This roasted tomatillo salsa recipe is fresh and flavorful! Blend roasted tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeño together for a tangy salsa with just the right amount of kick.
Tomatillo salsa is known for its bright, tart, and slightly sweet taste. The flavors pair perfectly with salty tortilla chips and make a great side dish or sauce for your favorite Mexican dishes like my enchilada casserole, ground beef tacos, chimichangas, or flautas.
What are tomatillos?
A tomatillo is a small, green fruit that belongs to the nightshade family. It's sometimes referred to as a Mexican tomato because they resemble green tomatoes, but they aren't actually tomatoes. They have bright green skin and are wrapped in loose papery husks that's easy to remove.
I highly suggest roasting tomatillos when making salsa verde. When roasted, tomatillos are softened, making them sweeter and juicier. Plus, the char adds a nice smoky flavor!
Ingredient notes
- Tomatillos: You can find fresh tomatillos at your grocery store in the produce department or at the local farmers market. Grab tomatillos that are small-medium sized and firm.
- Onion: White onion gives the salsa a mild, savory taste.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds extra flavor and a hint of nuttiness when roasted.
- Jalapeno: I like to balance my salsa out with a chili pepper, like jalapeno. For a spicier salsa, replace with a serrano pepper. For a mild salsa, leave the pepper out.
- Cilantro: A handful of cilantro adds a fresh flavor. If you're not a fan, like me, leave it out or only use a little bit.
- Lime: Fresh lime juice balances out the sweet and spicy flavors plus adds bright, citrus notes.
- Salt: Just a pinch of salt really brings out all of the flavors of the different ingredients.
How to make tomatillo salsa
The full directions for this green salsa are below in the printable recipe card.
Step 1: Prep the ingredients
Start by removing the tomatillo husks. They'll be pretty sticky so once the outer husks are removed, give the tomatillos a good rinse under cold water. Give the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeno a rough chop.
Step 2: Roast the ingredients
Toss together in a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet with a couple tablespoons of avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven at 450F for 15-20 minutes.
Alternatively, make smoked salsa on the pellet grill by smoking at 250F for 60 minutes, or until soft and roasted. (This is Zack's preferred method!)
Step 3: Blend the ingredients
Transfer roasted ingredients to a blender or food processor. Add cilantro with stems and fresh lime juice. Blend until smooth and creamy, or until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt or lime juice, if needed.
Serving suggestions
Fresh tomatillo salsa verde is delicious served with chips and your favorite dips like guacamole. It's also delicious topped on breakfast tacos, brisket tacos, burrito bowls, and more!
Related recipes
Want more homemade salsa recipes? Try my chipotle corn salsa for a better-than-takeout copycat recipe, mango habanero salsa for a juicy and chunky salsa, spicy peach salsa for a refreshing dip, or my texas caviar for a zesty salsa that's a family favorite and guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
If you give my homemade salsa verde recipe a try, please let me know what you think by leaving a rating and comment.
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos about 10
- ½ white onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 jalapeno chopped
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F. Remove the husks from each tomatillo then rinse under cold water to remove the sticky residue. Roughly chop the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Toss together in a baking dish with avocado oil and roast for 15-20 minutes, until softened.
- Transfer the roasted ingredients to a blender or food processor. Add the cilantro with stems and fresh lime juice. Blend until smooth and creamy, or until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt or lime juice, if needed.
- I suggest letting the tomatillo salsa chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving, however you can also serve the salsa immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Jess says
Salsa is one of my favorite foods and was always one of my pregnancy cravings! I love that this one features tomatillos!
Jenna | The Urben Life says
Yay thanks, I'm a total salsa lover too
Jessica says
This sounds amazing! I will have to save this one for my next girls night! Would be awesome with a margarita! XO
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Jenna | The Urben Life says
Oh absolutely! Enjoy 🙂
Jaclyn Musselman says
OH my goodness--yum! I rarely make my own salsa but I do love green salsa. So I will need to give this one a try!!
Jenna | The Urben Life says
I hope you love it!!
Andy says
We have a joint we always hit up on taco Tuesday. And I always have the green sauce. I adore it! Thanks for the recipe!
Jenna | The Urben Life says
Aren't local Taco Tuesday joints the best!? I'm glad you can keep the party going at home now 🙂
Eco Friendly Mama says
Wow I had no idea Tomatillo Salsa was so easy to make!
Jenna | The Urben Life says
Totally, I'm all about quick and easy recipes! Some people do go the extra mile to cook or roast their tomatillos beforehand but sometimes you just want your salsa NOW haha
adriana says
This sounds SO good!! I need to try it out - great for summer entertaining!
Jenna | The Urben Life says
Absolutely!! I hope you try it out soon 🙂
Diane@worthbeyondrubies says
Never made this kind of salsa before but will have to give it a try because my husband LOVES salsa!!!
Jenna | The Urben Life says
Our husbands would get along, mine is obsessed with chips & salsa haha!
Margaret Clegg says
I've never made tomatillo salsa, but we have made homemade chips. Our tortilla press is one of the best investments we've ever made. We've been making our own homemade corn tortillas for years and haven't bought ones at the store since!
Jenna | The Urben Life says
Ah yes, our press is one of my fave kitchen tools 🙂 I need to try homemade chips, we make tortillas at least once a week!
Tina Martin says
I've never had these before, it looks really good, I think I'll try them!
Jenna | The Urben Life says
I hope you do 🙂
Andrea@SharingMyFavorites says
I've never had homemade tomatillo salsa. I'm thinking it will probably be a little hotter than regular salsa. I'll have to give this a try soon!
Jenna | The Urben Life says
I hope you give it a try! I find this green salsa to be more on the mild and acidic side, compared to a medium/hot red salsa. It really depends on the peppers used 🙂
Jennifer Baick Oliak says
That Tomatillo Salsa looks really perfect for the chips dip. I will absolutely try to make this homemade salsa recipe. For sure, my hubby would like it.
Jenna | The Urben Life says
Oh, thanks so much 🙂 I hope y'all love it as much as my husband and I did!
Keri says
That looks delicious and easy to make! Thank you!
Jenna | The Urben Life says
Thanks so much, simple recipes are my favorite to share!
Kortney says
Love how easy this is. Do you think I could use normal tomatoes? I don't think I've ever seen tomatillos in Berlin, but we definitely have lots of perfectly ripe tomatoes at the moment.
Jenna | The Urben Life says
I haven't tested it, but with some minor tweaks, I'm sure it would be great!
Tami says
I have never eaten a tomatillo. I am curious enough to give the salsa recipe a try.
Jenna | The Urben Life says
I hope you enjoy it!
Marcie says
I've never had tomatillo salsa before! What a tasty summer snack!
Jenna | The Urben Life says
Thanks, absolutely!