Salsa verde is the ultimate Mexican green salsa made with tart tomatillos and spicy serrano chilies, easy to make, just like your favorite taqueria salsa.
What is Salsa Verde?
Salsa verde is a green sauce commonly used in Mexican cuisine. "Salsa verde" literally translates to "green sauce" in Spanish. It is a tangy, vibrant, and often spicy.
It’s typically made with tomatillos, along with ingredients like onion, garlic, jalapeño or serrano peppers, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
There are a number of ways to make an awesome salsa verde. Every Mexican restaurant has their own taqueria salsa verde and I have yet to encounter a bad one.
Tomatillos are Key to a Great Salsa Verde Recipe
Tomatillos are tiny round bright green fruits that look like tomatoes, covered in papery sheathes and slightly sticky, which is a byproduct of the plant as they mature.
Do not confuse them with unripened green tomatoes.
While tomatillos have a slight bitterness, they are sweeter and fruitier than unripened green tomatoes and make for a MUCH better salsa verde. The insides are meatier as well, where tomatoes are juicier.
In fact, tomatillos are not tomatoes at all, but come from a completely different plant. You'll get the best salsa verde when you roast them.
Why Roast the Ingredients?
For the best salsa verde, the tomatillos are often roasted or boiled, then blended with the other ingredients to create a smooth or chunky salsa.
Roasting the tomatillos, as well as the chili peppers, onions, and garlic transforms their flavors. The high heat makes them sweeter and less tart, and also adds a smoky depth from the charring.
The process concentrates their overall flavors, giving you a richer, more complex salsa compared to simply boiling or using them raw.
How To Adjust Salsa Verde To Your Taste
For hotter salsa verde, add in 1-2 habanero peppers, which you can roast with the tomatillos during the last few minutes, or use them raw before blending.
You can easily adjust acidity with more or less lime juice. Strain the salsa verde for a thicker consistency, or add a bit of water or extra lime juice to thin it out.
This recipe is one of the simplest versions of a salsa verde - simple, but perfect.
Let's talk about how to make salsa verde!
Recipe Tips & Notes
You can easily adjust this recipe to make it your own. Some popular additions include creamy avocado, ground cumin, olive oil, and hotter chilies.
When roasting the tomatillos and chilies, consider adding the onion and garlic to the roasting pan for more roasted vegetable flavor.
Salsa Verde Ingredients
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Tomatillos.
- Serrano Peppers. Or use jalapeno peppers or other milder fresh chile for a milder salsa verde.
- Garlic Cloves.
- White Onion. Red onion is good, too.
- Fresh Cilantro.
- Salt.
- Lime Juice. Optional. Not all authentic Mexican recipes for salsa verde include lime juice, and it's not necessarily traditional. Some of my Mexican cookbooks include lime, but you'll get enough acidity and tartness from the tomatillos.
Serving Ideas for Salsa Verde
The thing about a good salsa verde recipe is you can serve it so many different ways. Serve it in a bowl with crisp tortilla chips and it's a quick salsa.
Pour it into squeeze bottles to serve with your Taco Recipes and it becomes a Mexican green table sauce.
Pour it into small hot sauce bottles and it becomes a hot sauce for you.
It makes a great sauce as well. Try it with pasta for an outstanding Spaghetti Verde or Green Chicken Chili.
I hope you enjoy my homemade green salsa recipe (salsa verde).
Check out my other Hot Sauce Recipes, too.
Storage Information
Salsa verde will keep a week or longer in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It will last longer with the addition of lime juice and/or vinegar, which ups the acidity.
You can process salsa verde in a water bath for long term preservation, but it is best to shoot for a pH of 3.5 or lower for home preserving.
Just be sure to use proper canning/jarring safety procedures.
This Recipe Is In our Cookbook - FLAVOR MADNESS
Did you know that you can find this recipe in our new cookbook FLAVOR MADNESS? It's waiting for you on PAGE 83.
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Salsa Verde Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos
- 2-3 serrano peppers (or use jalapeno peppers for a milder salsa verde)
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 small white onion chopped (red onion is good, too)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Salt to taste (I use a teaspoon of sea salt)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice optional (about 1 small lime, or to taste)
Instructions
- Peel, rinse and dry the tomatillos. Slice them in half and set them onto a large lined baking sheet.
- Slice 1 serrano pepper in half and set it on the baking sheet with the tomatillos, skin sides up.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F (220C). Roast the tomatillos and serrano peppers for 15 minutes, or until the tomatillos begin to char slightly. The skins will darken and puff.
- Remove and transfer to a food processor or blender. You can peel the serranos if you wish.
- Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Adjust for salt and serve. Or, refrigerate in a sealed container to let the flavors mingle. Great with tortilla chips!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Check out These Other Popular Salsa Recipes
- Try this authentic Salsa Roja recipe that goes with all of your Mexican dishes, or my Restaurant Style Salsa that everyone loves.
