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You are here: Home / Salsa / Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde

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Salsa Verde or “Green Sauce”

Salsa verde is a staple in every Mexican kitchen. It’s great for making enchiladas verdes or for topping carne asada tacos. We also think it is great on eggs. It is a simple to make, versatile salsa. Use it on just about anything. The taste of fresh homemade salsa puts the bottled salsas to shame. Give this one a try!

Classic Mexican Salsa Verde
Classic Salsa Verde

Simple and Delicious

Salsa verde is really easy to make and the ingredients are available at almost every supermarket. You can use tomatillos which look like small green tomatoes and are covered in a papery husk or the larger green tomatoes, tomates verdes. The tomatillos in the picture already have the papery husks removed. The taste is tart and vibrant and adds a lot of pop to any dish that you use it on. The recipe calls for three serrano chiles but you can use fewer if you want to reduce the heat. We like it on the hot side.

Ingredients for Salsa Verde
Ingredients for salsa verde.

Salsa is Healthy

Mexican food gets a bad rep for being greasy, heavy and, unhealthy but stop and think for a second. Salsa is nothing but concentrated vegetables. It’s the tastiest way ever to get your daily veggies. You can eat as much as you want guilt free. It’s rare that your favorite food can be the healthiest food too so enjoy.

How to Make

Preparation is really simple. Add all of the ingredients to your pot except the cilantro and just cover with water.

Ingredients for Salsa Verde Ready to be Cooked
Add the ingredients to a large pot and just cover with water.

Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Notice how the ingredients change color. This lets you know that the ingredients are fully cooked.

Cooked ingredients for Salsa Verde
The ingredients change color when cooked.

For the next step, blend the ingredients with the cooking water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You want the salsa to keep a little bit of texture. It shouldn’t be liquified. Use the picture of the prepared salsa to guide you.

Blending the Ingredients for Salsa Verde
Blend all of the ingredients except the salt.

The Salsa Making Secret

The next thing you are going to do is fry the salsa. The is the magic step that is used in making almost all cooked salsas. Do not skip this step. It gives a superior result.

Heat two tablespoons of oil on high.

Heating the Oil to Fry the Salsa
Heat two tablespoons of oil in your pot.

Slowly pour the blended salsa into the pan. This develops a deeper richer tasting salsa.

Adding the Salsa Verde to the Pot
Pour the blended salsa into the hot oil. This is called “seasoning” it.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt to taste. Now you have the perfect salsa verde!

Cooked Salsa Verde
Cooked salsa verde. Notice how the salsa darkens in color when cooked.

Problems with your salsa? Don’t love it?

Sometimes your salsa doesn’t come out exactly to your liking. Keep in mind that the ingredients are all natural products and can vary in freshness and flavor due to seasonal differences and how the ingredients have been handled. One time when you buy peppers they may be super hot and the next time you buy the exact same pepper is very mild.

Here are a few methods to correct your salsa:

  • Too runny? Simmer until it has reduced to the desired consistency.
  • Too thick? Add water 2 tablespoons at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
  • Too hot or acidic? Add only one of the following to reduce heat or acidity: 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 to 2 teaspoons agave syrup.
  • Too bland? Try adding more salt 1/4 of a teaspoon at a time until you get the desired taste.
  • Pale color? Try simmering for 10 extra minutes to deepen the color.

When you make adjustments, add ingredients a little at a time. A small modification can have a surprisingly large effect.

What are you going to use it on?

Classic Mexican Salsa Verde

17 votes

Print

Salsa Verde Recipe

Prep 10 mins

Cook 30 mins

Total 40 mins

Author Douglas Cullen

Yield 8 servings

Recipe for an authentic "salsa verde," or "green sauce," a staple in every Mexican kitchen. It is so simple to make from easy to find ingredients. You make it mild or spicy depending on how many peppers you add. You will love it. Give it a try!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 lb. tomatillos or green tomatoes
  • 1 white onion
  • 4 serrano chiles
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 12 sprigs cilantro
  • 2 tbsp. cooking oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt + to taste

Instructions

  1. Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse to remove the sticky residue.
  2. Quarter the onion.
  3. Add all of the ingredients except the cilantro and salt to a large pot and just cover with water.
  4. Bring the water and ingredients to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. Blend the cooked ingredients and the cilantro with the cooking water until smooth. (About 30 seconds)
  6. Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in the pot.
  7. Pour the blended salsa back into the pot with the hot cooking oil.
  8. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
  9. Add the salt and adjust if necessary.

