Pico de Gallo

This easy pico de gallo recipe is a quick, zesty mix that perks up everything from tacos to scrambled eggs

By Beth Moncel
5
from
4
Read reviews
Prep 10 minutes
Servings 12 ¼ cup each
$4.18 recipe / $0.35 serving
Jump to recipe Save
Overhead view of a bowl of pico de gallow with tortilla chips, salt, lime, and cilantro around it.

Pico de gallo is one of my favorite fresh summer condiments because it only takes a few minutes to make, and it adds so much fresh, vibrant flavor to all of my meals. It’s one of those amazing recipes that have only a few ingredients but have the power to totally transform a meal. The simple combination of lime, salt, tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro is totally magical, so don’t wait and try this pico de gallo recipe with dinner tonight!

“Excellent and easy to do recipe!! All in my family loved it. Thank you so much!!!”

Rahul Yadav

Easy Recipe for Pico de Gallo

Also known as salsa fresca, this fresh salsa is made with tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, salt, lime, and cilantro. Unlike most jarred salsa that you find in the store, this mix isn’t cooked, so the flavor stays very fresh and vibrant, and the texture is less saucy and more chunky. I like to make a batch for summer cookouts, taco night with friends, or to keep in the fridge for easy snacking during the week. One thing to note? Fresh lime juice is essential here. It adds the perfect acidity to balance the salt and bring all the flavors together. I’ve made this easy recipe more times than I can count, and it disappears fast every. single. time.

Share this recipe

Pico de Gallo

5 from 4 votes
This fresh and easy pico de gallo only takes a few minutes to make and adds vibrant flavor to your tacos, enchiladas, nachos, and more.
Author: Beth Moncel
Overhead view of a bowl full of pico de gallo against a yellow background with ingredients and chips all around.
Servings 12 ¼ cup each
Prep 10 minutes
Total 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tomatoes (2 cups diced, $2.86*)
  • 1/2 white onion (1 cup diced, see notes, $0.52**)
  • 1 jalapeño (optional, $0.33***)
  • 1 lime ($0.25)
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro ($0.20)
  • 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
Email Me This Recipe
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Instructions 

  • Finely dice the tomato and onion. Remove the stem and seeds from the jalapeño, then finely dice. Finely chop the cilantro. Add the tomato, onion, and cilantro to a bowl.
  • Squeeze the juice of half the lime over the vegetables in the bowl (about 1 Tbsp). Add a pinch or two of salt, and stir everything to combine. Taste the mixture and add more salt or lime juice to your liking. Allow the salsa to sit for five minutes before serving. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to three days.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.


Equipment

  • Chef’s Knife
  • White Cutting Boards
  • 2qt Enamelware Bowl

Notes

*Tomatoes provide the bulk of the recipe, so make sure to get ripe, juicy, and flavorful tomatoes. Roma tomatoes or small tomatoes on the vine work best, in my opinion.
**Onion provides a savory bite, plus a little crunch. I like to use white onion because it has a nice sharp flavor to contrast the tomato, but you can also go with a sweeter Vidalia onion if you prefer a milder pico de gallo.
***Jalapeño gives the pico heat, but if you’re sensitive to spicy foods, you can leave the jalapeño out.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cupCalories: 7kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 0.3gFat: 0.1gSodium: 50mgFiber: 0.4g
Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!

How to Make Pico de Gallo Step-By-Step Photos

Fresh tomato, onion, lime, cilantro and salt on a cutting boardGather your ingredients: Since this is a FRESH tomato salsa, it starts with all fresh ingredients: tomatoes, onion, jalapeño (optional), lime, cilantro, and salt. I like to do a 2:1 ratio of tomato to onion, so I used two small tomatoes and half of an onion. I also prefer to use a sweeter onion for pico de gallo, so it doesn’t overwhelm the salsa, so I used a Vidalia onion. If you’re sensitive to spicy foods, you can skip the jalapeño.

Chopped tomato onion and cilantro in a bowl.

Prep the ingredients: Finely dice the tomatoes and onion, and finely chop the cilantro (about ¼ cup). If using jalapeño, remove the stem and seeds, and then finely dice it.

Lime being squeezed over the bowl of vegetables.

Add the lime juice: Squeeze fresh lime juice over the diced vegetables. For the amount of pico de gallo I am making here, I used about 1 Tbsp of lime juice or the juice of half a lime. The great thing about pico de gallo is that you can just make it according to your own tastes, without measuring anything.

Stirred pico de gallo in the bowl, salt and limes on the side.

Add salt: Season with a pinch or two of salt, then stir everything together. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking. I used about ¼ tsp of salt. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes before serving to allow the juices to extract and flavors to blend. Make sure to give it a good stir just before serving to redistribute the flavor.

