Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Made with roasted tomatillos, this homemade salsa verde is zesty, spicy, and bright. It's SO much better than store-bought. Pass the tortilla chips!

Tomatillo salsa verde

Try this homemade salsa verde recipe once, and you’ll never get the store-bought kind again. It calls for a short list of fresh ingredients: tomatillos, serrano chiles, garlic, onion, cilantro, and lime. They give it an amazing zesty, tangy, bright, and spicy flavor that’ll have you scooping it up with chip after chip (after chip). And speaking of all those chips, another reason I love THIS tomatillo salsa vs. tomatillo salsa from a jar is its amazing texture. It’s thick and silky, which means that it’ll coat a dipped tortilla chip (or even a batch of enchiladas)—no watery salsa verde here!

My inspiration for this recipe came from the many, many salsas I tried during our years in Austin. They taught me just how flavorful homemade salsa could be, and they got me curious about making my own. I hope this recipe does the same for you. Once you start making your own tomatillo salsa verde, you won’t look back!

Salsa verde recipe ingredients

Salsa Verde Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this salsa verde recipe:

  • Tomatillos – You might think they’re just green tomatoes, but fun fact: they’re not! Like tomatoes, tomatillos are in the nightshade family, but they’re actually a type of ground cherry. Their bright green skin is covered in a sticky coating, which is surrounded by a papery husk. Their flavor is super-tangy, which gives this salsa a delicious kick.
  • Onion and garlic – For sweet/savory depth of flavor.
  • Jalapeño or serrano peppers – For heat. Add more or less depending on your spice tolerance.
  • Avocado oil – Or another neutral oil, for richness.
  • Fresh lime juice – For bright, zesty flavor.
  • Cilantro – It adds refreshing flecks of green.
  • And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Roasted tomatillos, chiles, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet

How to Make Salsa Verde

The first step in this homemade salsa verde recipe is roasting the veggies. Why?

  1. It makes the tomatillos softer, sweeter, and juicier.
  2. It gives everything a little char, which adds depth of flavor to the salsa.

Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse to remove the stickiness. Pat them dry and place them on a baking sheet. Peel and chop the onion into big chunks. Add it to the baking sheet along with the whole peppers. Drizzle the veggies with oil and season them with salt.

Wrap the (unpeeled) garlic in a piece of foil with a drizzle of oil. Place it on the baking sheet too!

Roast in a 450°F oven until the tomatillos are juicy and browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Tomatillo salsa verde ingredients in a food processor

Next, blend the salsa. Unwrap and peel the garlic, and remove the stems from the peppers. Place both in a food processor with the tomatillos, onion, avocado oil, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Process until combined.

Note: If you’re sensitive to spice, I would start by adding just 1 pepper (or even 1/2!) to the food processor. It’s much easier to add more to taste than to take it out!

Tomatillo salsa verde in a food processor

Finally, taste and adjust. The really fun thing about making homemade salsa is that you can make it just how you like it! If it’s too thick, blend in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency. If you want it brighter, add more lime juice. Not enough salt? Mix in another pinch.

When you can’t stop eating it straight from the food processor, it’s just right.

Salsa verde in a bowl on platter with tortilla chips

How to Use Tomatillo Salsa Verde

This simplest way to serve this tomatillo salsa verde is as a dip. Try pairing it with homemade tortilla chips (or taquitos) for a next-level appetizer or snack!

But that’s just one of many ways to use this zesty green salsa. Here are a few more of my favorites:

How do you like to use roasted tomatillo salsa? Let me know in the comments!

Salsa verde recipe

More Favorite Salsas and Dips

If you love this tomatillo salsa verde recipe, try one of these homemade dips or salsas next:

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Tomatillo Salsa Verde

rate this recipe:
4.93 from 54 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves 8
The BEST salsa verde recipe! Made with simple, fresh ingredients, this zesty green salsa is delicious as a dip or with Mexican dishes like tacos, enchiladas, and more. Find serving suggestions in the post above.

