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This pico de gallo recipe is a classic and authentic Mexican salsa made with fresh ingredients like tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice. It’s ready in only 10 minutes and is great with tacos, fajitas, burritos, and tortilla chips!
If I’m wanting a quick and easy salsa that’s full of flavor and pairs with almost any Mexican dish, pico de gallo is my go-to.
It’s made with ingredients that I always have stocked in my fridge and it’s ready to eat in only 10 minutes.
A secret I’ve learned is that the longer it sits and marinates, the better it tastes!
Here’s why I love this recipe:
- Fresh and healthy. Pico de gallo is made with simple ingredients like tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, and lime juice. It’s so fresh and great alongside a bowl of guacamole!
- Ready in 10 minutes. This recipe requires no cooking. Just chop up all the ingredients, toss them together, and serve. It’s great with some homemade tortilla chips or with popular Mexican favorites like tacos and enchiladas.
What Is Pico de Gallo?
Pico de gallo, also called salsa fresca or salsa cruda, is a fresh Mexican salsa made of finely diced ingredients like tomatoes, white onion, jalapeños, chopped cilantro, and salt tossed with lime juice for a bright, citrusy flavor.
Unlike other Mexican salsas, which are cooked and blended or mashed in a food processor or molcajete, pico de gallo’s ingredients are fresh and finely diced.
The name pico de gallo translates to “rooster’s beak” in Spanish and is believed to originate from the way a rooster pecks at its food. This imagery is thought to resemble the finely chopped ingredients used in the preparation of pico de gallo.
It’s delicious on its own with chips, or it can brighten up heartier recipes like carne asada or chicken fajitas.
Pico de Gallo Ingredients
- Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are my go-to for pico de gallo. They’re a bit more firm and have less juice compared to other tomatoes, which is what you’re looking for so the pico doesn’t get too soggy. This is what’s traditionally used, but you could also use cherry tomatoes or your favorite ripe red tomatoes.
- White onion: Has a great tangy flavor and is what is traditionally used in pico de gallo, but you can also use red onion.
- Jalapeños: I deseeded and deveined my jalapeño peppers to reduce the spice, but feel free to leave them in. To make it extra spicy, try substituting one or two serrano peppers instead.
- Cilantro: Adds a fresh herb flavor that pairs well with lime juice. You can omit it if you’re not a fan or substitute parsley.
- Lime juice: Plenty of lime juice is key. I use fresh limes, but you can also use store-bought lime juice if you’re in a pinch.
- Garlic: I added a small amount of minced garlic for extra depth of flavor. Letting it marinate in the juices of the pico de gallo is key to cut a little bit of the bite that raw garlic sometimes has.
- Kosher salt: Add salt to taste. Start with a little, then work your way up. You’ll likely need more salt than you think to really bring out the flavors!
How to Make Pico de Gallo
Toss and serve. Once all the tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, cilantro, and garlic are chopped and prepped, you just toss them together with lime juice and salt, and it’s ready to serve!
Recipe Tips
- Let it marinate. The longer the pico de gallo sits, the longer the flavors have a better opportunity to come together. I recommend letting it marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day before serving. Doing this also helps to cut some of the bite and heat from the white onion and garlic.
- Adjust the spice. The spice level of pico de gallo is totally up to you. I used a jalapeño to keep it on the milder side, but you could use a serrano pepper to make it even spicier.
- Choose ripe tomatoes. Roma tomatoes are what’s traditionally used to make this authentic pico de gallo, but you can also use cherry or grape tomatoes, or any of your preferred tomato varieties as long as they’re ripe.
Ways to Use Pico de Gallo
You can serve pico de gallo as a salsa or appetizer or garnish it on just about anything! Here are a few of my favorite ways to eat it:
- Pair it with meats like carne asada, pollo asado, and carnitas.
- As a topping on chicken fajitas, shrimp fajitas, and chicken enchiladas.
- As a veggie addition to taco salad, black bean quesadillas, and chorizo and eggs.
How to Store Pico de Gallo
Pico de gallo can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
I don’t recommend freezing it.
More Salsa Recipes
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 1 pound ripe Roma tomatoes, finely diced
- 1 medium white onion, finely diced
- 2 large jalapeños, seeds and veins removed, finely diced
- ⅓ cup tightly packed cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl.
- Toss together, taste, and add more salt if needed.
- Enjoy immediately or refrigerate and serve when ready to eat.
Notes
- Tomatoes: I used Roma tomatoes as that’s what’s traditionally used, but any ripe red tomatoes will work.
- Jalapeño: The spice level of pico de gallo is totally up to you. I used a jalapeño to keep it on the milder side, but you could use a serrano pepper to make it even spicier.
- Onion: White onion is what’s traditionally used, but you can also use red or even yellow in a pinch.
- Salt: Add salt to taste. Start with a little, then work your way up. You’ll likely need more salt than you think to really bring out the flavors!
- Let it marinate: The longer the pico de gallo sits, the longer the flavors have a better opportunity to come together. I recommend letting it marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day before serving. Doing this also helps to cut some of the bite and heat from the white onion and garlic.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in September 2020 and has been updated with new photos and more helpful tips.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
Great.I like this.Thank you.
Respect from Thailand🇹🇭
Easy to make, absolutely scrumptious. Shared with neighbors and they lived as well! Thanks fif sharing ❤️
Absolutely delicious. It filled my craving for Mexican flavors! I didn’t make it super spicy and I 2 year old loves it too!
I made this to go with our chicken taco’s and OMG, it is just delicious, I love the flavours and will be making this again and again
Perfect PICO DE GALLO! I am a 54 year old Mexican-American and my family loves it!! Tastes just like my Great-Grandmother’s recipe. PERFECT.
Best pico recipe!!!
My family LOVES pico de gallo. I only am allowed to make this recipe. It is the best! Thanks for sharing your recipes with use.
This is an absolutely wonderful recipe! I found this recipe early in the summer and have been making it continuously all summer. The only issue making the pico is trying to make the spiciness more consistent. It is obviously not the recipe. It is more the cook.
One amazing Cook! I hope to see her doing a cooking show one day on a large broadcasted channel!
Thank you Jim! That would be awesome!
Absolutely the best recipe for Pico de Gallo. It is simple and the results are amazing. I make it at least once a week throughout the summer. Roma (Plum) tomatoes are usually good to use. They seem to ripen quickly and they are plentiful in our area.