This salsa verde recipe blends tomatillos, jalapeños, onions, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice to form a tangy and vibrant Mexican green salsa. Spoon it onto tons of dishes to add a pop of flavor and color. You’ll never go back to store bought versions again
Easy homemade salsa verde is here to push all the store bought versions aside. Full of flavor and a signature green color, this tangy and vibrant salsa is easy to make, versatile, and one of my favorite salsas ever!
Salsa verde is great to eat with some tortillas chips, but it’s also used in other recipes like enchiladas verdes, chilaquiles verdes, or on top of carne asada.
Making this salsa yourself rather than buying it from a store is a total game-changer. Plus, because the tomatillos and peppers are boiled instead of roasted, the recipe is very low maintenance and cleanup is easy. Win win!
What is salsa verde?
Salsa verde, or “green salsa” in English, is made from roasted or boiled chile peppers, tomatillos, onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice.
It can me made as mild or as hot as you prefer by using different types of chiles. See my tips for adjusting the spice level below.
Salsa verde ingredients
- Tomatillos – These small and round green tomato look-a-likes are one of the main components in an authentic Mexican salsa verde recipe. Remove the papery husks before boiling them. If you’ve never cooked with before, learn all about tomatillos here.
- Jalapeños – A handful of jalapeños in this salsa gives it the perfect amount of spice without it being overwhelming. I removed the seeds so it wouldn’t be too spicy, but you can leave them in if you prefer. If you like it extra spicy, use serrano peppers instead.
- White onion and garlic – Because it isn’t a real salsa without these two.
- Cilantro – Fresh cilantro incorporates very bright and fresh flavors into the salsa. Plus, it helps with that pop of green!
- Lime juice – This adds just a hint of tang and citrus to the salsa.
- Salt – To round out the flavors.
How to make salsa verde
- Boil tomatillos and peppers: Add the tomatillos, jalapeños, and onion to a medium pot filled with water. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let everything simmer for 10 minutes.
- Blend it up: Transfer the tomatillos, jalapeños, and onion to a blender. Add in the cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and salt, then blend until smooth.
- Serve and store: Serve the finished salsa immediately or place it in the refrigerator.
Can I roast the tomatillos and peppers instead of boiling?
Some recipes call for the tomatillos and jalapeños to be roasted instead of boiled in water. I find that this makes the salsa taste a little too sweet, which roasting can do to some vegetables. Boiling keeps the flavor of the salsa bright and tart, which I prefer.
However, some people prefer a slightly sweeter and less tangy salsa. If that’s you, then you can definitely roast it!
To roast, place the peppers and tomatillos onto a lined baking sheet and place them under a broiler for about 5-8 minutes until they’re blackened in spots. Remove from the oven, carefully flip each one, and broil again until blacked and charred. Once they’re blackened and blistered on all sides, place them in a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Substitutions and variations
- To make it mild, remove the seeds from all of the jalapeños.
- To make it medium/hot, remove the seeds from only some of the jalapeños.
- To make it extra spicy, use serrano peppers instead of jalapeños. Blend just 1 pepper at a time until you reach the desired level of spice.
- Is it too thick? Add a tablespoon of water at a time to the blender until you reach the desired consistency.
- Too bland? Add in more salt one pinch at a time until it’s just right.
Storing
To store, place the finished salsa in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
To freeze, place the salsa in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. For smaller portions, freeze it in ice cube trays until they’re solid, then transfer to a container or sealed bag. Leave the salsa to thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before using.
Ways to use salsa verde
You can eat this salsa for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- Breakfast: Add a spoonful to breakfast tacos, on top of a plate of chorizo and eggs, or in my recipe for salsa verde breakfast frittata.
- Lunch and Dinner: Add a dollop of salsa to easy chicken tacos, black bean tacos, or use it to make enchiladas suizas.
Want to keep it simple? Just eat it with some homemade tortilla chips!
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed (about 10 med-large tomatillos)
- 3 jalapeños, stems removed
- 1/2 white onion
- water
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic
- juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Instructions
- Add tomatillos, jalapenos, and onion to a medium saucepan or pot. Fill the saucepan with enough water to cover the tops of the tomatillos.
- Bring water to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the tomatillos, jalapenos, and onion to a blender using a slotted spoon.
- Add cilantro, garlic, lime juice and salt. Blend until smooth.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Isabel’s Tips:
- Makes 2 cups total.
- Don’t want it spicy? Remove the seeds from the jalapenos.
- Want it extra spicy? Use serrano peppers instead of jalapenos.
- To freeze, place salsa in freezer safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes call for roasting the tomatillos and jalapenos under a broiler, but I actually prefer the flavor of salsa verde when it’s made this way – by boiling it. When the tomatillos and jalapenos are roasted, I find that the salsa is a little too sweet since roasting often brings out the sweetness in vegetables. But boiling them keeps the flavor of the salsa bright and tart which is how I prefer my salsa verde.
Nutrition Information
Josie says
Your recipes remind me of my mom’s cooking. The smell of toasting chiles is HOME.
Thank you for all these great delicious memories. 😋❤
Sherry says
Just made this with 1/2 a lime, 2 roasted garlic cloves, 1/4 more teaspoon of salt and it was AMAZING. Paired it with Isabel’s Guac & some fried shrimp tacos. LOVE!!!! 🙂
Sam says
I LOVE this recipe. I’ve made it a few times now and it is ridiculously easy and tastes more authentic than any salsa I’ve attempted. The only adjustment I made was in measuring – I used a whole bundle of green onions (ends cut off), 5-6 garlic cloves instead of 1, and just a touch of lime juice. Quick and delicious.
Barbara says
This is so amazing! I’ll never buy canned enchilada sauce again!
Isabel says
Yay!! I’m so happy you liked it!
Bonnie says
Can you process this to have a longer shelf life?
Isabel says
Hi Bonnie! Unfortunately, none that I have tried. You could freeze it for up to 3 months, but the flavors will dull quite a bit. It should also keep in the fridge for 2 weeks, but the flavors are best within the first week. I’ve heard of lacto-fermenting salsa before but have never tried it. You may want to Google lacto-fermenting.
Amos says
Isabel– Can you freze this salsa?–Amos
Isabel says
Yes! Just put it in a freezer-safe container or bag and try to remove any air pockets.
Dians says
Can i use tomatos i cant find tomatillios here in germany?
Angie says
Sooooo good and so easy!!! Thank you!
Isabel says
Thank you, Angie! 🙂 So glad you liked it.
Dianne says
We cannot get tomatillos in our grocery stores for Salsa Verde. Is there anything that can be substituted? The enchiladas look wonderful.
Isabel says
Hi, Dianne. That’s so unfortunate that they don’t have tomatillos! I haven’t ever substituted anything for tomatillos so I don’t have any suggestions from personal experience. But if you can find green tomatoes or even just underripe regular tomatoes, that could work. Add a splash of lime juice to give it some of the tartness that tomatillos have.
Let me know how that works!
Thalia says
Maybe add other green vegetables like cilantro avocado bell pepper. My mom and cousin do that for the green pozole.
Jennifer says
I would use canned tomatillos if you can’t find fresh. I’ve used them in a pinch and my Hispanic friends were amazed I used canned and it turned out so well.
Isabel says
That’s so great to hear, Jennifer. Thanks for letting me know!
diana says
What can I substitute for the jalapenos? I can’t tolerate spicy foods. Thank you
Isabel says
Hi, Diana. You could use 1 or 2 poblano peppers instead. Those are pretty mild. Or if you can’t even do slightly mild, you could go ahead and just do 1 or 2 sweet bell peppers.
Terri says
Very good!