Pico de Gallo is loaded with fresh tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice. Learn the secret to the best Mexican Pico de Gallo; one simple tip makes it taste authentic.
We love making the most of summer fruits and veggies with loaded salsas like Mango Salsa, our popular Cowboy Caviar and of course Ceviche! This Pico de Gallo recipe is our favorite way to use up garden grown tomatoes.
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What is Pico de Gallo?
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. We 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 if you love fiery salsa. We’ve even tried adding peaches for a peach salsa, which turned out really well.
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 in a non-reactive bowl, SQUEEZE in the lime juice then season with salt and pepper and 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 so every bite is flavor-packed.
Salsa Mix-Ins:
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
- Cucumber
- Mango
- Peaches for a peach salsa
Serve Pico de Gallo With:
Salsa Fresca is often served as a topping for breakfast foods, enchiladas, tacos, nachos and more. It is so versatile! It’s also perfect as an appetizer with chips. We love pico with:
- Breakfast Burritos – a fresh pico will take these over the top
- Mexican Chicken Casserole – as a topping
- Chicken Tacos or these Juicy Beef Tacos
- Tortilla Chips or Tostadas
Our Favorite Summer Appetizers:
If you love pico as much as we do, you won’t want to miss these all-time most popular appetizers recipes:
- Spinach Artichoke Dip – always gets rave reviews
- Avocado Shrimp Bites on cucumber slices
- Crisp Zucchini Bites – do not skip the sauce
- Roasted Salsa – amazing and freezer-friendly
- Spicy Guacamole – with a spicy kick
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 tomatoes, (3-4 medium), diced
- 1/2 medium onion, (1 cup chopped)
- 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.
Nutrition Per Serving
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Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
We love your recipe for Pico de Gallo. I did add 1/2 diced green pepper and 1/2 a diced English Cucumber. It’s just so flavorful. Thank you so much for the recipe.
You’re so welcome! So glad that you love this recipe a lot!
What kind of tomatoes work best? Some say Roma, others just use cherry tomatoes
Hi Kari, both will work well. They will give slightly different textures however. I typically use roma tomatoes for their firm texture and fewer seeds. I hope that helps.
OMG! 😳 This stuff is GOOD! Since I retired I’ve learned that when I take the time to make things from scratch, it’s well worth the time invested. I’ve made several of your recipes now Natasha, and they’ve all been delicious, I just haven’t taken the time to post on social media. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Hi Pam! That’s wonderful to hear. You’re very welcome. Thank you.
I followed the recipe exactly including a jalapeno. The only addition I made was to add black beans. I love heat, but the hubs does not. The perfect recipe for the two of us. Thank you for the inclusion of salt. I do not eat salt, but again, the hubs loves it.
My Daughter is one who cannot eat cilantro. Will parsley do for a substitute? Are there any other options?
Hi Russ! Sure, you can use parsley, or just omit all together.
I was visiting my favorite farmer’s market one day and picked up some cilantro. I have loved cilantro since I first tasted it in pica de gallo at a nearby restaurant. I don’t have a bunch of recipes calling for cilantro, so I decided to just make pica de gallo. I used this recipe and it was a hit. I added pickled jalepenos because that is what I had, and put in some chopped green pepper, cause I like the crunch. The pica de gallo was a huge hit! My husband ate every drop.
Thanks for including enough salt!
That’s so great! Thanks for trying my recipe.
I am thinking I can just add some avocados to make easy guacamole. Thoughts?
Hi Lydia! Feel free to experiment with it. But I have a separate recipe for that, it’s my Best Guacamole recipe.
Does anyone have any idea how much this makes? Even an approximation? The recipe says 6 appetizer servings, how much is that though?
Hi Charity, I didn’t measure it that way but I would guess it makes 3-4 cups of pico.
How long will this keep in the fridge?
I’m tempted to make a double or triple batch
You can store it in an airtight container for a few days and put it in the fridge.
Made this almost exactly. But also added a whole roasted garlic bulb smashed up into it. It was so yummmmmmm!!
Natasha, I made this exactly according to the recipe. It is perfect. Thank you!
That’s wonderful!
Thank you for this Pico recipe. I made it precisely (1 lb tomatoes) and everyone loved this combo of ingredients. Delicous Natasha!
So glad to hear that, Lorraine!
I have added well-drained tuna….. and well-drained salmon for a delicious protein packed snack