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The Best Pico de Gallo Recipe

5 from 20 votes
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updated: 10/02/25

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

Whether it’s Taco Tuesday or Taco Any Day, you need The Best Pico de Gallo recipe! This recipe comes together with just a few fresh ingredients and is perfect for eating with chips or on top of chicken tacos! This recipe is a keeper!

A small bowl of Pico de Gallo garnished with cilantro

With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, I wanted to make sure you had the best pico de gallo recipe. I make this recipe all the time. It is easy to throw together and so delicious. It is perfect on tacos or just with chips.

It has the perfect balance of flavors with the jalapeños, onions, garlic, and just the right amount of lime juice and salt. And I share some great tips such as how to store cilantro, how to cut jalapeños, and what tomatoes to buy.

Reader Review

This is soooo good!!!! I have been making this almost daily. I love it on tacos and fajitas. It is also great on baked potatoes.

over head shot of bowl of pico de gallo recipe

Pico de Gallo Ingredients

This is the simplest of simple recipes, which makes it perfect for weeknight tacos! There are only a few things that you need to make it. Get the full amount of each ingredient in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  • Plum tomatoes
  • Jalapeño
  • Small white onion
  • Garlic
  • Lime juice
  • Cilantro
  • Kosher salt

How to Make Pico de Gallo

Here is a brief overview of how this easy pico de gallo recipe comes together. For the full recipe including all ingredients and their measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  1. Dice the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes and remove the pulp and seeds. Cut into small diced-sized pieces.
  2. Dice the jalapeño and white onion. I have tips on dicing jalapeños below.
  3. Combine the ingredients. Combine everything in a bowl, and then taste. Add more salt as needed. Enjoy!
a tortilla chip dipping into pico de gallo recipe

What Type of Tomatoes to Use

I love using plum tomatoes in this recipe. They have a lot of tomato meat without a lot of juice which makes them perfect for this recipe. It leads to pico that is hearty but not too liquidy.

I like to pull out the seeds and pulp of the tomatoes before I start dicing them and throwing them in. You get the great taste of the tomatoes, without it being too liquidy.

Bottled or Fresh Lime Juice

I always have a bottle of lime juice in my refrigerator. It is so easy to keep on hand when I’m throwing together recipes like Carne Asada or Watermelon Salad.

That being said, fresh lime juice is always better than bottled. While bottled is good in a pinch, I suggest that you try to keep fresh limes on hand also. You can count on two to three tablespoons of lime juice per lime. Given the few ingredients in this recipe, I recommend using fresh.

Pro Tip

Get a little more lime juice out of your limes by microwaving them for 10 to 30 seconds depending on their size.

overhead of four street tacos on a board

Storing Pico De Gallo

Leftovers will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for four to five days. Given how quickly this recipe comes together, my preference is to make it fresh.

What to Serve with Pico de Gallo

If you are having a full-on taco night, I have so many great recipes to go with this! This makes one cup. If you are topping tacos, it is perfect, if it is a dip for a party, you might want to double it.

If you make my homemade Pico de Gallo recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

over head shot of bowl of pico de gallo recipe
5 from 20 votes

The Best Pico de Gallo Recipe

Serves: 4 servings
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
The BEST Pico de Gallo Recipe with just a few ingredients! Perfect to eat with chips or put on tacos!

Ingredients

  • 2 plum tomatoes seeded and diced
  • 1 jalapeño diced small (see note 1)
  • 1/2 small white onion diced small
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro diced (see note 2)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste

Instructions

  • Combine all of the ingredients and serve with tortilla chips or on top of tacos.
  • Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for four to five days.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. The best way to cut a jalapeño is to think of it like a rectangle and cut off four sides. This will eliminate the ribs and the seeds where most of the heat is. Then cut each of the four sides into small slices and dice those fine.
  2. To store your cilantro between coming home from the grocery store and making your pico, trim the ends off the bottom, remove any leaves that are towards the bottom of the stems, and place them in a drinking glass with 2 inches of water. Cover with the bag from the grocery store and store in the refrigerator.
Serving: 0.25cup Calories: 20kcal (1%) Carbohydrates: 4g (1%) Protein: 1g (2%) Sodium: 142mg (6%) Potassium: 92mg (3%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 2g (2%) Vitamin A: 450IU (9%) Vitamin C: 23.1mg (28%) Calcium: 10mg (1%) Iron: 0.4mg (2%)
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican
over head shot of bowl of pico de gallo recipe

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The Best Pico de Gallo Recipe

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Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

Reader Interactions

    5 from 20 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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  1. Susan says

    I make this all the time and it is delicious, I ear with everything Mexican

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you liked it!

  2. Todd Richardson says

    Pretty much how I make it except I really like coarse ground black pepper in it. Actually, I like a lot of black pepper in it.

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