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After making Homemade Salsa Verde, you will never buy store-bought again! Not only is this Salsa Verde recipe incredibly easy to make, but the bright, tangy, and fresh flavor is far superior to anything found at the store.
Salsa Verde is a tomatillo-based Mexican salsa, that is often referred to as green salsa. Not just because it is green, but Salsa Verde literally translates to green salsa.
However, Salsa Verde is not simply known for it's green hue. What makes Salsa Verde memorable it its flavor. And just like blender salsa with fresh tomatoes and mango pineapple salsa, homemade will always deliver the freshest, most vibrant flavor.
Reasons to Love this Salsa Verde Recipe
- The Best Flavor. From the combination of the tart tomatillos to the fresh cilantro to the heat from the chiles to the slight sweetness from the honey, Salsa Verde is light, fresh, and perfectly balanced.
- Thick and Scoopable. A lot of store-bought green salsas are rather thin. Homemade Salsa Verde is slightly chunky and is perfect for enchiladas or scooping up with tortilla chips.
- Simple Ingredients. You can find tomatillos at just about any grocery store. Paired with serrano chiles, garlic, onion, cilantro, honey, salt, and lime, you have everything you need to make the vest version of Salsa Verde.
- Quality Control. Not only does Homemade Salsa Verde taste brighter and fresher, but you also get to control the level of heat, sugar, and sodium added to the salsa.
- Easy Recipe. Making Salsa Verde at home is really quite simple. It does take a few steps, but I promise you they are easy steps (even my teens can make this on their own) and the taste of this tomatillo salsa will be worth the effort.
Recipe Highlights
Ingredients for Tomatillo Salsa
- Tomatillos: A tomatillo is a round fruit with a green color and papery husk. You can find them next to the tomatoes at most groceries stores, just be sure to purchase tomatillos with a papery husk, not green tomatoes that don't have a husk.
- Serrano Chile Peppers: You can use either serrano peppers or jalapeño peppers. Serrano peppers will be a bit hotter and spicier, while jalapeño peppers will add a mild kick. You can further control the heat by removing the seeds and ribs of the peppers or leaving them intact if you like things spicy.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro will add a bright flavor with notes of pepper to the salsa.
- Limes: Only fresh lime juice will do when making this recipe. Do not substitute jarred lime juice or you will have to leave your salsa with a slightly artificial and bitter taste.
- Aromatics: Adding both yellow or white onions and garlic cloves round out the flavor.
- Honey (optional): I find that a tiny bit of honey helps to balance the heat, bitterness, and tartness of the green salsa. Feel free to use granulated sugar, agave syrup, or omit the sweetener altogether.
How to Make Salsa Verde
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare Tomatillos. Tomatillos need to be husked and rinsed of the waxy residue on their skin before using to prepare the salsa. To husk a tomatillo, you can just peel off the skin and then rinse off the waxy residue on the tomatillo. However, the BEST way to husk tomatillos is to quickly drop them in boiling water. After a minute, remove the tomatillos and the husk and residue will come right off.
- Broil. To deepen the flavors of the ingredients and add a nice smoky flavor to the Salsa Verde. To do this, simply place the husked tomatillos, peeled and chopped onions, garlic, and serrano or jalapeño peppers onto a rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and broil for 5 minutes, then flip everything and continue to broil for 4 to 5 minutes more or until slightly charred and blistered.
- Process. Once the charred vegetables are cool to the touch, place them into a food processor or blender, along with salt, honey, cilantro, and lime juice. Pulse several times to form a coarse puree. The tomatillos and onions should be fairly well broken-down, but you do not want to puree them fully. The salsa should have a bit of texture.
- Taste Test. After blending, I recommend giving the salsa. Sometimes I need to add a pinch more salt or a teaspoon or two more honey to balance out the tartness and heat.
- Serve. You can opt to serve the green salsa immediately, or chill to allow the flavors time to meld and intensify.
No Fresh Tomatillos?
Salsa Verde with Canned Tomatillos
You can replace fresh tomatillos, with canned whole tomatillos. They are easy to find and commonly sold in the aisle next to enchilada sauce and refried beans. Drain, rinse, and pat the canned tomatillos dry and then roast as directed. The flavor won't be as fresh, but it is still pretty good!
