This Easy Pico de Gallo is a family-favorite, 10 minute snack that’s perfect to eat with chips or to add on top of salads.
Pico de gallo is a fresh appetizer for Cinco de Mayo parties or game day celebrations.
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What can I Put Pico de Gallo on ?
There are so many ways to use pico. Some of my favorites are on burritos, carne asada, tacos and even with fresh salsa. It goes great with any of your favorite Mexican foods.
Why This Fresh Pico Salsa Recipe is a Keeper
We love this classic pico de gallo recipe because it uses the freshest ingredients and it’s so quick and easy to make.
- 10 Minute App: This yummy appetizer only takes 10 minutes before serving.
- Easy Ingredients: Tomatoes, an onion, lime juice, salt, a jalapeño and cilantro are the only ingredients you’ll need.
- Family Friendly: Everyone in the family will love this classic pico de gallo.
- Adaptable: There are so many ways to adapt this recipe. You could add serrano peppers, more jalapeños, cherry tomatoes… You name it! It is so much more than tomatoes and cilantro.
If you’re looking for more Mexican inspired recipes, try this Homemade Salsa, Mexican Burger and Slow Cooked Shredded Chicken Tacos.
Is there a type of tomato that is better for Classic Pico de Gallo?
Roma tomatoes are going to be your go-to for this fresh pico de gallo recipe. You’ll want Roma tomatoes is because they tend to hold their shape together instead of getting mushy.
Variations and Substitutions to Make Pico de Gallo Recipe
This fresh salsa made with basic ingredients. This easy salsa is very adaptable. If you always thought pico de gallo was hard, you will not believe how easy it is to make.
- Different peppers: You can add in as few or as many peppers as you’d like. Chop up some bell peppers for more color or spicy salsa.
- Chopped Tomatoes: Use roma tomatoes or other meaty tomatoes.
- Diced Avocado: Slice up an avocado and gently mix it in for a delicious avocado salsa.
- Black beans: Add in some black beans before you mix everything together.
Special Equipment Needed to Make This Authentic Pico de Gallo
- Chopper: Something convenient to have for this recipe is a vegetable chopper. It will cut down your chopping time by a ton! Or use a food processor for this popular recipe.
How to Make the Best Pico de Gallo
This homemade pico de gallo recipe is so easy. To make pico de gallo, follow these 3 simple steps for this traditional salsa!
These are the basic steps for making Easy Pico de Gallo. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
STEP 1: Tomatoes & Onion
Dice the ripe tomatoes and finely chop the onion. Add to a medium-sized bowl.
STEP 2: Pepper & Cilantro
Cut the jalapeño pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Mince finely and add to bowl. Wash and chop cilantro, then add to the bowl with the tomatoes, onion and jalapeño.
STEP 3: Mix & Chill
Cut the lime in half and squeeze both halves. Add the lime juice and salt to the bowl and stir everything together. Cover and let chill for 1 hour. Serve pico de gallo with a slotted spoon.
Recipe FAQs for this Best Pico de Gallo Recipe
Expert Tips for Making This Easy Pico de Gallo Recipe
You can make this delicious and easy to make recipe for this Mexican salsa. Change up this easy recipe with your favorite ingredients.
- Double: This is a great recipe for a crowd. Simply increase the ingredients proportionately when making this recipe and split it into two baking dishes before taking it to your next party.
- No Cilantro: If you are like me, cilantro is not your friend. Try fresh parsley, basil, mint or chives for this homemade salsa recipe!
- Gardening: Next summer if you grow more tomatoes than you know what to do with, make this when you have fresh tomatoes from the garden. Make with plum tomatoes, grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes if you have them.
- Onions: For this easy recipe you can use red onion or white onion, both would be delicious.
- Freezing: You might be wondering if you can freeze leftovers! Unfortunately, freezing will dramatically changes the taste, consistency and look. You’ll want to eat this immediately.
- Make: Make with homemade tortilla chips. This chunky salsa is perfection.
What to Serve with Homemade Pico de Gallo
Easy Pico de Gallo
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Ingredients
- 3-4 Tomatoes, ripe
- 1 Onion, small
- 1 Serrano or jalepeño pepper, optional
- 1 Lime
- ¼ cup Fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Dice the tomatoes and add to medium-sized bowl.
- Finely chop the onion and add to the tomatoes.
- If using, cut the pepper in half lengthwise and rinse out the seeds. Mince finely and add to bowl.
- Wash and chop cilantro, then add to the bowl.
- Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into the bowl. Add the salt.
- Mix the ingredients together, cover, and let chill for 1 hour so flavors can meld.
Christina’s Notes
- This Recipe Can be Doubled: This is a great recipe for a crowd. Simply increase the ingredients proportionately and split it into two baking dishes before taking it to your next party.
- No Cilantro: If you are like me, cilantro is not your friend. Try fresh parsley, basil, mint or chives!
- Gardening: Next summer if you grow more tomatoes than you know what to do with, make this pico de gallo when you have fresh tomatoes from the garden.
- Onions: For this recipe you can use red onion or white onion, both would be delicious.
- Freezing: You might be wondering if you can freeze leftovers! Unfortunately, freezing will dramatically changes the taste, consistency and look. You’ll want to eat pico de gallo immediately.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided are estimates. It is recommended that you verify this information with your own trusted resource.
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This recipe is my personal adaption of an ethnic-inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe. I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients, and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible to the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.