Notes

Preparation

  • Too runny? Simmer until it has reduced to the desired consistency.
  • Too thick? Add water 2 tablespoons at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
  • Too hot or acidic? Add only one of the following to reduce heat: 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 to 2 teaspoons agave syrup.
  • Like it hot? You do not have to seed the serrano chiles. You can seed them if you want to reduce the heat of the salsa.

Substitutions

  • You can substitute jalapeño chiles for the serranos but the flavor won't be as bright but it will still be tasty.

Storage

  • The salsa will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days.
  • This salsa freezes very well. Make a double batch so that you always have some on hand.

Other Names

  • You may also know this salsa a green salsa, green sauce, verde salsa or tomatillo salsa.

Courses Sauce

Cuisine Mexican

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1/2 cup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 28

% Daily Value

Unsaturated Fat 1 g

Sodium 245 mg

10%

Total Carbohydrates 5 g

2%

Sugars 3 g

Protein 1 g

2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

More Mexican Salsas You Might Like

  • Dried Guajillo Salsa
  • Rustic Molcajete Salsa
  • Salsa Roja for Enchiladas
  • Restaurant Salsa
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Filed Under: Salsa Tagged With: Green Salsa, Green Sauce, Salsa, salsa recipe, Salsa Verde, Tomatiilos

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. ReNae Rinne says

    July 6, 2016 at 3:47 pm

    This was easy and good!!

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      July 6, 2016 at 3:52 pm

      Glad you liked it :)

      Reply
      • Christie says

        September 24, 2017 at 10:33 am

        Can you can this exact recipe also? I have a HUGE successful garden this year, and have taught myself to can. I have TONS of tomatillos! :)

        Reply
        • Suzanne Daum says

          October 4, 2017 at 9:54 pm

          I also want to know if this recipe can be canned and if so how long should it be processed?

          Reply
  2. Darrin says

    July 10, 2016 at 10:47 pm

    Easy and authentic. Viva La Mexico!

    Reply
  3. MamaB says

    July 31, 2016 at 10:54 am

    My parents from South Texas said this is as good as any Green sauce they had there; we have a new go to recipe!

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      July 31, 2016 at 1:19 pm

      Excellent! I am glad your family likes the recipe.

      Reply
  4. Colleen says

    August 1, 2016 at 6:27 pm

    I am MOST excited to try this recipe! Do you know–can I hot water bath/can it, as well?

    Reply
    • Paula Garner says

      September 28, 2016 at 11:02 pm

      Yes this recipe may be canned, however … Remember your acidity factor.
      What I have done in the past, and this works very well .
      I simply just add lemmon or lime juice, and cook like it instructs you to do. Then when putting in to your jars add to the jar … Sugar and salt … For pints 1/2 teaspoon of each . for quarts dubble the amount . Sence you are going to can this omit the salt from the original recipe. I hope you opt. to use the lime juice. You can also use vinegar in this,its a good stand by when you find you are out of juice . But the juice does give the finished product a much brighter flavor . Freesh is best but a good bottled juice will work just as well. Hope I didnt confuse you .check with your local extention service for prosessing times or contact Ball Canning Jar Co. They will also hook you up with coupons and other goodies if you just ask.

      Happy Canning !

      Reply
      • Douglas Cullen says

        September 30, 2016 at 9:51 pm

        Thanks for the canning advice. That’s something that I know nothing about. Cheers!

        Reply
      • Justin says

        December 30, 2016 at 7:20 pm

        I really enjoy the addition of lime! I’ve done this recipe multiple times and always ad the juice of a line :)

        Reply
      • Jeanie says

        September 28, 2017 at 10:54 am

        That was my question. Can this recipe be canned? How much lime juice should I add. I didn’t see that but maybe I over looked it. Thank you,
        Jeanie

        Reply
        • Erin Moore says

          July 30, 2018 at 9:56 am

          Typically any tomatillos have enough acidity to be pressure canned with minimal to no acid or salt added. I will add the lime, because I like the taste, but Im planning to can the salsa and not add any additional salt. 11lbs of pressure for 30-40 minutes should be sufficient to seal and protect your salsa. The addition of lime or salt just adds more acidity/ preservative that I don’t think is needed with the tomatillos. I don’t water bath can, so I can’t speak to this process. But here’s a link to a good source for that. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9839810

          Good luck!

