Tomatillo Salsa
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Fresh, zesty, and packed with bold flavor, this Tomatillo Salsa Verde recipe is a must-make for taco night! Made with roasted tomatillos, jalapeños, and fresh cilantro, this authentic Mexican salsa comes together in just 10 minutes with 6 ingredients. It’s incredibly flavorful, easy to make and way better than anything in a jar!
Why you’ll love this salsa recipe
Every time I make my 10 minute homemade salsa recipe, everyone raves about it! The best part is, it’s so easy to make and 100% authentic. I got the recipe from a friend whose family owns a Mexican restaurant on the border of San Diego and Mexico.
The simple act of roasting the tomatoes, peppers and onions before blending them up adds so much flavor to this salsa! For this recipe, I took the magic of my red tomato salsa and made this amazing tomatillo salsa verde. I literally have a hard time not eating the entire bowl in one setting! Here’s why I love it and know that you will too.
- It’s so simple. You only need 6 ingredients and 10 minutes to make this recipe. You’ll never go back to jar salsa again, after you see how easy it is to make this homemade salsa!
- It’s so flavorful. Roasting the tomatillos, onion and jalapenos imparts a smoky flavor in the salsa that’s so delicious. It also brings out the natural sweetness of the tomatillos. Combined with fresh lime juice and fresh cilantro, this salsa is bursting with delicious, fresh flavors!
- It goes with everything. Pair this salsa with tacos or tortilla chips, use it to make enchiladas or chilaquiles, spoon it over nachos or quesadillas. It adds a fresh and bold flavor to any Mexican meal!
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this tomatillo salsa verde recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Tomatillos – also called “Mexican husk tomatoes” these small round fruits are found in the produce section at most major grocery stores. They’re sold in a papery husk, which we’ll peel off before we roast the tomatillos. A raw tomatillo is tart and tangy, but when a tomatillo is roasted, it becomes sweeter and less tart, with a slight citrus flavor.
- Jalapenos – two peppers is perfect for a mild salsa. If you want to spice it up, add more jalapenos or throw 1-2 serrano peppers in with the jalapenos. If you find that a jalapeno is too spicy for you, you can use one green bell pepper instead, cut into 4 large strips. The great thing about homemade salsa is you can make it just how you like it!
- White onion – you can also use a yellow or red onion, but white onion is what is traditionally used to make salsa.
- Fresh cilantro – I recommend cutting off any large, thick stems, but blending in some of the thin, smaller stems, along with the cilantro leaves is totally fine.
- Lime juice – fresh squeezed, always for this recipe! You’re using all fresh ingredients, so grab a lime and squeeze it in for the best flavor.
- Salt – feel free to salt the salsa to your taste. I found that 1 1/2 teaspoons is the perfect amount for my taste, but I understand that everyones sensitivity to salt is a little different.
The ingredients in this green salsa recipe are naturally gluten free and vegan.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Preheat the oven broiler to high. Move one rack in your oven 4-6 inches below the heat source. In my oven, that’s the second rack placement and it’s 5 inches below the broiler. Place the whole tomatillos with the husks removed on a foil-lined baking sheet. Add the peppers with the stems removed and half of an onion cut into quarters.
- Broil the tomatillos, onions and jalapenos. Place the baking sheet in the oven, 4-6 inches below the broiler. Broil for 4-5 minutes, or until the tomatillos and peppers are black and bubbling on the outside. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip the tomatillos, peppers and onions. Place them back in the oven under the broiler for another 3-4 minutes, or until the tomatillos begin to burst, and the skins are black and bubbling. Always be sure to watch food under the broiler. Each oven is different and you don’t want the peppers and tomatillos to get too burned.
- Blend everything. As soon as you remove the baking sheet from the oven, transfer everything from the baking sheet to a food processor, or blender. Add fresh cilantro, lime juice and salt. Pulse 10-15 times, or until no large chunks exist in the salsa. I don’t recommend actually turning the blender on low or the salsa might turn out too thin. You still want some small chunks in the salsa. The level of chunkiness you’re going for will depend on how many times you pulse the salsa in the blender.
