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 air fryer 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, especially when you level it up with a creamy avocado. Luckily, it's SO quick and easy to make at home.
Are you looking for more avocado recipes? Check out my Cucumber Avocado Gazpacho , Guacamole without Cilantro, and Avocado Smoothies, and for even more ideas, check out my 30 vegan cold side dishes roundup.
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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 10 minutes. If you need a last-minute appetizer or a quick dip for your chips, this is the recipe for you.
- It's customizable! Adjust the spice level to your taste, and leave out the cilantro if preferred.
- Packed with vibrant flavors. Unlike the store-bought stuff, this avocado pico de gallo is beaming with flavor.
- Made with fresh ingredients. This recipe is a great way to eat more veggies!
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 or habanero peppers can also work here, but they will make it spicier.
- Cilantro: If you don't like cilantro, either omit it or substitute it with parsley instead.
- Onion: You can use any type of onion you like including yellow onion, red onion, or white onion.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and exact measurements.
Variations
Here are some ways you can customize this easy recipe to make it your own. 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 it 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 frozen and thawed sweet 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 the salsa richer, use 1-2 teaspoon of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil.
How to Make Avocado Pico De Gallo
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: Toss everything using a spoon or a spatula and give it a taste test. Add more salt or lime juice if needed.
Step 3: Either serve right away, or for the best flavor refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.
Avocado Pico de Gallo 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 flavor mellow a little bit, but the rest of the flavors will get to know each other. 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.
Recipe FAQs
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. 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!
Yes, but since the avocado can brown, it's best to add it right before serving. The rest can stay fresh for up to 3 days in the fridge.
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
This recipe is best served fresh, otherwise the avocado may brown. However, 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
If you tried this Avocado Pico de Gallo or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
📖 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.
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!