          Reply
          • Douglas Cullen says

            July 30, 2018 at 10:31 am

            Thanks for your response Erin! It’s important that everyone follow safe canning methods. Cheers!

  5. Mike says

    October 22, 2016 at 12:22 pm

    Great salsa!! The only change I made was to use two habaneros instead of the serranos. Nice ‘n spicy!! I’ve made this in the past and added small avocado cubes after blending – wife loves it. Try dipping it with thicker, traditional style corn tortilla chips, you’ll love it.

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      October 22, 2016 at 12:29 pm

      The habaneros sound good. Will be giving it a try! Cheers!

      Reply
  6. Lori Holuta says

    October 22, 2016 at 6:11 pm

    I needed to find a use for about four dozen hard green tomatoes at the end of the season, as a cold frost was due and the plants would die. I adapted yoru recipe to use them and it came out glorious! I halved the tomatoes, put them cut side down on a baking sheet and broiled them for about 15 minutes before starting. That mellowed them greatly. I’ll still try it with tomatillos in the future, but for this weekend, your recipe saved the day. Yum!

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      October 22, 2016 at 6:15 pm

      Excellent! Glad you were able to make the recipe work for you. Cheers! Cool website BTW

      Reply
    • belinda says

      December 13, 2016 at 2:57 am

      I am making salsa Verde to can,which recipe do you recommend and are green tomatoscreen hard to find and anyone know of a good chow chow recipe?

      Reply
      • LaVar Parker says

        September 21, 2017 at 5:38 pm

        PICALILLI / CHOW CHOW RECIPE
        August 14, 2013 by Joel MacCharles

        Please read the safety note at the end of this post before deciding to make this recipe.

        Chow Chow (also known as picalilli) is a tart green relish common in Maritime Nova Scotia. Recipes are shared within families but often guarded beyond that as each family protects it’s ‘secret formula.’

        Picalili_Chow_Chow_Canning_Recipe_1

        My family didn’t have a chow chow recipe; we were more about mustard pickles (which featured a somewhat dubious sugar-vinegar-tumeric-flour brine mixed with cucumbers, onions and cauliflower). Mustard pickles are sweeter than chow chow but both are common in fish dinners, served atop fish cakes or with boiled salt potatoes.

        Picalili_Chow_Chow_Canning_Recipe_2

        PICALILLI/ CHOW CHOW RECIPE – INGREDIENTS

        All measurements below are after chopping. Makes about 4 half-pints.

        3 cups medium green tomatoes (about 5 tomatoes) chopped coarse
        2 cups cabbage (slightly less than 1 medium savoy cabbage) chopped coarse
        1 cup sweet onion (about 1 medium sized onion) chopped fine.
        1 cups red or orange bell peppers chopped coarse (1-2 peppers)
        3 tablespoons kosher salt
        2 cups cider vinegar
        0.5 cup light white or brown sugar, packed
        1 tablespoon mustard seeds
        3 cloves garlic, finely minced
        0.5 teaspoon celery seed
        PICALILLI/ CHOW CHOW RECIPE – INSTURCTIONS

        Mix all vegetables and salt together. Cover loosley and sit in warm spot in your kitchen for 3-6 hours. If you don’t know why we rest it, read this article – you’ll also see why I recommend making 3 salsa recipes at the same time!
        Prepare canner (large pot of water which will cover the jars by at least 1 inch), heat jar seals and sterilize jars (in boiling water for 10 minutes).
        Drain vegetables (discard liquid).
        Rinse vegetables very well.
        Add vinegar, brown sugar, seeds and spices to a boil – stir until the sugar is disolved.
        Add vegetables to brine, simmer for 10 minutes.
        Add veggies to jars, then add liquid while leaving 1/4 inch headspace. You will likely have extra brine; which is better than running out.
        Wipe rims, apply seals and rings and place in waterbath and process (boil) for 10 minutes.
        Remove from waterbath, allow to cool for 24 hours and check lids for proper seal.

        Reply
    • Pat Wheeler says

      October 26, 2017 at 1:40 pm

      When I grew my first tomatoes back in thee 1960’s a friend advised me to uproot the entire plant before the first frost and hand it from the rafters in my garage. It turns out that the tomatoes will continue to draw nourishment from the roots, stems and leaves and will ripen without soil or water as the plant dries.

