Classic Pico de Gallo
This pico de gallo recipe is fresh, delicious and easy to make! You'll need 5 ingredients for this classic Mexican dip—tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, lime.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 27, 2024
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Do you love pico de gallo like I do? It’s a classic Mexican tomato dip (or sauce) that adds a fresh, healthy, low-calorie boost of flavor to just about any Mexican meal.
When I was little, I piled pico de gallo on my tortilla chips at our nearby Mexican restaurant and called it dinner (refill, please). I didn’t fully appreciate pico de gallo’s wonder, though, until my family traveled to Mexico one summer when I was in college.
We stayed at an all-you-can-eat resort, which meant all-you-can-eat pico de gallo. Their pico de gallo was super fresh and utterly irresistible, and I piled it onto every single meal. Eggs! Tortillas! Beans! Spaghetti, even! Why not?
It’s funny that I’ve shared so many variations on pico de gallo over the years, but never my classic pico de gallo recipe. Today is the day. Let’s make pico de gallo while the tomatoes are still good.
Pico de gallo is so easy to make. You will need only five ingredients (six if you count the salt): ripe red tomatoes, white onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime and salt. That’s it!
What’s the difference between pico de gallo and salsa?
Pico de gallo shares the same basic ingredients as traditional red salsa, but the preparation methods are different.
Pico de gallo always uses raw, diced ingredients. It’s less wet, and it adds a wonderful chunky texture and substance to tacos and more. Salsa can call for roasted or stewed tomatoes, and is generally closer to a purée in texture.
Both are delicious, both go great with guacamole, and I often layer pico de gallo over salsa for double the flavor (if only you could see my regular burrito bowl order at Chipotle).
Pico de Gallo Translation & Pronunciation
I bet Chipotle calls their pico de gallo “tomato salsa” since it’s easier to say! You might also see it called salsa fresca (fresh sauce). Pico de gallo literally translates to “rooster’s beak,” but no one’s exactly sure why.
Here’s how to pronounce pico de gallo in unofficial Kate-style mark-up: PEE-koh day GUY-yoh.
Watch How to Make Pico de Gallo
How to Make the Best Pico de Gallo
Here are my top tips to ensure that you make the best pico de gallo you’ve ever had.
1) Use ripe red tomatoes.
Ripe tomatoes are absolutely key to making great pico de gallo. Sad pink tomatoes do not make good pico de gallo. Roma tomatoes are a good choice since they are less watery, but use the most beautiful red, ripe tomato variety available. Core your tomatoes and remove the seeds before chopping. Use every last bit of the red tomato flesh inside!
In the winter, you can use cherry tomatoes, which tend to have good flavor year-round. Be prepared to chop them into small pieces, and perhaps give the finished product some extra time to marinate since cherry tomatoes tend to be more firm than most.
2) Chop your ingredients very finely.
Chop your tomato, onion, jalapeño and cilantro finely and you will be rewarded with more flavor in every bite. This is worth the extra effort!
3) Let the onion, jalapeno, lime and salt marinate while you chop the tomatoes and cilantro.
I learned this trick from this recipe. I’ve tested pico de gallo both ways (marinated onion/jalapeño vs. tossing all the ingredients together at once). The marinated onion/jalapeño batches were indeed my most flavorful batches.
Full disclosure: It’s possible that my tomatoes for those batches were better, so I’m not entirely convinced that the method made the difference. This “step” doesn’t take any extra time, though, so I recommend it.
4) Let your pico rest for 15 minutes before serving.
This step gives the flavors time to mingle and brings out their best. As the tomatoes and remaining ingredients rest, the salt draws the moisture out of the ingredients and condenses their flavor.
Try your pico de gallo before and after marinating, and you’ll see what I mean! If you won’t be serving the pico de gallo immediately, you can refrigerate it for several hours or even overnight.
5) Serve with a slotted spoon.
Tomatoes release a good amount of moisture, so you will see some tomato juice pool at the bottom of your bowl. The easiest solution here is to serve your pico de gallo with a slotted spoon or large serving fork.
This way, you don’t transfer a ton of moisture with your pico. Say no to soggy nachos!
Uses for Pico de Gallo
You can basically treat pico de gallo like salsa. It’s a healthy and refreshing condiment welcome on any of the following:
- Tacos
- Nachos
- Quesadillas
- Burritos and burrito bowls
- Tostadas
- Huevos rancheros
- Enchiladas
- Or serve it as a dip with tortilla chips, of course!
Pico de Gallo Variations
Remember, tomatoes are a fruit! You can simply replace the tomato with other tender fruits like mango, peaches, pineapple strawberries, or even sweet corn, and adjust to taste.
Sometimes, I’ll use red onion instead of white, or add a red bell pepper for crunch, or throw in an avocado. Here are some variations on pico de gallo that I’ve made and loved:
- Chunky avocado salsa
- Corn salsa
- Mango salsa
- Peach salsa
- Pineapple salsa (or see my cookbook, page 106)
- Strawberry salsa
Looking for more classic Mexican dips and sauces to pair with your pico de gallo? Don’t miss my favorite red salsa and guacamole recipe (seriously, they’re the best). More Mexican recipes here!
As always, please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! I’m excited to hear how you serve your pico de gallo, and please share any tips you might have.
Classic Pico de Gallo
This pico de gallo recipe is fresh, delicious and easy to make! You’ll need only 5 ingredients to make this classic Mexican dip—tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeño and lime. Recipe yields about 4 cups (about 8 servings).
