Pico de Gallo is loaded with fresh tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice. Learn the secret to the best Mexican Pico de Gallo – it’s a simple tip that makes it taste authentic.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Helpful Reader Review
“A Mexican friend came over to teach me how to make carnitas. I made this to go along with them, and she said it was great.” – Emily ★★★★★
“The only Pico de Gallo recipe I use! It’s not only delicious but it’s also quick & easy!!” – Ann Marie ★★★★★
Pico de Gallo Recipe
Pico de Gallo is a popular Mexican salsa. It is also known as “Salsa Fresca,” or “Salsa Cruda.” It is traditionally made with equal parts tomatoes and onion, with fresh cilantro and a generous squeeze of lime juice. I add jalapeno for a spicy kick but you can leave it out for a milder pico.
You can easily adjust this recipe to suit your preference; add more tomatoes for sweetness or another jalapeno pepper or even serrano peppers if you love fiery salsa. We’ve even tried adding peaches for a peach salsa, which turned out really well.
I love making the most of summer fruits and veggies with loaded salsas like Mango Salsa, our popular Cowboy Caviar and of course Homemade Salsa! This Pico de Gallo recipe is our favorite way to use up garden ripe tomatoes, but it’s just as delicious with store-bought Roma tomatoes in the cooler months.
What’s the Best Onion for Pico?
Just as with Guacamole, white onion is the most authentic choice for making pico de Gallo because it’s crisp and sharp and less sweet than other varieties. A yellow onion or red onion will also work if that is what you have on hand.
How to Make Pico de Gallo
There’s no cooking involved with this salsa recipe, so even the least skilled cook would be hard-pressed to mess this one up:
- DICE up your ingredients and place them in a glass or non-reactive bowl,
- SQUEEZE in the fresh lime juice, then season with salt and pepper
- STIR to combine.
Pro Tip:
Use gloves or a ziploc bag to cover your hands when seeding and handling hot peppers.
The Secret to the Best Pico de Gallo
Have you ever wondered how to make your Pico de Gallo taste restaurant quality and more authentic? This family secret comes from Blanca Villasenor who also shared her authentic Ceviche recipe. The key to a traditional pico de gallo is in letting it rest. Combine all of the ingredients, cover and refrigerate for a day. The tomatoes will juice up and the flavors will meld in the fridge so every bite is flavor-packed.
Variations for Pico de Gallo
You can easily bulk up and change the flavor profile of pico salsa by dicing in one of these fresh fruits or vegetables. I’d love to know about your creative add-ins.
- Bell Pepper
- Corn
- Avocado
- Cucumber
- Mango
- Peaches for a peach salsa
Serve Pico de Gallo With
Salsa Fresca is often served as a topping for Mexican food, from breakfast to enchiladas, tacos, nachos, and more. It is so versatile! It’s also perfect as an appetizer with tortilla chips. We love pico with:
- Breakfast Burritos or Breakfast Tacos
- Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Tacos or Beef Tacos
- Tostadas
- Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
- Beef Burritos
- Chicken Fajitas
- Carnitas
- Taco Salad
Pico de Gallo is seriously irresistible, and our love for this wonderfully fresh salsa runs deep. My only complaint is that it disappears too quickly, so I highly recommend making a double or triple batch.
Authentic Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 1 lb Roma tomatoes, (3-4 medium), or garden tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 medium white onion, (1 cup chopped), or yellow onion or red onion
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced (optional)
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 Tbsp lime juice, from 1 lime
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, diced tomatoes, onion, jalapeno pepper and chopped cilantro.
- Stir in 2 Tbsp lime juice and lightly season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper, or season to taste. Enjoy right away or cover and refrigerate overnight.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Favorite Summer Appetizers
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Avocado Shrimp Bites
- Crisp Zucchini Bites
- Roasted Salsa
- Spicy Guacamole
- Fresh Spring Rolls
Are you working on some low carbohydrate recipes? Your recipes are so delicious and easy to make, and entire low carbohydrate cookbook by you would be fantastic.
Hi Diana, thank you! However, we are not working on that at the moment. But thanks for your suggestion and feedback!
