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A bowl of salsa verde with a spoon
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5 from 12 votes

Salsa Verde

This homemade salsa verde (tomatillo salsa) adds a spicy, flavorful kick to any Mexican dish. It's your classic green salsa in Mexican cuisine! Watch how I make it in the video below.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time13 minutes
Total Time18 minutes
Course: sauce
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Green Salsa, Salsa Verde, Tomatillo Salsa
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 10 tomatillos husks removed
  • 1 to 2 serrano or jalapeno peppers stemmed
  • 4 garlic cloves unpeeled
  • ½ medium onion diced
  • cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  • Char in the oven. Turn the top broiler on in the oven and set a rack about 4 inches below the broiler. Place the tomatillos, peppers, and garlic on a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes, then flip everything and broil 4 to 5 minutes more, until slightly charred and blistered. Let cool to the touch.
    Roasting salsa verde ingredients on a sheet pan
  • Pulse together. Transfer the tomatillos and peppers (see note below on heat level) to a food processor or high-powered blender along with the onion, cilantro, garlic, and salt. Pulse a few times, until your desired texture is reached.
    Blending tomatillo salsa
  • Serve. Pour the salsa verde into a serving bowl and enjoy!
    Salsa verde in a serving bowl.

Video

Notes

  • Serrano peppers are a bit hotter than jalapeno peppers. If you'd like a milder salsa use jalapeno peppers in the recipe or opt for 1 pepper. You can also slice and deseed the pepper after broiling and before blending, to reduce the heat.
  • While many of my Mexican friends make this recipe with two whole serrano peppers (as I've shown today for an authentic salsa verde), that version definitely gets my sinuses going (aka it's a bit too spicy for me!). I prefer to make this recipe with one pepper. So feel free to tweak the recipe to your preferred heat level. 
  • Also note that in the photos I forgot to stem the peppers before roasting, but I did remove the stems before blending. 
  • The salsa verde will be quite liquidy immediately after blending, but it does thicken up as it rests and cools. 

Nutrition

Calories: 25kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 389mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 134IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.4mg