Easy Pico de Gallo Recipe
Making homemade pico de gallo takes just 10 minutes! It’s a budget-friendly way to add flavor to meals and when made at home you can adjust the flavors to how you like it!
Have I mentioned how much I love Beanfields? Their continued support of Plant Based on a Budget allows us to keep our resources free to you, and it's fair to say that we are completely grateful!
When they suggested a dip, I originally thought I'd do hummus, but then I realized that we don't have a pico de gallo recipe on our site! How did that even happen?!
Since it's summer, I thought I'd remedy this serious problem! Serve it up with your favorite tortilla chips, tofu tacos, vegan bean quesadillas, or veggie fajitas!
Why This Recipe Works
- Made with only five simple, fresh ingredients.
- A healthy and flavorful way to season food.
- Simple dip to serve with chips or add it as a topping to all your favorite Mexican recipes.
What Goes Into This Recipe
This chunky salsa recipe is made with fresh ingredients which you can easily find in just about any grocery store. If you are lucky enough to have a great farmer’s market, pick them up there for more fresh flavor.
- Tomatoes: The best tomatoes for pico de gallo are roma tomatoes. They are firm, flavorful, and really hold up with the other ingredients. However, you can use any tomatoes you have available.
- Cilantro: Cilantro is the traditional herb used in just about any type of salsa but you can swap it with parsley if you aren’t a fan of cilantro.
- Red onion: The crispy, sharp bite of red onion works best in salsas and the tinge of purple looks great too, but you can certainly opt for a white or yellow onion.
- Jalapeño: An easy-to-find chile. Feel free to swap it out for a spicier chile such as the serrano or habanero pepper.
- Lime: Fresh lime juice is the only way to go when making this homemade salsa.
How To Make This Recipe
This fresh tomato recipe takes just two simple steps to make and requires no cooking!
- 1) Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and mix them together.
- 2) Serve right away or store to use for future meals.
Variations
- Tomatillos: Swap out half of the tomatoes with diced tomatillos.
- Fruit: Replace the tomatoes with fresh fruit. Strawberries, mango, and pineapple work especially well!
- Avocado: Diced up some fresh avocado and mix in!
- More Veggies: Add in cucumbers, bell peppers, jicama, and more! A great way to use up what you have available in the fridge.
Expert Tips
- Storage: For best results store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It doesn’t freeze well.
- Cut all the vegetables into similar-sized small pieces.
- Use fresh lime juice. It tastes better and really in the long run is much less expensive.
- Less spicy: Most of the heat in the jalapeno is in the seeds and membranes in the jalapeno. Remove them for a less spicy version.
FAQs
Since it’s made with all fresh ingredients, it will only last 3-5 days at the most when stored in the refrigerator. The length of time will really depend on the freshness of the ingredients you used to prepare it.
This spanish phrase translates to a “rooster beak or bill”. This fresh salad made with finely chopped vegetables was traditionally eaten with a finger and thumb which look much like a roosters beak.
The ingredients in these two dishes are very similar and sometimes exactly the same depending on the recipe. The main difference is in the texture. Pico is usually chunkier and made with small diced vegetables while salsa is pureed in a blender or food processor.
It is naturally gluten-free, vegan, oil-free, low-carb, and full of lots of nutrients from all the fresh vegetables. It’s a healthy way to add flavor to all kinds of meals.
What Can You Do with Leftover Pico de Gallo?
If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, it’s so easy to find ways to use it up. Add some to your favorite tofu scramble, make a vegan quesadilla and add it inside or on top of your Quinoa Burritos, stir it into cauliflower rice or use it as a snack during the week.
More Dip and Salsa Recipes
- Tomatillo Salsa
- Creamy Avocado Tomatillo Salsa
- Roasted Red Salsa
- Mango Cucumber Salsa
- Summer Salsa Recipe
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Easy Pico de Gallo Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups of diced tomatoes
- ½ cup of cilantro chopped
- ½ of a small red onion finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño minced (remove seeds for less spice)
- ½ lime juiced
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, add all the ingredients and mix together.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Storage: For best results store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It doesn’t freeze well.
- Cut all the vegetables into similar-sized small pieces.
- Use fresh lime juice. It tastes better and really in the long run is much less expensive.
- Less spicy: Most of the heat in the jalapeno is in the seeds and membranes in the jalapeno. Remove them for a less spicy version.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
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About Toni
Welcome to Plant-Based on a Budget! Here you’ll find affordable and easy-to-make recipes, and an inclusive, supportive approach to plant-based eating.
Janaye says
Such a simple recipe to make
Andrea White says
Gotta love the simple ones!
Gina H. says
Super fresh and delicious. My go-to pico de gallo recipe!
Andrea White says
Same! So refreshing!
Beatriz Buono-Core says
So fresh and delicious 😀
Andrea White says
Yesss! Super refreshing and tasty!
Aimee D. says
yumm
Andrea White says
It's definitely a yummy one!
Katie says
This pico is incredible!! Perfect for all kinds of recipes!
Andrea White says
Agreed! So simple and delicious!
Teodora says
Great for summer pool parties! It is so tasty and so colorful!
Andrea White says
Yesss! So easy to make too!
Julie says
I’ve never thought to add jicama into salsa! What a great idea!!!
Andrea White says
Jicama adds such a nice touch to the pico! Let us know what you think if you end up trying it 🙂
Steph says
Love having fresh pico in the fridge to have with chips, on my tacos, or to put in my burritos! This was a great recipe that was super easy to follow! Thanks for sharing!
Andrea White says
Pico de Gallo always brightens up any meal! So glad you enjoyed this one!
Deb says
Pico de Gallo has never been easier to make than with this recipe. So delicious and refreshing. Will make again soon.
Andrea White says
Right?! Toni makes it so easy!
Leah says
My favorite dip! I make it all the time!
Andrea White says
Same! It's a great one to have on hand - plus it's so easy!
Andrea White says
The ultimate party dish. Love this pico de gallo!