Authentic Pico de Gallo Recipe
If you’re looking for an authentic pico de gallo recipe, this is it! All you need are a few minutes to mix it up and it’s perfect for dipping or adding flavor to your favorite meals.
Made with fresh Roma tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and a few simple spices, this salsa is packed with flavor! It’s easy to make and takes just minutes to throw together.
It’s the perfect addition to Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday and goes great with crockpot chicken white chili and taco pizza. Don’t forget to enjoy a refreshing strawberry margarita or strawberry lemonade along with it!
Table of contents
Homemade Pico de Gallo
I love this fresh tomato salsa recipe because…..
- It’s made with mostly fresh ingredients.
- All I need are a few minutes to prepare a batch and it requires NO cooking!
- The perfect pair for chips and my slow cooker queso dip!
- An easy way to add flavor to tacos, burritos, or any other Mexican favorites.
Pico de Gallo Ingredients
- Roma tomatoes: The perfect tomatoes for this recipe. They offer great flavor and have a nice firm, perfectly juicy texture.
- Red onion: A nice crunchy onion for salsas, dips, and salads.
- Garlic cloves: Just a bit to add more garlic flavor.
- Fresh cilantro: I love the flavor but if you don’t you can leave it out or swap it for parsley.
- Jalapeño pepper: Makes it spicy! You can adjust the amount if you don’t like spicy. Remember scraping out the seeds and membrane does make it less spicy.
- Lime: Use fresh for the best flavor!
- Spices: Garlic powder, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper give the pico a more complex flavor.
Kitchen Tools
You will need a mixing bowl, vegetable chopper (a must have to make chopping all the vegetables easier), citrus juicer, and a fun chip and dip serving bowl.
How To Make Pico de Gallo
- Combine. The tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, garlic clove, and cilantro in a bowl.
- Squeeze. The lime juice and add the spices.
- Stir. Everything together.
- Taste. Adjust any of the seasonings to your tastes.
Expert Tips
- Chop ingredients into small pieces. Take your time and aim for even, small pieces for each ingredient for a pico that’s easy to pick up with a chip, or use a vegetable chopper that makes chopping all the veggies super easy.
- Adjust to your tastes! Add more lime, use less chile, or skip the cilantro if that’s how you like it.
- Use gloves to cut the jalapeno. Or hold it with a fork while cutting to avoid touching it with your fingers. Nothing is worse than rubbing your eye with spicy fingers!
- Make close to serving time. For the best flavor serve it fresh though letting it sit for an hour allows the flavor to meld.
Frequently Asked Questions
These two dishes are often confusing because they are made with similar ingredients. The general difference though usually comes down to texture. Salsa is often smoother and juicier since the ingredients may be blended together. On the other hand, pico is chunkier and less juicy as the ingredients are chopped into small pieces and mixed together.
It’s best served at room temperature or chilled. However, it does make a tasty addition to other heated dishes such as tacos, enchiladas, queso dip, or casseroles.
Translated in Spanish, pico de gallo literally means “beak of rooster.” It was originally eaten by pinching between the thumb and finger, making the shape of a rooster’s beak.
Serve With
- Serve for parties! It goes great with chips, taco dip, and a tasty strawberry margarita!
- An easy way to add flavor to dinner meals such as chicken enchiladas and Doritos taco casserole.
- It goes great with other Mexican dips like this black bean and corn salsa and pineapple guacamole.
Storing
- Store. In the fridge for up to three days. Freezing is not recommended.
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If you’ve tried this Pico de Gallo recipe, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing about your experience making it and it also helps anyone else making the recipe too.
Best Pico de Gallo Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 roma tomatoes, diced
- ½ red onion, minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 clove garlic, minced
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- 1 pinch ground cumin, (if you don't like spicy, leave it out!)
- ½ teaspoon salt , more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Stir tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, garlic, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Let the pico de gallo marinate in the bowl for 15 minutes or in the fridge for 2-4 hours for the best flavor. Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
- Chop ingredients into small pieces. Take your time and aim for even, small pieces for each ingredient for a pico that’s easy to pick up with a chip, or use a vegetable chopper that makes chopping all the veggies super easy.
- Adjust to your tastes! Add more lime, use less chile, or skip the cilantro if that’s how you like it.
- Use gloves to cut the jalapeno. Or hold it with a fork while cutting to avoid touching it with your fingers. Nothing is worse than rubbing your eye with spicy fingers!
- Make close to serving time. This dish is always best served fresh though letting it sit for an hour allows the flavor to meld.
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Our taco Tuesdays just leveled up because of this pico de gallow recipe! It was a huge hit and everyone enjoyed it with chips too!
This was incredibly flavorful in the perfect accompaniment to my crispy black bean tacos!
This is such a great and simple pico recipe. I am a huge chips and salsa fan and this hits the spot. I will admit, I don’t like it too spicy so I left the jalapeno out haha.