Thank you for this recipe I have used this a few times and my family loves this
This is exactly how I make my pico except that I probably double the lime juice and I add a tbl spoon of minced garlic. Amazing!! I like the jalapeños to be very finely chopped. I wish there was a kitchen tool or appliance I could use for the peppers and cilantro. Those take the longest to chop.
Hi Kevin, I bought a 1.5 cup electric mini food processor this year for $20 and love it. It will dice and mince onions, garlic, jalapenos, ginger, cilantro as fine as you want them. It purees and pulses and performs other timesaving functions too. Small space saver, sharp blade, easy to use and wash. You can get a 3-cup capacity too if you want to make hummus, guac, dips. I got a Mueller, love their engineering and quality, but Amazing shows it as unavailable now. You can try mueller.com. In the past I have had Black & Decker, Hamilton Beach, Proctor and Silex, all worked well at very reasonable prices. Saves so much time. I’m you would really using one.
Used the last of my garden tomatoes, took to a party, it was gone in record time. Everyone enjoyed it! Love love when a recipe turn out this well!
Perfect
I love your recipies, Natasha! Love your cookbook too. It is nice to make things that I have on hand and don’t need to go shopping to make dinner. Keep up your wonderful work!,,,
Excellent short basic authentic recipe, everyone loved it, I used Serrano peppers and squeeze cilantro as it’s hard to find cilantro in wyoming in the fall, you rock!!
A simple ratio to follow, 3tomato:2onion:1jalapeno.
Also, if you want to get creative, lemon pepper adds a wonderful flavor to pico. I’m fortunate to cook in a restaurant that makes it fresh daily, so I get to take home a generous amount every night. I just eat it with a spoon. Lol.
Love it .
Like all of your recipes .
going to make your guacamole in a few minutes .
I added 2 jalapenos’ I like it a little hotter .
A Mexican friend came over to teach me how to make carnitas. I made this to go along with them, and she said it was great
Delicious and turns out great. We had it on brisket tacos. 🌮
Just made Pico De Gallo. I sampled for flavor, very good. The best Gallo I made
Was wondering about the tomatoes, are they to be deseeded or not. It doesn’t say in your instructions but I was wondering as the tomatoes you have shown are regular vine tomatoes and not Romas. However the picture shows that these tomatoes might have been deseeded due to looking dryer than regular tomatoes.
Hi Charlotte, I don’t ever de-seed my tomatoes for pico de gallo. I don’t think it’s worth the extra trouble and I don’t mind the seeds in there. I hope you love this recipe!
So easy, great flavor! I didn’t change anything. Making copycat meximelts and needed pico.
So glad to hear that, Kels!
Kel’s, did your Meximelts taste like Taco Bell’s?
This was really good. Family enjoyed it and kept going back for more.
This was so good! My whole family liked it from one-year-old to OLD!
That’s wonderful to hear, Judy!
Can this be canned ? Or should it be made fresh every time I need some ?
Hi Tabitha, I haven’t tried canning this one. I don’t have any canned salsa recipes but I do have a roasted salsa that freezes really really well. We make huge batches of this in summer and enjoy it all winter long. Freeze portions flat in the freezer in ziploc bags and thaw under cold water or in the fridge. I hope that helps
how long can you keep in fridge after making it?
Hi Sue! It lasts for a few days (up to 3 or so) before the tomatoes get soggy and looses it’s freshness.
I’ve made this countless times and although it’s best after time to marry flavors in the fridge, it’s hard to wait. I add a clove of garlic and tsp of sugar or agave to offset acid of tomatoes. Love it!
I just made and didn’t realize I was suppose to remove the seeds from the jalapeño. Now I’m scared! Do you think this error will make it entirely too spicy?
Hi Gina! It’s very possible that it’s spicy. It really depends on the pepper. Some are more spicy than others.
I will be making this tomorrow. Today I’m going to the grocery store. What tomatoes are preferred for this pico?
Hi Tina! I typically use roma tomatoes for their firm texture and fewer seeds but any will work.
Do you have to scald and peel the Roma tomatoes? Also, which kind of onion do you prefer?
Hi Margie! I do not. We use them as is with the skin. Traditionally, white onions are used to make salsa, but you can also use a yellow or red onion.