Juicy fresh tomatillos, cilantro, and lime juice come together for a quick and easy tomatillo salsa recipe that needs no cooking, just a food processor!
It's just so good, that it's time to make this one a tradition to serve for Taco Tuesday! This green colored tart fruit is a staple in Mexican cuisine. Serve it with crispy baked tortilla chips or my guacamole.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: none, no roasting
- ⏳ Total Time: 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4
- ⚡ Calories: 34kcal per serving, per the recipe card
- 🥣 Ingredients: tomatillos, onion, fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Tart, tangy and sweet with a little fresh crunch
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, one food processor
Quick Answer
Remove the husks from 8 tomatillos and rinse off the sticky outer layer, then cut them in halves or quarters. Add them to a food processor with ½ cup onion, ½ cup packed fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 garlic clove, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Pulse a few times until it reaches a chunky consistency, or blend longer for a thinner salsa. It keeps up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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This tomatillo salsa recipe has beautiful tart and sweet flavors that make your taste buds dance for more! Fans love my roasted tomatillo salsa recipe, and this one is similar, only it skips the roasting part and has a slightly sweeter flavor. Less time, less work, but just as delicious!
Why This No-Cook Tomatillo Salsa Works
Click to see why it works
- No roasting. It skips the roasting part and has a slightly sweeter, fresher flavor.
- One piece of equipment. All you need is a food processor. Less dishes and less mess is definitely a win-win!
- Pulse in short bursts for a chunkier salsa, or blend longer for a more liquid salsa.
- Rinse off the sticky coating. Tomatillos have a natural sticky coating which should be scrubbed off before eating.
- Cutting them in halves or quarters helps them chop up evenly.
Why You'll Love This Tomatillo Salsa
- Salsa is a family and party favorite dip! Because who doesn't like a juicy fresh homemade salsa or dip?!
- Uses only 1 piece of equipment and no cooking. All you need is a food processor and that is it!
- Paleo, gluten-free and vegan. Since the ingredients are 100 percent vegetables, it caters to all food allergies (unless you can't have tomatoes, sorry some of you pregnant or nursing mamas!). It is a delicious bowl of fresh and deeply flavorful ingredients.
- Ready in about 10 minutes.
- Keeps up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
What Goes Into This Recipe
- Fresh tomatillos - make sure to peel the husks away and rinse off the sticky outer layer before using.
- Cilantro leaves - provides iron, fiber and loads of Mexican flavor.
- Fresh lime juice - brings out zesty citrus punch to the tomatillo salsa!
- Salt and pepper - makes the tomatillo green tomatoes more flavorful.
- Garlic - you can use ½ teaspoon crushed (that is all I had) or 1 garlic clove.
- Purple onion - I use purple for its pretty coloring with green, but you can also use white or yellow onion.
See recipe card for quantities.
Tomatillo Salsa vs. Salsa Verde
Both of them use tomatillos, small green tomatoes that have husks around them. The difference is that salsa verde typically uses roasted green chilis and salsa uses all fresh ingredients without cooking or roasting, unless it says otherwise. Roasting brings out more sweetness in tomatillos so if you are looking for a good salsa verde recipe, check out my Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde recipe.
Fresh tomatillos taste tart, tangy, and sweet all at the same time and can be a little acidic. Cooking and roasting them sweetens the tomatoes and balances out the flavor. If you have issues with acidic foods, roast the tomatillos first. Otherwise enjoy this slightly tart, tangy and sweet combination without the cooking!
How to Make Tomatillo Salsa
1Prep and load. Remove the husks and rinse the tomatillos to remove the sticky layer (this is totally normal so don't let that stickiness freak you out😊). Cut the tomatillos in half or quarters and cut the onion into small chunks or slices so it processes easily, and add them all to a food processor. This helps them to chop up evenly. Then add the rest of the ingredients.
2Pulse. Pulse for a few seconds until a desired consistency is reached. For a chunkier tomatillo salsa, pulse a few seconds in increments. For a more liquid salsa, pulse and blend longer.
3Serve. Serve with chips or over favorite Mexican dishes and meats.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Husks off first. Make sure to remove the husks first and wash them well. Tomatillos have a natural sticky coating which should be scrubbed off before consuming.
- Want it mellower? You can also cook or roast them before pulsing which gives this salsa a more mellow and less acidic composition. Otherwise, as is, it is fresh with a little bit of delicious crunch!
- Thick or thin. For a thicker salsa pulse or blend for less time and for a thinner salsa blend longer.
- Any onion works. Purple adds pretty color, but white or yellow onion works too.
- Storage. This will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator stored in an airtight container.
What to Serve With Tomatillo Salsa
Serve this tomatillo salsa with chips, over tacos, fajitas, nachos and even steak, chicken and seafood. Here are a few of our favorite recipes to get you started: Pork Tacos, Grilled Shrimp Fajitas, Top Sirloin Steak, Simple Nachos (Family-Style), Crispy Baked Tortilla Chips and Cod Fish Tacos.
Related recipes: Zesty Low Carb Mexican Mushroom Baked Spaghetti Squash, Best Salsa Recipe, Guacamole Recipe, Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde (Green Salsa), Skinny Margarita on the Rocks, Chimichurri Sauce Recipe and Easy 5-Minute Enchilada Sauce Recipe.
Tomatillo Salsa FAQs
Both use tomatillos, small green tomatoes with husks around them. Salsa verde typically uses roasted green chilis, while this salsa uses all fresh ingredients without cooking or roasting.
Yes, they can be eaten raw, and are delicious mixed with other sweet ingredients and tossed into salad. Remove the husks first and wash them well to get rid of the sticky outer layer.
Tomatillos have a natural sticky coating under the husk. It is totally normal. Scrub it off under running water before using them.
Tart, tangy, and sweet all at the same time, with a little crunch. Cooking or roasting the tomatillos first sweetens them and balances out the flavor.
It will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator stored in an airtight container.
For a chunkier salsa, pulse a few seconds at a time. For a thinner, more liquid salsa, pulse and blend longer.
More Salsas and Dips
Try Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde, Best Salsa Recipe or Guacamole next. If you make this tomatillo salsa recipe I would love to see your creations and share it! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Tomatillo Salsa
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 tomatillos husk remove and washed
- ½ cup onion can be in slices or chunks as it will blend in the food processor
- ½ cup cilantro fresh, packed
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 garlic clove or ½ teaspoon crushed
- ½ teaspoon pink salt or regular table salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse them off to remove their sticky outer layer. Slice them half or quarters so they fit into the food processor. Cut the onion into slices or chunks to measure.
- In a food processor add the prepared tomatillos, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times until a desired chunky consistency is met. For a thicker salsa pulse or blend for less time and for a thinner salsa blend longer.
- Serve with chips or over favorite Mexican dishes and meats.
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