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Authentic Salsa Verde Recipe

January 8, 2016 By Patrick 65 Comments

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Nothing will transform your kitchen more than having go-to recipes for the two pillars of Mexican cuisine: red sauce and green sauce.

Today it’s the Green Sauce on center stage.  Otherwise known as Tomatillo-Serrano sauce, or Salsa Verde, or Mexico’s #2 salsa. 

A homemade green salsa can transform eggs, carnitas, and enchiladas into something otherworldly. Getting good at whipping up this authentic Salsa Verde opens up infinite possibilities! mexicanplease.com

A homemade green sauce can transform eggs, slow cooker carnitas, and enchiladas into something otherworldly– so getting good at whipping up this beauty opens up loads of instant possibilities.

Salsa Verde Recipe

Most supermarkets these days have a basket of tomatillos tucked away in the produce section.

green tomatillos beauty shot

If you’re new to tomatillos, pull open the husk at the grocery store and buy the ones that are taut and greenish on the inside. If they are pale or mushy they are past their prime.  (What is a Tomatillo?)

better husk opening reveal green tomatillo

Note:  If you’re in an area where fresh tomatillos are hard to come by, you can always use canned tomatillos.  Yes, it’ll be a slight step down in quality, but the results are still far superior than using storebought salsa.  And don’t worry about roasting tomatillos out of the can, it doesn’t have the same effect as roasting fresh tomatillos.

OK, got 4 tomatillos handy?  Pull the husks off, give them a good rinse, and cut out the stems.

And now we’ll add:

1 serrano pepper, de-stemmed and cut in half
½ white onion (yellow is OK)
1 clove garlic, peeled
10 sprigs cilantro

A homemade green salsa can transform eggs, carnitas, and enchiladas into something otherworldly. Getting good at whipping up this authentic Salsa Verde opens up infinite possibilities! mexicanplease.com

Roasting the tomatillos will lower the acidity and concentrate the flavors, so we’ll put them in the oven at 400F.  (Out latest post shows other roasting methods you can use to make this Salsa.)

tomatillos before roasting for salsa verde

In about 10-15 minutes they’ll start to turn army green, that means they’re done:

tomatillos after roasting in oven

Into the blender they go along with ½ onion, garlic, cilantro (using the stems in Mexico is the norm), and only 1/2 of the serrano pepper.  You could also use a molcajete to make the salsa.

salsa verde blender with one half serrano

Why only half of the serrano?  Because only you know your preferred heat level.  So I always recommend adding heat incrementally the first few times you make this sauce.  (How hot are serrano peppers?)

Pulse blend and taste for heat level.  Not enough?  Keep adding serrano until it tastes right to you.

(Note:  if you are sensitive to spicy foods then you can start by adding 1/4 of the serrano and taste-testing.)

A homemade green salsa can transform eggs, carnitas, and enchiladas into something otherworldly. Getting good at whipping up this authentic Salsa Verde opens up infinite possibilities! mexicanplease.com

And that’s it!  You just made the second most popular sauce in the history of Mexican cooking in less than 20 minutes.

Having this sauce on standby in your kitchen is a gamechanger.

A homemade green salsa can transform eggs, carnitas, and enchiladas into something otherworldly. Getting good at whipping up this authentic Salsa Verde opens up infinite possibilities! mexicanplease.com

Sure, it does well next to a bowl of chips.  But it really shines when used generously in breakfast burritos, or gooped on top of burritos, or smothering pork carnitas.

One last note:  you’ll typically find serranos next to jalapenos in the produce section, but if your local markets don’t carry them you can substitute jalapenos for the serranos and you’ll get a similar result.

Buen Provecho.

salsa verde in jar green sauce

Tomatillo-Serrano Sauce (Salsa Verde) Step-by-Step

Getting good at whipping up this Green Sauce opens up loads of possibilities in the kitchen. Use it generously on eggs, enchiladas, carnitas and burritos.
4.71 from 27 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 (2 cups)
Calories: 19kcal
Author: Patrick Calhoun | Mexican Please

Ingredients

  • 4-5 medium-sized tomatillos
  • 1 serrano pepper
  • 1/2 white onion (yellow is OK)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 10-12 sprigs cilantro
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Pull the husks off the tomatillos and give them a good rinse.  Cut the stems out of the tomatillos.
  • Roast the tomatillos in a 400F oven for 10-20 minutes or until they start to turn army green in color.  
  • Add the tomatillos to a blender along with 1/2 onion, 1 peeled garlic clove, 10-12 sprigs cilantro (using the upper stems is fine), and 1/4 of the serrano pepper.  (Be sure to give the cilantro and serrano a good rinse.)
  • Pulse blend and taste for heat level.  If you want more spice add another quarter of serrano.  Keep adding serrano until it tastes "right" to you. 
  • Salt to taste (I typically do not add much salt).  
  • Serve immediately and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

Always use caution when handling hot chiles.  I use my hands and just avoid touching my eyes or nose.  More tips on handling hot chiles. 
I highly recommend adding the serrano pepper incrementally the first few times you make this sauce.  
After you are happy with the heat level you can salt to taste, but when using fresh tomatillos I rarely add salt.
It's OK to substitute jalapenos if your local markets don't carry serranos.
I typically twist off and discard the bottom, thicker stems of the cilantro, but I use the upper stems that hold the leaves. 
Like this recipe?Click the stars above to rate it or leave a comment down below! @mexplease

Add an avocado to this recipe and you’ve got a delicious 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. So good! mexicanplease.com

You can also use a chipotle in adobo to get a delicious Tomatillo Chipotle Salsa.

