Authentic Pico de Gallo Recipe (2024)

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 Tacosor 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.