This flavorful homemade Salsa Verde is a fresh appetizer that is a real crowd pleaser- healthy, delicious, and smells amazing! Perfect for adding to tacos, enchiladas verdes, or make a Salsa Verde Chicken Bowl!
The Best Salsa Verde
Once you taste these Mexican-inspired flavors, you are going to make this salsa verde sauce again and again! We typically gravitate towards a more traditional salsa, pico de gallo, or just guacamole. This Mexican salsa verde recipe might just change that! It is full of fresh flavor, has a little bit of a kick, and is so full-bodied after most of the ingredients are roasted in the oven for a few minutes. Definitely one of our favorite salsas and we are never going back to store-bought versions again. Perfect to serve as an easy appetizer or side dish with some tortilla chips on your next Taco Tuesday!
Looking for more salsa recipes that have a ton of flavor? You have to try our Mango Salsa!
What You Will Need
- fresh tomatillos – the main ingredient for making a homemade salsa verde recipe! Find these small green tomatoes at your local grocery stores.
- poblano pepper & Anaheim pepper – two different peppers used for this easy salsa verde recipe.
- white onion & shallot – mild onion flavors that are the perfect compliment to the roasted peppers.
- fresh garlic cloves – everything is always better with some garlic!
- jalapeño peppers – just one for a little bit of a kick or add two for a spicier salsa.
- lime zest & fresh lime juice – this light & refreshing acidity is a must for all Mexican-inspired recipes!
- fresh cilantro leaves – another classic flavor that always brightens things up.
- kosher salt – a simple seasoning that is always a must.
- olive oil – always necessary for most homemade sauces and this spicy, green sauce is no exception.
How To Make Salsa Verde
One of the first things to do when making this tomatillo salsa verde is to prep the tomatillos, onions, peppers, shallot, and garlic. Place all of them on a cookie sheet and toss them in olive oil.
Place the entire lined baking sheet under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes. Carefully remove the pan from the oven, take the peppers off of the pan, and set them to the side. Continue broiling the rest of the ingredients on the baking sheet for another 6-7 minutes or until they are roasted to your liking. Every broiler is different so keep a close eye on them.
While those ingredients finish up under the broiler you can prepare the rest of the fresh ingredients that are going in the blender.
When everything is ready, carefully place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pulse a few times to breakup the larger pieces.
Then let it all blend for 30-60 seconds or until it reaches a smooth consistency.
Best Ways To Use Salsa Verde
This green salsa recipe is so versatile! Keep it simple and use as a dipping sauce with your favorite tortilla chips. Or use as a topping on tacos, on a burrito bowls, or in your favorite enchilada recipe. We also have a super easy recipe for Salsa Verde Chicken that can be made in a slow cooker or Instant Pot for an easy weeknight dinner. Use the chicken to make rice bowls or chicken tacos!
Recipe FAQ
- Thicker Consistency: salsa verde can be a little on the thin side, which I don’t mind, but if you want to thicken it, simply let it simmer over medium heat on the stove top to allow it to reduce!
- Storage: this is an easy recipe for meal prep because you can store it in the fridge in an sealed container or mason jar for up to 10 days. Great for snacking too!
- Freezing: once the salsa has cooled to room temperature you can pour it in to a freezer-safe bag. Make sure there will be room in the bag for expansion as it freezes. Try to squeeze out as much air as possible and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
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Salsa Verde Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Approx. 3 cups
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Description
Salsa Verde Recipe – a simple yet incredibly flavorful salsa verde recipe that you are going to want to make again and again!
Ingredients
- 1 lb of tomatillos, husks removed and quartered
- 1 medium white onion, quartered
- 1 shallot, quartered
- 1 jalapeño, halved (remove seeds and membrane for less spice)
- 1 poblano pepper, remove top and halved
- 1 Anaheim pepper, remove top and halved
- 2 – 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1–2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
Instructions
- Place top oven rack about 4 inches below top. Line a deep baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Remove and discard the tops and ends to all the tomatillos, white onion, shallot, poblano pepper and Anaheim pepper. Cut each in half or in quarters and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Add garlic to the baking sheet and toss everything in olive oil.
- Broil on high for about 3-4 minutes and then remove the peppers – put pan back in the oven for another 6-7 minutes or until tomatillos, onions and garlic are clearly starting to turn brown and shrivel up (you can roast longer if you want a stronger ‘roasted’ flavor).
- Remove from oven and place those same ingredients directly into a blender or food processor.
- Place the halved jalapeño in blender as well along with the cilantro, lime zest, lime juice and salt.
- Pulse blender several times to ensure larger chunks are broken up; then blend for about 30-60 seconds or until you have reached your desired consistency.
- Taste and add any additional cilantro or salt, as desired.
- Let cool and serve with chips or use to make Salsa Verde Chicken!
Notes
- Spice: to make it less spicy remove the seeds and membrane from the jalapeno – to increase spice you can add a second jalapeno pepper.
- Storage: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Keith @ How's it Lookin? says
I gotta try this. Perfect for snack time, thanks a lot
Grace | eat, write + explore says
Yum! This looks gorgeous – salsa verde is my favourite but I’ve never made it before. Bookmarking this for later!
Erin says
Thanks, Grace!! Thanks for stopping by!