Salsa Verde Recipe - Isabel Eats (2024)

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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

Salsa Verde Recipe - Isabel Eats (1)

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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 be made as mild or as hot as you prefer by using different types of chiles. See my tips for adjusting the spice level below.

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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 them before, learn all about tomatillos.
  • 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.
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How to Make Salsa Verde

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Serve and store: Serve the finished salsa immediately or place it in the refrigerator.
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Roasting vs 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.

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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 and Freezing

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 them to a container or sealed bag. Leave the salsa to thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before using.

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Ways to use salsa verde

You can eat this salsa for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Here are some of my favorite dishes to serve it with:

  • Flautas
  • Chicken Tacos
  • Tacos al Pastor
  • Black Bean Tacos
  • Enchiladas Suizas
  • Homemade Tortilla Chips

More Salsa Recipes

  • Salsa Macha
  • Fresh Salsa
  • Roasted Tomato Salsa
  • Chile de Arbol Salsa
  • Guacamole Salsa

Salsa Verde Recipe - Isabel Eats (7)

4.67 from 95 votes

Salsa Verde

servings: 4 servings

Print Pin Review Save

Prep: 5 minutes minutes

Cook: 15 minutes minutes

Total: 20 minutes minutes

This Salsa Verde recipe blends tomatillos, jalapeños, onions, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice for a tangy and addicting Mexican green salsa.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed (about 10 med-large tomatillos)
  • 3 jalapeño peppers stems removed
  • ½ white onion
  • water, as needed
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ lime)
  • 1 teaspoon 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.

Notes

  • 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

Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 50kcal (3%), Carbohydrates: 10g (3%), Protein: 2g (4%), Fat: 1g (2%), Saturated Fat: 1g (5%), Sodium: 585mg (24%), Potassium: 360mg (10%), Fiber: 3g (12%), Sugar: 6g (7%), Vitamin A: 377IU (8%), Vitamin C: 30mg (36%), Calcium: 17mg (2%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

Author: Isabel Orozco-Moore

Category: Mexican

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  1. Jessica Page

    Salsa Verde Recipe - Isabel Eats (8)
    This was absolutely AMAZING!! I’ve had homemade salsa verse before but it was missing something… I did double the garlic and since I don’t have jalapeños I used Serrano and a few aji lemon peppers. It is SO good. I made a triple batch and I put about 2/3’a of it in silicone mini ice cube trays in the freezer. After growing hedgerow of 14 tomatillos this year, my freezer is full of tomatillos but at least I’ve got the right recipe for salsa verde!!
    Nothing else compares to this recipe. I find myself craving it.

    Reply

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FAQs

Why is my salsa verde so sour? ›

Raw tomatillos can be acidic, you want your finished salsa to be tangy, but not mouth-puckeringly sour. If your finished salsa is too sour, add more sugar, ¼ teaspoon at a time until the flavor is more balanced.

How do you make salsa verde not bitter? ›

To cut through the bitterness put them with something that's sweet, for example mangoes, honey or sugar. Lime juice, or vinegar (red or white) cuts through the sourness. Are you using your tomatillos raw or roasting them in a pan? I definitely recommend roasting them in a pan.

What is salsa verde made of? ›

Salsa verde is really easy to make from scratch, all you need are tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, lime, and cilantro. To make the salsa verde, you will need to cook the tomatillos, which you can do by either boiling them, broiling them in the oven, or pan roasting them.

Should salsa verde be served hot or cold? ›

Yes, salsa verde can be eaten warm or cold.

How do you get the acid taste out of salsa? ›

Grab some citrus, sugar, or honey.

Try squeezing in the juice of a quarter lime and a half teaspoon of sugar or honey. Remember you can always add more, so mix in additional flavors little by little and taste as you go.

Does homemade salsa verde go bad? ›

Homemade salsa will generally keep for about 5 to 7 days, assuming it has been continuously refrigerated. To further extend the shelf life of salsa, freeze it: Freeze salsa in covered airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags.

How do you fix bland salsa verde? ›

At the very least, a little fresh lime juice and some minced cilantro can wake up even the sleepiest of salsas, ushering back in the flavor of just-squeezed citrus and herbs that taste like they came from a living plant. Beyond that, a crunchy raw vegetable or two never hurts.

What happens if you eat an unripe tomatillo? ›

Unripe tomatillos contain some solanine, which gives them a bitter taste. But most people can eat a moderate amount of unripe tomatillos without getting sick, so I would not call them “toxic”.

What is a substitute for tomatillos in salsa verde? ›

For a tomatillo substitute, buy underripe tomatoes and add a squeeze of lime juice. You will often see tomatillos in Mexican dishes like salsas, tacos, soups, and enchiladas. This swap might work well in a recipe like Slow Cooker Chicken Verde, Ceviche Verde, White Chili with Avocado Cream or Baja Fish Tacos.

Why is my salsa verde watery? ›

If you didn't remove the seeds, they will make the salsa extra watery, with a pool of vaguely tomato-flavored liquid at the bottom of your bowl. Nobody wants to scoop vaguely tomato-flavored liquid onto a chip.

How long does homemade salsa verde keep? ›

An open jar of store-bought salsa lasts about 2–4 weeks in the fridge, but you should always check for signs of mold, fuzz, funky smells, and any other signs that something is awry before diving in. If you make your own salsa, it'll stay good for just five to seven days in the fridge.

Can I use canned tomatillos instead of fresh? ›

You might find canned tomatillos, but they won't substitute well in recipes that call for fresh ones. HOW TO STORE In a paper bag in the refrigerator for up to a month. HOW TO PREPARE Remove the husk by pulling from the bottom of the tomatillo belly up to where it attaches at the stem.

What goes with salsa verde? ›

Tacos, burritos, tostadas, quesadillas, any and all tortilla-based meals. Drizzling salsa verde over the chorizo, chicken, refried beans, or whatever else tops that tortilla is an instant hit of flavor that transcends tired old pico de gallo (we still love you though, pico).

What is the difference between salsa Mexican and salsa verde? ›

Salsa verde, or green salsa, is growing in popularity as more people are willing to try different salsa beyond the common salsa roja. Instead of red tomatoes, salsa verde uses tomatillos. Tomatillos are closely related to tomatoes, but it is important to know that they are not simply unripe or baby tomatoes.

Why does my salsa taste fermented? ›

The acid in salsa - whether from vinegar or lime juice - essentially pickles it and makes it a preserve. It may ferment a little more, but that isn't really bad. It just might alter the taste to the point that it is no longer to your liking.

Can you overcook tomatillos? ›

If the tomatillo is not rinsed well of its sticky residue and if it is overcooked, it can make your salsa taste soapy. When the tomatillos you are using as a base for green sauce are quickly charred over a flame or under a broiler, they can reward you with a lemony, almost sweet salsa.

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