Pico de gallo, also referred to as salsa fresca, is a fresh tomato salsa made with diced onion, tomato, jalapeño or serrano pepper, cilantro and lime juice. Pico is easy to make authentic and is a crowd-pleaser as a delicious fresh and flavorful dip with tortilla chips, in tacos or on top of tostadas and enchiladas.
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You may sometimes find this type of fresh salsa on the table at restaurants in Houston instead of pureed or cooked salsas. But, I see pico de gallo most often served with fajitas, along with the lettuce, guacamole and other condiments in a molcajete.
This salsa recipe is naturally vegan whole food plant-based and contains no oil or sugar.
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🎙 What people say about this recipe
"You, lady.. are my hero. <3"
- Lizzy
🧄 Ingredient notes
- Roma tomatoes - Also called plum tomatoes or salad tomatoes, these have firm flesh, less juice and don't break down as quickly as a big beefsteak tomato might.
- White onion - Sharp and bright but mild, white onion works best in pico.
- Jalapeño pepper - Fresh jalapeño is best. In the above picture, you'll see frozen jalapeño slices, because that's what I had on hand when I photographed this pico recipe. They work, but fresh is best. To make it less spicy, remove all seeds and membranes from the pepper before dicing. To make it more spicy, keep the seeds or consider using serrano pepper(s) instead.
📋 Substitutions and variations
Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients in this authentic pico recipe:
- Roma tomatoes - instead of roma tomatoes, you can use cherry/grape tomatoes or any fresh tomato you have on hand.
- White onion - use purple or sweet yellow onion instead, if you don't have white
- Jalapeño pepper - use serrano or any hot pepper instead
- WFPBNO - serve with oil-free baked tortilla chips or on top of a WFPB burrito bowl
- SOS-free - make this SOS-free by omitting the salt
Switch things up with these variation ideas!
- Extra Spicy - use serrano peppers instead of jalapeño to make this extra spicy
- Guacamole - Mix this accidentally vegan pico de gallo recipe with mashed avocado for an easy guacamole. There you go, two dips in one!
- Mango Salsa - Substitute diced mango for the tomato for an easy mango salsa dip or condiment.
⭐️ Expert tips
- This tastes best when you use all fresh ingredients and there's a little more tomato than onion
- How to fix your pico if it doesn't taste right:
- If your pico is too sharp, add more tomato
- If it needs more sharpness, add more onion
- If it's too mild, add more jalapeño
- If it's too spicy, add more tomato and/or onion
- If it's bland, add more lime juice and/or salt
🌶 How to prevent a jalapeño burn
If you are not accustomed to working with hot peppers, please consider wearing gloves while you dice them. The capsaicin in peppers can actually burn your skin (been there, done that, not fun).
My modus operandi while working with hot peppers:
- wear gloves
- use a separate cutting board and knife just for the jalapeños (or serranos, habaneros, etc.)
- once finished cutting the peppers, immediately wash the utensils
- throw away the gloves carefully
- wash hands
Some people report that coating their hands with oil before working with spicy peppers helps. If you may have a method that works for you, great!
Just wanted to warn the uninitiated, because, well, jalapeño burns are super painful. I don't want anyone going through that!
👨👩👦👦 Serving suggestions
Pico de gallo is also served as a condiment for many Mexican and TexMex dishes. Top your tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, charro beans or nachos with this flavorful salsa.
Tortilla chips are the vehicle of choice in this house for devouring this amazing pico de gallo as a dip. It's a regular, crowd-pleasing appetizer we serve when we have company over or for taking to game day parties or any casual gathering.
For oil-free tortilla chips, you have three easy choices:
- Buy baked tostadas (check to make sure they are oil-free) and break them into pieces.
- Buy oil-free baked tortilla chips from Tatemada from Whole Foods or Central Market.
- Bake your own! It's surprisingly easy to make your own healthy fat-free baked tortilla chips and it's pretty fast, too. Ready in under 20 minutes.
You'll save quite a few calories. And, your endothelium will thank you. 🫀
🚦 Calorie density score
🟢 This recipe gets a green light on the calorie density chart. All of the ingredients are lower than 600 calories per pound, so eating meals like this regularly may help you lose body fat. Learn more about calorie density from Jeff Novick, MS, RDN.
Get your own printable calorie density chart for your refrigerator and free ebook explaining calorie density in simple terms.
❓ FAQ
Fresh is best here. The beauty of pico de gallo is how fresh it tastes. The freshness of all the individual elements and how they complement each other are key. So, it's incredibly important to use all fresh ingredients for this recipe.
No canned tomatoes or "from concentrate" lime juice from a bottle here guys! Not this recipe. I have nothing against them, just save them for a different recipe.
Fresh pico de gallo will last 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
I do not recommend freezing pico de gallo.
Spanish or Mexican Rice: Leftover pico de gallo can be added at the beginning of the recipe to a pot of rice to amp up the flavor. To complete the simple Spanish or Mexican rice, add ground cumin, granulated garlic, vegan bouillon and half a bag of frozen mixed vegetables.
Add to Beans, Soup or Stew: You could also use it to add flavor to a pot of beans, tortilla soup, Texas chili or stew. Once the leftover salsa fresca is added to beans, soup or stew, it can be frozen.
🗺 Cultural influences
This authentic TexMex pico de gallo recipe is inspired by my mixed ethnic background and heritage as a native of Houston, Texas. Pico de gallo originates in Mexican cuisine.
See About for more information on my cultural influences and how I attribute recipes.
🌮 More TexMex recipes you'll love
If you love this recipe, check out these other delicious plant-based TexMex recipes!
Love this recipe?
Please rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment below, so I know which recipes you like the best. This helps me know what to make more of!
📖 Recipe
Fresh Pico de Gallo (Salsa Fresca)
Equipment
- Santoku knife or chef's knife
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh roma tomato diced
- 1 ½ cup white onion minced
- 1 small bunch cilantro stems removed and minced
- 1 jalapeño deseeded and minced
- Juice of 2 limes
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all prepared ingredients in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper, to taste.2 cups fresh roma tomato, 1 ½ cup white onion, 1 small bunch cilantro, 1 jalapeño, Juice of 2 limes, sea salt and black pepper
- Taste with a chip, if you're serving as a dip, so you don't oversalt it. You might have to add a little more lime juice or a little more salt and pepper. If it's too sharp with onion, add another ½ cup of diced tomato.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Video
Notes
- Will keep in fridge for 3-5 days in a covered container.
- EASY GUACAMOLE: Mix 2 tablespoon of pico de gallo with a mashed avocado for a quick guacamole.
- If you have leftover pico de gallo, you can add it into recipes for Mexican rice, a pot of black or pinto beans or tortilla soup for extra flavor.
- Easy MANGO SALSA: substitute fresh mango for the tomato for a mango salsa.
Lizzy says
You, lady.. are my hero. <3