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Homemade Pico De Gallo

August 12, 2024

Fresh and delicious snacking doesn’t get easier than our easy homemade pico de gallo recipe!

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homemade pico de Gallo in a serving bowl surrounded by tortilla chips for serving
Photography by Gayle McLeod

Our Best Pico De Gallo Recipe!

Well, actually, this is our most classic pico de gallo recipe! We have another one that’s very dear to our hearts (see also: pico de gallo with cabbage), but this one is fresh and classic and a keeper. A bit of chopping and the most simple and classic of Mexican condiments can be yours! While it’s super available at the grocery store these days, homemade pico de gallo will always be a whole lot better than store bought! This classic dip and condiment is all about freshness, so it really should be homemade to be truly great. Serve alongside a fresh Mexican-inspired feast, complete with fresh guacamole and maybe a cool shrimp ceviche.

chopped tomatoes, jalapeños, onion, cilantro, salt and lime juice in bowls on the counter to make homemade pico de Gallo

What Is Pico de Gallo?

Directly translated from Spanish to English “pico de gallo” means “rooster beak”, but most of us know that the phrase pico de gallo means a super fresh, tomato-y condiment that’s pretty ubiquitous in Mexican cuisine. If you like Mexican food even just a little bit, you’ve surely had pico de gallo before. The term pico de gallo is pretty interchangeable with ‘salsa fresca’ and ‘salsa mexicana’ and simply means a combination of three basic things: tomatoes, onions, and chilies. Our pico de gallo recipe is a little more exciting than just those three things, but we do try to keep it classic. Speaking of...

chopped tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeños, salt in a mixing bowl with lime juice being poured in to make pico de Gallo
homemade pico de Gallo in a mixing bowl made with Roma tomatoes, White onion, cilantro, Jalapeñoes, Limes and Salt

The Best Pico de Gallo Ingredients

Freshness, freshness, freshness. We’ve said it a few times already and we’re just going to keep saying it! Pico de gallo is about freshness! Juicy tomatoes, sharp onions, a bit of jalapeño kick and zingy fresh lime juice. Here’s everything you’ll need to make our homemade pico de gallo recipe:

  • Roma tomatoes. Why romas? Well, because they’re pretty firm and not overly juicy, which is actually exactly what you want for pico—if the tomato is too juicy, the pico de gallo becomes too watery.

  • White onion

  • Fresh cilantro leaves

  • Jalapeñoes

  • Limes

  • Salt

homemade pico de Gallo in a mixing bowl with a spoon next to a small bowl of salt
homemade pico de Gallo in a serving bowl made with Roma tomatoes, White onion, cilantro, Jalapeñoes, Limes and Salt

How To Make Pico de Gallo

Making pico de gallo is as simple as its ingredients—simple simple simple! You’ll just need a big bowl and a sharp knife and you’re ready to roll. Plus, you can make the pico de gallo easily ahead of time—it’ll keep pretty well in the fridge for up to four days. Here’s how to make the best pico de gallo recipe ever (AKA ours):

  1. Slice and dice! This is the majority of the labor involved in making pico! You’ll need to slice and dice all of the veggies.

  2. Stir everything together!

  3. Before you serve, be sure to give the pico de gallo about 15 minutes to sit. This lets the flavors meld together and is key to making the pico taste just right!

homemade pico de Gallo in a serving bowl surrounded by tortilla chips for serving and bowls of lime wedges and cilantro

Tools You’ll Need

More Salsa Recipes to Try

homemade pico de Gallo in a serving bowl surrounded by tortilla chips for serving and a spicy margarita

Pick a Peck of Pico!

Once you’ve made homemade pico de gallo, there’s just no going back! We hope this pico de gallo recipe livens up your dinner times, snack times and lunch times as much as it does ours. When you make it, we’d love to see! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

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Homemade Pico De Gallo

  • Serves:  8
  • Prep Time:  20 min
  • Cook Time:  0 min
  • Calories:  18

Ingredients

  • 4 medium roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 1 cup packed chopped fresh cilantro leaves (from about 2 bunches)
  • 2 small jalapeños, halved, seeded, and minced
  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
  • Pinch of chili powder or dash of hot sauce (optional)

Method

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, cilantro and salt. Mix well to combine. Taste and add more salt as needed, plus chili powder as desired.

  2. Allow the pico de gallo to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 18
  • Protein 2 g
  • Carbohydrates 4 g
  • Total Fat 1 g
  • Dietary Fiber 1 g
  • Cholesterol 0 mg
  • sodium 445 mg
  • Total Sugars 2 g

Homemade Pico De Gallo

Questions & Reviews

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  • Carol

    Simple and perfect!

    Thanks Carol, we are so happy you loved it!

  • Jenn

    So simple and so much better than store bought! Thanks so much for this delicious, simple recipe!

    Glad you loved it!