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You are here: Home / Recipe Ideas / Homemade Pico de Gallo Recipe: Easy Appetizer Idea

By Carrie Ypma on May 18, 2020 16 Comments

Homemade Pico de Gallo Recipe: Easy Appetizer Idea

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This homemade pico de gallo recipe is easy to make as an appetizer or snack idea for a party. It’s a fresh salsa made with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and spices.

Turn any party into a fiesta when you make this homemade pico de gallo recipe. Just serve this fresh salsa with tortilla chips for an easy appetizer idea!

Homemade pico de gallo recipe

A favorite mexican appetizer

One of my absolute favorite things about going to a Mexican restaurant for dinner is the complimentary tortilla chips and fresh salsa the servers bring to your table just after you sit down. You know you can’t help but dip those tortilla chips and munch away as you pore over the menu trying to decide between chicken enchiladas, shredded beef tacos or some other delicious Mexican dish. If you’re not careful you have the entire bowl of fresh salsa gone before you’ve even ordered.

Often salsa served at Mexican restaurants is called pico de gallo, which is a term used to describe a chunky salad-like appetizer or sauce made with chopped tomatoes and onions. Unlike the salsa you buy in a jar at the store, pico de gallo is uncooked and made with fresh ingredients.

easy pico de gallo recipe

How to make homemade pico de gallo

Fresh salsa or pico de gallo recipes can be made a variety of ways. While they’re typically made with tomatoes and onions, many also include black beans, corn, and avocado. I’ve also found some fruit based ones that use strawberries, mangos, peaches, and pears. I’ve even seen one made with watermelon! (Check out this collection of fresh salsa recipes if you want to try some of those ideas.)

I originally shared this easy homemade pico de gallo recipe on Belle of the Kitchen a few weeks ago. Each month, Ashlyn from Belle of the Kitchen and I swap recipes to bring you new ideas for the kitchen. This month, we traded salsa recipes in honor of Cinco de Mayo. Ashlyn brought over a delicious Corn and Avocado Salsa recipe.

What you need to make Homemade pico de gallo

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links for products or services we think you’ll like. This means if you make a purchase from one of these links, Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® will make a small commission at no additional cost to you so we can keep the great ideas for the home coming your way. All opinions expressed are derived from personal experience.

Kitchen tools used

  • Cutting board
  • Chef’s knife
  • Small bowl
  • Measuring cups and spoons

Homemade Pico De Gallo Ingredients

For my salsa recipe though, I really wanted to stick to traditional flavors and ingredients. This is what I used:

  • Diced onion
  • Chopped tomato
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Lime
  • Garlic Powder
  • Cumin
  • Salt and Pepper
ingredients for pico de gallo

You’ll also find chopped jalapeño, habanero or serrano peppers in many homemade pico de gallo recipes. I didn’t have any on hand, so I used ground cayenne red pepper in our homemade pico de gallo recipe to give it a little kick instead.

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5 from 3 votes

Homemade Pico de Gallo Recipe

Prep Time10 mins
Total Time10 mins
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: pico de gallo
Servings: 4
Calories: 26kcal
Author: Carrie Ypma

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Diced Onion
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped tomato
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne red pepper

Instructions

  • Place diced onions and chopped tomatoes in a small bowl.
  • Add cilantro and lime juice.
  • Sprinkle with garlic powder, black pepper, salt, cumin and ground cayenne red pepper.
  • Mix together and chill until you’re ready to serve. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 26kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 131IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag us on Instagram at @kenarryideas or leave us a comment rating below.
authentic homemade pico de gallo

HOMEMADE PICO DE GALLO RECIPE SUGGESTIONS

While we traditionally serve this homemade pico de gallo recipe with tortilla chips, you can also use it as a topping for almost any Mexican recipe you make. Here are a few other serving suggestions for this homemade pico de gallo recipe:

  • Use chopped jalapeño, habanero or serrano peppers instead of the ground cayenne red pepper if you would like your fresh salsa to be picante or hot.
  • Add chunks of fresh avocado to your homemade pico de gallo to bring in some healthy fats and delicious flavor.
  • Homemade pico de gallo makes a great topping for rice, scrambled eggs or salads. Just think – if you would put salsa from a jar on what you’re eating, then you can easily put fresh pico de gallo on it instead.
  • You may want to double or triple the homemade pico de gallo recipe, if you’re serving it at a party. While this recipe made a good amount of pico de gallo, I must admit my husband and I polished off the entire bowl of fresh salsa at one meal. It’s that tasty!

