This roasted tomatillo salsa verde recipe is easy to make and customize to your liking, and always tastes absolutely delicious!
My tried-and-true favorite recipe for homemade salsa verde! ♡
Recipe Tips
Here are a few tips to always keep in mind when making tomatillo salsa verde:
- Choose ripe tomatillos. Look for firm tomatillos with tight, dry husks and vibrant green color. Avoid ones that feel sticky or shriveled.
- Keep an eye on the charring. Place your baking sheet 4 to 6 inches from the heat and broil for about 5 minutes per side, or until the tomatillos are nice and charred and blistered. But be sure keep a close eye so that they don’t overcook and burn.
- Add a splash of water or broth if it’s too thick. Tomatillos can vary in juiciness. If your salsa is too thick, loosen it up with a bit of water or chicken/vegetable broth without diluting the flavor.
- Adjust the heat to taste. Use more/less serrano or jalapeño peppers depending on your spice preference. The heat levels can vary significantly between fresh peppers, so if you’re sensitive to heat, I would always start with considerably less and you can always add more. Removing the seeds will also mellow the heat.
- Balance the acidity with sweetness, if needed. If your tomatillos seem overly tart, a small pinch of sugar or honey can help to mellow their acidity.
- Let it rest before serving. Give the salsa at least 30 minutes to rest so that the flavors can meld. It will taste even better after chilling for a few hours.
Recipe Variations
Here are a few different salsa verde variations that you’re welcome to try:
- Boiled salsa verde: Add the tomatillos, serrano, and garlic to a pot of boiling water. Simmer for 5–6 minutes, until tomatillos are pale and softened, then drain and blend with the remaining ingredients as instructed to make boiled salsa verde.
- Raw salsa verde: To make salsa verde cruda, skip the roasting and just blend all of the ingredients raw for a more acidic salsa with bright tomatillo flavor.
- Avocado salsa verde: Let the salsa cool to room temperature then blend in an avocado to make creamy avocado tomatillo salsa.
- Pineapple salsa verde: Add 1/2 cup fresh pineapple chunks to the blender for a sweet-and-spicy twist.
- Apple salsa verde: Add 1 Granny Smith apple (cored) to the blender for a fresh apple twist.
More Mexican Salsa Recipes To Try!
Looking for more great salsa recipes to try? Here are a few of our favorites:
Salsa Verde
Learn how to make delicious, authentic, and irresistible Mexican tomatillo salsa verde recipe with this easy recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 1 serrano pepper (or jalapeño for milder heat), stem removed
- 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/3 cup diced white onion
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
Instructions
- Roast. Place the tomatillos, serrano, and garlic on a baking sheet. Broil for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until charred and softened
- Blend. Carefully squeeze out the roasted garlic flesh into a blender (or food processor), discarding the peels. Add the tomatillos, serrano and all of their juices to the blender, along with the cilantro, onion, lime juice, salt, and cumin (if using). Blend until smooth or pulse for a more chunky consistency.
- Season. Taste and season with additional salt or lime juice, if needed.
- Chill and serve. Let the salsa chill in the fridge for at least an hour to allow flavors to meld. Serve and enjoy, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I made this before and was great. But I was wondering if I can can it to make more pints to keep? Let me know. Thanks Randy
Awesome!
I find that parchment paper works much better than foil, which tends ro scratch ope, defeating the purpose of keeping your roasting plan clean.
This is especially true of tomatillos, which become very juicy when roasted. Try it, you’ll like it for many things!
So easy to make and a very authentic taste! Thank you!
Oh, wow!! YUM!
Love this recipe! I’ve tried canning versions of salsa verde but the lemon taste is overwhelming (but necessary when canning). Has anyone froze this recipe & found it was still similar in taste & texture after thawing?
I’m wondering the same thing. I was wanting to can this recipe due to excessive production in the garden!! Would love this answered.
This is by far the best and easiest recipe I have come across. I roasted everything in my air fryer because it’s over 100 degrees here and I wasn’t about to fire up my oven. I used two jalapeños and more cilantro because we love cilantro. Thank you for a fabulous recipe.
This is delicious! And I mistakenly misread and didn’t roast the tomatillos first! I just blended them after peeling husk and it was still so fresh and delicious! Everyone loved it and it was gone!
Delish! I roasted the tomatillos for about 23 mins and used a large partially seeded jalapeño. I loved the flavor without the cumin, so I didn’t add. I’ll be using cumin in the spicy black beans as part of my burrito bowl. The salsa verde will go on top along with some pepita vinaigrette. Best of all there will be plenty leftover for dipping some tortilla chips. Yum!
I made the salsa verda tonight and it is everything you said it was. Delish! I dipped and munch away on corn chip while I prepared to cook a piece of cod. Since cod can be somewhat bland, I decided to make a white sauce (butter, corn starch [gluten free], milk, salt and pepper) and add a small amount if the salsa verde and some parmesan cheese. The result was a wonderful compliment to the cod. Thanks you for sharing this salsa verde recipe.