How To Make Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde in a white bowl with tomatillos and lime.

This salsa verde recipe is a fresh, tangy Mexican green sauce made with tomatillos, jalapeños, and lime. Perfect for tacos, grilled meats, and dipping.

Course Condiments

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Salsa Recipes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings batch

Calories 480kcal

Author Darcey Olson

Cost $8

Ingredients

ROASTED VEGETABLES

1¼ lbs tomatillos, husks removed *Note 1
2 large jalapeños, stemmed *Note 2
½ medium white onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2-3 Tbsp avocado or vegetable oil, divided *Note 3

SALSA VERDE

½ cup cilantro, loosely packed
1 tbsp fresh lime juice plus more to taste
½ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
¼ tsp cumin, optional *Note 4

Instructions

ROAST PEPPER IN THE OVEN

Place the oven rack in the top position of the oven. Set the oven to high broil.
Place the tomatillos, jalapeños, onion slices and unpeeled garlic cloves on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Drizzle with 1-2 tbsp oil and use tongs to toss to coat each piece. For best results, arrange in a single layer.
Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Roast the peppers for about 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through. The skin should blister and blacken in spots.
Once roasted, remove from the oven and transfer to a resealable bag or place in a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Pour the excess liquid that was released during roasting into the blender.
After 15 minutes, use your fingers or a paper towel to peel away the skin gently.
For a milder salsa, slice open the peppers and scrape out the seeds with the knife.

ROAST PEPPERS ON THE STOVE TOP OR GRILL

Turn on a stove top burner, or outdoor grill, to high heat. Use a pair of metal tongs to place the pepper on the burners directly over the open flame. Turn every few minutes to evenly char.
Once evenly roasted, remove from the flame and transfer to a resealable bag or place in a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.
After 15 minutes, use your fingers or a paper towel to peel away the skin gently.
For a milder salsa, slice open the peppers and scrape out the seeds with the knife.

MAKE THE SALSA VERDE

Transfer the roasted peppers, tomatillos, onions, peeled garlic, salt, cilantro, lime juice and cumin to a blender. Blend until smooth, or use the pulse button 8-10x to keep it a bit chunky. Taste and add more lime juice and/or salt as desired.
OPTIONAL STEP: For a thicker salsa, heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Once hot, pour the salsa into the pan (it will steam and splatter a bit). Immediately stir and cook until salsa is darkened and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon (approx. 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat.
Store salsa verde in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Stir before serving.

Notes

Note 1 - If your tomatillos are extremely tart, add a bit of sugar or honey to balance out the flavors.

Note 2 - For hotter salsa, add an extra jalapeno or switch to serrano peppers.

Note 3 - Coating the peppers in oil can further enhance caramelization. The peppers naturally release oils during roasting, so it's not required to add extra oil. It's a personal preference.

Note 4 - If you're not a fan of cumin, omit this spice.

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