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate: Store homemade salsa verde in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: Transfer the salsa to a freezer-safe bag or container, leaving 1-inch of space for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. I find once thawed, it is best to use the salsa in recipes, like Salsa Verde enchiladas or an enchilada casserole, rather than as a dip for tortilla chips.
Serving Suggestions
Salsa Verde, just like blender salsa, black bean corn salsa, and watermelon salsa, is perfect for serving with tortilla chips as an appetizer or as a side alongside your favorite tacos. Below are a few of my favorite pairing suggestions--beyond just the chips!
- Make Enchiladas: Use Homemade Salsa Verde to make the best Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas or swap out the red enchilada sauce for Salsa Verde in Enchilada Casserole or Vegetarian Enchiladas.
- Add to Chicken Chili: Add up to ½ cup of Salsa Verde into Instant Pot White Chicken Chili or Crockpot White Chicken Chili for additional flavor.
- As a Topping for Fajitas: Finish Honey Lime Chicken Fajitas or Vegetarian Fajitas with a dollop of green salsa for a burst of fresh flavor.
- Make Burrito Bowls: Top Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice with Taco Meat or shredded Instant Pot Chicken and Salsa Verde for a quick and flavorful rice bowl.
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If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Homemade Salsa Verde
Not only is this recipe for Homemade Salsa Verde incredibly easy to make, but the bright, tangy flavor is far superior to store-bought!
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh tomatillos
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2-3 small serrano or jalapeno peppers, ribs and seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice, 3-4 large limes
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Drop the tomatillos into the boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Once cool enough to handle, peel the husk right off the tomatillo. Alternatively, peel the husk off the tomatillo and rinse well until no longer sticky.
- Preheat broiler to high heat.
- On a large sheet pan, toss tomatillos, peppers, onion, and garlic cloves with oil and ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt.
- Place the sheet pan under the broiler and broil for 4-5 minutes, or until the top surface is slightly charred. Remove the pan from the oven and flip. Return to the broiler until the other side is charred, about 3-5 minutes.
- Place roasted vegetables and juices into a blender or food processor. Add in the lime juice, cilantro, honey, and another ½ teaspoon salt. Pulse several times until combined with a coarse texture. Taste and add additional salt if needed.
- Serve warm or refrigerate and allow to cool before serving.
Equipment
Notes
Chile Peppers: You can use either serrano peppers or jalapeño peppers. Serrano peppers will be a bit hotter and spicier, while jalapeño peppers will be a bit more mild. You can control the heat by removing the seeds and veins of the peppers or leaving them intact for spicy Salsa Verde.
Using Canned Tomatillos: You can replace fresh tomatillos, with a 28 ounce can of whole tomatillos. Drain, rinse, and pat dry. Then proceed to roast as the recipe directs. The flavor won’t be as fresh, but it is still pretty good!
Storage: Store the salsa in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Alternatively, transfer the salsa to a freezer-safe bag or container, leaving 1 inch of space for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. I find once thawed, it is best to use the salsa in recipes, like Salsa Verde enchiladas or an enchilada casserole, rather than as a dip for tortilla chips.
Nutrition
Calories: 38kcalCarbohydrates: 6gFat: 1gSodium: 292mgPotassium: 146mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 95IUVitamin C: 9.2mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 0.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This post was originally published in 2015 but updated in 2024 with new tips.
Green sauce has always been my go-to, but I never found a recipe I really loved until this one. It was so fresh and flavorful and it's going to be a weekly thing for me!
YAY! Love hearing this sauce was exactly what you were looking for.
I went with jalapenos and made this salsa verde. I had no idea it was so simple to make and it was so much better than the jars I had been buying. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
You are so very welcome! Thank you for sharing a review!
This salsa verde was so good it was perfect for our taco night, we could not get enough of it!!
Thanks for sharing Lily! I am so glad you enjoyed.
My sister just brought a whole bag of tomatillos and we made this salsa. It's so good! We ate a whole bowl in one sitting! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
HA! I understand devouring it! I am so happy you enjoyed!
So fresh and flavorful. It tasted amazing on my nachos!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed!