Homemade Salsa Verde

Grab your favorite tortilla chips and get ready to dig into this easy homemade salsa verde recipe. This roasted tomatillo salsa is perfectly zesty and fresh with a hint of spice. It’s perfect as a marinade, topping, dressing, or salsa. Once you’ve got this easy staple salsa down, you’ll never reach for store-bought again.
What is Salsa Verde?
Salsa verde in Spanish literally means “green sauce.” It’s a spicy, fresh green salsa in Mexican cuisine made from tomatillos and green chilies, often jalapeños or serranos.
I used to think that tomatillos were just green tomatoes, but that’s not the case at all! It’s actually made with the distant relative of the tomato, the tomatillo. The tomatillo is part of the nightshade family and is naturally tart. You’ve probably seen the green tomato-looking vegetables with a husk at the store–that’s a tomatillo!
This Salsa verde recipe is really easy to make from scratch, all you need are tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, lime, and cilantro.
How to make Homemade Salsa Verde
This salsa verde recipe is too easy to make, we always have it on hand!
Tools Needed
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Tomatillos
- White onion
- Jalapeño
- Lime juice
- Cilantro
The Process
- Step one: Prep the tomatillos. Start by removing the husks and rinse the tomatillos well. Cut the tomatillos in half.
- Step two: Toss the tomatillos, onion, and jalapeño with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step three: Set your oven broiler to high broil for 8-10 minutes, until the veggies are blistered in places.
- Step four: Transfer the roasted veggies to a blender with the lime juice and cilantro stems. Blend until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the fridge
Freezing Homemade Salsa Verde
This recipe is perfect for freezing for later! Once your salsa verde is cool, transfer to a freezer-safe ziplock bag. Freeze flat for space-saving storage. You can keep salsa verde in your freezer for up to 6 months.
More Mexican Recipes to Try
Pollo Asado
Spicy Shrimp Ceviche
Grilled Cilantro-Lime Chicken
Beer-Braised Carnitas
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Homemade Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs tomatillos
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, cut in half, stem removed
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro stems and leaves
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Remove the husk from the tomatillos and rinse them really well. Cut the tomatillos into halves, quarters if they're really large.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the tomatillos, chopped onions, and jalapeño with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread them in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Season them with salt and pepper.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and broil on high for 8-10 minutes, until the veggies are blistered.
- Transfer the roasted veggies the carafe of a blender and add the lime juice and cilantro. Blend until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for 1 hour before serving.
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