Pico de Gallo

Last updated March 21st, 2025

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An easy homemade pico de gallo recipe made with simple, fresh ingredients for bright and juicy flavor that tastes great with tortilla chips or tacos.

Chips and salsa has always been a go-to snack for us – it’s easy, tasty, and not totally unhealthy. Plus, it’s super refreshing on a hot summer day. But when we’re craving something even fresher, juicier, and lighter than our favorite jarred salsa, we break out this pico de gallo recipe! Especially when we have perfectly ripe tomatoes on hand.

You can make this easy pico de gallo for summer cookouts, taco night, or anytime you’re craving a healthy snack because it comes together in 10 minutes or less. Not much more difficult than opening a jar of salsa 🙂

What This Recipe Entails

All prep and no cooking! Simply dice up your ingredients, add them to a bowl, and stir to combine. That’s it.

  • Prep time: 5 to 10 minutes

Ingredients

The secret to great pico de gallo is in the freshness of the ingredients. Use the best, ripest, in season produce you can find, and you won’t have to do much work at all to make it taste great!

  • Tomatoes – Make sure to use fresh, ripe tomatoes for the best flavor. We like to use Roma, plum, or vine tomatoes for pico de gallo.
  • Onion – We recommend using red or white onion. Red onion will give your pico some tanginess, while white will offer a more mild and sweet flavor.
  • Jalapeno – Authentic pico de gallo traditionally has jalapeno or serrano pepper in it for some heat. You can use either, but we prefer jalapenos for a milder heat.
  • Lime juice – Fresh squeezed lime juice is a must! It’s way better than using the bottled store-bought stuff and will make your pico taste so fresh and flavorful.
  • Minced garlic
  • Sea salt

How To Serve Pico de Gallo

How To Store Pico de Gallo

Pico de gallo tastes best when served right away, but you can store it in the fridge if you have leftovers or want to make it ahead of time for a party. Here are a few suggestions to help preserve the best flavor:

  • If you’re making it ahead of time and serving it within a few hours, store pico de gallo uncovered in the fridge. You can also loosely cover it with plastic wrap if you prefer.
  • If you have leftovers, refrigerate in a container with a lid for up to 3 days. The longer it sits, the more acidic it will taste, and the texture will be a bit softer, thanks to the lime juice.

Expert Tips

  • Produce sizes can vary greatly, so the suggested amounts are just that – a suggestion! We like to aim for 2 parts tomato and 1 part onion in our pico de gallo. Add as much jalapeno as you want, depending on your spice tolerance.
  • Pico de gallo tastes best when served immediately, so only make as much as you’re going to use right away.

Love this recipe? You may also enjoy these easy Mexican dip recipes:

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A bowl of pico de gallo made with fresh tomatoes

Pico de Gallo

Nicole and Alex
An easy homemade pico de gallo recipe made with simple, fresh ingredients for bright and juicy flavor that tastes great with tortilla chips or tacos.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4 servings
Calories 13 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 to 3 medium tomatoes Roma, plum, or vine
  • ½ medium onion red or white
  • 1 medium jalapeno pepper
  • ½ teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 medium lime juiced
  • 1 pinch sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Dice the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno. Add to a bowl with lime juice, minced garlic, and sea salt to taste, then stir to combine.
  • Serve immediately with tortilla chips, or use as a topping for tacos, nachos, or burrito bowls.

Notes

Produce: Produce sizes can vary a lot, so we usually aim for 2 parts tomato and 1 part onion. Then add as much jalapeno as you want, depending on your spice tolerance!
Prep ahead: You can make this pico de gallo ahead of time and refrigerate it for a few hours until it’s ready to serve. But the fresher it is, the better it tastes! Leave it in the bowl, uncovered or loosely covered with plastic wrap.
Serving suggestions: We eat this pico de gallo with everything. Put it on tacos, serve it alongside a burrito with tortilla chips, or throw it in a burrito bowl or a salad. It adds a freshness and juiciness that brightens up any dish! Check out our blog post above for recipe ideas.
Storing: You can keep this pico de gallo in the fridge for a few days, but note that it will start to taste more acidic the longer it sits, and the texture will soften up, so we always recommend enjoying it fresh.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 13kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 293mgPotassium: 107mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 298IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg
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Keyword garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, mexican, onion, summer, tomatoes

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