Homemade Salsa Verde
This roasted tomatillo salsa is so easy to make. You're only six ingredients away from the best salsa verde you've ever tasted! Get the recipe here.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
I’m never going back to store-bought salsa verde! This salsa verde is fresh, bright, and not too salty like those store-bought versions.
Sometimes I have to remind myself that simple is best. This salsa was originally a component in a seven-layer dip concept, but the salsa blew the dip out of the water. One part, on its own, was so much better than the other six combined. This salsa verde is so fresh and irresistible.
Then, I made it a couple more times, with the same ingredients, but each time, it tasted a little different. That’s just what happens with a simple recipe made with natural ingredients. You can pick up each tomatillo, squeeze it to gauge ripeness and peel back the husk to look for bright green skin, but you don’t know how flavorful it really is until you taste it.
Add eleven more tomatillos to the mix, plus jalapeño that may or may not be crazy spicy, plus onion and cilantro of varying freshness, and you’ll never make a batch of salsa that tastes quite like another.
Your salsa will be delicious, fresh and so much better than the salty jarred varieties. I can guarantee that much. That’s the beauty of simple recipes made with fresh, natural ingredients—they’re inevitably awesome. Don’t over think it. Trust the recipe. Adjust to suit your taste buds.
Watch How to Make Salsa Verde
Salsa Verde Notes
Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes with husks, but they aren’t tomatoes—they’re cousins. I’ve had an easy time finding them at grocery stores lately. I tried making this salsa with raw tomatillos, but they’re borderline sour. Roasting them really brings out their best side.
Some roasted tomatillo salsas I’ve tried taste too roasted or smoky, but not this one. You can also control just how roasted those tomatillos get when you roast them yourself. I think it turned out just right with the times specified in the recipe below.
Uses for Salsa Verde
Salsa verde is great with pretty much anything that goes well with regular tomato salsa. I think it’s especially fantastic with sweet potatoes (check out these burritos and this burrito bowl) and eggs (like chilaquiles verdes, huevos rancheros, frittatas and breakfast tacos).
I also really love creamy avocado salsa verde, which you can make by throwing some diced avocado into the mix. I decided to divide my salsa in two and blend one avocado into one-half of the salsa. I’ve included instructions below.
Or, serve it alongside my favorite guacamole recipe with tortilla chips for the best of both worlds!
Please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! I hope you love it as much as I do.
Are you building a salsa bar or taco spread? Don’t miss my favorite red salsa, guacamole, pico de gallo, corn salsa or mango salsa.
Homemade Salsa Verde
This roasted salsa verde recipe is so easy to make. Just roast the tomatillos and pepper(s) and blend with a few basic ingredients for the best salsa verde you’ve ever tasted! Recipe yields about 2 ½ cups salsa.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds tomatillos (about 12 medium), husked and rinsed
- 1 to 2 medium jalapeños, stemmed (omit for mild salsa, use 1 jalapeño for medium salsa and 2 jalapeños for hot salsa, note that spiciness will depend on heat of actual peppers used)
- ½ cup chopped white onion (about ½ medium onion)
- ¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves (more if you love cilantro)
- 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup lime juice (1 to 2 medium limes, juiced), to taste
- ½ to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
- Optional variation: 1 to 2 diced avocados, for creamy avocado salsa verde
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler with a rack about 4 inches below the heat source. Place the tomatillos and jalapeño(s) on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until they’re blackened in spots, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven, carefully flip over the tomatillos and pepper(s) with tongs and broil for 4 to 6 more minutes, until the tomatillos are splotchy-black and blistered.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the chopped onion, cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Once the tomatillos are out of the oven, carefully transfer the hot tomatillos, pepper(s) and all of their juices into the food processor or blender.
- Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth and no big chunks of tomatillo remain, scraping down the sides as necessary. Season to taste with additional lime juice and salt, if desired.
- The salsa will be thinner at first, but will thicken up after a few hours in the refrigerator, due to the naturally occurring pectin in the tomatillos. If you’d like to make creamy avocado salsa verde, let the salsa cool down before blending in 1 to 2 diced avocados (the more avocado, the creamier it gets).
