Pico de Gallo Recipe

A good pico de gallo recipe is a must-have for a home cook’s recipe arsenal. It’s one of those condiments that can elevate a good recipe to a great recipe, kind of like Cajun compound butter and homemade salsa.

Our pico de gallo recipe has 6 ingredients (counting the salt), and pairs well with so many foods. We like to add it to vegetarian burrito bowls and black bean stuffed sweet potatoes.

Lately, I’ve been loading up roasted potatoes with some fresh pico de gallo and eating them for breakfast and lunch. It’s easy to make a big batch and holds well in the fridge for a couple of days.

Pico de Gallo Ingredients:

• Roma Tomatoes are my favorite for Pico de Gallo. They’re the right size and firm enough to hold up to fine chopping and stirring. Plus, their flavor is great.
• White Onion works well for this recipe. However, any variety of white, Spanish, sweet, or Vidalia onion will mix well. Some will taste sweeter than others but none will be overly strong.
• Fresh Cilantro is a must for Pico de Gallo. I know a lot of people have an aversion to cilantro, but in my opinion it’s necessary to get the right taste for the recipe. Fresh is the way to go here! Don’t try to substitute with dried.
• Jalapeno or Serrano Pepper is another key ingredient. Even though jalapenos can pack some heat, they are milder than serrano peppers. Either one works well. To lessen the heat, remove the seeds and membrane from the pepper.
• Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice adds a touch of acid to the recipe and pulls the flavors together.
• Sea Salt enhances all the flavors.

How do you make Pico de Gallo from scratch?

1. Our Pico de Gallo recipe starts by prepping all the ingredients beginning with the tomatoes and pepper. My personal preference is to scoop out of the insides of the tomato and remove all the seeds.
2. The tomatoes’ seedy parts add a ton of moisture to homemade Pico de Gallo and can make it runny. I’ve found that the consistency and texture is better if the seeds are removed.
3. Do the same for the jalapeno or serrano. Dice the tomatoes, pepper, and onion into small pieces that are uniform in size.
4. Chop the cilantro into small pieces, and place everything into a medium mixing bowl. Add the lime juice and sea salt, and stir to combine.
5. Our Pico de Gallo recipe needs to be refrigerated for about 10 minutes before using to allow the flavors to meld together. After that, continue to store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Other recipes you may love:

• Blueberry Curd
• Easy Peach Tea
• Sausage and Potatoes Skillet
• Feta Pasta
• Jalapeno Cilantro Hummus

Don’t forget to check out our Pico de Gallo web story!