Overhead view of a bowl of pico de gallo surrounded by tortilla chips, salt, tomatoes, cilantro, and limes

Serving Suggestions

If you’re wondering how you use this pico de gallo recipe, the answer is “on everything.” It’s a condiment that can be spooned over just about any savory food for an added boost of freshness. Here are a few things I like to spoon it over:

Storage Instructions

You can eat pico de gallo as soon as it is prepared, but the flavors actually get better as the vegetables marinate in the tomato and lime juice. If you don’t plan to eat it right away, store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days. The peak flavor, in my opinion, is between 2-24 hours. Anything longer than this, and the veggies could become too mushy. To potentially avoid this from happening too quickly, you could prep the veggies, store them in the fridge, and then add the salt and lime juice 5 minutes before serving.

Share this recipe

Posted in: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

5 from 4 votes
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

35 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Elsa
09.18.24 5:31 pm

It’s delicious. Apparently it can be made in ten minutes????!!!!!! It takes me over an hour.

Jacqueline Brasseale
05.02.24 8:24 am

Thank you for the Pico de Gallo recipe!!!!

Tina
02.26.23 4:47 pm

Pico de gallo is one of my favorite foods. It is so delicious and refreshing, even with winter tomatoes! Thank you to Evita for the tip on making this salsa stay fresh in the fridge for a few days. If my tomatoes are extra seedy and juicy, I take a butter knife and scoop it out. This way the lime juice doesn’t get diluted. I’d love recommendations for other recipes that are simple and flavorful like this.

Chelsey
09.21.22 5:43 pm

Perfect Pico! I used this for a salsa chicken bake and it was amazing. Wayyy fresher (and cheaper!) than what you’d get at the store.

Gloria Santos
01.25.21 4:26 pm

for someone that´s from Central America this recipe is perfect; only us latinamericans can know how great it is to see this recipe be true to its form. My mom has always added a dash of vinegar and a pinch of ground oregano, and ground pepper and ground cumin.

annamal
09.06.20 6:04 am

I make something similar but instead of vidalia onions, I use mexican pickled purple onions (they seemt o be easier on my stomach than regular onions). Makes for a really tangy salsa.

Rahul Yadav
07.06.20 11:49 pm

Excellent and easy to do recipe!! All in my family loved it. Thank you so much!!!

Samantha
07.03.20 10:52 am

Very good recipe but I would throw some jalapeño.😉

Megan Byrd
07.02.20 10:27 pm

I love a fresh salsa in the summer! This recipe looks so simple and so good! Plus I love how cheap it is! I try to stick to cheaper recipes that are also healthy any time I can, so I appreciate your blog! :)

CyndaG
07.01.20 4:31 pm

One of my aunts makes her pico de gallo (rooster) this. She calls it pico de gallina (hen). I always add a little green pepper, just whatever I have–bell, Anaheim, poblano, even jarred jalapenos.

Evita
07.07.16 8:06 pm

Here’s a tip to this outstanding recipe.
As I live alone and therefore make this salad to last for some days, but it really loses the “it factor” after more than
one day.
The fix is if you want to make Pico De Gallo for a week, make the recipe but do not add the lime juice until just prior to serving. I make serving bowls that I put into the fridge (with half an unsqueezed lime) and then squeeze and add the lime prior to serving. YUM!!

dini d.
07.09.20 5:28 pm
Reply to  Evita

OMG, that makes so much sense! Thanks for this. I imagine that the acid in the lime juice is what breaks down my pico faster than I want, since I also will use it for days on end. Good way to keep freshening it. I might even keep the cilantro out (chopped, but in a separate container) and put it in as I go. Thank you.

Dana H
05.31.14 2:38 pm

We LOVE pico but it is labor intensive with all that cutting of tomatos (though totally worth it if you have the time, and maybe a glass of sangria and a few friends as you work.) THIS is exactly what I always think I wish I had a food processor for…but I notice you don’t use on for this and I wondered, why?

dini d.
07.09.20 5:25 pm
Reply to  Dana H

Eek, wouldn’t that make the tomatoes soupy? What about a mandoline? Easy slices, then dicing is less hassle.

Melissa
03.27.14 4:52 pm

I am in lust with this website. Thank you for all these awesome recipes. Everything is organized and explained really well. Cheers!

Heather Wix-Aguilera
02.10.13 10:29 pm

I agree with the jalapeno comment. You can also try adding minced chiles or cactus (comes in a jar). Adding lemon also helps with the flavor. (Jalepeno juice too) :) I love all of your recipes!!!

Beth M
01.22.13 7:35 am

I think it taste better with sweet onions, but you can use a regular white onion if that’s all you can find. I’m not sure what kind of sweet onions might be available in your area. I would try asking someone who works in the produce department of your local grocery store.