Notes
Recipe adapted from Rick Bayless, Serious Eats and Simply Recipes.
Storage suggestions: This salsa verde should keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 1 week. If you added avocado, it will keep well for about 3 days—be sure to press plastic wrap against the top surface to prevent oxidation.
Change it up: Feel free to substitute red tomatoes for a more traditional roasted tomato salsa.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Last year a friend gave me a bunch of tomatillos. I found your recipe, made it and loved it! This year I am growing my own tomatillos and I have a bumper crop! I will be canning the salsa, for sure. Thank you for this recipe.
You’re very welcome, Peggy! Thank you for your review.
How will does this recipe can ?
Unfortunately, I’m not a canning expert and didn’t create this recipe with that in mind.
It cans well if you have the right amount of acid and salt. Fresh limes aren’t reliable acidity-wise so I would use citric acid instead. You can always add fresh lime juice when serving. I don’t know what your altitude is but that will affect water-bath times. Do a bit of research. I have canned my own salsa verde.
I made this for our Labor Day beach party and it was a huge hit! Thanks. I am wondering if I can can this. We have loads of tomatillos in our garden and would love to open up a jar of this in the winter.
I’m happy to hear that, Aimee! Thank you for sharing.
Seems fine to me. Just that the onions etc cook during the canning. Mine tastes great.
It can be frozen. I’ve had homemade salsa in the freezer for a year and it is still great.
Thanks! I was looking through the comments with that exact question in mind! AWESOME! Making this today.
Thanks. I’m not a canning girl I’m more of a freezer queen. I love salsa Verde but it’s hard to find a good hot one in Ohio. I’ll be making this!
Richard this is the statement that I was looking for. I vaccu-seal and freeze a roasted tomato sauce recipe and was wondering if this will freeze well. Thank you for saying so :o)
Can you tell me How you canned this recipie?
So easy to make and so delicious! I made this for our taco bar potluck and it was fantastic.Thank you!
You’re welcome, Susan! Thanks so much for the review.
I made tons of this last summer! Family and friends just love it and I grow my own tomatillos. So this summer I want to make some to last in the winter months too…looking on how to can them
…you and others mention freezing…will the cilantro get mushy this way? Or is canning an option?
Homegrown would be wonderful! Sounds do fresh. I’m not as versed in freezing. Sorry I can’t help you here!
I use this recipe and it freezes beautifully. I put it in small glass or plastic freezer-safe containers. Freezing doesn’t really affect the texture of any of the ingredients but I’ve noticed it’s not as spicy after freezing.
I’ve enjoyed reading your recipe and the comments. I make salsa verde weekly, but in large amounts. The family inhales it, I think. I decided to try growing tomatillos myself, but didn’t know where to find the seeds or plants. Chanced on a hint regarding growing tomatoes and followed it for tomatillos. When preparing the tomatillos I just saved any little bits I trimmed off, spots, bruises, etc, and planted them. They came up beautifully. No ripe fruit yet, but the plants are thriving.
Thank you, Sandy for sharing and for the review!
Sandy you can use the seeds from store bought Tomatillos. That what I did. I also get my Heirloom Tomato seeds that way.
I love salsa verde but have never made it before today. I grew my own tomatillos, onions, hot pepper and garlic. This has turned out to be the best salsa verde I’ve ever tasted! And I’ve tasted a lot! I used more onion, cilantro and garlic and no salt. So so good! Thank you so much!
I bet it even tastes better with fresh, homegrown produce! Thanks for sharing, Janice. I appreciate the review.
I have all the things to make it, my question is can I cook a meat with it after I make the salsa, meat such as pork or chicken well let’s say beef as well. really all I want to know is can I eat it like chips and salsa and cook with it all at the same time?…lol
I’m not sure. I don’t see why not. I’m a vegetarian so meat is not my area of expertise. :)
Hi Kate… with regard to your question, you can make chili verde using pork butt. I just made it using this recipe (link below) although rather than stove top, I did steps 1-6 in my Instant Pot for 25 minute and then added the pureed salsa into the uncovered pot on the saute setting. It was delicious.
