If you’re looking for a quick snack, this homemade pico de gallo recipe is it. This classic Mexican dip is made from simple, fresh ingredients that you probably already have at home.
For more ideas of what to make, check out all of our recipes.
I always say if I didn’t have to work, I would make everything from scratch. Breads, pasta, cheese, all of it from scratch.
But, work gets in the way.
I do, however, make my own pico de gallo anytime I want it. It’s so incredibly easy to make at home in a matter of minutes. And it’s so much better than anything you’d buy at the grocery store because you’re using fresh tomatoes and other ingredients that you can pronounce.
So please, trust me when I say that you need to be making your own pico de gallo from now on. Honestly, once you make our easy recipe once, you’ll never buy it from the store again.
So, what is pico de gallo? Literally translated, means “rooster’s beak.” You can read about where the name pico de gallo originated here if you want. But, all you really need to know it’s a raw salsa-like dip or appetizer, made from really basic ingredients, like tomatoes, onion, and seasoning. Instead of being blended like salsa, it’s served chunky.
Pico de gallo, if we’re not too worried about semantics, is basically just a type of salsa. And, speaking of salsa, if you want some ideas for that, check out our list of Homemade Salsa Recipes. There are recipes for fresh tomato salsa, mango salsa, and more.
Pico De Gallo Recipe
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Pico De Gallo Ingredients:
You can get the full list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Roma tomatoes – Roma tomatoes are best because of their low water content, but any tomato will work if you can’t find Roma.
- Red onion – White onion will work in a pinch, but red looks nicer.
- Cloves of garlic – Fresh garlic has more flavored than jarred, minced garlic, so you want to use fresh.
- Fresh clantro – Cilantro adds a lot of flavor to the pico de gallo.
- Salt – A little salt brings out the taste of all the other flavors, so don’t skip it.
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- ajín seasoning
- Fresh lime – A fresh lime is best, but lime juice works in a pinch.
How To Make Pico De Gallo:
Cut your tomatoes into small pieces. Put them in large bowl.
Quick note: Roma tomatoes work best in this recipe because they don’t have as much moisture as other ripe tomatoes. But, if you can’t find them at your local grocery stores, use whatever red tomatoes you can find.
Cut the red onion into small pieces and add the chopped onion to the bowl.
Finely chop the garlic and add the chopped garlic to the bowl.
Finally, chop the cilantro and add the chopped cilantro to the bowl.
Stir until everything is combined.
Be careful to stir gently so you don’t break the tomatoes apart. Part of pico de gallo is that the tomatoes are whole chunks.
Squeeze the juice from half a lime into the bowl.
Quick note: The easiest way to get the most juice from fresh limes is to put it in a microwave at high for 10 to 15 seconds to warm it slightly. Then, roll the lime on a hard surface, like the counter. Cut the lime in half and you’ll get a good squeeze of lime juice out of it. You don’t have to do this, but if you don’t, you’ll get less juice and will miss out on some of the flavor.
Let the pico de gallo sit for at least 15 minutes.
During this time, the salt will pull some of the moisture out of the tomatoes.
This will give you a better tasting pico de gallo for a couple reasons. First, the flavor is more concentrated. Second, the tomatoes are firmer, so your pico de gallo is thicker overall. And third, a thicker pico is easier to eat that a wet salsa.
You can drain the pico de gallo, but you risk losing some of the flavor that way. So, instead, serve your pico de gallo with a slotted spoon.
Pico De Gallo: Frequently Asked Questions
Homemade pico de gallo will last up to three days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Fresh pico de gallo does taste best the day you make it, though. As it sits in the fridge, the salt will continue to pull moisture out of the tomatoes. All the ingredients then sit in that moisture in the fridge, so when you take it out of the fridge the next day, all the ingredients are really soft. And pico de gallo really benefits from the crunch of fresh ingredients.
So, because of that, we suggest making just as much as you want for that day. Sure you can make a double batch and eat it over the next couple days, but you’ll get the best flavor on day one.
There are a couple differences between pico de gallo (also known as salsa fresca and salsa cruda) and traditional salsa.
The main difference is texture. Pico de gallo is always chunky while salsa is usually blended. The other big difference is that pico de gallo is always raw. Sure, you can get raw salsa, but most traditional red salsa starts with the vegetables being boiled, then blended in a blender or food processor.
Traditionally, spicy pico de gallo has diced serrano pepper added. Serrano peppers are up to 10 times hotter than jalapeño peppers, so be really careful if you do decide to add those. If you’re worried about making this too spicy, you could use jalapeño peppers instead.
Personally, I love spicy food. But most people don’t love biting into a raw jalapeño pepper, so I leave them out when I’m making pico de gallo. I do, however, always include them in my traditional salsa.
Recipes Using Pico De Gallo:
My favorite way to eat pico de gallo is as a dip with tortilla chips. You could also use it as a condiment on top of things like avocado toast or scrambled eggs. One of our favorite ways to use it is at the base of wonton wrapper cups when we make our Chili Lime Shrimp Cups.
It’s good served alongside any sort of Mexican food, so whenever you’re in the mood for it, just whip up a batch.
Pico De Gallo
If you’re looking for a quick snack, this homemade pico de gallo recipe is it. This classic Mexican dip is made from simple, fresh ingredients that you probably already have at home.
Ingredients
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 1/4 red onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 4 sprigs of fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Tajín seasoning
- 1/2 lime
Instructions
- Cut your tomatoes into small pieces. Put them in large bowl.
- Cut the red onion into small pieces and add the chopped onion to the bowl.
- Finely chop the garlic and add the chopped garlic to the bowl.
- Finally, chop the cilantro and add the chopped cilantro to the bowl.
- Stir until everything is combined.
- Add the salt, garlic powder, onion power, and Tajín seasoning to the bowl.
- Stir gently.
- Squeeze the juice from half a lime into the bowl.
- Stir again.
- Let the pico de gallo sit for at least 15 minutes.
Notes
Serve your pico de gallo with a slotted spoon.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 15Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 244mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 1g
Have you made this Pico de Gallo recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments.