Why You’ll Love This Easy Pico de Gallo:
- Fresh Flavors—Juicy tomatoes, crisp onions, bright cilantro, and spicy jalapeño combine to make the most delicious fresh pico.
- Quick and Easy—Make this easy pico in less than 10 minutes with simple, fresh ingredients.
- Customizable to Your Taste—Prefer it spicier? Add more jalapeño. Not a fan of cilantro? Reduce the amount or leave it out completely. Use my recipe as a base—then make it your own!
There’s nothing like a bowl of fresh, homemade pico de gallo to brighten up your favorite meals—or to dip into before dinner even begins! This quick and easy recipe brings together ripe grape tomatoes, crisp onions, spicy jalapeños, and fresh cilantro for a vibrant pico that’s bursting with flavor. Whether you’re piling it onto tacos, scooping it with tortilla chips, or spooning it onto my favorite taco salad, this simple pico de gallo adds the perfect pop of flavor to every bite. Once you see how easy it is to make at home, you’ll never reach for the store-bought kind again!
Pico de Gallo vs. Salsa: What’s the Difference?
Pico de gallo and salsa are made with similar ingredients, but the main difference comes down to texture and freshness. Pico de gallo is a fresh, uncooked mixture of diced tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, and cilantro. Each component is typically cut by hand, creating a chunky texture where the ingredients are distinctly visible. Salsa, on the other hand, is often blended or cooked, resulting in a smoother, saucier consistency.
One of my favorite tricks with pico de gallo is to pulse about half of it in the food processor, creating a smoother consistency (like a salsa). Then, I mix the remaining freshly diced pico back in, giving you the best of both worlds—a perfect balance of chunky and smooth!
Homemade Pico de Gallo Ingredients
Tomatoes: I love using grape tomatoes in pico because they have a concentrated sweet flavor and a firmer, less watery texture compared to other tomato varieties.
Onion: A little minced sweet onion adds just the right amount of flavor without overpowering the pico. Other varieties, like red onion, can have a sharper, more intense bite that might take over the fresh flavors—so sweet onions are my go-to!
Jalapeño: I add about half of a medium jalapeño—remove the ribs and seeds, and small dice it. If you are particularly sensitive to spice, you can reduce the amount of jalapeño or skip it all together. On the flip side, if you want this pico even spicier, add some extra diced jalapeño!
Cilantro: There are two kinds of people in this world—cilantro lovers and cilantro haters. I am firmly in the cilantro lover camp, so this pico de gallo recipe calls for a generous amount. Before chopping, be sure to remove most of the stems for the best texture. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, feel free to reduce the amount or leave it out altogether.
Onion Powder & Garlic Powder: A dash of each adds just a little extra savory flavor to the pico.
Sugar: Just a bit, to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.
Salt: Start with just a pinch or two—you don’t want to oversalt the pico.
How to Make Pico de Gallo
- Prep all of your fresh ingredients. Mince the sweet onion, dice the grape tomatoes, and small dice half of a jalapeño after removing the ribs and seeds. Rinse the cilantro, remove the stems, and chop it. Add all the fresh ingredients to a small/medium bowl.
- Add seasonings. A dash of garlic powder and onion powder, plus a bit of salt and sugar complete the pico.
- Mix it all together! Stir until everything is evenly combined. Serve immediately, or for a smoother texture, pulse about half of the pico de gallo in a food processor, then mix it back in. (It’s like a pico/salsa hybrid—the best of both worlds, in my opinion!)
Serving Ideas
- Pile it onto tacos made with homemade taco meat.
- Add a spoonful onto taco salad.
- Mix it into my favorite Mexican Street Corn Salad.
- Or, simply dip some tortilla chips in it and enjoy!
How to Store Leftover Pico de Gallo
I think pico de gallo is best enjoyed the day it’s made, but you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for a couple days. You might notice that your pico releases extra liquid as it sits (totally normal!)—just give it a quick stir before serving.
Read on for the full recipe for this very easy pico de gallo.
Once you’ve given it a try, leave a rating and review down below to let me know how you liked it!
Easy Homemade Pico de Gallo
Equipment (Shop on Amazon)
- Small Staub Bowls (the perfect size for this pico de gallo)
Ingredients
- 1 cup small diced grape tomatoes
- ¼ cup minced sweet onion
- ½ a fresh jalapeño, diced with ribs and seeds removed
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro loosely-packed; with most of the stems removed
- 1 dash onion powder
- 1 dash garlic powder
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 pinches salt or to taste; do not oversalt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the diced tomatoes, minced onion, diced jalapeño, cilantro, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, and salt.1 cup small diced grape tomatoes, ¼ cup minced sweet onion, ½ a fresh jalapeño, diced, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, 1 dash onion powder, 1 dash garlic powder, ½ tsp sugar, 2 pinches salt
- Taste and adjust as needed. If too mild for your taste, add some more diced jalapeño. Add more salt if needed (carefully—you don't want to oversalt the pico).
- Optional: Pulse about half of the pico de gallo in a food processor to break it down further and create a smoother consistency. Mix it back in with the chunkier half for a perfect pico/salsa hybrid.
- Serve this pico de gallo as a dip or alongside your favorite Mexican dishes, like tacos or taco salad. You can also mix it into Mexican Street Corn Salad or Mexican Rice.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
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