• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Mexican Please

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Most Popular
    • Most Recent
    • Salsas
    • Appetizers/Sides
    • Beans
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Enchiladas
    • Main Dish
    • Mexican Cooking 101
    • Tacos
    • Soup
    • Tortillas
    • Vegetarian
  • Articles
  • Cooking Course
  • About Me
  • Contact

Avocado Salsa Verde

October 31, 2016 By Patrick 37 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin
2290shares

Avocado Salsa Verde usually inspires a gushing “What is this?” from those who’ve never made it at home before.  It has such a vibrant, distinct flavor that people assume there are some big-time chef skills involved in producing this masterpiece.

But there’s not.  It happens to be one of the easiest of Mexican sauces to make, and once it’s part of your repertoire you’ll come back to it time and time again.

In addition to being the ultimate you complete me partner for dishes like Spicy Black Bean Nachos, this Avocado Salsa Verde  will instantly improve just about anything you pair it with.

This is Recipe #13 of our free Mexican Cooking Survival Guide that details 27 droolworthy Mexican recipes you can make from a simple, inexpensive pantry list.

Avocado Salsa Verde has one of the best flavor-to-effort ratios in all of Mexican cuisine. You'll get incredible flavor from very little effort by using just a few key ingredients. So good! mexicanplease.com

Avocado Salsa Verde Recipe

After serving this to your loved ones and accepting all forms of compliments, you might feel a pang of guilt for not giving credit to Mother Nature for the two gems that make this magic happen.

Particularly, a ripe avocado.

Avocado Salsa Verde has one of the best flavor-to-effort ratios in all of Mexican cuisine. You'll get incredible flavor from very little effort by using just a few key ingredients. So good! mexicanplease.com

And some fresh tomatillos.

Avocado Salsa Verde has one of the best flavor-to-effort ratios in all of Mexican cuisine. You'll get incredible flavor from very little effort by using just a few key ingredients. So good! mexicanplease.com

If you’ve never bought tomatillos before, you can usually find them near the jalapenos in the produce section.  Take a peek under the husk and buy the ones that are taut and green on the inside.

Of course, some markets don’t carry them at all as the dreaded salsa aisle is constantly reducing demand for the real deal.  If you can’t find them at your go-to grocer, it’s worth trying a gourmet store or a Latin market.

And don’t forget that you can always default to using canned tomatillos.  You’ll still end up with a sauce that’s far superior to anything you can buy pre-made.   You’ll find canned tomatillos in any market that has a Latin goods section.

Okay, assuming you’ve got 4-5 fresh tomatillos on hand, first pull off the husks.  They’ll be sticky on the inside so give them a good rinse.

Uncooked tomatillos are tart and acidic, so we’ll roast them to sweeten them up and lower their acidity.

Avocado Salsa Verde has one of the best flavor-to-effort ratios in all of Mexican cuisine. You'll get incredible flavor from very little effort by using just a few key ingredients. So good! mexicanplease.com

My default method is to put them in the oven at 400F.  I typically cut out the stem portion but you can consider this optional.

10-15 minutes later they’ll start to shrivel and turn army green.  Done!

Avocado Salsa Verde has one of the best flavor-to-effort ratios in all of Mexican cuisine. You'll get incredible flavor from very little effort by using just a few key ingredients. So good! mexicanplease.com

If you’re using canned tomatillos, you don’t have to roast them as it won’t have the same effect on them.

Add the tomatillos to a blender or food processor along with 1/2 onion, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 jalapeno pepper (or serrano), and 10-12 sprigs of cilantro.  Pulse blend the ingredients and give a taste for heat level.  If it’s not spicy enough for you add the other half of the jalapeno (or serrano).

Note that Salsa Verde is typically made with serrano peppers but we are using jalapenos here.  Serranos are sharper and have a slightly different flavor than jalapenos.  But they are so closely related that 75 percent of the time I make Salsa Verde I am using jalapenos.  So don’t sweat it if it’s hard to find serranos in your neighborhood as jalapenos will give you an equally good result.

Once you’re happy with the heat level add the avocado and blend together.

Avocado Salsa Verde has one of the best flavor-to-effort ratios in all of Mexican cuisine. You'll get incredible flavor from very little effort by using just a few key ingredients. So good! mexicanplease.com

Take a taste and thank the heavens for this delightful combo.

If you found the heat level got diminished a bit by adding the avocado, feel free to add more jalapeno.  And you can salt to taste here too, sometimes a pinch gives it a boost.

While adding this beauty to a serving bowl it’s best to start coming up with a potential answer for the big question that is already on its way….

What is this?

Avocado Salsa Verde has one of the best flavor-to-effort ratios in all of Mexican cuisine. You'll get incredible flavor from very little effort by using just a few key ingredients. So good! mexicanplease.com

Buen Provecho.