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 9 medium tomatillos
  • 1 small yellow onion, cut into large chunks
  • 1 to 2 serrano or jalapeño peppers*
  • 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • teaspoons sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
  • Tortilla chips, for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse to remove the stickiness. Pat dry and place on the baking sheet with the onion and peppers. Drizzle with avocado oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat. Wrap the garlic cloves in a piece of foil with a drizzle of oil and add to the baking sheet. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tomatillos are juicy and browned.
  • Remove the garlic from the foil and peel it. Remove the stems from the peppers.
  • In a food processor, place the tomatillos, onion, peppers, garlic, avocado oil, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Process until combined. If the salsa is too thick, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to reach your desired consistency. Season to taste and serve with tortilla chips.
  • Store leftover salsa in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

*Serranos and jalapeños can vary widely in spice level. If you’re sensitive to spice, start with just 1, or even ½, pepper and add more to taste.

128 comments

4.93 from 54 votes (11 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Luther
    10.03.2024

    5 stars
    Definite 5 star.. this review app “hinky”

  2. Luther
    10.03.2024

    5 stars
    Oh yeah… this recipient is “good eats”. However, this recipe is pretty mild and we like a bit more bite so next time I’ll use serrano peppers instead. Made a small batch and used it on tacos.

  3. Bethany
    09.29.2024

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious salsa.

  4. Lori
    09.26.2024

    Can you freeze the sauce?

  5. Luci
    09.18.2024

    I find it really difficult to try a recipe without the knowing the weight of the tomatillos since we all have access to or grow different varieties. What is the weight for your recipe?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.18.2024

      Hi Luci, I’m sorry, I don’t have a weight but the recipe is flexible enough that it’s ok if it varies a little. The ones I get are usually a little bit larger than a lime.

  6. Saralyn
    09.13.2024

    5 stars
    Sooo good. I make huge batches of this every fall. Tomatillos tend to be sweeter so sometimes I add habanero to give the sweet a spicy kick.

  7. Karen
    09.08.2024

    5 stars
    Best salsa ever! I love it! Thank you! ?

  8. Claudia Swarthout
    09.03.2024

    I’m wondering if this can be frozen?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      09.06.2024

      Hi Claudia, I haven’t frozen it myself, but other readers have done it successfully!

  9. Valerie
    09.02.2024

    5 stars
    Just made this for the first time and it’s absolutely delicious!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      09.06.2024

      I’m so glad you loved it, Valerie!

  10. krystyna
    09.01.2024

    Hello, the recipe sounds delish, I’ve never made a salsa and wonder how long can I store it in a fridge. I am not going to make it until I know this as I live alone and eat very little

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.02.2024

      Hi Krystyna, I store it up to about 5 days in the fridge.

  11. Jess
    08.31.2024

    5 stars
    This is the 5th time making recipe this summer. No changes as it’s perfect as is.

  12. Jacquelyn
    08.29.2024

    5 stars
    On a whim I grew tomatillos in our garden this year. Never did before. Never even ate tomatillos. This was the first recipe that popped up and I LOVED IT SO MUCH! I went to the store to buy more tomatillos as my plants aren’t producing nearly as much as I want to eat! Thank you for a superb recipe! Truly wonderful flavor combo. I won’t be looking any further to other recipes, as there can’t possibly be one that tastes any better!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.30.2024

      Hi Jacquelyn, aww thank you so much for your comment! I’m so glad you loved the salsa.

  13. James
    08.26.2024

    5 stars
    Well, this just turned out amazing, BUT, I added to it!!!

    The same # of tomatillos but added the Fresh and in season HATCH and POBLANOS!!!

    It was a big batch but thinned it “just enough” with fresh squeezing 4 limes in it.

    One comment was “I normally don’t like salsa verde cause it’s too thin, yours stayed on the chip like it was paying rent” ?‍♂️

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.28.2024

      Ha ha ha, I’m so glad you loved it – love hatch chiles too 🙂

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.