      Reply
  7. louise kay says

    November 18, 2016 at 3:54 pm

    Sat in chaqitos loving my meal absolutely beautiful…xxx

    Reply
  8. Cheryl Aikman says

    November 25, 2016 at 12:00 pm

    I am looking for an authentic CALDO de Res recipe. I can’t seem to find a search option so far on this site.

    Reply
  9. Sophie says

    January 8, 2017 at 6:03 pm

    So yummy and easy!

    Reply
  10. Christina Michelle says

    March 4, 2017 at 7:24 pm

    Going to be making this for my fiancé tonight. I’ve made red salsa and pico, but NEVER salsa verde. Lol. He is a green sauce kinda guy. So I figured why not surprise home with a batch?? 🤣 I will definitely update you! Thanks for sharing? Can I roast the tomatillos, or do I have to boil the ?

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      March 8, 2017 at 10:27 pm

      Roasting the tomatillos will make an excellent salsa. Hope he likes it!

      Reply
  11. Rose Mota says

    March 27, 2017 at 12:15 pm

    I love recipe

    Reply
  12. Ann Marie says

    July 3, 2017 at 12:33 pm

    Where can I find these types of tomatoes? Also is this mild?

    Thanks
    Ann

    Reply
    • Geoff says

      August 27, 2017 at 3:41 pm

      It’s not mild if you follow the recipe exactly, but if you remove the seeds from the peppers or substitute a milder pepper I think it will work. My wife is not shy about spice but thought the heat was too much even if the flavor was marvelous. I’m cooking a second batch as I write this with two jalapeno peppers (seeds included) and a poblano for 1.5 pounds of tomatillos. I think she’s going to love it, but you may have to experiment to get it right for you. It’s a marvelous flavor and worth a couple tries.

      I also added lime juice. Next time I think I will try roasting the ingredients as Christina suggested.

      Reply
  13. Roxanne says

    August 19, 2017 at 3:15 pm

    Hi. Wonder how much water in pot pan with stuffs?

    Reply
  14. Pam Holton says

    August 26, 2017 at 3:41 pm

    I recently signed up to receive your emails and recipes and find all your tips and techniques to be very helpful. I love to cook, and love the spicy, flavorful recipes that you post. Thank you!

    Reply
  15. brushjl says

    August 29, 2017 at 2:19 pm

    this was outstanding, definitely a keeper. i got fresh tomatillas from my farm shares and it was great. thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  16. Mok says

    September 17, 2017 at 5:19 pm

    Salsa is amazing! Great receipe

    Reply
  17. John says

    September 30, 2017 at 6:36 pm

    How much water? When I tried this is was just too watery. Like soup

    Reply
  18. Martha C Riguero says

    November 20, 2017 at 11:50 am

    Green Salsa

    Reply
  19. Angelica Frias says

    December 10, 2017 at 5:27 pm

    The best salsa i have EVER MADE!!
    Thank you so much! Now i can get married! 😁

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      December 13, 2017 at 12:37 am

      Awesome! Invite us to the wedding :)

      Reply
  20. Tamura says

    December 30, 2017 at 7:55 pm

    Fabulous tastes just like the award winning and my favorite Mexican restaurant . My favorite is Burrito Verde. Pork prepared in my Instant Pot until its tender and serve in this magic green sauce. Make burritos little sauce on top and sprinkle cheese serve with rice n beans. Heaven!

    Reply
  21. Mayamaya says

    January 11, 2018 at 8:50 pm

    This was super easy and delicious

    Reply
  22. Wanda I Morales says

    February 5, 2018 at 8:00 pm

    Great recipe! My husband and I loved it. I made it this weekend to go with my chicken taquitos for super bowl LII and it was a hit. Definitely a keeper. My question is how long can I freeze it? Since the original recipe is a little spicy only half was used.

    Thanks

    Reply
  23. Linda says

    February 21, 2018 at 7:18 pm

    Love this recipe! Fabulous!

    Reply
  24. Ashley says

    February 27, 2018 at 6:04 pm

    How much water?

