Avocado Pico de Gallo is vibrant and fresh, with zesty and bold flavors! This 15-minute recipe is a crowd-pleaser perfect for any time of the year. Enjoy with pita chips, or top over tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more!
Pico de Gallo (or salsa fresca) is a type of chunky salsa used in Mexican cuisine.
It includes fresh veggies, cilantro, and jalapeno peppers, tossed with salt and lime juice.
It's a great topping or a side dish for any Mexican dish, but I also love serving it as a snack with a handful of tortilla chips on the side.
And let's face it, homemade pico is superior to the store-bought ones! Luckily, it's SO quick and easy to make at home.
Are you looking for more avocado recipes? Check out my Cucumber Avocado Gazpacho and Avocado Smoothies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for any kind of diet. This recipe is naturally vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, and dairy-free.
- Ready in 15 minutes
- Packed with bold vibrant flavors
- Made with fresh ingredients
Ingredients You Need
- Fresh tomatoes: You'll want to look for varieties that are flavorful, juicy, and firm. It's important to use ripe tomatoes that have a good balance between sweetness and acidity. The best types of tomatoes for pico de gallo are ones that have a low-water content such as Roma tomatoes or plum tomatoes.
- Fresh avocados: You don't want to use avocados that are too ripe, because they'll turn into mush when mixing them with the rest of the ingredients. On the other hand, avocados that are not ripe enough have a tough texture and turn brown too quickly. As a rule of thumb, try to choose ones that are medium-ripe and slightly soft to the touch.
- Lime juice: Make sure to use fresh lime juice for the best results. You can substitute it with lemon juice if needed.
- Jalapeños: They add heat and flavor to the salsa. Serrano peppers can also work here. If you don't have fresh jalapenos on hand, you can also use a teaspoon of red pepper flakes in a pinch (not traditional, but delicious).
- Cilantro: Use fresh cilantro for the best flavor.
- Onion: You can use any type of onion you like including yellow onion, red onion, or white onion.
- Salt: To season the salsa to taste.
See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
How to Make Avocado Pico De Gallo
If you haven't already, start by chopping the vegetables. Finely dice the onion, tomatoes, avocado, and jalapeno peppers, and finely chop the cilantro.
Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl including the salt and lime juice.
Toss everything using a spoon or a spatula and give it a taste test. Add more salt or lime juice if needed.
Either serve right away, or for the best flavor refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.
Expert Tips
- De-seed the tomatoes. This is an important step to prevent your avocado pico de Gallo from getting watery.
- Adjust the spiciness as needed. This recipe is not too spicy so I consider it to be mild, but if you want to make it spicier, you can always add a few more jalapeno peppers. However, if you can't tolerate heat, feel free to remove the seeds and membranes of the jalapenos, or skip them altogether.
- Chop finely. You want the ingredients to be small enough so you get a little bit of everything in every bite.
- Let marinate in the fridge. Not only will the onion-y flavor mellow a little bit, but all of the flavors will get that much better. It's worth the wait!
- Use gloves when cutting hot peppers. They release oils that get trapped in the pores of your skin. Even washing your hands with soap and water may not completely remove the oils, leaving you vulnerable to burning and irritation in the skin and eyes.
FAQ
While pico de gallo is technically a type of fresh salsa, they have their differences.
Salsa is runnier and is usually made in a food processor or a blender, making it smooth-like. It can be jarred or canned and can be preserved for a long time.
Pico de gallo is almost always made fresh. It has very little liquid and contains chunks of vegetables, aromatic, and herbs.
You've used tomatoes that are too watery and/or you haven't removed the seeds. For best results, use Roma tomatoes or plum tomatoes as they're drier and have fewer seeds.
In addition to that, you can also "drain" your tomatoes before mixing them with the rest of the ingredients. Add tomatoes to a fine mesh and salt them generously. Place the mesh over a bowl and let it sit for 30 minutes. The salt will draw out the moisture of the tomatoes, making them drier. After 30 minutes, pat dry your tomatoes to remove any excess liquid and salt.
YES! This avocado pico de gallo is a delicious and fun way to eat more fruits and vegetables! It's packed with fiber, healthy fats, vitamin C, antioxidants, and more.
No, this avocado pico de gallo is best enjoyed fresh!
Variations
Here are some ways you can customize this easy recipe to make it unique! Let me know which is your favorite combination in the comments below!
- No onion: If you don't like the taste of raw onion, a great trick to mellow the taste is to dice it and then rinse it under cold water. You can also omit it entirely, but I personally love the pop of flavor onion brings.
- No cilantro: Not a fan of cilantro? No problem! You can use parsley, basil, or a little bit of fresh mint instead.
- Add mango or pineapple: You can add ½ cup of finely diced ripe mango or pineapple to add sweetness and variety.
- Add corn: Add ½ cup of canned or roasted corn.
- Add beans: Want to make this avocado pico de gallo more filling? Red kidney beans would be a great addition here. I like to use ½ cup of canned beans and rinse them under cold water before mixing.
- Olive oil: Traditionally, there's no oil in pico de galo, but if you want to add a pop of flavor, use 1-2 teaspoon of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil.
Serving Suggestions
Tortilla chips and pita chips are the perfect vessels to carry this vibrant salsa.
I also love making vegan tacos with my homemade vegan tortillas and smoky tofu and topping them with this pico at the end.
More ways to enjoy this recipe are by serving it as a side to vegan burgers, on top of homemade hummus, alongside veggie charcuterie board, or as a finishing touch to my taco-stuffed sweet potatoes.
Storage
If you have any leftover avocado pico de gallo, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
More Avocado Recipes
📖 Recipe
Avocado Pico De Gallo
Ingredients
- 1 lb Roma or plum tomatoes, de-seeded and finely diced (~4 large)
- ¼ cup jalapeño peppers, finely diced (~2 medium peppers)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (~1 cup)
- ¼ - ⅓ cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
- 1 large ripe avocado (~1 ½ cups)
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
Instructions
- If you haven't already, start by chopping the vegetables. Finely dice the onion, tomatoes, avocado, and jalapeno peppers, and finely chop the cilantro.1 lb Roma or plum tomatoes, de-seeded and finely diced, ¼ cup jalapeño peppers, finely diced, ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped, 1 medium yellow onion, diced, 1 large ripe avocado
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl including the salt and lime juice.¼ - ⅓ cup freshly-squeezed lime juice, ½ teaspoon salt
- Toss everything using a spoon or a spatula and give it a taste test. Add more salt or lime juice if needed.
- Either serve right away, or for the best flavor refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.
Notes
- Fridge: If you have any leftover avocado pico de gallo, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Freezer: This recipe doesn't freeze well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with third-party calculations without including the optional ingredients.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with a high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Milla says
Made this pico recipe for an early summer BBQ and everyone loved it. So delicious!
Petranka says
So glad to hear, Milla! Thank you for the review!