This tomatillo sauce recipe is similar to your favorite salsa verde, using the same ingredients but emulsifies it with vegetable oil for a creamy consistency. Serve it as a sauce or a salsa!
Creamy Tomatillo Sauce Recipe
We make a lot of salsa verde in the Madness kitchen. It's one of Patty's very favorite salsas, so versatile, so perfect on so many dishes. I wanted something different, however, for another dish I was making. I wanted salsa verde, but NOT quite salsa verde. I needed another component.
Call it an experiment, but I decided to combine my favorite salsa verde recipe with another sauce recipe that I love, a creamy jalapeno sauce, which is a classic Mexican and Tex-Mex recipe.
The experiment was a BIG SUCCESS. I'm not getting creative here, and I'm just calling it Tomatillo Sauce, though it's very much a tomatillo salsa as well, and I think it'll be one you'll want to add to your recipe collection.
Let's talk about how to make tomatillo sauce, shall we?
Tomatillo Sauce Ingredients
Gather up the following to make your tomatillo sauce:
- 2 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 3 jalapeno peppers
- 2-3 serrano peppers (or use 6 jalapenos total to tame the heat)
- 1 medium red onion
- 4-6 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup neutral oil, like corn oil, avocado oil, or neutral vegetable oil (or more to taste - olive oil is OK to use, if desired, though it has a stronger flavor)
TOMATILLO NOTE: Be sure to use actual tomatillos for this recipe, and not green tomatoes. Green tomatoes will work, but they do not have the same flavor. Tomatillos are a completely different ingredient.
If you want to use up your green tomatoes, try this green tomato chutney recipe instead.
How to Make Tomatillo Sauce - the Recipe Steps
First, set your oven to broil.
Slice the tomatillos and peppers in half, then set them onto a roasting pan or baking sheet.
Slice the onion into thick strips and set them onto the roasting pan, along with the garlic.
Roast the tomatillos and other ingredients for 20 minutes, or until the skins char and puff up. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Peel off the skins and discard.
Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins.
Add the tomatillos, peppers, onion and garlic to a food processor or blender along with the cilantro, vinegar, lime juice, cumin and salt.
Process until smooth.
With the blender or food processor running, slowly drizzle the oil into the mixture to let it emulsify to your desired consistency. Beautiful green salsa!
It should take about 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken up slightly.
Notice the color difference. The color lightens up quite a bit, and the sauce becomes much more creamy from the emulsification process.
Serve as desired!
Looks wonderful, doesn't it? You'll never want store bought again.
The Secret is in the Oil - Emulsification
You might think to use a dairy product or perhaps an avocado to achieve creaminess in this sauce, but the real secret is oil.
When you process with the oil drizzling into the salsa verde, you are essentially emulsifying the mixture until it becomes very creamy. Emulsification is essentially the mixture of 2 or more liquids that normally don't mix, like oil and vinegar.
They don't mix easily, but with enough whisking force, the mixture forms and becomes creamy, like a balsamic vinaigrette.
Like Salsa Verde - But Not Quite Salsa Verde
This recipe uses all of the same ingredients as a salsa verde, and basically follows all of the same cooking directions. The only difference is that we're drizzling in oil to form an emulsion.
In that way, it really is much like a salsa verde or tomatillo salsa, and you'll have a similar flavor profile here, however, you'll notice how different it is in creaminess and texture, as well as mouth feel and some flavor differences because of the oil.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Roasted or Not Roasted. I roasted all of the ingredients because I love the roasted flavor and also because it is an easy way to cook everything together. If you love the flavor of raw tomatillos - I sure do - try a variation of this recipe with half roasted and half raw tomatillos.
- Choices of Oils. A neutral oil is best for this recipe because the oil flavor won't interfere with the flavor of the tomatillos and peppers. You can make this with olive oil, but olive oil has a much stronger flavor and you'll notice it in the final recipe. It's still good, though.
- Heat Factor. I've used a couple jalapeno peppers for this recipe, and they're only a touch spicy. If you're looking for a hotter version of this recipe, use serrano peppers. If you're looking for a milder version, core out the jalapeno peppers or use poblano peppers instead.
What Should I Serve This Tomatillo Sauce With?
Tomatillo sauce is very versatile and can be used in a number of ways. Here are a few ways you can enjoy your freshly made tomatillo sauce:
- Pasta Sauce. Toss some cooked noodles and enjoy a verde pasta, like my green spaghetti recipe (spaghetti verde).
- Dipping Sauce. Serve it alongside pita chips or bread sticks for a party dipping sauce.
- Salsa. Serve it up with tortilla chips for a different spin on salsa verde. Your guests will be like, "Whoa! What?"
- Top Your Tacos. This sauce will make your tacos explode with flavor.
- Grilled Meats. Spoon it over grilled chicken breasts or your favorite grilled flank steak. Carne Asada, anyone?
- Spruce Up Boring Veggies. Give those blah veggies a flavor kick by tossing them with this sauce.
- Replace Your Condiments. Try this sauce instead of reaching for your old ketchup bottle.
