Pico De Gallo

Learn Pico De Gallo from five ingredients. Fresh juice tomatoes, crunchy onion, jalapeno, chopped cilantro, and a splash of lime juice. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste, and use this pico for snacking or piling your Mexican dishes.

This dish features bright colors and bold flavors. No special equipment is needed for this recipe, making it a no-brainer. For more must-make recipes, check out our garden salsawatermelon salsa and mango salsa!!! Don’t sleep on these.

What is Pico De Gallo?

Pico de Gallo is also called a salsa cruda or salsa fresca. Chopped veggies tossed with lime, salt, and pepper for a vibrant flavor. You can top tacos and burritos, eat them as a dip, or even top grilled meats.

Bright flavors, crunchy, savory, and you can control the heat factor of the pico de Gallo.

Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe…

• Healthy ingredients that are used and packed with nutrients.
• A low-calorie snack option.
• Authentic pico de Gallo that is good for a weeknight or to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! Pair with your usual Mexican food or use it as a type of salsa for dipping tortilla chips in.
• You can customize the spice factor and flavor by altering ingredients.
• This recipe mixes up in minutes. It is such a quick one to throw together.

Ingredients Needed

Tomatoes: Choose ripe and fresh tomatoes. You can use any variety, but Roma tomatoes are often used because they have fewer seeds.

Onion: Yellow, red, or white onions can be used. We opted to use yellow. You want raw onions for that bite factor.

Jalapeno Pepper: If you are not huge on spice, remove the pepper’s white membrane and seeds. If you prefer heat, leave some seeds for added spice.

Cilantro: Reach for fresh cilantro that you chop up fine. This is optional, but it adds more flavor to the salsa fresca.

Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice helps balance all the ingredients and bring them together for a mix.

Salt and Pepper: Flavor to taste; the salt will help enhance all the vegetable’s natural flavors.

How to Make

The complete steps for making pico de gallo are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a quick walk-through.

The first step is to wash and pat dry the vegetables. Then, you dice the fresh tomatoes, yellow onion, and jalapeno pepper.

Add all the fresh ingredients to a large bowl.

Squeeze the lime and pour the fresh lime juice all over the vegetables. Toss with a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Then serve with chips, a Mexican dish, etc.

Variations

Onions: Any chopped onions work for this easy recipe. Red onion adds more heat, as does white onion. Yellow onions are sweet onions, so it won’t be as spicy if you opt for that route. Choose the best flavor for your preference.

Pepper: You can use a bell pepper if you want a tame flavor. Or opt for a serrano pepper for a nice kick of heat. You will finely chop the pepper. Or even go for chili peppers for a kick of heat.

Black Beans: Rinse and drain a can of black beans to enhance the flavors tremendously.

Garlic: Mix fresh garlic in the fresh pico de Gallo.

What to Serve With Pico De Gallo?

You can easily use it as a chunky salsa with crunchy chips. Or you can take it a step further and top your morning avocado toast breakfast burritos tacos burrito bowlsenchiladas or any other favorite Mexican recipes. Fish tacos would be another great one for fresh flavor in each bite.

This chunky pico de gallo is a great appetizer for a game day event or a topper for dinner at home.

Tips For Making

• The size of the vegetables that you chop will alter the flavor. For example, leaving the vegetables a bit larger makes a salsa for dipping. Where chopping finer offers the best results for topping your Mexican cuisine recipes.
• Allowing the mixture to sit in the fridge for a few hours overnight before serving offers more flavor. It allows the flavors to meld together. The next day provides excellent flavor, allowing simple ingredients to blend.
• After you clean the jalapenos, you can soak them in cold water with ice to help tame the spice even more.
• Stir the mixture before serving it to ensure all the flavors are mixed well.

Storing Leftovers

This recipe is great for storing in the fridge in a sealed, airtight container for 2-3 days. Use a little bit on meals and keep the rest in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat. Serve chilled. Due to the ingredients, this is not a freezer-friendly recipe.

Practical notes

Is Pico de Gallo spicy?

You get to control the level of spice. Leaving seeds in the jalapeno peppers is going to make it spicy. Cleaning the peppers will be mild to medium heat.

​Can we customize the ingredients in Pico de Gallo?

You can make this pico any way you want. Adjust the ingredients, add spices, and swap in mango, avocado, garlic, and more to transform it into your usual meal.

Is Pico de Gallo the same as salsa?

Traditional salsa is often made in a food processor, and the mixture is blended into smaller pieces, tender veggies, and a watery consistency. Good pico de gallo has more significant chunks of veggies and minimal liquid.

More Recipes To Try

• Guacamole
• Rainbow Bean Salad
• Korean Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

Makes 2 cups

• 4 Medium Tomatoes
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion
• 1 Jalapeno
• 1 Cup Finely Chopped Cilantro
• 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Equipment

• Sharp Knife
• Cutting Board
• Bowl
• Citrus Juicer

Method

1. Wash, dry, and prep tomatoes, onion, and jalapenos. Dice all to about roughly the same size pieces.
2. Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and add the lime juice.
3. Fold and mix the ingredients until they are thoroughly incorporated.
4. Season to taste.
5. Serve with chips, over tacos, etc. or store in an airtight container in the fridge, up to 3 days.