    Reply
  25. Ole Mission says

    March 29, 2018 at 12:59 am

    Solid Recipe Doug!
    My wife makes it using one of her old Mexican recipes and seems like she adjusts the ingredients based on what she has at the time. I like yours because It is simple to make and tastes great. Your website is a new resource we follow. PS. I made some and the wife was impressed :)

    Reply
  26. Liz says

    June 7, 2018 at 4:37 pm

    We’ve had a great tomatillo year! Just had the thrill of making this with mostly homegrown ingredients and I’m so glad I chose this recipe to invest them into. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      June 9, 2018 at 10:00 pm

      Excellent! I am sure it was amazing with vine-ripened tomatillos.

      Reply
  27. Jo says

    June 9, 2018 at 12:27 am

    Just tried this. It’s incredible! Flavorful and very easy to make while I’m prepping other food.

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      June 9, 2018 at 10:01 pm

      Jo, I am glad you like it. I am sure you will love our other salsas too. Let us know how they turn out. Cheers!

      Reply
  28. Anonymous says

    June 11, 2018 at 1:54 am

    Itactually a cool and helpful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  29. Jack Burton says

    July 25, 2018 at 8:38 pm

    Man thats where I keep messing up, I always drain my water out after I cook the tomatillos :)

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      July 25, 2018 at 9:06 pm

      Jack, when you use the cooking water you’ll get a big boost in flavor. You’ll love the results. Let us know how your salsa turns out. Cheers!

      Reply
      • Jack Burton says

        September 20, 2018 at 1:54 pm

        Last time I made some I deviated from the recipe a little an added some of my cherry tomatoes an some red jalapenos, which gave the whole thing a orange/red color still tasted good though.

        Reply
  30. JAH says

    July 26, 2018 at 12:10 am

    Way to go Doug, Just made the salsa from our garden here in Oregon as you laid it out, FANTASTIC!
    I probably used too much water so simmered it for another 30 minutes. Sweet on the front and wonderfully spicy at the end. Great dish!

    Do you have a great recipe for salsa roja.

    Thanks JAH

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      July 26, 2018 at 1:27 pm

      JAH that’s awesome that it worked for you! Try this recipe for salsa roja https://mexicanfoodjournal.com/easy-salsa-roja/ It’s a thinner salsa that’s better for topping enchiladas than for dipping chips. If you want a dipping salsa, try the Restaurant Salsa https://mexicanfoodjournal.com/restaurant-salsa/ Cheers!

      Reply
  31. Bryan says

    September 18, 2018 at 11:35 pm

    I went all out and used the broiler to roast the peppers and oven to cooks the tomatillo, onion, and garlic rather than boil them. It turned out really good.

    Reply
  32. Jessj says

    October 22, 2018 at 1:12 pm

    Does this really not last longer then 3 days in the fridge? Find that hard to believe. But either way great recipe, made a huge batch since its gotten cold outside and my tomato plant was withering away and huge a bunch of green tomatoes.

    Reply
  33. S says

    November 6, 2018 at 4:48 pm

    Used this as an excellent base for the recipe (used more cilantro, and more chiles). I also simmered it longer than the 20 minutes at the end, and kept scraping the sides to return the tomatillo sugars back into the salsa as it thickened. Came out absolutely perfect!

    Reply
  34. Karen "SPECIALK" Servo says

    November 12, 2018 at 7:56 pm

    Thank you for sharing. Delicious.

    Reply
  35. Carsten says

    November 16, 2018 at 1:35 pm

    Any tips for making this with canned tomatillos? yes, I know. But where I live they are the only option :(

    Reply
  36. debra says

    November 24, 2018 at 7:43 pm

    I used more water than to just cover … did the rest the same but we had it as a tomatillo caldo! With a side of a baked pork chop and Brussel sprouts it was delightful.

    we had an abundance of tomatillos in the garden and with winter coming had to bring them in by the buckets. Looking for some recipes I decided to try something a little different…. Your recipe will be made again!

    Reply
  37. Screw YOU says

    February 13, 2019 at 6:05 pm

    He genius how about warning people using your method that this hot mix will explode out of the top of your blender. Go away you Ahole!

    Reply
    • Tim says

      February 15, 2019 at 1:14 pm

      It’s under blending hot foods 101. I guess you learned your lesson the hard way picante pants. But go ahead and blame the author for your own incompetence.

      Reply

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Douglas Cullen
I am Douglas C. – Share my love of Mexican  Cuisine that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico. More…

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