Homemade Pico de Gallo Recipe

Homemade pico de gallo is perfect on top of any of your favorite Mexican dishes, but it’s also fantastic on its own! With just 7 ingredients, you are minutes away from an addicting bowl of salsa heaven! 

My family loves this stuff so much that I often make a double batch. We can finish it off in a couple of days. It is such a tasty way to get in your daily serving of vegetables!

If you happen to have garden fresh tomatoes, this is one of the easiest and most delicious ways to use them. Seriously, so good!

What is in pico de gallo?

• fresh tomatoes – Garden fresh tomatoes are best. We like roma tomatoes and large beefsteak tomatoes best.
• fresh onions – Yellow onions and sweet onions are the most common, but you can also use green onions.
• jalapeno peppers – They not only add that pretty green color, they give pico the Mexican flavor we all love. 
• fresh lime juice – Adds a fresh flavor that’s hard to beat. 
• salt – Adding salt boosts the flavor; without it the pico tastes a little flat.
• cilantro – If you love cilantro, this ingredient is essential, but if you hate it, you can leave it out.

What is the difference between fresh salsa and pico de gallo?

While they call for similar ingredients, the main difference is typically the texture. Salsa in spanish means “sauce”, and fresh salsa is definitely more saucy than pico.

Pico has a chunkier texture. For fresh salsa, sometimes the ingredients are pureed, but for pico the vegetables are always just diced.

HOW TO MAKE PICO DE GALLO

1. Finely dice your fresh tomatoes, onions, and jalapeno. For a less juicy pico, squeeze out the juice of the tomatoes before dicing.
2. Chop off the thick bottom stalks of the cilantro, then finely dice the leaves.
3. Stir all the ingredients together in a glass bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
4. Serve immediately with tortilla chips, or chill until ready to serve. We actually like it better the next day!

PRO TIPS:

• Use a sharp knife and cutting board instead of a food processor. The food processor tends to pulverize the vegetables, and you end up with a pureed texture. 
• Serve with a slotted spoon to avoid making your Mexican food soggy.

VARIATIONS:

• Like things spicy? Substitute serrano peppers for the jalapeno. For less spice, you can use bell peppers.
• Serving cilantro haters? You can totally omit it, or just add it to half the batch if you’ve got some cilantro fans.
• Fresh minced garlic adds great flavor!
• If you don’t care if your pico is traditional, you can stir in corn, and/or diced avocados.

How long does homemade pico last?

If kept in the refrigerator in a sealed container, fresh pico will last for 5-6 days. Note that it will get softer the longer you keep it. It also tends to get spicier.

I don’t recommend freezing homemade pico de gallo, because freezing changes the texture of the vegetables. They get very soft and mushy.

How do you keep pico de gallo from going watery?

Pico gets watery as it sits because the fresh tomatoes release juice. To help prevent it, add salt to the diced tomatoes and let them sit for about 30 minutes. Drain off the juice before adding the other ingredients.

Another way to prevent watery pico is to squeeze out excess juice before dicing the tomatoes. This is especially important if using large round tomatoes. Roma tomatoes don’t have as much juice in them.

WAYS TO USE THIS PICO DE GALLO RECIPE

• Serve it with a bag of your favorite tortilla chips. We love Tostitos scoops because they hold plenty of pico without breaking.
• It’s perfect as a dip for baked chicken flautas and beef taquitos.  
• Scoop it on top of homemade tostadas,  or creamy chicken enchiladas. 
• Add it to your scrambled eggs or breakfast burritos. 

RECIPE FOR PICO DE GALLO

Grab those garden fresh tomatoes and whip up a batch of fresh pico de gallo. Make sure you have plenty of tortilla chips on hand, everyone loves this stuff!