Easy Pico De Gallo Recipe (Fresh Salsa!)
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This easy pico de gallo is fresh, simple, and comes together in minutes and is perfect for scooping with chips or piling onto tacos. Even my picky eater came around to it, and now we can’t have taco night without a bowl on the table.
Why We Love This Easy Pico De Gallo
- Quick And Easy As A Side Or With Dinner– We love to make pico de gallo recipe and enjoy with chips, but I also like to add it on top of burrito bowls, tacos and quesadillas.
- Great Way To Use Fresh Tomatoes – Get your family to eat up those tomatoes with this easy to make recipe, it’s amazing how much quicker they go when served on a chip!
- Easy To Customize For The Whole Family– At first my picky kid wouldn’t eat Pico de Gallo, so I started by giving her just some diced tomato. Over time I would add a little at a time of the mixture to her tomatoes and she got used to the extra flavors. It’s also really easy to customize, make a little less or more depending on what you have, or try some of the other variations.
Ingredients For Easy Pico De Gallo
Pico de gallo is a fresh salsa made with just a few simple ingredients, all chopped and mixed together.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
Traditional Pico De Gallo Ingredients
Traditional pico de gallo uses just a few simple ingredients. Everything else can be adjusted based on your taste.
- tomatoes – I used tomatoes on the vine, but Roma tomatoes also are a little meatier tomato and make a great homemade pico de gallo. The meat or the “flesh” of the tomato is what makes a great salsa, as the part in the center full of seeds tends to be watery and makes the salsa more liquidy.
- onion – White onion works well, as does purple onion which can balance the sweetness of the tomatoes. If you have pickier eaters, sweet onion or Vidalia onion can be a great choice with less of a bite to the onion.
- cilantro – fresh, leaves only. See notes in the recipe card.
- lime – medium, fresh. You can also use bottled lime juice, but fresh often has more flavor
- salt
Optional Add Ins Our Family Loves
- bell pepper – I used a green bell pepper, but you can use whatever color bell pepper you prefer. Ripe red or orange bell peppers tend to be a little sweeter pepper, while green bell peppers tend to be less sweet.
- garlic powder– You can also use fresh garlic if you prefer.
How To Make Easy Pico De Gallo
- Dice the tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper into small pieces. Add the diced tomatoes, onion and bell pepper (optional) to a large mixing bowl.
- Remove the cilantro leaves from the stems. Chop the cilantro leaves roughly, then add it to the mixing bowl.
- Cut the lime in half. Squeeze the juice from both halves of the lime over the tomato mixture.
- Add salt and garlic powder (optional) to the tomato mixture. Stir until well combined.
- Stir the tomato mixture well until full combined. Serve with tortilla chips, over tacos or with other Mexican food and enjoy!
Tips For The Best Easy Pico De Gallo
- Dice everything evenly so you don’t get big chunks of onion in one bite.
- Let it sit for 10–15 minutes before serving so the flavors blend.
- If the tomatoes look watery, drain a little of the tomato juice before mixing. Roma tomatoes are usually less watery and work really well here.
- The seed part of the tomato can also be removed before chopping the tomatoes if they are really watery, like with summer garden tomatoes.
- Taste and adjust salt after adding lime juice for the best flavor combo.
What To Serve With Pico De Gallo Salsa
My family can take down a bowl of Pico de Gallo with a bag of chips as an appetizer or snack. Try making dinner a dip trio! Try adding fresh homemade guacamole, easy black bean and corn salsa, restaurant style blender salsa or warm and cheesy Rotel dip.
Pico de Gallo makes a great topping for other meals. Try adding it on top of my one pot cheesy Mexican chicken bowls, served with beef and cheese quesadillas, or added to the top of the one pot beef burrito bowls.
Love tacos? Try this on top of my slow cooker salsa chicken tacos, the slow cooker salsa verde chicken tacos or the instant pot pork carnitas. Or add a sprinkle on top of walking tacos.
Fan of fajitas? Enjoy pico de gallo with the chicken fajita skewers, the sheet pan chicken fajitas or the chicken fajita wraps.
Easy Pico De Gallo Variation Ideas
Add Diced Avocado – While not really traditional, fresh avocado can be added to Pico De Gallo for a delicious twist.
Mix In Corn – Corn again is typically not added traditionally to Pico de Gallo, you would typically make a second salsa altogether like the black bean and corn salsa. However, corn can be added straight to this recipe, and it’s delicious as a dip.
Dice Up A Cucumber – When you’re craving fresh and delicious food, adding a diced cucumber to this salsa can be really tasty. A diced zucchini will also give a similar flavor and texture. I usually only try this when I am enjoying the pico cold with chops, wrapped with cold rotisserie chicken in a wrap, or over a salad. I don’t tend to enjoy a cucumber in this salsa as much when adding it to warm foods like chicken tacos.
Make It Spicy – Jalapeno is often added to Pico de Gallo to give it a little bit of heat. You can add a fresh jalapeno if you like too! Make sure to remove the seeds from the jalapeno or it may be more heat than you expect.
Love fresh Pico de Galo but not all the chopping? My favorite veggie chopper makes chopping so much faster. I thought this chopper was all hype until I tried it, it’s so satisfying how quickly it dices everything into pieces. You can also make a great chopped salad with this thing!
How Long Will This Easy Pico De Gallo Last?
Expect Pico de Gallo will taste best if enjoyed within 3-4 days. Store leftovers in an airtight covered container in the refrigerator.
More Mexican Inspired Recipes
Black Bean Corn Salsa (10 Minute Prep!)
Fresh Homemade Guacamole
Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas
Pico De Gallo
Ingredients
- 5 medium tomatoes about 4 cups chopped
- 1 medium onion about 1 cup chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper about 1 cup chopped, optional
- ¼ cup cilantro fresh, leaves only. See notes.
- 1 medium lime
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Dice the tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper into small pieces. Add the diced tomatoes, onion and bell pepper to a large mixing bowl.5 medium tomatoes, 1 medium onion, 1 medium bell pepper
- Remove the cilantro leaves from the stems. Chop the cilantro leaves roughly, then add it to the mixing bowl.¼ cup cilantro
- Cut the lime in half. Squeeze the juice from both halves of the lime over the tomato mixture.1 medium lime
- Add salt and garlic powder (optional) to the tomato mixture. Stir until well combined.½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Stir the tomato mixture well until full combined. Serve with tortilla chips, over tacos or with other Mexican food and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