Just made this and it was so yummy! Threw in a couple of fresh radishes for some added colour. Thanks for the great recipe! We loved it!
You’re welcome! Thanks for your review.
I’ve been making salsa like this for years, but a year or so ago I surfed up some recipes just to see how close I was getting to “mainstream” style(s). Yours was in the first few hits and was so close to mine I instantly bookmarked it. I add about a teaspoon of cumin, and sometimes add or substitute other kinds of oniony things (spring onions, shallots, leeks, etc). I also sometimes use a bit of garlic. Looking back through my bookmarks today, I noticed the invitation to comment and decided to do so.
Thanks for sharing! I’m glad you like it. I do love to hear your experiences so thanks so much!
I love this recipe! First time I made it, it was a hit. I had so much I was able to pop some in the crockpot with some chicken breasts and had salsa Verde chicken tacos! Making it again and adding roasted garlic. Hopefully it’s as good as the original one I made.
Thank you, Ericka!
Can you freeze this recipe?
Hi Veronica! I don’t freeze all my recipes, but I believe other readers have had success. You can always search through comments to get tips from others! :)
I had several volunteer tomatillo plants in my garden this year and lots of peppers. This recipe was easy, makes a ton, and VERY tasty. My only concern was turning the tomatillos over while roasting. They pop, spewing liquid. I tried to catch them in between pops and as soon as I pull the pan out they stopped. Great recipe! Cookie & Kate is one of my Go To recipe sites.
Thank you! I’m glad this recipe let you put use to all your tomatillos. :) I appreciate the review!
Hi C & K!
I ventured into the unknown and made the Salsa Verde, with a couple twists. I processed about 1/4 of the tomatillos to the food processor and ‘chopped’ those to the right consistency. I then added the baked goodies and blended those in. I also added 1/2 of a Serrano pepper. OMG, this was fantastic! I brought 2 pints to my friend who is Mexican and she said that it is the best Salsa Verde she had ever had! Complements are not easy to come by from her, especially with Mexican cuisine! Thank you for a great recipe and sorry I did not take a photo; next time, which is soon as my friend gave me a volcanic Molcajete to use next time! Here we go!
Thanks for sharing, Mark! I appreciate you taking the time to comment about what you did. I’m glad your friend liked it!
This is a very great tasting straight forward recipe without a lot of extras which is one reason I like it, I believe that a lot of times simpler is best and this pretty much hits the mark. We eat a lot of salsa verde but like it hotter so I added a serrano pepper to it to kick it up a notch and not impact the flavor…
Thank you for the recipe. I made it today and it was super yummy!
Great! Thank you for your review, JAKaran.
I made about 10 batches of this over the weekend to give away And I’m hooked! Everybody I made it for ate their whole batch that day as well! So delicious and quite sweet! Thank you so much. It was just so easy and incredibly delicious! Can’t wait to grow tomatillos again next year.
That is a lot of salsa! But totally worth it too!
Yum! Turned out great! Eating it warm with chips now!
Great! Thank you, Brooke.
My husband and I just want to THANK YOU for this recipe! We make and eat it all the time. It’s AMAZING! P.S. We always make the creamy version.
Well, tell him he is very welcome! Thank so much, Jamie.
I love this recipe! So tasty and easy. I’m wondering if you can then preserve this salsa by boiling the filled jars in water for 20 mins to make it shelf stable. Has anyone done this? Are any changes required to the recipe?
I’m not sure, sorry to not be of more help!
Hi Kate & Cookie,
Just wondering if I could make this with tinned tomatillos, as that’s all we get in Australia (& they are hard to find!) Do you think they be “roasted” ??
Much love from Oz.
Many thanks,
Dee
As a fellow Aussie: I have grown my own! They are so easy to grow (I live in Melbourne)! I have so many to use—- they say you need to plant two bushes!!