Avocado Salsa Verde has one of the best flavor-to-effort ratios in all of Mexican cuisine. You'll get incredible flavor from very little effort by using just a few key ingredients. So good! mexicanplease.com

Avocado Salsa Verde

Avocado Salsa Verde has one of the best flavor-to-effort ratios in all of Mexican cuisine. You'll get incredible flavor from very little effort by using just a few key ingredients.
4.41 from 25 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 (2 cups)
Calories: 100kcal
Author: Patrick Calhoun | Mexican Please

Ingredients

  • 4 tomatillos
  • 1 jalapeno (or 1 serrano)
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 10-12 sprigs cilantro
  • 1 avocado
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Pull the husks off the tomatillos and give them a good rinse.
  • Cut the stems out of the tomatillos if you want.
  • Roast the tomatillos in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until they start to turn army green
  • Add tomatillos to a blender or food processor along with ½ onion, 1 garlic clove, 10-12 sprigs cilantro, and ½ of the jalapeno
  • Pulse blend and taste for heat level
  • If you want more spice add more jalapeno (either ¼ or ½ more)
  • Once happy with the heat level, add the avocado to the blender and combine well
  • Salt to taste
  • Serve immediately

Notes

As described in the instructions, I always recommend adding the jalapeno pepper incrementally the first few times you make this sauce. This gives you a good idea of your preferred heat level. If you are sensitive to spicy foods you can start by adding ¼ of the jalapeno at first and tasting for heat level.
If you are using canned tomatillos, don't bother roasting them. It doesn't have the same effect on tomatillos that have been resting in liquid.
Using the cilantro stems is common in Mexico. I typically twist off the thicker, bottom portion of the stems but keep the upper portion of the stem that connects the leaves.
Like this recipe?Click the stars above to rate it or leave a comment down below! @mexplease

We also like to serve this Avocado Salsa Verde with our Roasted Poblano Quesadilla, our Chicken Tingadillas, and most recently these Spicy Beef and Cheese Empanadas.

For an even lighter consistency, try making Salsa de Aguacate.

Salsa de Aguacate in serving bowl.

 

Still hungry?!

Want to receive Mexican Please recipes via email when they are posted?  Sign up below to subscribe.  All recipes are spam free.

And don't worry, we hate spam too!  You can unsubscribe at any time.

Thank You For Subscribing!

Filed Under: Appetizers/Sides, Most Popular, Most Recent, Salsas, Vegetarian

Previous Post: « Tomato Jalapeno Salsa
Next Post: Mexican Cooking Survival Guide »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary

    August 26, 2020 at 8:57 am

    I’m excited to try this recipe. I was just wondering how many days ahead could I make this?

    Reply
    • Patrick

      August 28, 2020 at 2:12 pm

      Hi Mary! Hmmm it’s always going to be best when freshly blended, and with the avocado I never really keep it in the fridge much longer than a day or two. Cheers.

      Reply
  2. Dabney

    July 31, 2020 at 10:44 am

    5 stars
    I love this salsa! Just made it today. I used the entire jalapeño, and found myself wanting more spice, so I added back some of the seeds. I also added a little cumin. Perfect!

    Reply
    • Patrick

      July 31, 2020 at 2:08 pm

      Thanks Dabney!

      Reply
  3. Tdubya

    May 6, 2020 at 5:42 pm

    Fantastic simple recipe to have in the deck. Was perfect with tacos al pastor and just good ol’ tortilla chips. I added a little pineapple juice for some acid and some cumin for a little more depth.

    Reply
    • Patrick

      May 8, 2020 at 12:23 pm

      Hey thanks for mentioning your adjustments Tdub, very helpful. Cheers.

      Reply
  4. Geraldine

    July 31, 2019 at 9:42 am

    Hi from Barcelona,
    Can you tell me the origins of this recipe? Is this new, or what state in Mexico did it come from?
    It sounds really good. I have been making Guacamole for 60 years, never saw a recipe using Tomatillos or salsa verde.

    Thanks, Geraldine\

    Reply
    • Patrick

      July 31, 2019 at 3:53 pm

      Hey Geraldine! Hmmm tough one, I don’t think I can say for sure what region can claim this recipe. It’s one of the first combos I learned and most likely it came about as a way to make a traditional Salsa Verde creamier as adding avocado will really thicken it up. If you’re new to it I would highly recommend trying a batch as it’s one of those sauces that gets close to 100pct approval rate 🙂

      Reply
  5. Alice Bickers

    January 10, 2019 at 11:35 am

    5 stars
    What exactly differentiates this from guacamole? The tomatillos? And BTW, I love raw tomatillos!

    Reply
    • Patrick

      January 11, 2019 at 5:11 pm

      Hey Alice! Yeah it’s like the child of Salsa and Guac parents and will taste different than Guac because of the tomatillos — typically you won’t get that flavor in Guac. If you’re a fan of tomatillos then you should try it, most likely it will be a keeper for you. Cheers.

      Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply to Alice Bickers Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hey, I'm Patrick! I spent 2 years living in Cozumel and got obsessed with Mexican food. I built this site to share all the recipes and techniques I've learned along the way. Read More…

Footer

Mexican Recipes

Cooking Course

Mexican Cooking 101

Ingredients

Salsas

Starting a Food Blog

Enchilada Recipes

About Me

Contact

Disclaimer

© 2020 Mexican Please
 - Privacy Policy