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely chopped white onion (about 1 small onion)
- 1 medium jalapeño or serrano pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped (decrease or omit if sensitive to spice, or add another if you love heat)
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste
- 1 ½ pounds ripe red tomatoes (about 8 small or 4 large), chopped
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (about 1 bunch)
Instructions
- In a medium serving bowl, combine the chopped onion, jalapeño, lime juice and salt. Let it marinate for about 5 minutes while you chop the tomatoes and cilantro.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cilantro to the bowl and stir to combine. Taste, and add more salt if the flavors don’t quite sing.
- For the best flavor, let the mixture marinate for 15 minutes or several hours in the refrigerator. Serve as a dip, or with a slotted spoon or large serving fork to avoid transferring too much watery tomato juice with your pico. Pico de gallo keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.
Notes
Change it up: Add a diced avocado to the mixture, or see my list provided above the recipe for alternatives to tomatoes.
Cilantro haters: You can significantly decrease the amount of cilantro used, or omit it completely if you insist! I don’t recommend substituting parsley here.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Hi Kate! Another hit of a recipe, LOVE your site and all of your awesome and helpful knowledge and instructions! This may be a silly and/or obvious question, but you say to seed the tomatoes and I was just wondering why? I’ve made this in the past (but looked up your version for any yummy variations!) and I always kept the seeds in the tomatoes. Are you removing them so the pico is less soggy/liquidy? Or is there another reason? Thank you again so much for always being awesome! :)
Hooray! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it, Nicolle. I think the texture changes if you don’t. You can keep them in it if you prefer.
All those delicious juices, what to do? I add them to my Bloody Mary! Kicks it up a couple of notches!
Amazing recipe!!! Excellent!!
I make this all the time. I think it always tastes better the next day. Sometimes to change it up a little I’ll add some mango to it.
Excellent recipe!!
Thank you, Serena! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Made this twice and loved it! My granddaughter’s boyfriend gobbled it up on everything! Perfect recipe and fun to make! My go to recipe forever! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Linda!
My first time making and this recipe is spot on. I stored mine in a glass container and it is still good 7 days later. I would follow the recipe to a T and you will be surprised how fresh and tasty this recipe is.
That’s great to hear, Betty! Thank you for your reviw.
Can I use hot fajita peppers instead of jalapeños?
Sure, if you prefer.
Sometimes I go a bit chunkier than normal, and I’ll use that for hamburgers and hotdogs instead of the usual lettuce, tomato, onion. Definitely a go to for backyard cookouts.
Made this today for some tacos we are making tonight. Turned out great, just a LOT more than I was expecting. I’m sure it won’t go bad, it won’t be around for long enough! I couldn’t figure out how this could be made without garlic so I added 3 cloves in while the onions were marinating. Loved it!!!
Hello, Is there a reason that my pico de gallo tastes melony. I did not add jalapenos. For some reason my tomatoes taste more like melons after refrigerating. Any suggestions?
Hi Crystal, I’m not sure. I don’t believe I have come across that one before.
I’ve made this several times now. LOVE how easy it is to make, and how tasty! Some suggested alterations:
– fire roasted pepper (I’ve used both FR jalapeno by itself or with FR sweet red/orange/yellow peppers)
– add a pinch of dried cayenne (or fresh)
– used fresh squeezed mandarin orange juice with just a lil lime juice, then added fresh diced mango, too. YUMMY!
– charcoal grilled (in husk) sweet corn, cut up also is good for a lil sweetness and color variety.
Just some tho’ts . . .
THANKS for the recipe!!
Gregg*
Have made this several times. It’s absolutely delicious and easy to make! I added zest from the limes as well. I agree with Kate, marinade the onions, jalapeños and salt in the fresh lime juice, I think it helps.
I added fresh corn kernels was good
Can this be processed to have thru tear?
Frozen?
How to keep for longer life?
Hi Linda, I don’t think this is a great option to freeze. As always, use your best judgement for how long it lasts.
Thanks for this recipe and the tips! I needed some pico and decided that making it gave me more control. Followed the entire recipe with tips and it is so good and fresh tasting!
Thank you for your comment, Catherine!
Do you chop the tomatoes with the skin or without? My husband has ulcerative colitis and has trouble digesting the peels on a tomato. Just wondering if it would make any difference in the flavor if we peel the tomatoes?
Hi, I leave the skin on. You could try it without but likely won’t hold up. Let me know what you think!
I like to placed the diced tomatoes in a bowl, salt them and let them rest for a bit. Then drained off the liquid they weep before mixing with the other ingredients. This keeps the pico from having free liquid. Great recipe, nice and simple!
Hi Kate, I made the pico de gailo recipe and did follow the “rules”, but the flavor was sorely lacking. Should I add some cumin or cayenne pepper? The tomatoes were good and very sweet. Thx for your input. Hope Cookie is doing well and of course your little daughter Grace. Enjoy your columns. Jane
I’m sorry to hear that. You can adjust the spices to your liking.
I got introduced to, and came to love, pico de gallo several years ago when I was doing social justice work along the Rio Grande/Bravo River. It’s so simple, but tastes so good. A couple of variations I have come to like: I don’t seed the tomatoes because I like the highly flavoured liquid produced by the marination. Also, I use either just lemon juice or a lemon-lime combination rather than just lime juice. It gives a sharper taste.
Very good Pico recipe…thank you!
I’m hoping I can freeze this batch.
I use approximately 3/4 of a cup of cilantro, do love that cilantro. I also add about a half a shot of tequila when marinating with a lime juice jalapenos and onions I always leave seeds and membrane in from jalapenos love that Heat….
What variety of tomato do you recommend using?