This classic Pico de Gallo recipe comes together in minutes and is so fresh and healthy. It’s the perfect boost of flavor and color topped on so many dishes!

Spoon some Pico de Gallo on top of huevos rancheros, burrito bowls, chicken enchiladas, and other favorite Mexican recipes.

Easy Pico De Gallo Recipe

Pico de Gallo is such a quick and easy dip or topping to make at home, adding wonderful flavor to so many dishes. Plus it’s It’s so low-calorie and healthy. Make up a batch and put it on all the things!

What is Pico de Gallo?

Pico de Gallo is a fresh, zesty, and chunky type of dip and topping that is made from white onion, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. It’s so simple and yet gives such an incredible boost of flavor to any Mexican dish, scrambled eggs, rice, grilled vegetables…really almost anything! It’s basically the best condiment ever.

Translated to English Pico de Gallo means “rooster’s beak.” Nobody is quite sure where the name originated from, but some say the bright red, green, and white colors from the ingredients resemble that of a rooster. It’s also commonly referred to as salsa fresca (fresh salsa), and my hispanic friends call it salsa bandera (flag sauce) because it’s red, white, and green like the Mexican flag.

Pico de Gallo vs. Salsa

Pico de Gallo is part of the salsa family, right along side traditional red salsa and salsa verde. However, red salsa and salsa verde usually use roasted tomatoes and are almost always blended like a sauce, whereas Pico de Gallo is always served diced and raw. It’s less wet.

Ingredients Needed

Because this salsa only has a few simple ingredients, you want each ingredient to shine, so use the freshest available!
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

• Tomatoes – use Roma tomatoes that are ripe, but firm, and have a beautiful deep red color. This will deliver the best flavor. Core and remove the seeds before dicing, to eliminate any excess liquid. This also helps the salsa keep longer without breaking down and becoming mushy.
• Onion – I use sweet onions in almost all of my cooking, but Pico de Gallo is one of the exceptions. You want white onion for this salsa. It has a sharper flavor and balances out the other ingredients.
• Jalapeño – use jalapeño peppers. Remove the ribs and seeds, then dice the jalapeños finely so the flavor is evenly distributed throughout the salsa, making every bite delicious.
• Cilantro – you want the leaves, not the stems. Loosely pack them into your measuring cup, before you chop them up.
• Lime juice – use freshly squeezed lime juice. It draws out the freshness of the other ingredients.
• Salt – don’t fear the salt! It’s a great ingredient and needed in this salsa will be bland.

How to Make Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo is so easy to make in just a few simple steps. Here are some tips to make sure your homemade version is the best it can be.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

• Get a uniform dice – sometimes I dice up my tomatoes and onions tiny, like the jalapeño, so you can maximum flavor in every bite. But other times I’m lazy and do a bigger dice. Either way, I always dice the onions and tomatoes the same size.
• Let your onion, jalapeño, lime, and salt sit together in the bowl and marinate while you dice up your tomatoes and cilantro. This gives your Pico flavors time to meld for the best flavor.
• Keep the essential 6 ingredients. While I wouldn’t eliminate any of the six ingredients, the amounts can definitely be adjusted to suit your taste. Don’t adjust the seasonings until after your Pico has had a chance to sit though, so you can taste the true flavors.
• Serve at room temperature. Pico de Gallo tastes the best fairly soon after it’s made and at room temperature. If you won’t be eating it right away, you can refrigerate it, covered, for up to 3 days. Let it sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes before serving. And also use a slotted spoon to avoid the tomato juice that releases on the bottom of the bowl.

Uses for Pico de Gallo

The uses for this Mexican condiment are practically endless, but here are a few of our favorites.

• Use it in Guacamole and serve with tortilla chips.
• Spoon it on burrito bowls, chicken enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, or in burritos and quesadillas.
• Mixed it into rice, scrambled eggs, on top of huevos rancheros or grilled vegetables.
• Top a baked potato, turkey burger, grilled steak, grilled chicken, or fish tacos with it.
• Tossed with shrimp or sprinkled on top of a salad.

How to Store Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo tastes the best fairly soon after it’s made and at room temperature. If you won’t be eating it right away, you can refrigerate it, covered, for up to 3 days. Let it sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes before serving. And also use a slotted spoon to avoid the tomato juice that releases on the bottom of the bowl.

More Salsa Recipes:

• Restaurant-Style Salsa
• Salsa Verde
• Black Bean and Corn Salsa
• Fruit Salsa

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!