I absolutely love making Charred Tomatillo Homemade Salsa Verde because it is simple to whip up in the blender and tastes delicious! The tangy zesty flavors from tomatillo combined with spicy jalapeños, garlic, cilantro and a dash of lime—I can’t get enough! Try it with tortilla chips for a fun dip!
Homemade Tomatillo Salsa
My homemade tomatillo salsa is a smoky, zesty, mouthwatering dip for tortilla chips or tacos. Its zesty flavor is a fun spin on regular salsa. With the inclusion of smoky, charred tomatillos, this is a dip every tortilla chip wants to be dunked in! Serve it at a party or for the next Taco Tuesday!
Homemade Salsa Verde Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 unpeeled garlic cloves
- 1 pound fresh tomatillos husked, washed and stems removed
- 1 onion peeled & quartered
- 2-3 jalapeno chiles or 2 serrano chiles; stems removed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ -1 teaspoon granulated sugar divided
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice divided
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and set oven to broil. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Place garlic, tomatillos, onion, and chiles on the baking sheet and drizzle with 1½ tablespoons olive oil. Set the baking sheet on the oven rack and broil the vegetables until the skins on the tomatillos have darkened and are partially charred.2 unpeeled garlic cloves, 1 pound fresh tomatillos, 1 onion, 2-3 jalapeno chiles or 2 serrano chiles; stems removed, 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Peel the garlic and scrape all the ingredients (including vegetables, juices & oil) from the baking sheet to a blender.
- Add cilantro, sugar, broth, lime juice, kosher salt, and black pepper. Purée to desired consistency (I prefer the salsa fairly smooth).¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, ½ -1 teaspoon granulated sugar, ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, ¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1½ tablespoons oil and pour the tomatillo salsa into the pan. Set the heat to medium and bring the salsa to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook until mixture reduces to about 2 cups, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with additional sugar, salt, pepper and lime juice, if needed.
- The salsa is even better when made the day before serving. Keep refrigerated, up to 1 week, in an airtight container.
Becky’s Tips
- To make this salsa spicier, you can add an extra Serrano pepper or two. Or to make it less spicy, omit the Serranos entirely (or use a jalapeño, which has slightly less heat). You can also core chile peppers (remove the seeds) to reduce the heat.
- If the salsa is too thick, feel free to add in 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water (or chicken/vegetable stock).
- If using canned tomatillos, drain the excess water.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Homemade Salsa Verde
Set oven to broil: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and set oven to broil. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Broil the vegetables: Place 2 unpeeled garlic cloves, 1 pound fresh tomatillos (husked, washed), 1 onion (peeled & quartered) , 2-3 jalapeño chiles or 2 Serrano chiles (stems removed), on the baking sheet and drizzle with half of olive oil (out of 3 tablespoons olive oil).
Then broil the vegetables until the skins on the tomatillos have darkened and are partially charred.
Add into the blender and blend well: Peel the garlic and scrape all the ingredients from the baking sheet to a blender.
To this add ¼ cup of chopped fresh cilantro, ½ -1 teaspoon of granulated sugar, ½ cup of low-sodium chicken broth, 1-2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice, ½ teaspoon of coarse kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Purée to desired consistency. I prefer the salsa fairly smooth.
Cook for 10 min and chill: In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining oil and pour the tomatillo salsa into the pan, bring to a simmer then cook on low until the mix reduces.
Season to taste with additional sugar, salt, pepper and lime juice, if needed.
The salsa is even better when made the day before serving. Keep refrigerated, up to 1 week, in an airtight container.
How to Store and Reheat
Store this in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-6 days.
Use freezer-grade plastic bags and pour in the salsa so you can freeze it flat for easy storage. You can also use a sturdy, heavy plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Freeze for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and serve.
Serving Suggestions
Pair my Tomatillo Salsa with Chicken Tinga Tacos and Beef Folded Tortillas Quesadilla. I use this salsa in my Salsa Verde Chicken and Green Chicken Enchiladas for festive Mexican flavors.
More salsa recipes that you’ll love
Our homemade salsa verde recipe was originally published 2/3/20. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 2/21/25.
Excellent!
Where is the cilantro or and Poblano , Pasilla for the Verde Salsa ?
Modify to your liking!
Am looking for a chili verde sauce to add to roasted pork chunks. Serve it with Mexican rice and beans. Please advise
You can use this recipe!