Homemade Pico de Gallo Recipe: Easy Appetizer Idea

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!

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.

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.

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
• Dash of lime
• Garlic Powder
• Cumin
• Salt and Pepper

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

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!

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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

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Originally published May 2016. Updated May 2019.

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