A rich Tomatillo Chipotle Salsa that's bursting with flavor. No one will believe you when you show them the tiny ingredient list. So good! mexicanplease.com

And here is a link to making a molcajete version of this awesome green salsa.

The flavor you can generate by smooshing ingredients in a molcajete is unreal. You'll end up with a vibrant batch of Salsa Verde that could potentially cause you to break up with the other salsas in your life. mexicanplease.com

 

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Filed Under: Mexican Cooking 101, Most Popular, Most Recent, Salsas, Vegetarian

Previous Post: « Mexican Lentil Soup (Vegetarian Version)
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karin

    January 28, 2022 at 12:50 pm

    Just tried it the first time and I love it ❤. I hope that my family tomorrow loves it as much as I do. I definitely will make it again – just much more 😉

    Reply
    • Patrick

      January 28, 2022 at 5:07 pm

      Thanks Karin, so glad this one is a keeper for you! It’s still on the regular rotation for me even after making it hundreds of times 🙂

      Reply
  2. Michelle

    August 9, 2021 at 3:02 pm

    5 stars
    It’s delicious. My hands however are still on fire. When I make it again I’ll definitely wear rubber gloves.

    Reply
    • Patrick

      August 9, 2021 at 3:09 pm

      Thanks Michelle, I’ll make a note of this in the recipe box. Cheers.

      Reply
  3. Charles Michael Waddington

    July 27, 2021 at 10:38 am

    Howdy! I want to adapt this recipe to use hatch green chiles! I was wondering if you recommended ratio of tomatillo to hatch chilies?
    Thank you for your help!
    Cheers Chaz

    Reply
    • Patrick

      July 29, 2021 at 1:20 pm

      Hey Chaz! I tried that and was quite disappointed with it so I went back and checked my notes to see what I experimented with…

      First I tried the normal Salsa Verde recipe but with 3 roasted Hatch chiles in place of the jalapeno/serrano. I couldn’t taste the Hatch chiles so I doubled them and tried a batch with six Hatch chiles but still no Hatch yumminess! I was also experimenting with Hatch Enchilada Sauce at the same time and ran into the same thing — the tomatillos seemed to mask the awesome flavor of the Hatch chiles.

      Was never sure if it was the acidity of the tomatillos or the mildness of the Hatch chiles, but either way I ended up abandoning that combo and used tomatoes in the Hatch Salsa and just stock in the Hatch Enchiladas. Cheers 🙂

      Reply
      • Charles Waddington

        July 30, 2021 at 1:12 pm

        Thank you for your help! Cheers Chaz

        Reply
  4. Gean

    June 8, 2021 at 2:12 pm

    4 stars
    I made this in about 25 minutes! Plus cooling time. Super easy, I subbed jalapeño instead of Serrano. Added a tablespoon of fresh lime juice as this is what I prefer
    I hope my family enjoys as much as I do.

    Reply
    • Patrick

      June 10, 2021 at 2:38 pm

      Thanks Gean!

      Reply
  5. Jennifer

    February 28, 2021 at 3:15 am

    5 stars
    I LOVE this recipe!!!
    How long can you store it in the fridge & can you freeze it?

    Reply
    • Patrick

      March 1, 2021 at 4:24 pm

      Thanks Jennifer! It’ll keep in the fridge for a few days but it will lose some of its zip as each day passes. It will always taste best right out of the blender so I tend to make it in small batches and don’t really do any freezing with it. By the way….if it’s been in the fridge for a couple days you can always throw it in a blender with half a jalapeno (or serrano) and some fresh cilantro to wake it up. Cheers.

      Reply
  6. Teri Thomas

    December 12, 2020 at 4:33 pm

    5 stars
    I used what I had: A roasted poblano was my heat. I’m having difficulty getting the sticky protective coating off my tomatillos. A VERY thorough rinse and rubbing them inder water still leaves them tacky to touch. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Patrick

      December 15, 2020 at 3:40 pm

      Hey Teri! Yeah they can sometimes still be a little tacky even after a good rinse so I usually don’t sweat that too much. Sometimes it’s also leftover residue on your fingers that makes them feel sticky. Cheers.

      Reply
      • Teri

        January 4, 2021 at 4:41 pm

        This is SOoooGood! I’ve made it again.

        Reply
        • Patrick

          January 8, 2021 at 1:06 pm

          🙂

          Reply
  7. sandy reyes

    August 7, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    Can I can this in water bathe?

    Reply
    • Patrick

      August 11, 2020 at 2:29 pm

      Hi Sandy! Sorry I can’t give a better answer on this one but I’ve never done any long term preserving with this recipe. Cheers.

      Reply
  8. Gael Sammartino

    March 15, 2020 at 5:09 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is the bomb! Easy-Peary, and so, so good. It’s become my default for pot luck parties. Definitely right about being cautious with how much pepper you want to add, though.

    Reply
    • Patrick

      March 23, 2020 at 5:35 am

      Thanks Gael, so glad this one was a hit for you! Cheers.

      Reply
  9. Lara

    March 12, 2020 at 8:40 am

    5 stars
    Thanks so much for this great recipe. After his first bite, my husband requested that next time I make a gallon of it! It was THAT good!! And I loved that it was easy to make.

    Reply
    • Patrick

      March 14, 2020 at 8:53 pm

      Thanks Lara!

      Reply
  10. Gael Sammartino

    February 9, 2020 at 8:16 am

    5 stars
    Easy-peasy, and exactly what you’d hope it would be. Definitely will be making this again.

    Reply
    • Patrick

      February 16, 2020 at 10:26 pm

      Heh, easy peasy sums it up quite well 🙂

      Reply
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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…

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