Pico de Gallo is one of those recipes that makes everything better — tacos, grilled chicken, burrito bowls, or just a bowl of chips on the counter. I started making this years ago because we go through salsa fast in a house with 8 kids, and buying it at the store every week adds up quickly.
This homemade version costs under $5 total, takes about 10 minutes to throw together, and tastes so much fresher than anything in a jar. It has become a staple at every taco night, every summer cookout, and honestly just about every meal we serve with Mexican flavors.
When you have a big family, you need recipes that stretch far and impress every time. This one does both — 6 simple ingredients, $0.72 per serving, and my kids would eat it with a spoon straight from the bowl if I let them.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Just 6 ingredients — all fresh produce and pantry staples, no specialty store needed
- Costs under $5 total and serves 6, making it one of the most budget-friendly recipes on the site
- Ready in 10 minutes of prep — just chop, mix, and let it rest
- Completely customizable — adjust the heat, swap in red onion, or add mango or avocado
- Better than store-bought — no preservatives, no jarred taste, just fresh bright flavor
- Perfect for a crowd — double or triple the batch easily for parties or taco nights
Ingredients
Everything in this recipe is available at any regular grocery store — most of it is already in your kitchen. Here is what you need and why each ingredient matters.
- Roma tomatoes — Roma tomatoes are the best choice because they have less water and more flesh than other varieties. Make sure they are ripe for the best flavor. Homegrown tomatoes work beautifully when they are in season.
- White onion — White onion adds a mild sweetness that balances the heat from the jalapeño. Red onion works just as well if that is what you have on hand.
- Cilantro — Fresh cilantro is essential here — it adds color, brightness, and that classic pico flavor. Don’t skip it or substitute with dried.
- Jalapeño peppers — Remove the seeds for a milder pico or leave a few in for heat. Serrano peppers are a spicier substitute if your family likes it hot.
- Limes — Always use fresh lime juice. Bottled lime juice is too sharp and changes the flavor significantly.
- Garlic salt — Just a half teaspoon pulls all the flavors together. Regular salt plus a pinch of garlic powder works in a pinch.
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How to Make Authentic Pico de Gallo Recipe
Step 1 – Chop the ripe tomatoes and make sure to remove the seeds.
Step 2 – Chop the onions on a cutting board with a sharp knife.
Step 3 – Mince the jalapeño pepper in small pieces so you don’t have big chunks. If you want your salsa to have a little bit of kick, keep the seeds with the jalapeno. For a milder mixture, remove the seeds.
Step 4 – We love fresh cilantro adding in a lot of cilantro to our mixture. Chop and add to the mixture.
Step 5 – Stir the ingredients with the fresh lime and garlic salt in a bowl.
Step 6 – Refrigerate for an hour to allow flavors to combine. We like to refrigerate overnight for the best results.
Tips for Success
- Use a Juicer – I used this juicer to juice the limes over the pico. It was a big help.
- Food Chopper – I also love using a small food chopper or food processor. This allows us to quickly and easily chop the onions and chopping the tomatoes. It is such a time saving gadget to have around.
- Evenly Chop Ingredients – Since I use a food chopper, it ensure that the ingredients are chopped closely the same size. This way you don’t have a big chunks of onion but small pieces of other ingredients.
- Let Pico Rest – Let the pico rest after you have blended the ingredients. This allows for all the flavors to marinate together.
- Serve with a Slotted Spoon – Because you are using fresh tomatoes, they produce a lot of moisture. Therefore, we recommend using a slotted spoon to serve.
- Don’t Skimp on the ingredients – It is known for chunks of ingredients. So when you chop your onion and cilantro make sure you add plenty.
- Use Fresh Lime – Make sure when to use fresh limes. Bottle lime juice does not work with this recipe.
Variations & Substitutions
- Dice up fresh fruit or vegetables – Our favorites to add in are bell pepper, cucumber, pineapple, strawberries, mango and peaches.
- Slice an Avocado – Simply add in one diced avocado to the recipe and that is it! Simple! We love avocado so we often add it to this recipe and it is amazing!
- Add in Corn – Try adding corn to this recipe for another twist on the classic recipe. It is so delicious with the lime and other wonderful ingredients.
- Extra Spicy – Try adding extra jalapeno peppers to the recipe if you like more heat.
How to Serve
Pico is so good on multiple things. We love to serve it with chips. Serve it with tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, soups, and even over grilled chicken or steak.
We love it over these recipes as well:
Frequently Asked Questions
Pico has the same base ingredients as red salsa. But they are prepared different. Avocado Salsa has a thinner and more liquid consistency but is loaded with avocado. Also, fresh salsa is more blended together.
Pico salsa uses raw ingredients, chopped ingredients. The ingredients are super fresh and not at all blended together. It has a chunky texture and great for all of taco recipes.
You can really see each ingredient in Pico de Gallo whereas in salsa it all gets blended together. They are great served together or eaten separately.
The secret to the best Pico is letting it rest. Resting in the fridge for a day is best, but a few hours works. It allows the ingredients to really blend together since you are using fresh ingredients.
Pico de Gallo adds fresh ingredients to many different recipes. The blended ingredients are great on your Mexican recipes and even on top of grilled chicken.
Roma tomatoes or plum tomatoes are the best type of tomatoes to use when making pico. You can use other tomatoes like grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or larger tomatoes, but roma tomatoes are the best choice.
If you have problems with your pico being watery, try adding salt and draining the tomatoes. We have drained the tomatoes before adding it to the mix and it cuts down on the liquid.
How to Store
Store leftover pico in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The tomatoes will release more liquid as it sits — just drain it off with a slotted spoon before serving. After a couple of days, squeeze in a little fresh lime juice to brighten the flavors back up.
Pico de gallo does not freeze well — the fresh tomatoes turn mushy when thawed. Make only what you plan to eat within a few days for the best texture.
Leftovers are great the next day over grilled chicken, inside a wrap, or stirred into scrambled eggs for a quick breakfast.
More Easy Delicious Dips
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Easy Pico De Gallo
Ingredients
- 6 roma tomatoes diced
- ½ white onion diced
- ⅔ cup cilantro diced
- 2 jalapeno peppers cored, deseeded and finely diced
- 2 limes juiced
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
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Instructions
- Dice 6 roma tomatoes and remove the seeds.
- Dice ½ white onion.
- Dice 2/3 cup cilantro.
- Core, deseed, and finely dice 2 jalapeno peppers.
- Combine 6 diced roma tomatoes, ½ diced white onion, 2/3 cup diced cilantro, 2 finely diced jalapeno peppers, the juice from 2 limes, and ½ teaspoon garlic salt in a medium bowl.
- Refrigerate for an hour to allow flavors to combine.
We love this recipe. Sometimes we add avocado to change it up. Delicious ?
Cathy – Avocado sounds perfect! Thanks for sharing!
My go to salsa recipe. Delicious and always a hit!
This is close to my husbands recipe. The only real difference is he uses fresh chopped garlic and sea salt. The excess juice we use in our Saturday morning Bloody Mary’s. It adds just the perfect zip.
Super simple and easy. I’ve been keeping a jar in the fridge at all times for the family. It never hangs out long!!
Love this, so easy and good. I make it all the time
This pico is so good! My family requests it every week. We have tried it with both white onion and red onion – either way it is delicious!