- Chili Verde Recipe
- Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce with Roasted Tomatillos
- Chile de Arbol Salsa
- Salsa Ranchera
- Xni-Pec - Chunky Habanero Salsa
- Easy Green Chili Sauce
This recipe was updated on 12/16/25 to include new photos and information. It was originally published on 10/21/16.
Dave Kirk says
Excellent!! 5 stars! I had some hatch chilis that I used in place of Serranos and I also added lime zest (since I was using a lime anyway).
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Nice! Glad you enjoyed it, Dave. Hatch chiles are perfect here!
Gheorghe Taralunga says
Apreciez pozitiv
Jenny says
Can I make this using frozen tomatillos? I made a bunch last summer per recipe -- roasting the fresh tomatillos -- but now I have a bunch in the freezer that I didn't have time to process last summer and I need to use them! Any other ideas?
Mike Hultquist says
You sure can, Jenny. No problem at all. You can use frozen tomatillos in any of my recipes that call for tomatillos. Enjoy!
Scott says
Thank you for this recipe! I had a bunch of peppers from the garden so I used 45 Pueblo and Anaheim roasted chiles, 10 hot jalapeños, 10 mild jalapeños, 6 lb roasted tomatillos, red onion, white onion, cloves of garlic, fresh cilantro, and white wine vinegar. Came out great!
Mike Hultquist says
Yay!!! Thanks, Scott!
Jamie says
Finished last week fourth time using this recipe. modified it this time with white balsamic in 6 jars. More lime. Used jalapeño. And I’m half batch. A number of habaneros what’s so good about this recipe. You can change a few things up to your own after trying the original. Key is to grill all the ingredients with a bit of char. Or smoke them. It upscales as I used 18 pounds of tomatillos. Awesome
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds like perfection to me, Jamie!
jamie parisi says
i smoked the veggies -- game changer. used some jalapeno lime balsamic as well. in some jars a bunch of reaper powder.. so good. its so easy to modify change and experiment with your different tastes. 25 jars this year. Should last until next season
Mike Hultquist says
Perfection, Jamie! I love it!
TeresaJ Salak says
I am looking for a salsa recipe with fire/grilled tomatillos, tomatoes, onion, peppers and possibly corn. I would also like to can it. Any ideas?
Mike Hultquist says
I have several Salsa Recipes here you can review: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/salsas/. Many are customizable. You might try my Salsa Ranchera Recipe: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/salsa-ranchera/. No corn in it, but you can add it before or after.
jamie parisi says
Going for year number 4 - going for a full bushel this year. 1/2 bushel just not enough - friends and family love it. Ive used 3 of the 4 options all grilled, fresh tomatillo/grilled veggies and all fresh. added a touch of vinegar to part of the batch, this year trying balsamic jalapeno vinegar in some. cant wait.
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome, Jamie!
Larke says
This was my first time cooking with tomatillos and I was put at ease to find out how easy it was to process them. Followed the recipe but since my serranos were fairly mild for our tastes I put a couple more and a jalapeño. This salsa is a perfect 5 star recipe. Thanks!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Glad you enjoyed it, Larke!
jamie parisi says
3rd year in a row using this recipe. half a bushel of tomatillos - 16 jars of salsa - mild, spicy , fresh (roasted only the hot peppers garlic onion - grilled the lime too.) and 5 xl jars of Enchilada Sauce good to next year. im Exhausted Lol. I love the serving sizes and how it scales up the ingredients.
thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! I appreciate it, Jamie! Glad you enjoy this one. It's definitely one of Patty's very favorites. She wants this all the time.
Chris Hall says
This is the best salsa verde I have ever had, and so easy to make!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Glad to hear it! This is Patty's favorite by far.
David C Fowler says
I'm heading to the farmers market for the ingredients.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Enjoy!
Gee Gee says
I just made this - used jalapenos because I didn't have serranos. Came out GREAT!! I love salsa verde and I'll definitely be making this again. I could use a bump in the heat, so I'll get serranos to add next time. I just discovered this site and I love it. So many great-looking recipes. I can't wait to try some of the others. Thanks for a terrific recipe! 🙂
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much, Gee Gee. Super happy you enjoyed it! A keeper for sure.
Cheryl Hill says
Having just commented on your fabulous spaghetti verde recipe, and I realized that I had never commented on this recipe, a favorite standby for me . I typically make option 4, just pulsing all of the ingredients in the blender until combined but still really chunky. Then I warm it for just a few minutes stove-top, add in pre-cooked junks of pork, and serve on top of rice with cilantro, lime, and whatever else sounds good for garnish. It was the winner after 4 other salsa verde recipe attempts - it's that good! Thank you, Michael.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Cheryl! Yes, we REALLY love salsa verde in our home. A favorite!