This healthy pico de gallo recipe combines fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeños for a delicious dip and topping for your favorite Mexican foods. Perfect for meats, salads, tacos, or as a tasty appetizer with chips.
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This recipe comes together in minutes—just chop, mix, and serve! Adjust the spice level by adding more jalapeños or using a milder pepper. For the best flavor, let it sit for 15–30 minutes to allow the ingredients to meld.
Perfect for any occasion, it’s an easy, healthy choice for snacks or meals.
What Does Pico de Gallo Mean?
"Pico de Gallo" translates from Spanish to "rooster's beak." The name's origin is unclear, but it's thought to either refer to the way the ingredients were traditionally pinched between the fingers (like a beak) when eaten or the small, beak-like shape of the chopped ingredients.
What Are the Best Tomatoes for Pico de Gallo?
The best tomatoes for Pico de Gallo are firm and flavorful, like Roma or plum tomatoes, which have fewer seeds and less water content, making the salsa less watery.
Vine-ripened tomatoes are another excellent choice for their rich flavor. Always choose ripe but not overly soft tomatoes for a fresh tomato salsa.
If you have a farmer's nearby, look for locally grown fresh tomatoes
What You Need
- Red Juicy Tomatoes: Get the freshest, juiciest tomatoes you can find.
- White Onion: White or red onions. White onions have less bite than standard yellow onions. Red onions are a little sweeter than both.
- Fresh Garlic
- Jalapeno Peppers: Jalapenos are mild chili peppers. Slice them lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and white membranes with a teaspoon. If you want more heat, add the seeds to the mixing bowl. For more intense heat, try Serrano or Habanero peppers.
- Cilantro: Cilantro adds Mexican flavor to anything you cook. If you prefer, fresh parsley, flat or curly, can be chopped up and used in place of cilantro.
- Salt: Salt makes the delicious flavors of your food pop!
- Fresh Lime Juice balances the sweetness of the tomatoes and the heat of the jalapeños, giving the salsa its signature taste.
How To Make Pico de Gallo
- Combine diced tomatoes, onions, and minced garlic in a large bowl.
- Slice jalapeños in half and remove the seeds and white membranes. Finely chop the jalapeños and add them to the tomato mixture. If you prefer a spicier pico de gallo, include some seeds.
- Clean the cilantro by swishing it in a bowl of cold water. Pat the cilantro dry with paper towels, then roughly chop the leaves and add them to the bowl.
- Slice the limes in half and squeeze the juice over the chopped veggies. Add half a teaspoon of salt, then taste and adjust with more salt and lime juice as needed. Toss everything together.
- If you have the time, cover the bowl and let the pico de gallo sit for about two hours or refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld.
- Before serving, adjust the seasonings (salt and lime juice) to taste.
Creative Ways to Use Pico de Gallo
- Top your tacos, burritos, and quesadillas.
- Mix into mashed avocados for a quick guacamole.
- Drizzle it over salads as a fresh, flavorful dressing.
- Add to your morning eggs for a zesty kick.
- Pair with cottage cheese for a high-protein snack.
- Use as a topping for fish and meat dishes.
- Spoon onto baked potatoes for a healthy, flavorful twist.
- Enhance sandwiches and wraps with a few spoonfuls.
- Enjoy as a dip with tortilla chips or fresh veggies.
Tortilla Chips for Scooping
Thick, sturdy tortilla chips are the best choice for Pico de Gallo since they can hold up to the chunky texture of the salsa. Look for salted corn chips to complement the fresh flavors of the Pico without overpowering them.
I like to eat Pico de Gallo with cut-up bell peppers, or as I call them Faux Corn Chips recipe. Cut the peppers in half, scoop out their insides, and slice lengthwise and then crosswise. You'll get eight pepper "cups" from each bell pepper. It's not a tortilla, but it's grain-free and a delicious low-calorie option.
Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips are a tasty chip. The Garza family of South Texas has created corn-free tortilla chips (and tortilla wraps) that taste great and don't contain grains and seed oils. You can pick them up at most grocery stores.
Is Pico De Gallo Good For You?
Yes, pico de gallo is good for you. Pico de gallo's fresh ingredients make it a healthy way to flavor grilled meats, salads, or tacos.
It’s a fresh, low-calorie mix of tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeños, loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.
Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant in red fruits and vegetables linked to heart health.
Onions and garlic support immune health, lime juice adds vitamin C, and jalapeños provide a spicy kick along with metabolism-boosting capsaicin.
This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, and kosher.
Storage
Place the Pico de Gallo in an airtight container and refrigerate it. It will stay fresh for up to three days.
Before serving, give it a stir, as the juices settle at the bottom. If it's very wet, lift the dip from the container with a slotted spoon for serving.
Final Thoughts
Pico de Gallo is a fresh, flavorful Mexican salsa made with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeños, and lime juice. Naturally gluten-free, vegan, and low in calories, it’s a healthy way to add a layer of flavor to tacos, grilled fish, or tortilla chips.
Next time you have some Pico de Gallo on hand, try one of these ideas to make the most of it. Whether you’re mixing it into guacamole, using it as a dressing, or simply enjoying it with chips, Pico de Gallo adds great flavor and a touch of freshness to any dish.
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FAQ
Freezing pico de gallo is not recommended because the fresh ingredients, especially tomatoes, become watery and lose their texture when thawed. For the best flavor and consistency, enjoy pico de gallo fresh.
Stored in an airtight container, pico de gallo lasts about 3 days in the fridge. Stir it before serving to redistribute the flavors, as it can release juices over time.
Yes! You can make pico de gallo a few hours before serving. This gives the ingredients time to blend their flavors, making it taste even better. Just cover it and store it in the fridge, then stir it before serving.
Healthy Pico de Gallo Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
- ½ cup diced red or white onion
- 2 cloves fresh garlic peeled and minced
- 1 large or 2 small jalapeño peppers, finely diced (remove the seeds for less heat)
- ½ bunch cilantro washed well and chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- Juice of 1 or 2 limes
- fresh vegetables or tortilla chips for serving
- lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Combine diced tomatoes, onions, and minced garlic in a large bowl.
- Slice jalapeños in half and remove the seeds and white membranes. Finely chop the jalapeños and add them to the tomato mixture. If you prefer a spicier pico de gallo, include some of the seeds.
- Clean the cilantro by swishing it in a bowl of cold water. Pat the cilantro dry with paper towels, then roughly chop the leaves and add them to the bowl.
- Slice the limes in half and squeeze the juice over the chopped veggies. Add half a teaspoon of salt, then taste and adjust with more salt and lime juice as needed. Toss everything together.
- If you have the time, cover the bowl and let the salsa sit for about two hours or refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld.
- Before serving, adjust the seasonings (salt and lime juice) to taste.
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