This homemade tomatillo green chili salsa is tangy and bright with a touch of spice, also known as salsa verde. It is SO much better than store-bought.
Is your mouth on fire after trying some salsas? Is that spiciness enjoyable to you or are you sucking sugar packets at the restaurant to tame that flame?
What if you can make homemade salsa as hot or mild as you desire?
My first time experimenting with salsas was during a family trip in Santa Fe, New Mexico in my mid-twenties. The ladies in our family do not tolerate really spicy foods. We quickly noticed salsa rojo (red) was fiery hot and learned to order the milder salsa verde (green) on the side for the remainder of that trip. This was the start of my love for salsa verde.
Is red versus green salsa really more spicy? There’s no rule about that. You just have to try them. Put a little on a corner of a tortilla chip to test its spiciness.
Salsa verde is a consistent green, tomatillo-based salsa. The flavor of tomatillo is more tart and acidic than red tomatoes, bringing a vegetal brightness to this salsa.
The taste of the sauce changes whether it’s made with raw or cooked tomatillos. Traditional recipes like this one typically call for roasting or simmering tomatillos, serrano or jalapeño chiles, onion, and garlic until softened, then blending it all with fresh cilantro.
This is a mild version, but you can easily pump up the heat if that is your thing. Tomatillo green chili salsa is extremely versatile and pairs well with foods that are mellow in flavor like pulled pork tacos (carnitas), fish tacos, shrimp, eggs, breakfast tacos, or grilled meats. If you are craving a red salsa, try this Salsa Recipe With Canned Tomatoes.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy, homemade tomatillo salsa verde in under 25 minutes!
- You can make it as hot or mild as you want.
- It's so good with pulled pork tacos!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa.
- Tomatillos: They're fruits with a similar growth habit to tomatoes, but they are not green tomatoes. Tomatillos are covered in a papery husk and remain firm and bright green. Raw tomatillos have a more sour punch. You can find them at the grocery store close to the jalapeno peppers or a Latin market.
- Jalapeño Pepper: This chili contributes to the green color and gives the salsa a little bit of heat and flavor.
- Yellow or white onion: White onions are more authentic but either color will work.
- Fresh Garlic Cloves: Fresh garlic from the produce section is best for homemade salsas.
- Pork Stock (optional): This is the juice that has been defatted and made from cooking pulled pork.
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper: Grinding your peppercorns the day of cooking is best.
- Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt: I prefer the brand, Diamond Crystal, because their shape is lighter and flakey and dissolves faster which helps prevent over-seasoning. If using Morton or table salt, reduce the salt measurements by half.
- Cilantro Leaves: This is a leafy, green herb that will produce coriander seeds when it bolts to seed. It's very common in salsas and sold by the bunch in the produce section next to parsley.
See the recipe card below for ingredient measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Jalapeño Pepper - You can substitute a serrano pepper for more spice or increase the quantity of jalapeños. If you want a mild version, substitute an Anaheim pepper. If you do not have access to fresh peppers, ½ to 1 teaspoon of hot sauce will suffice.
- Cilantro - Unfortunately, some people find that cilantro has a soapy taste. You can either reduce the amount of fresh cilantro to 25-50% less in this recipe, omit it completely, or substitute flat-leaf Italian parsley for the cilantro.
This recipe has not been tested with additional variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Before you start: There is just a touch of spice in this salsa verde recipe. If you like more or less spice, see the substitutions & variations section above.
Step 1: Remove the husk from the tomatillos and wash them. Cut the top off the jalapeño, split it in half, dispose of the seeds, then roughly chop it into chunks. Peel and split the half onion so that you have 2 quarters. Add the tomatillos, jalapeño, onion, garlic, and water to a pot.
Step 2: Add the pork stock (if using) and water to the pot and simmer over medium-high heat for 17-18 minutes. Add the freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt. Check to confirm the ingredients have softened by poking them with a fork or knife.
Step 3: Remove the pan from heat. Blend the ingredients with an immersion stick blender by pulsing it on and off for 3-second intervals 4-5 times.
Step 4: Taste the sauce to see if it needs a pinch more kosher salt. Add the cilantro leaves.
Step 5: Run the stick blender for 2 more 3-second pulses to chop the cilantro into smaller pieces while combining it into the salsa.
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Homemade salsa will be kept for up to 2 hours at room temperature. If it is longer, it needs to be stored in the fridge.
Refrigerator: Store in a covered container for up to four days.
Freezer: This recipe makes a small batch, however, you can freeze it in individual containers for up to three months.
FAQ
This is a small batch of salsa that makes only 2 cups and will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
This is a green salsa commonly used as a condiment for tacos and a dip for chips. The green color is from using tomatillos and green chilis as the base of the salsa rather than red tomatoes.
Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment and ⭐️ rating below to let us know how it turned out! Thanks for visiting!
What To Serve With This Recipe
📖 Recipe
Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa (Salsa Verde)
Equipment
- 1 Immersion Stick Blender (or a food processor)
- 1 Saucepan (1 quart to 1 gallon capacity)
Ingredients
- ½ pound Tomatillos
- 1 whole Fresh Jalapeño Pepper
- ½ White or Yellow Onion
- 2 cloves Fresh Garlic
- ½ cup Water
- ½ cup Pork Stock or Water ((If you make pulled pork, save the stock for this))
- ¼ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro Leaves
Instructions
- Remove the husks from the tomatillos, rinse them under water, then add them to the saucepan.
- Cut the stem off the jalapeño, split it in half, dispose of the seeds, then chop the halves into half-inch chunks before adding them to the pot.
- Peel the outer skin from the half onion then cut it in half so that it is a quarter size of a whole onion before adding it to the saucepan.
- Smash the garlic cloves with the side of a chefs knife. Remove their peels then add to the pot.
- Add the pork stock (if using) and water to the pot and simmer over medium high heat for 17-18 minutes.
- Add the freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt.
- Check to confirm the ingredients have softened by poking them with a fork or knife. They should show no resistance when poked. Remove the pan from heat.
- Start to blend the ingredients with an immersion stick blender by pulsing it on and off for 3-second intervals 4-5 times. This is a small batch, so you might need to tilt the pot and move the immersion stick blender to a different area of the pot between pulses. You are trying to maintain a slightly chunky texture. (You can also use a food processor)
- Taste the sauce to see if it might need a touch more kosher salt. Add the cilantro leaves.
- Blend with the stick blender for 2 more 3-second pulses to chop the cilantro into smaller pieces while combining them into the salsa.
- The tomatillo salsa verde is ready to serve with tacos or chips.
Notes
- you can either double or triple the amount of jalapeño peppers
- or add the jalapeño seeds to the saucepan with the other ingredients
- or use serrano peppers.
- use one-half of a jalapeño pepper
- or substitute the jalapeño with an Anaheim pepper.
Nutrition
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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