Pico de Gallo

Everyone loves vibrant pico de gallo made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Believe it or not, you can make restaurant-worthy pico de gallo in the comfort of your own home with this top-rated recipe.

Pico de Gallo Meaning

Loosely translated, pico de gallo means "beak of a rooster." Why? Nobody's quite sure. Some people speculate that the name comes from the way it was originally eaten (with the hands, by pinching the thumb and forefinger).

Pico de Gallo vs. Salsa

Pico de gallo is a type of salsa, but it's probably different from the kind you get at your local Mexican restaurant.

It contains less liquid than traditional salsa, it uses only fresh ingredients (some salsas are cooked on the stove), and pico de gallo is never blended (salsas can vary from pureed to gently mashed, but pico de gallo is always made with diced and chopped ingredients).

Pico de Gallo Ingredients

The key to the perfect homemade pico de gallo? Use only the freshest ingredients you can find. Here's what you'll need:

• Tomatoes: Roma (plum) tomatoes are perfect for pico de gallo because they're less watery than other varieties. Choose ripe, red tomatoes that are firm and plump.
• Onion: This recipe calls for red onions instead of the traditional white onions, so it packs a flavorful punch. Of course, you can use whichever onions you prefer.
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds fresh flavor and vibrant green color. If you don't like cilantro, you can leave it out or substitute with parsley.
• Jalapeño: Turn up the heat with fresh jalapeño. If you want to go the more traditional route, try serrano peppers instead.
• Lime: Lime juice lends fruity flavor. It also keeps the pico de gallo tasting and looking fresh for longer.
• Garlic: This recipe calls for both fresh and powdered garlic. The result? A powerfully garlicky pico de gallo.
• Cumin: A pinch of cumin adds warmth, nuttiness, and just a touch of sweetness to this pico de gallo recipe.
• Salt and Pepper: Salt and pepper enhance the other flavors and are the perfect finishing touch.

Test Kitchen Tips

“Homemade pico de gallo is fresher, more colorful, crunchier, and cheaper [than the store-bought stuff], so why not make it yourself?” asks culinary producer Nicole McLaughlin (a.k.a. NicoleMcMom). Here are some of her expert tips for making the best pico de gallo at home: 

• “The recipe calls for half a jalapeño, but this is where you have to use your best judgment,” says Nicole. “I always use more jalapeño than it calls for.”
• If you like your pico de gallo extra hot, leave in the seeds.

Is Pico de Gallo Spicy?

It can be! The beauty of pico de gallo is you can customize the ingredients to suit your taste. If you like it hot, use more spicy peppers and leave in some seeds. If you don't, forgo the peppers — you can simply leave them out or replace them with an ingredient you prefer, such as green bell peppers, black beans, or corn.

How to Store Pico de Gallo

Homemade pico de gallo is best served fresh, so plan to enjoy it on the day you make it. If you need to keep it a little longer, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

How to Use Pico de Gallo

There are plenty of ways to use pico de gallo: Serve it with tortilla chips, use it as a taco topping, use it as an ingredient in quesadillas or burritos, or mix it into scrambled eggs or Spanish rice.

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

"Simply awesome," according to Amber Nevland. "I left this in the fridge for approximately 1 hour after mixing. Excellent flavor and aroma!"

"I made this today and it is terrific," raves Jenn. "This will be a go-to at our house from now on. I doubled the onion and garlic based on other reviews and it was perfect for us...we tend to like a lot of both of those. I was worried about the jalapeño, but it wasn't spicy, just flavorful."

"We love this recipe," says Charlyn Spiering. "I actually started growing jalapeño plants just so we could add fresh ones to this recipe. I make double batches of this recipe all summer long while we can get fresh ingredients. I didn't change a thing."

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams