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Also known as Pico de Gallo, this copycat Chipotle Tomato Salsa is ready in minutes and a great way to top off all your burrito bowls, tacos, and nachos.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Tomatoes: This salsa tastes best when made with fresh, ripe tomatoes. In a pinch, substitute 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes.
- Cilantro: If you hate cilantro, leave it out or substitute parsley.
- Jalapeños: For a spicier salsa, substitute serrano chiles. For the mildest salsa, substitute green bell peppers.
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, lemon juice, and lime juice, and salt to taste. Stir to combine.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 2 cups of salsa.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: This salsa can be made a day ahead, and the flavors get better if it has a chance to sit that long.
- Per Mexico: In Aguascalientes, Mexico they add ⅛ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano to Pico de Gallo.
- Tuna on toast: I love to mix this tomato salsa with a batch of tuna salad and make a sandwich. So great!
- Omelet: Add leftover salsa and a dollop of sour cream to your next omelet.
- Beans and rice: Dress up a bowl of black beans and Mexican rice.
Chipotle Burrito Bowl
Tonight, stay in and build your own Chipotle Burrito Bowl with the copycat recipes you know and love. Fluffy rice, black beans, tender chicken, sweet corn salsa, tomato salsa, and lots of guacamole. It’s great…
View Recipe
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Chipotle Tomato Salsa (Copycat)
Also known as Pico de Gallo, this copycat Chipotle Tomato Salsa is ready in minutes and a great way to top off all your burrito bowls, tacos, and nachos.
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatoes cut into 1/4-inch pieces (see note 1)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion (from 1 small)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (from 1 bunch, see note 2)
- 3 jalapeño peppers finely chopped (see note 3)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
- Salt
- tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, lemon juice, and lime juice, and salt to taste. Stir to combine.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Tomatoes: This salsa tastes best when made with fresh, ripe tomatoes. In a pinch, substitute 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes.
- Cilantro: If you hate cilantro, leave it out or substitute parsley.
- Jalapeños: For a spicier salsa, substitute serrano chiles. For the mildest salsa, substitute green bell peppers.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 2 cups of salsa.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: This salsa can be made a day ahead, and the flavors get better if it has a chance to sit that long.
- Per Mexico: In Aguascalientes, Mexico they add ⅛ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano to Pico de Gallo.
- Tuna on toast: I love to mix this tomato salsa with a batch of tuna salad and make a sandwich. So great!
- Omelet: Add leftover salsa and a dollop of sour cream to your next omelet.
- Beans and rice: Dress up a bowl of black beans and Mexican rice.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 29kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 7mgPotassium: 323mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1128IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Can’t wait to try out this recipe. Thanks
You’re welcome, Vicky! Please write back and let me know how you liked it! – Meggan
Delicious! I poured over a bed of lettuce cut up some avocados on top and made the chipotle chicken with it!!!
I’m so glad you loved it, Donna! Sounds delicious and fresh! – Meggan
Thanks for this recipe, I love Chipotle’s pico, but don’t like eating out that often. This is an almost perfect recreation, and it’s cheap to make on top of it!
You’re so welcome! Take care! – Meggan
This recipe was wonderful. I tripled it for a Cinco de Mayo luncheon and every single bit of it was eaten.
Thank you for your comment, Faith! I’m glad it was a hit! – Meggan
Going to try some of these recipes!!!
Hope you love them, Mark! Please write back and let me know how it goes! – Meggan
I’ve used this recipe quite a bit and can say it’s 10/10. I put extra cilantro in there, tho. A whole bunch of cilantro actually, haha. And marinading for a couple hours makes all the difference. So good!!
Fantastic! Thank you! loved loved loved! I made all your recipes for my family who wanted to try chipotle but didn’t wanna spend money and literally it was better than buying it!
This is the best recipe and tastes just like Chipotles! Super easy to make!
Thank you. Your recipe is perfectly matched to the Chipotle version. I always have leftover fresh salsa/ Pico because I cook like I am feeding the neighborhood. Rather than waste it, I use it up in another meal. I sear chicken breasts in a small amount of oil, remove the breasts from pan and add the leftover Pico. Sauté the Pico until onions are transparent. Mix in a some flour and lightly brown. Add enough chicken broth to make a “Pico gravy”. Return chicken breasts to pan, cover and cook until done. Then serve over over rice or noodles.
Thanks Beke, that sounds great! – Meggan
What is a good amount of salt?
Thank you
Hi Peter, I would start with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. (You can always add more!) Enjoy – Meggan
This recipe does not disappoint! It is just like the restaurant’s, and so easy to make.
Thank you so much Corina! I’m glad you liked it! :) -Meggan
I’ve made this recipe time after time after time. It never fails me and tastes exactly like Chipotle’s! Please make this, you won’t regret it!
Why not just call it Pico de Gallo? At first I was confused by the title because I was actually looking for Chipotle(the smoked pepper) Salsa recipes in google search and this popped up. Pico de Gallo is a recipe that’s been around before Chipotle ever existed. Might want to reconsider the title because you pop up as a chipotle salsa(the smoked pepper not the restaurant) recipe. (Just a suggestion) great recipe, though!
Hi Jovanna, you’re right about all of this. I do have a separate post for Pico de Gallo which is the recipe I learned while traveling in Mexico. Vs. THIS recipe is just the exact ingredients that Chipotle posts on their website. And the only difference is… 1/8 teaspoon of dried Mexican oregano. There is no good reason for why I have two separate posts. I will have to think about this a bunch and figure out what to do. But thank you! I appreciate the insight. It’s always helpful to hear what goes on “on the other side” of the blog. :) Thanks again – Meggan
It is a lot like Pico de Gallo. But Chipotle calls this fresh tomato salsa. That’s probably why she called it that, for people like me who are looking for a copycat for Chipotle’s “Fresh Tomato Salsa”
I made this recipe and your cilantro rice. They were just perfect. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Thanks, I love them, too!
Oh yes! Thank you for sharing…I could eat there every single day!
I don’t know chipotle, but I bet it’s good! I certainly trust your interpretation of a pretty darn good salsa, Meggan! Pinning this one for the future!
I love salsa, but I can’t stand most store bought out of a jar. Fresh is definitely the way to go! This will be great condiment all summer long!
Chipotle is the only fast food restaurant I go to. I like a the fresh tomato salsa on my dish with medium salsa with chips. Can you make that salsa recipe for me? :)