If you've ever taken a bite of pico de gallo (aka salsa fresca) and thought, where's the spice?-this recipe is for you! This spicy pico de gallo brings the perfect amount of heat with fresh jalapeno peppers, ripe tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime juice. It's a quick and easy homemade salsa that comes together in only 10 minutes, no cooking required!
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Recipe Highlights
Inspiration: I love making homemade condiments, and store-bought pico just wasn't cutting it. Mild was too bland and hot basically scorched my taste buds. So, I set out to make the best pico de gallo with jalapenos that has just the right amount of spice.
What makes it special: "Spicy" means different things to different people, and this recipe lets you customize the heat to your preference while still tasting bold and authentic. Plus, it's make-ahead friendly and way more flavorful than store-bought.
Pro tip: It tastes even better after chilling and letting the flavors meld. It can be made up to 4 days in advance so it's great for meal prep or entertaining.
Serve with your favorite Mexican food. Use it as a spicy salsa for tacos like beer battered fish tacos or slow cooker chicken tacos.
Or, use as a condiment for sheet pan fajitas, southwest burger with guacamole, steak rice bowls, or barbacoa burrito bowls. Or, eat it as a dip with tortilla chips.
Ingredients Notes
- Jalapeno peppers are the star of the show! Two minced jalapenos give this salsa fresca a noticeable kick without overwhelming the other flavors.
- Roma tomatoes are less watery than other tomato varieties, which helps keep the pico from getting soggy. Seed and dice them for the best texture.
- White onion tastes sharp and crisp. It's the traditional choice for an authentic pico de gallo recipe.
- Fresh cilantro gives this Tex-Mex salsa it's signature herby flavor. Chop it finely so it blends evenly throughout.
When I'm craving a tropical twist, especially on fish tacos, I swap in mango pico de gallo for a sweet and spicy combo.
Tips for Adjusting the Spice Level
Mild: Most of the heat in peppers comes from the seeds and membranes (aka ribs), so remove those parts of the pepper before mincing.
Medium (this is how I like it!): Leave in the seeds from one pepper and remove them from the other. In my opinion, this gives the best balance between flavor and heat.
Hot: Keep all the seeds in, or better yet, swap the jalapenos for serrano peppers, which bring more heat and a sharper bite.
How to Make Spicy Pico de Gallo
Dice or chop all ingredients uniformly. In a medium sized bowl combine fresh tomatoes, onion, peppers, lime juice, cilantro, and salt.
Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
More Tex-Mex Condiments
If you try this recipe or any recipe from Happy Honey Kitchen, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Enjoy!
10-Minute Spicy Pico de Gallo Recipe
Save this Recipe!
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
- knife
Ingredients
- 1 cup Roma tomato seeded and diced; about 3 tomatoes
- ½ cup white onion diced
- 2 jalapeno peppers diced; leave seeds and ribs in for spicier taste
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl combine Roma tomatoes, onions, peppers, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld.
Notes
- For an even spicier taste, try this recipe with serrano peppers instead of jalapenos.
- Storage: Leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just give it a good stir before serving. I do not recommend freezing this recipe as the tomatoes and herbs will lose their texture and flavor once thawed.
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