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy my crazy tomatillo sauce! I love it. Such a great recipe. And so versatile! Let me know how you wind up serving it. Curious minds want to know!
Try Some of My Other Popular Sauce Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. 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.
Tomatillo Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds tomatillos husks peeled, rinsed
- 3 jalapeno peppers
- 2-3 serrano peppers or use 6 jalapenos total to tame the heat
- 1 medium red onion
- 4-6 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup neutral oil like corn oil, avocado oil, or neutral vegetable oil (or more to taste - olive oil is OK to use, if desired, though it has a stronger flavor)
Instructions
- Set your oven to broil.
- Slice the tomatillos and peppers in half, then set them onto a roasting pan.
- Slice the onion into thick strips and set them onto the roasting pan, along with the garlic.
- Roast the ingredients for 10 - 20 minutes, or until the skins char and puff up. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Peel off the skins and discard.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins.
- Add the tomatillos, peppers, onion and garlic to a food processor or blender along with the cilantro, vinegar, lime juice, cumin and salt. Process until smooth.
- With the blender or food processor running, slowly drizzle the oil into the mixture to let it emulsify. It should take about 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken up slightly.
- Serve as desired!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 6/2/23 to include new information, photos, and video. It was originally published on 10/9/19.
Carol Enright says
Have you tried to make a big batch and can this recipe? I’m thinking it only needs enough time in canner to seal the lids
Mike Hultquist says
Carol, I have not, sorry. I'd love to hear your comments/notes on this if you do so.
Steve says
hey Mike made your tomatillo sauce...... outstanding.. I got a little creative made a double batch and made pork green chili with it..had a pork butt, smoked it a little on the pellet grill then put it in the slow cooker with your sauce for hours,
OMG the flavor was amazing..
used it as chili, wrapped it in a tortilla also.. either way amazing... this recipe is definitely a keeper.. thank you for another great recipe....
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds awesome to me, Steve!
Rachel Symes says
Hi, I love the look of this recipe but haven't been able to find fresh tomatillos in Australia 🙁 Does that mean I need to move on to something else? Best, Rachel
Mike Hultquist says
Rachel, you can make this with canned, or it works nicely with green tomatoes (though not QUITE the same). Still good, though. I hope you can find some.
Jon Poppy says
I’ve made tomatillo a lot of times using recipes just like this, and they always taste sweet despite me not adding any sugar of any kind. I suspect it comes from roasting the onion (I use red or white, never sweet onion). I really wish it wouldn’t have any sweetness.
Does your recipe come out with a bit of sweetness too? What do you think could be causing it to be sweet?
Mike Hultquist says
I wouldn't say sweet, but I hear you on the roasting. You can always process everything raw, then simmer in a pot to cook it through.
Suzanne Parrish says
How long does it last in the fridge?
Thanks, Suzanne
Mike Hultquist says
Susanne, this will last a week or longer in the fridge. It freezes GREAT, which is what we like to do.
Kae says
Made this to use up some tomatillos from the garden. We had quite a lot. Loved the roasted flavor. I'm thinking this would be tasty on a taco salad. I will also use it jazz up some tofu.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Kae!
Terry says
Hi Mike. I made your tomatillo sauce and and your Chipotle Chicken. I used these to make a pizza with red onion and jalapeños, smoked Gouda, and queso fresco, garnished with cilantro. It turned out well. Both the tomatillo sauce and the chipotle chicken recipes are keepers! Thanks for sharing.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks for sharing, Terry! Very happy you enjoyed it!!
Kae says
That sounds tasty!
Christine says
Can you water boil can or freeze this
Mike Hultquist says
Christine, you can freeze this, no problem. You can also process in a water bath, but make sure the acidity is 3.5 pH or lower for home preserving (for safety). Enjoy!
Steve says
Mike.. how would you save this and store for later use ?
Steve
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Steve, this will last in the fridge a while, due to the acidity. If you want it to last longer, you can add more vinegar and/or citrus to get the pH down. Keep it refrigerated. You can also freeze it.
Gigi says
Excellent!! Roasted a little more garlic and onion and only used Serrano peppers - I'm a Southern Californian who must fell the heat! One question: when/where do you add the vinegar?? I didn't use it and this sauce was perfect without it.
Thank you Mike for making a So Cal Gal feel less homesick in the North East!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Gigi! Yes! I love this sauce. The vinegar is added along with the cilantro and lime juice in the blender. You can certainly skip it. The sauce won't last as long without it, but it is still super tasty without it. Glad you enjoyed it!!
Kathy Meyer says
I made a bunch of roasted salsa verde and canned it a few weeks ago. Would it work to put that in the blender and add oil? Sounds amazing!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
It will, Kathy! Let me know how it turns out for you!
Myra Byanka says
Yum, but cut back on chiles a bit. Just my taste.
FYI, tomatillos are not in the tomato family. Grew a bunch this past summer and had to fight off flea beetles early on. Once they went elsewhere, or whatever, plants were happy and prolific.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Myra! I appreciate it! Glad you enjoyed it!!