and adjust with additional salt or lime juice as desired. Allow the Pico de Gallo to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes (or refrigerate for 2 hours, covered) and then serve with tortilla chips or on top of your favorite foods!
- Leftover pico de gallo can be kept covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Notes
- I like to remove the seeds from my tomatoes, however, this is entirely optional.
Have you made this recipe?
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FAQs
Stir tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, garlic, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Enjoy!
What is pico de gallo seasoning made of? ›
Stir tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, garlic, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Enjoy!
Why does my pico de gallo taste bland? ›
Salt! Tomatoes need salt to enhance their natural flavor so don't skip or you Pico de Gallo will taste bland. Play with amounts.
Why is my pico de gallo so wet? ›
Use the tomato flesh, not the seeds and juices.
You don't want your pico to be too watery, so make sure to remove the seeds from the tomatoes as you dice them. I like to use tomatoes on the vine in my pico. Roma tomatoes and plum tomatoes are good choices too, as they're less juicy than other varieties.
How long can pico de gallo last in a jar? ›
How do you store pico de gallo? Pico De Gallo is best consumed the same day it is made but can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
What does pico de gallo do to your body? ›
It can help with weight management, lower cholesterol levels, boost immunity, improve digestion, promote hydration, and provide anti-inflammatory properties. Adding Pico de Gallo to your meals is a simple and tasty way to boost your overall health and well-being.
Which is better pico de gallo or salsa? ›
If you're serving it with chips, these two sauces can be used interchangeably. It's all a matter of personal preference. If you're cooking with it, however, do keep in mind that salsa typically contains more liquid than pico de gallo, so you may need to adjust for the swap accordingly.
Why does my Pico taste bitter? ›
Make sure not to zest into the pith as this can cause the pico de gallo to become bitter. Sweet cherry tomatoes give this fast pico de gallo an excellent balance of flavors!
Do you drain the juice from pico de gallo? ›
I always try to wait at least an hour before serving to let the flavors marinade and blend. Serve your homemade pico de gallo with a slotted spoon or drain some of the liquid with a sieve. The tomatoes release a lot of juice and this helps to get rid of some of the extra liquid.
How do you tone down spicy pico de gallo? ›
Grab some citrus, sugar, or honey.
Adding acid and sweetness are well known ways to tame a spicy dish.
Salting and draining diced tomatoes improves their texture, flavor, and color. Opting for smaller varieties, like plum, cherry, or grape tomatoes, gives you more flavorful tomatoes in the off season.
What does bad pico de gallo look like? ›
Identifying when salsa or pico de gallo has gone bad relies on sensory evaluation. They should be discarded if: There is any foul odor, suggesting bacterial or fungal growth. The tomatoes become mushy and the color appears dull.
How to avoid watery pico de gallo? ›
Well, the first thing is to understand that tomatoes contain a lot of water, and anytime you add salt to a vegetable it draws water out of it due to osmosis. The way to avoid watery Pico de Gallo is to salt and drain the tomatoes before mixing them with all the other ingredients.
How fast does pico de gallo go bad? ›
Pico de Gallo is usually safe to eat within 3 to 5 days when stored properly in the refrigerator. You can use any good quality storage container to store the salsa. To make it last longer, you can core and de seed the tomato you're using for the recipe, and use fresh onion and other ingredients.
How many days is homemade pico de gallo good for? ›
Combine tomatoes, onion, cilantro and jalapeño in a bowl. Season with salt and add lime juice to taste. Top on your favorite Mexican food, or serve with chips. Pico de gallo is best eaten fresh, within 12 hours of making it.
Can I freeze pico de gallo? ›
How to use Pico de Gallo after it's been frozen - This fresh salsa will have a slightly different consistency after it has been frozen and thawed, but will still be flavorful and delicious! Freezer pico de gallo can still be eaten with chips or to top any taco night.
Is pico de gallo and picante the same thing? ›
A rather smooth and puréed-like sauce is the Picante, the semi-chunky texture is the Salsa, and the uniformly chopped tomatoes that traditionally contains more peppers than salsa or picante sauce, is the Pico de gallo.
Does pico de gallo contain vinegar? ›
Dressed with oil and vinegar, this pico de gallo is made with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeños, and spices for fresh flavor no matter how you use it.
What are the ingredients in Mi Nina pico de gallo chips? ›
Ingredients: Non-GMO white corn, lime, sunflower oil, organic tomato powder, sugar, organic agave powder, organic lime juice powder, organic dried cilantro, organic onion powder, sea salt, trace of lime.
Is Pico hot and spicy? ›
For the former, all you're doing is dicing all of the ingredients, but salsa blends up the ingredients (usually in a food processor) so everything gets smooth and combined. Is pico de gallo spicy? It's spicy, but not unbearably hot.
