Salsa Verde is the quick and easy variation on a classic red salsa that you didn't know you needed. It's bright, tangy, and a perfect accompaniment to any Mexican-style dish.
Perfect for anytime of year, we keep this amazing fresh salsa in the fridge at all times!
My family eats this salsa with chips allllll the time, but it's a huge part of some of my favorite recipes. Try it in my Chicken Poblano Soup or as part of a Mexican-theme buffet with Chicken Enchiladas. You cannot go wrong!
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Ingredients
Most of the ingredients in this easy, salsa verde recipe can be found in your local grocery stores. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
- Tomatillos - Remove the husk from the tomatillos and rinse well to remove any sticky residue.
- Jalapeños - For the heat. Leave the seeds and membranes in if you prefer extra spicy.
- Poblanos - I'm obsessed with the flavors of these peppers. If you don't have any or can't find them, you can leave it out.
- Fresh Cilantro - I love it. If you don't, leave it out.
- Onion - Yellow onion is my preferred onion for this recipe, but use what you love and what you have on hand.
- Fresh Garlic - Roast the cloves in their skins to help prevent burning.
- Limes - A must-have to make this salsa come to life. You can also use lemon.
- Kosher Salt - I recommend cooking with a good quality kosher salt. It enhances the flavor of the food and is definitely needed here.
- Fresh Ground Pepper - Fresh ground pepper tastes nothing like the premade stuff in a tin. Use the fresh stuff. It's amazing and so full of flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
- Sheet Pan
- Food Processor - You can also chop everything by hand.
- Chef's Knife - Make sure it's sharp. The fastest way to the ER is by dull knife.
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Oven Mitts - To protect your digits.
- Tongs - To rotate the peppers, onions, and garlic.
Instructions
The how-to for salsa verde is incredibly simple. All you need to do is:
- Coat the peppers, onions, and garlic with avocado oil. Place onto a sheet pan.
- Roast under a broiler for 5 minutes or until the skins start to blister.
- Carefully rotate the veggies with tongs to ensure all sides are blistered.
- Remove the peppers, onion, and garlic from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Give the peppers and onions a rough chop. Remove the garlic cloves from their skins.
- Add the peppers, onion, and garlic to a food processor along with the cilantro, lime juice, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper.
- Pulse until you achieve your desired consistency.
Hint: Do not walk away while blistering the peppers, onions, and garlic. Everyone's broiler will heat differently. Keep an eye out and check on the veggies often to prevent excess blistering.
Substitutions
- Tomatoes - You can use tomatoes instead of the tomatillos for an amazing roasted tomato salsa. Just substitute and carry on with the recipe as instructed.
- Onion - I used yellow onion for this salsa verde recipe, but use what you love. Red onion, green onion, and even shallots would be great substitutions.
- Garlic - If you don't have any fresh garlic, just add granulated garlic to taste. Sometimes, I don't have any either. Granulated is fantastic.
Variations
- Spice levels - If you like a spicier salsa verde, leave the jalapeño seeds and membranes intact. If you like it super spicy, throw in some serrano peppers and blister those along with the rest of the peppers, onion, and garlic.
- Cilantro - If you don't like it, leave it out.
See this Queso Fundido Recipe that is amazing along with this salsa verde! Grab those chips and let's get to it!
Serving Ideas
- Serve salsa verde with tortillas chips for a simple snack or as a side for your next Taco Tuesday.
- Spoon it into your favorite Mexican style soups for a lovely flavor bump.
- Use in enchiladas, nachos, burritos, and taquitos.
- Spoon over scrambled eggs.
- The list could go on and on. You cannot go wrong!
Storage
Store this salsa verde in the fridge in an airtight container. It will stay good for up to 5-7 days.
I do not recommend freezing fresh salsa.
Top Tip
Make this salsa verde recipe your own. If you like it spicier, add more jalapeños or even serranos. If you like it milder, ease up on the spicy chilis and use more poblanos. You can customize this recipe according to your tastes easily. And, as always, if you don't like cilantro, just leave it out.
frequently asked questions
Is the recipe gluten and/or dairy-free?
This recipe is both gluten and dairy-free!
Do I have to remove the skins of the peppers or tomatillos?
You do not! The skins are perfectly fine to eat. The peppers and tomatillos go straight in the food processor after roasting/blistering and are ground up. Leaving them on also gives this salsa a fun color with the darkened bits. I love how it looks.
Should I remove the pepper seeds?
You can, but you do not have to. The only reason I would remove any of the seeds is if you are trying to cut back on the spiciness of the jalapeños.
Will the garlic burn under the broiler?
Leave the skins on the garlic. This will prevent any burning in the oven. Burnt garlic is no bueno.
Other Sauce Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these awesome sauce recipes:
If you guys make this Salsa Verde, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a star rating in the recipe card! I absolutely love to hear from you all and always do my best to respond to each and every one of your comments! And, as always, be kind. I’m only human.
Recipe
Salsa Verde Recipe
Ingredients
- avocado oil, for coating peppers
- 1½ lbs tomatillos, husked and rinsed about 12-14 tomatillos
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 1 jalapeño
- 1 poblano
- 6-8 garlic cloves, left in their skins
- ¼-½ cup fresh cilantro, leaves and stems
- juice of 1 lime use more if you like more tang
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt more or less to your liking
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Coat the peppers, onions, and garlic cloves (leave the cloves in their skins) with avocado oil. Place onto a sheet pan.
- Roast under a high broiler for 5 minutes or until the skins start to blister. Keep about 4-5 inches beneath the broiler.
- Carefully rotate the veggies to ensure all sides are blistered. This usually takes an additional 5-10 minutes of rotating.
- Remove the peppers, onion, and garlic from the oven and let cool slightly. Give the peppers and onions a rough chop. Remove the garlic cloves from their skins.
- Add the peppers, onion, and garlic to a food processor along with the cilantro, lime juice, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Pulse until you achieve your desired consistency.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Thank you!
I am so incredibly happy that you are here! I hope you try my Salsa Verde recipe and fall in love with it. If you make this recipe, please share and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or YouTube! And, please leave a comment or star rating in the recipe card above. I absolutely love seeing each and every one of your kitchen masterpieces. It makes my heart so happy! And, as always, if you ever have any questions about any of my recipes, please don't hesitate to contact me!
Happy Cooking!
-Rufus
Rufus for Real is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. I may earn a commission, with no additional cost to you, if you purchase through those links.
Rufus for Real is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Audrie says
Suchhhh a good salsa. The tangy flavor was just perfect for our tacos! Definitely going to be making more of it.