Hi! I am a huge salsa lover, but im only making this for myself. I was wondering if you could freeze this, and if so, for how long?
I would think this would freeze well for a few months, although I don’t freeze all my recipes.
This is the best tasting tomatillo salsa I have ever tasted. It has the right amount of tang.
I’m happy to hear that, Sandie! Thanks for sharing.
I just made the salsa and it is perfect!! The Tang, the heat..wow love it
Great to hear, Nina!
This is wonderful! The only I change I made was to roast the onion along with the tomatillos and the peppers. I don’t care for the taste of raw onion, but roasted makes it a bit sweeter and less pungent. Worked for me. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Erica!
Love this salsa verde recipe! Made it last weekend and I’m making it again this weekend, my husband says it’s the best salsa he’s ever had! Thanks for the great recipe and I will be watching for new recipes.
Best ever, that’s awesome! Thanks for the feedback.
Made this yesterday and it turned out amazing. I’ve eaten a lot of salsas with tomatillos but never used them myself so I appreciated the simplicity of this one. Thanks for the super easy and delicious recipe! Will be making it again without a doubt.
You’re welcome! I’m glad to hear you loved it, Julie.
Yum!!! I got several tomatillos at our monthly produce market. This was quick, easy, and delicious!
Great to hear, Elizabeth!
Can this be made into a green enchilada sauce?
Truly spectacular! Best salsa I’ve ever had by a long shot but that is probably because I controlled the amount of cilantro, salt, and most importantly jalapeno (I like it spicy so doubled the peppers even from her generous amount of 2/hot, I also kept the seeds in–you gotta love to sweat if you take it to that level). And roasting the jallies and tommies are the only way to go (I have known that fact for ages and yet I still always seem to forget to do it unless the recipe specifically states as such). I live in a small place and so heating up my oven isn’t ideal (in SW US so it’s hot even in the winter much of the time) so I used the broiler on my toaster oven and it worked like a charm. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Dave! I’m happy you loved it so much. Thanks for sharing your process, too.
I made this yesterday. It was delicious! We like our salsa with a little more kick, so I added some cayenne pepper. I also did add an avocado, which made it creamier. Will make again!
Sounds delicious, Traci! Thanks for sharing.
Amazing! I’ll never buy store bought again! Added the avocado. Wow!
Why not roast the onion too! I do! :-)
Thanks for sharing!
I purchase the Guacamole salsa ( medium ) but find it a bit spicier then I like, is the a product I can use to lower the spicymess. I know they make a binder item but since I have the medium I would like to dilute the spicynes if possible.
Thanks for sharing, Janet!
I will be making it but I can’t do hot so just to have the taste of the pepper I will only add 1/2 of the pepper.
I will be making this today. Wife and I have been wanting to make our own salsa verde for awhile.
To the question about spice. I always look for the jalapeños that have the vertical lines on the pepper, as those tend to be really spicy, or “angry”. The inverse are those peppers that are lighter shade of green and a smooth pepper. Not always the mildest, but if the pepper looks angry, it’s generally hot as well.
Thank you for your delicious recipes and I will try to make it hummm yummy
Thank you for your feedback, Hilda!
Just wanted to say how much I love this salsa verde recipe. I’ve been making it for a few months now, and have tweaked it according to some of the reviews below, so that I add 1 tsp cumin and roast the onions with the tomatillos. It’s just so good! I make a large batch and freeze some, so that I have it ready for a weeknight meal. Just take it out of the freezer the night before and it’s thawed by the next evening. The avocado salsa verde doesn’t seem to taste as well after being frozen, so I only freeze the regular salsa verde.
I use it in a baked chilaquiles verde breakfast casserole, enchiladas verde, and as a base for tomatillo chicken chili in winter. One of my favorite ways to use it is to add chopped green olives to it, a green olive salsa verde. It’s delicious! I could eat an entire container of that at one sitting. Thanks for the great recipe!
Love to hear that! Thanks for sharing all the ways you use it, Jack.
