This Charred Tomatillo Homemade Salsa Verde is simple to whip up in the blender and tastes absolutely delicious! Packed with kinds of goodies, like jalapenos, garlic, cilantro and lime, it’s a party dip that delivers!

bowl of homemade salsa verde

Enjoy a vibrant, delicious and addictive Homemade Salsa Verde. With the inclusion of smoky, charred tomatillos, this is a dip every tortilla chip wants to be dunked in!

I love the flavor of a green salsa for dishes like salsa verde chicken, Chile verde, and salsa verde enchiladas. Or simply to drizzle on top of tacos, like grilled chicken tacos or or carnitas.

How To Make Homemade Salsa Verde 

Place garlic, tomatillos, onion, and chiles on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then broil the vegetables until the skins on the tomatillos have darkened and are partially charred.
 
Peel the garlic and scrape all the ingredients  from the baking sheet to a blender. Add cilantro, sugar, broth, lime juice, kosher salt and black pepper. Purée to desired consistency
 
In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining  oil and pour the tomatillo salsa into the pan, bring to a simmer then cook on low til 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.
Enjoy!

top down shot of homemade salsa verde in bowl

dip in bowl

What’s The Difference Between Salsa and Salsa Verde?

The main difference between regular salsa and salsa verde is that tomatillos are used instead of red tomatoes. Due to the tomatillos, salsa verde has a tangy, zesty flavor with the underlying tastes of hearty roasted green chiles and onions.

Does Salsa Verde Need To Be Refrigerated?

As long as it’s covered and refrigerated, fresh homemade salsa has a shelf life of between four to six days. There are fewer preserving agent ingredients in a freshly made salsa, so the shelf-life is fast. But the plus side is homemade salsa verde is so much tastier than store bought!

Does Salsa Verde Freeze Well?

Yes, the good news is that salsa verde retains all its flavor, vitamins and minerals when you freeze it – but only if you wrap it properly. Use freezer-grade plastic bags and pour in the salsa so you can freeze it flat for easy storage, or use a sturdy, heavy plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.

bowl of dip with spoon

overhead shot of bowl of salsa verde

Top Tips For Homemade Salsa Verde 

  • To make this salsa more spicy, 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 always 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).
  • When shopping for your salsa verde, choose fresh tomatillos that are firm, bright green, and bulging from their husks. Tomatillos milperos, which are smaller and have purple skin and a sweeter flavor, can be used interchangeably with green tomatillos.
  • The salsa is even better made the day before serving. keep refrigerated.

More Salsa Recipes We Love

close up of homemade salsa verde

Check Out These Other Delicious Dips

If you’ve tried Homemade Salsa Verde dip, or have any other dips you love, I’d love to hear from you, please leave a comment below!

Recipe Card

Homemade Salsa Verde Recipe

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 people
Author: Becky Hardin
homemade salsa verde in a bowl
This Charred Tomatillo Homemade Salsa Verde is simple to whip up in the blender and tastes absolutely delicious! Packed with kinds of goodies, like jalapenos, garlic, cilantro and lime, it's a party dip that delivers!
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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.
  • Peel the garlic and scrape all the ingredients (including vegetables, juices & oil) from the baking sheet to a blender.
  • Add cilantro, ½ teaspoon sugar, broth, 1-tablespoon lime juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Purée to desired consistency (I prefer the salsa fairly smooth).
  • 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.
  • Enjoy!

Becky's Tips

Makes 1.5 cups
 
To make this salsa more spicy, 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 always 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).
When shopping for your salsa verde, choose fresh tomatillos that are firm, bright green, and bulging from their husks. Tomatillos milperos, which are smaller and have purple skin and a sweeter flavor, can be used interchangeably with green tomatillos.
The salsa is even better made the day before serving. keep refrigerated.
Calories: 50kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 101mgPotassium: 129mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 91IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment!

Meet Becky Hardin

Becky Hardin is a wife and mother living in Saint Louis Missouri. She founded The Cookie Rookie in 2012 as a creative way to share recipes. Now, she is a trusted resource for easy cooking around the world, being featured in Taste of Home, The Kitchn, ABC’s Home and Family, and more. Here at The Cookie Rookie she is the editor in chief of all recipes and continues to enjoy sharing her passion for cooking for busy families. She has since founded two additional food blogs, Easy Chicken Recipes and Easy Dessert Recipes.

5 from 1 vote
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5 Comments
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Perry
Perry
April 15, 2023 4:52 pm

Excellent!5 stars

botchie
botchie
May 10, 2022 5:07 pm

Where is the cilantro or and Poblano , Pasilla for the Verde Salsa ?

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
May 16, 2022 4:00 pm
Reply to  botchie

Modify to your liking!

Donna
Donna
May 3, 2021 7:37 pm

Am looking for a chili verde sauce to add to roasted pork chunks. Serve it with Mexican rice and beans. Please advise

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
May 7, 2021 11:18 am
Reply to  Donna

You can use this recipe!