While you’re here, you may like some of our other delicious recipes –

  • Crazy Taco Faces
  • Southwest Sauteed Red Cabbage
  • Creamy Instant Pot Mexican Chicken with Salsa
  • Chicken Caprese Crackers: An Easy Appetizer Idea

If you enjoyed this homemade pico de gallo recipe, please share it with your friends or pin it for later:

authentic pico de gallo with tortilla chips

Originally published May 2016. Updated May 2020.

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About Carrie Ypma

Carrie is the chief writer, crafter and creator here at Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®. She's an optimist by nature and enjoys sharing recipes, trying new craft ideas, planning for parties and events as well as organizing and decorating. She and her husband, Kent live in Michigan. She also loves to hide away in a castle under the stairs reading to her two young boys and help guests plan vacations at Sunshine Villa at Glenbrook Resort, their short term vacation rental home in Orlando near Walt Disney World.

Whether you’re cooking, crafting or creating for your family, follow Carrie on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get inspiring ideas for your home. For home organization tips and ideas, check out her other website, Clutter Keeper or follow her on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jan says

    May 23, 2016 at 9:24 pm

    LOOOOOOVE Pico! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      May 23, 2016 at 10:09 pm

      Me too, Jan! Me too!

      Reply
  2. Meg says

    May 23, 2016 at 11:46 pm

    I LOVE pico de gallo! I’ll have to try this recipe!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      May 24, 2016 at 10:12 pm

      Thank you so much, Meg! I hope you love it!

      Reply
  3. Ann Simunic says

    May 25, 2016 at 10:54 am

    SAlsa a hit at the family reunion THanks

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      May 25, 2016 at 10:11 pm

      Hope you enjoy it, Ann!

      Reply
  4. Karren Haller says

    May 27, 2016 at 1:05 pm

    Hi Carrie, we love having fresh pico in the fridge, many times my husband will grab a bowl and eat with a spoon. Great recipe to share on the #OMHGFF this week, thank you and I have pinned!

    Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
    Karren

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      May 30, 2016 at 9:20 pm

      Karren, I can’t blame him! I think my husband would eat it that way too. Thank you so much for visiting and pinning!

      Reply
  5. Michelle @ O Blog Off says

    May 29, 2016 at 2:04 am

    Carrie this is so yummy! I too am a pico fan! Thank you for posting!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      May 30, 2016 at 9:18 pm

      Thank you so much, Michelle! I hope my pico de gallo makes the cut among your faves.

      Reply
  6. Ashley @ Forgetful Momma says

    May 31, 2016 at 6:29 pm

    This looks and sounds delicious! Thank you for linking up to last week’s Tasty Tuesday. I have pinned your recipe to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board. I hope you’ll join us again this week.

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      May 31, 2016 at 10:14 pm

      Oh yay! Thanks for pinning our recipe, Ashley. We’re so glad you liked it.

      Reply
  7. Erin says

    July 4, 2017 at 9:14 am

    To make the flavor even better sautéed the pico for 30 minutes then chill. I’ve gotten many compliments on the flavor by adding this step.

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      July 7, 2017 at 2:06 pm

      Oooh! That’s a great suggestion, Erin! I’ve never sauteed the pico but I bet that really helps to bring out the flavor (and soften up the onions a bit!). Thank you so much for sharing.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Father's Day Food & Gift Ideas | Whimsy & Hope says:
    May 31, 2016 at 12:00 am

    […] Homemade Pico De Gallo // Adventure Gift Bag […]

    Reply
  2. 70+ Easy Finger Licking Super Bowl Recipe Ideas - Confessions of a SAHM Site says:
    January 18, 2017 at 11:51 pm

    […] Homemade Pico de Gallo […]

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