Have you ever subbed cilantro with parsley? To me cilantro tastes like soap
I don’t as I love cilantro. Parsley might be strange here. You could omit it?
My Mexican mother-in-law approved of this salsa! It came out delicious. Just the right kick and greenness. I roasted my tomatillos so they were quite blackened on top which amped up their flavor, and I substituted one jalepeño for a serrano pepper. Wonderful recipe, will make again!
That’s great to hear, Vicky! Thanks for taking the time to review.
Love this salsa! So easy to make and so delicious. Can I use this as a base for enchilada sauce?
Sure! Or, you could try my enchilada sauce: https://sooka.info/enchilada-sauce-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I have a large quantity of canned tomatillos that I would like to use up. Can I use them instead of the fresh? How would the recipe change, if at all?
Thanks, Tom
I made this recipe a while ago and it was very fresh and delish! It was also super easy to make. I made less than the recipe called for since I didn’t need that much and froze the rest. I just let the frozen portion get back to room temp and it was just as good the second time around!
Thanks for sharing, Jackie!
I love raw tomatillos! To me, they have a green apple flavor that gets lost after roasting. Just my take, btw. Tomatillos and jalapenos are a perfect match. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Ann! Thanks for your review.
Made it loved it.I added one half of a red ghost pepper, that adds to the color n flavor.
That sounds spicy! I love it. Thanks for sharing, Billy.
I just made this. Love the simplicity. It’s still warm and a bit sour which I suspect is from the tomatillos not lime juice since I only added 2T. I will add a little plain yogurt once it’s cooled. I will definitely make again but will hold off on the lime until I’ve tasted the roasted mixture!
Thank you for sharing, DD!
I don’t usually comment on blogs.
However, i felt i needed to leave a comment. This recipe for salsa verde is the ONLY recipe i use. The lime juice is the game changer without it the salsa becomes too sweet! I add more jalapenos because we love spicy food. I use this on my chilaquiles and my veggie enchiladas. Absolutely wonderful recipe!
I’m so happy you did! Thanks for sharing, Gabby!
So good. And so easy. Made pretty much as written-just added a little fresh garlic. We are obsessed. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Amy!
I just harvested 7 1/2 pounds of tomatillos. I’m making a lot of this salsa! I’ll be canning the majority and sharing with friends. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Victoria!
I’m interested in canning this as well. Would you please let me know what you did to can it. Thanks. Bridget Brewer
Hi Kate! I’ve been using your recipes for awhile but haven’t commented. I just finished making this with fresh from my garden tomatillos and peppers (I used a onion from the farmstand — now I know I should have grown onions) and it’s delicious! I grilled rather than roasted so my salsa has a wonderful smoky flavor!
Who knew tomatillo plants got so big! I have so many tomatillos and so many more are still coming. I made a raw tomatillo salsa yesterday because I didn’t have time to roast or grill. This one is so mc better!
Thank you for commenting! I’m happy you are enjoying my recipe.
I made this salsa last night for a salsa party at work and it is fantastic! Hands down the best salsa of the bunch. Not only was it easy, the tang and freshness are to-die-for. I only roasted 2 jalapenos because I prefer less heat and because my grocery store didn’t have enough tomatillos for the full recipe. Last night it definitely had heat, but today it’s mellowed into perfection. Thanks, Cookie + Kate. Can’t wait to try your other simple recipes that taste hard-won!
Roasting the tomatillos is the secret! We love this recipe!
The only change we made was I roasted two cloves of garlic (with the tomatillos) and added them to the mix.
Kudos!!!
Have just made this and it’s great. I didn’t have jalapeños so I used a scotch bonnet…….I’ll never buy shop bought salsa verde again. This is going to be my go to recipe from now on. Thanks for sharing.
Made this tonight… delicious!
I had a massive crop of tomatillos this year, so was searching for a fresh salsa verde recipe. I made this exactly like recipe. It is absolutely fantastic. I make it for parties and I never bring any home. My go to salsa verde.
Thank you for sharing, Matt!