This super yummy pico de gallo is one of the easiest but most rewarding recipes you have ever made. It takes only 10 minutes to make this chunky salsa that enhances the flavor of pretty much all your favorite Mexican food.
We love serving this vegan, low-calorie, and nutritious salsa with tortilla chips and guacamole as an appetizer or party snack. However, it is also the most amazing topping for tacos, burritos, fajitas, nachos and more.
All you need is a knife and a cutting board to make this mouthwatering gluten free and keto friendly tomato and pepper salsa.
WHAT IS PICO DE GALLO?
Pico de gallo is a simple, chunky salsa made from chopped fresh tomatoes, jalapeños, and onion, seasoned with lime juice, salt and cilantro. This Mexican staple does not contain much liquid, which is the main difference to regular salsa. Salsa is often more saucy and blended in a food processor.
❤️ WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS CHUNKY SALSA RECIPE
✔️ A knife and cutting board is all you need to make this flavorful topping or dip.
✔️ It only takes 10 minutes to make this yummy salsa.
✔️ Even though it's super low in calories it packs real a punch when it comes to flavor.
✔️ Fresh pico is really versatile and boosts the flavor of many Mexican dishes.
PICO DE GALLO INGREDIENTS
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for chunky salsa, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
You may have all of these pico de gallo ingredients in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store. See recipe card below for ingredient amounts.
- Tomatoes: It is vital to use ripe, red tomatoes to make pico. If the tomatoes are not ripe they don't have much flavor and therefore lead to bland pico de gallo. We like using Roma or plum tomatoes.
- Jalapeño: Jalapeños can vary in hotness. We recommend tasting a small bit of your pepper to see how hot it is. This way you can make sure your pico isn't getting too spicy. If you like it extra spicy, you can add some of the jalapeño seeds as well.
- White onion: You can substitute red onions or use the white parts of green onions (scallions) instead of white onion.
- Fresh garlic
- Lime juice: Use fresh lime juice for best flavor.
- Fresh Cilantro
- Sea Salt
VARIATIONS: Try Different Add-ins!
You can get very creative with pico de gallo and vary the flavor by adding a number of other delicious fruits or vegetables.
Have you tried adding
- avocado
- corn
- mango
- pineapple
- strawberries
- or peaches?
INSTRUCTIONS
This section shows how to cook keto friendly chopped salsa, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full instructions, nutritional information, to print the recipe or to have the recipe scaled to double or triple, see the recipe card below.
🔴 TIP: Make sure your tomatoes are ripe, unripe tomatoes are hard and lack flavor. If your tomatoes are flavorless your salsa will also turn out bland.
COMBINE INGREDIENTS: Add tomatoes, jalapeño, onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro and salt to a bowl.
🔴 TIP: Use a citrus juicer, to get the most juice out of a lime.If you don’t have one, here are some tips for getting the most juice. Roll the lime between your palm and the counter to squish a little before cutting it to juice it. Cut your lime into 8 wedges, then squeeze to get juice.
TOSS: Then stir to mix well. Let your pico rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.
SERVE: Serve with chips and guacamole or as a topping for your favorite Mexican dishes.
HOW TO MAKE PICO AHEAD
Although, pico is best when eaten fresh, it keeps well in the fridge. You can prepare chopped salsa up to 3 days ahead of time.
TIPS FOR THE BEST PICO DE GALLO
Follow these tips to make the best chunky salsa.
✔️ Use red ripe tomatoes. Avoid mushy tomatoes or underripe ones.
✔️ Use freshly cut onion.
✔️ Taste your pico. Adjust ingredients and seasonings if necessary.
✔️ Refrigerate. Let you chunky salsa rest in the fridge for at least 10 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend.
STORAGE TIPS
Refrigerate: While pico de gallo is best eaten fresh, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It might get a bit soupy as the tomatoes release their juices, so you might have to drain the extra liquid after 1-2 days in the fridge.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH PICO DE GALLO
Serve chunky salsa with all your favorite Mexican dishes. We love it with Loaded Ground Beef Nachos, Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos, Fried Fish Tacos, Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls, Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, or Instant Pot carnitas.
MORE SALSA RECIPES
If you love love pico de gallo you'll enjoy our Mango Habanero Salsa, Restaurant Style Salsa, or Stef's salsa verde.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
For perfect results every time, here are answers to the most common questions about cooking chopped salsa.
While cilantro is the herb of choice in most Mexican dishes, there are some alternatives for people who are not so fond of its flavor. Have you tried chopped basil, parsley, oregano or mint? You can also leave out the herb altogether.
Yes. Pico is a mixture of chopped fresh vegetables and fruit (Tomatoes are technically a fruit.) that is low in calories and full of nutrients.
There are endless possibilities on how to use fresh salsa. We love serving it with beef tacos, fish tacos, burritos, nachos, taquitos, fajitas, or as a dip alongside guacamole and tortilla chips.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Roma or Plum tomatoes - seeded and diced (about 1-1½ cups)
- 1 jalapeño - minced
- ½ small white onion - diced (about ½ cup)
- 1 clove of garlic - minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 2 tablespoon lime juice - (1-2 limes)
- 2 tablespoon cilantro - chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Combine tomatoes, jalapeño, onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro and salt.
Stir to mix well.
Refrigerate for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use fresh ripe tomatoes for best results.
- Use freshly cut onion.
- Use a citrus juicer to get the most juice out of a lime.If you don’t have one, here are some tips for getting the most juice. Roll the lime between your palm and the counter to squish a little before cutting it to juice it. Cut your lime into 8 wedges, then squeeze to get juice.
- Serve with chips and guacamole.
- Serve with Mexican Rice and Refried Beans or Black Beans.
- Serve on Carnitas Tacos or Chipotle Chicken Tacos or Fish Tacos.
- Serve on 7 Layer Dip
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