Skip the jarred stuff — this recipe for fresh homemade salsa verde can’t be beat. Ready in 20 minutes, it’s made with fresh tomatillos, jalapeños, onion, and a hint of cilantro. It’s a breeze to whip up in the blender before it simmers stovetop for 15 minutes. Mildly spicy, it’s the perfect from-scratch salsa to serve with tortilla chips, to drizzle over tacos, and more!
The Best Tomatillo Salsa Verde!!
I absolutely love homemade salsa verde and I put this on everything I can! Tacos with green sala verde, yes. Nachos, absolutely. Breakfast tacos, always. On rice, yup. Directly eaten with a spoon, hehehe maybe! 😉
Fresh salsa verde is made with well, lots of fresh ingredients! Tomatillos, white onion, jalapeno pepper, minced garlic and cilantro are blended with spices and lime juice. It’s not only delicious, but it’s so easy to make! Throw it all in the blender, followed by simmering on the stove for a few minutes, and it’s ready!
This makes approximately 2 pints of salsa verde, or 4 cups.
Love this tomatillo jalapeno salsa? Check out my tomatillo recipe collection for more! You might also like roasted tomatillo salsa and oven-roasted tomatillos.
What are tomatillos?
Green tomatillos are a small, round fruit with papery husks on its outside. They kinda look like small green tomatoes because they are actually distant cousins of tomatoes. They are often used in Mexican recipes because they are native to Mexico—so if you can’t find them at your local grocery stores, check a local specialty store.
How to husk tomatillos?
Tomatillos have papery husks on them that need to be removed before you eat them. Tomatillos tend to be a little sticky, so just rip off the husks until they’re completely gone (you can compost the husks).
A tip to remove the husks quickly is placing tomatillos in warm water so they are easier to peel off.
How to Make Fresh Tomatillo Salsa
Add all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender.
Blend until it reaches salsa consistency.
Pour the salsa verde into a saucepan and simmer until it thickens up.
You can serve this warm or cold, depending on your preference. Any leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator.
Storing leftovers
You can store your leftover salsa verde in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Can I freeze or can this salsa verde?
Freezing: Yes, I personally freeze a couple batches! To freeze, allow to cool down and then bag in freezer bags. I like to freeze the bag flat in the freezer, good for up to 6 months.
Canning: To can it, use one cup of vinegar instead of one cup of water to can this salsa verde! Spoon the hot salsa into preheated, sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Secure the sterilized lids and rings, then return the jars to the boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Afterward, remove the jars and place them on a flat towel to cool completely. Listen for the pop to ensure the jars have sealed properly!
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Fresh Tomatillo Salsa Verde (Blender Recipe)
PrintIngredients
- 1 pound tomatillos husked
- 1/2 cup white onion chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeds removed, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- pinch pepper
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup lime juice
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until it's salsa consistency.
- Pour salsa verde into a saucepan and heat on medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often.
- Allow to cool and then serve or place in jars in the refrigerator, to use within a week. You can also freeze it for longer storage. Enjoy!
Notes
Jeff Goddin says
I needed to do something with some tomatillos I’d saved from the local neglected community garden after I couldn’t foist them off on anybody else (I’d earlier noticed them bursting and grabbed and ate one sun warmed and I knew, if not today, it would be too late for many of these wonderful fruits.) I found you though searching roasted, and had some farm market jalapenos I’d bought to challenge myself as well…
I only just got my oven working in this place, after 3 years. I’m a 50 year old bachelor. The need to roast beets finally broke me down, and I opened the side windows for a cross breeze for the first time, took out all the fire alarms, and cranked up the oven, and let it blow smoke until it was done. Not too bad, really, but the first time early in my tenancy after I’d taken the lock-out off the stove gas and relit the pilots and cleaned the gas outlets and tried it was bad and all the alarms went off and I hadn’t tried since. But I’d bought beets at market and boiled them and it was so sad…
Well, now I’ve made a couple batches of muffins, too! So I roasted the tomatillos, roasted the jalapenos (hands still a bit tingly lol from processing those) and with only a slight adjustment (juice of one fat lemon instead of 1/4 cup lime, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup water instead of 1 cup water, and a bit heavy on the cilantro, and wow! I didn’t simmer it like in this recipe, and perhaps I’m pushing people over to the roasted tomatillo recipe as I don’t really like the idea of simmering the onion and cilantro and acid, but this is the recipe I used, mostly.
Pamela Reed says
This seriously made my day—thank you for sharing! I love that you rescued those tomatillos and made something so good with them. Your oven comeback story made me laugh! 😂 And your tweaks sound amazing (extra cilantro = always yes). So glad you found the recipe!
Debra says
This recipe was so simple to make it taste store bought
Debra says
This recipe was perfect
Debra Mcnealy says
Loved this recipe
Bernice says
I didn’t like my first recipe, so I’M going to try yours. I’ll test the ph first…but I’m betting I can can this for shelf storage. I’ll let you know!
Pamela says
Hope you enjoy Bernice! We love this salsa verde in our house!
Amy @ Elephant Eats says
Had a bunch of tomatillos from our CSA delivery so i made this salsa (with a few modifications cuz i didn’t have bouillon) and it was SOOOO yummy!!!! Thank you!
Pamela says
Thanks Amy! So happy you enjoyed this salsa, I can’t get enough of it!