Pro tip! Once the salsa looks like it’s at your desired consistency, remove the lid and dip a chip in there. Taste the salsa and decide if you like the consistency or if you want it a little less chunky. You can also decide if you’d like to add a little more salt at this time. I recommend adding only 1/4 teaspoon at a time, as you don’t want it to end up too salty.
Ways to serve it
Feel free to eat the salsa immediately while it’s warm. You can also let it cool to room temperature, or place it in the refrigerator to chill before eating it. I honestly love this salsa so much, I pour it straight from the blender to a bowl and dig right in while it’s warm!
It’s delicious dipped up with tortilla chips, or used in any of these recipes.
- As a dip for nachos. Try it with The Ultimate Pulled Pork Nachos, Low Carb Nachos or these easy Crock Pot Chicken Nachos.
- As a topping for tacos. Serve it with these Pulled Pork Tacos, Shredded Beef Tacos or Quesabirria Tacos, or on top of this Taco Salad.
- On the side of a breakfast burrito. This is one of my all-time favorite ways to serve the salsa, with these epic Breakfast Burritos!
- With other dips for a dip bar. I love having a good line up of dips at parties. And this homemade salsa verde pairs perfectly alongside Green Chili Chorizo Queso Dip and Cheesy Baked Taco Dip!
- With chilaquiles for breakfast. Whether you’re a Chilaquiles Verdes or Chilaquiles Rojos fan, a little of this tomatillo salsa on top is a delicious addition to the traditional Mexican breakfast dish!
- As a dip for a quesadilla. Try it with this Soy Chrizo Quesadilla for Meatless Monday, or this Steak Quesadilla anytime!
- With enchiladas. Drizzle this salsa over Chicken Enchiladas or Avocado Corn Vegetarian Enchiladas.
How to store it
Store the tomatillo salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
If you’d like to freeze the salsa, you can store it in a mason jar in the freezer for up to 4 months. Just make sure to leave 1 inch of space in the jar for the salsa to expand in the freezer.
Recipe tips
If you don’t have a blender of food processor, you’ll want to dice everything up as finely as possible. After the tomatillos, peppers and onions roast in the oven, you can transfer them to a large cutting board and chop them with a knife, then transfer them to a bowl. Finely chop the fresh cilantro and mix it in, along with the lime juice and salt.
You can also grill the tomatillos, jalapenos and onions, instead of roasting them under the broiler, before making the salsa. If I have my grill fired up to make carne asada or grilled shrimp, I always toss some tomatillos, peppers and onions on the grill to make this salsa verde.
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Add more flavor to every Mexican meal with each of these tested and perfected salsa recipes!
Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds tomatillos, removed from the husk and washed
- 2 jalapenos, stems removed
- ½ white onion, cut into quarters
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, packed (both leaves and stems are okay)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven broiler to high. Move one rack in your oven 4-6 inches below the heat source.
- Place the tomatillos (removed from the husk), jalapenos (stems removed) and onion (cut into quarters) on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven under the broiler for 4-5 minutes, or until the skins of the tomatillos and peppers are black and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven, flip the tomatillos, jalapenos and onion and cook under the broiler for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the skins of the tomatillos and peppers are black and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and immediately place the whole tomatillos, jalapenos and onion in a blender or food processor with the cilantro, lime juice and salt.
- Pulse the blender or food processor 10-15 times. I don’t recommend actually turning the blender on low or the salsa might turn out too thin. The level of chunkiness you’re going for will depend on how many times you pulse the salsa in the blender.
- Eat the salsa immediately warm, or place it in the refrigerator to chill before eating. Store the salsa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
Notes
- To spice up the salsa, roast 1-2 serrano peppers with the jalapenos.
- This salsa recipe is naturally gluten free and vegan.
- Salt to taste: once the salsa looks like it’s at your desired consistency in the food processor, remove the lid and dip a chip in there. Taste the salsa and decide if you like the consistency or if you want it a little less chunky. You can also decide if you’d like to add a little more salt at this time. I recommend adding only 1/4 teaspoon at a time, as you don’t want it to end up too salty.
- If you don’t have a blender of food processor: after the tomatillos, peppers and onions roast in the oven, you can transfer them to a large cutting board and chop them with a knife, then transfer them to a bowl. Finely chop the fresh cilantro and mix it in, along with the lime juice and salt.
Nutrition Facts
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