You'll never buy salsa again after making this Instant Pot Salsa Verde recipe! This cooked restaurant-style tomatillo salsa is made in 20 minutes and has a sweet and spicy tang. It's deliciously easy and made in just 1 pot, with no dirty dishes to clean! I keep this stocked in my fridge all summer long- goodbye store bought salsa!
You can make salsa verde as mild or as hot as you want by changing how many jalapeño or serrano peppers you use. This makes it great for families who need a mild salsa and others who prefer a high spiciness to theirs. My favorite way to use it is in crockpot salsa verde chicken.
Love homemade salsa? Make sure to check out my pineapple mango salsa, mango pico de gallo, restaurant-style salsa roja, and mango habanero salsa too! If you love very spicy foods, arbol chile salsa will become a favorite!
Table Of Contents
What Is Salsa Verde?
Salsa verde is made from tomatillos, hot peppers (jalapeños or serrano peppers), onions, and lime. It's also known as "green salsa" in English. In general, there are 2 types of salsa: cooked and raw. This recipe is for the Instant Pot version of cooked salsa verde. Why choose cooked salsa verde over it's raw cousin? Because cooked salsa verde leaves you with a slightly sweet, slightly spicy salsa that isn't bitter or sour and not too potent in its heat factor.
Use Salsa Verde for dipping chips, to make salsa chicken, and drizzled on enchiladas, taquitos, and Mexican-style rice bowls. Bring this crowd-pleaser to game day gatherings, summer cookouts, and parties. It's sure to sit apart from the classic salsa rojas, in a good way!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Pressure cooking salsa lets the ingredients mingle and marinate, perfectly combining them into a smooth restaurant-style salsa that can be used for dipping chips or adding to your favorite Mexican recipes.
- It only takes 20 minutes!
- It's a favorite at parties.
What Can I Use Salsa Verde For?
Use salsa verde the same way that you use red tomato-based salsa.
- As a dip for tortilla chips or pita chips
- Drizzled over taquitos and enchiladas or mixed into the filling
- Mix it into rice, Mexican-stuffed vegetables or taco salads
- As a topping for taco or nachos
Can Salsa Verde Be Made with Green Tomatoes?
Green tomatoes are an acceptable substitute for tomatillos when making salsa. Since they are hard and unripened, green tomatoes are not as rich in flavor as tomatillos. Because green tomatoes are an unripened fruit, they are harder and slightly more sour than tangy tomatillos. You may need to use more green tomatoes to create a salsa verde with as much flavor as one using tomatillos.
Is Salsa Verde Spicy?
Salsa verde is as spicy as you want it to be. For a mild version, make it with only 1 jalapeno and for a hot salsa, use 2 or even 3 jalapenos. For a completely spice-free salsa verde, omit the jalapenos entirely. Serrano peppers can also be used in place of jalapenos in the same quantity.
Salsa Verde Ingredients
You need:
- Tomatillos
- Jalapeños (or serrano peppers)
- Onion (red or white)
- Garlic
- Lime juice (fresh preferred, but bottled works too)
- Fresh cilantro (or dried in a pinch)
How To Make Instant Pot Salsa Verde
Follow these steps to make Instant Pot salsa verde in only 20 minutes.
- Add a little oil to the inner pot and set to saute on high for 2 minutes. Add the onion and jalapenos and saute, stirring often. When done, add 1 cup of water and deglaze the pot.
- Add roughly chopped tomatillos, the garlic, and salt. Close the lid to the sealing position and set to pressure cook on high for 6 minutes. When complete do a quick release. *It will be watery. Scoop out about ½ cup of water before blending.
- Then stir in the lime juice and torn cilantro. Use a masher to crush the salsa into the texture you'd like. Or, put in a food processor/use immersion blender and blend in 30 second increments to achieve a smooth, restaurant-style texture.
Enjoy!
kristina's tips
The salsa will thicken a bit when chilled. If it's too watery for your liking, strain extra liquid using a cheesecloth.
How To Store
Fridge: Store in an airtight container for 5-7 days.
Freezer: Put into freezer-grade plastic bags, squeeze out the air, and lay flat in the freezer for safe and easy storage. It will keep for up to 2 months.
Instant Pot Salsa Verde
You'll never buy salsa again after making this Instant Pot Salsa Verde recipe. This cooked restaurant-style tomatillo salsa is made in 20 minutes and has a sweet and spicy tang. It's deliciously easy and made in just 1 pot, with no dirty dishes to clean!
- pressure cooker
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1-2 jalapenos (for a mild version use 1 and hot use 2)
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ pounds tomatillos, husked and roughly chopped (about 16 tomatillos)
- ¼ cup lime juice (juice of 1 lime)
- ¼ cup cilantro, torn
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the Instant Pot and set to saute for 2 minutes. Add the onion and jalapenos and cook until time stops, stirring often.
Turn off saute and add 1 cup of water. Deglaze the pot by scraping the bottom to release any stuck bits.
Add tomatillos, garlic, and salt. Close the lid to sealing position and set to pressure cook on high for 6 minutes.
Do a quick release. Using a soup ladle, remove about ½ cup of liquid and discard.
Stir in lime juice and cilantro. Use a masher to mash the salsa to the texture that you'd like. Or, put in a food processor/use immersion blender and blend in 30 second increments to achieve a smooth, restaurant style texture. *The salsa will thicken a bit when chilled. If it is too watery for your liking, strain extra liquid using a cheesecloth.
Transfer the salsa to covered jars or bowls and chill until ready to serve.
This recipe yields about 2 cups of salsa. It has been tested in both a 6 qt and 8 qt Instant Pot.
Much of the added water will absorb once the salsa is cooked and cooled. You can, however, drain a little water from your finished product if you'd like. It will also thicken a bit while being chilled.
For a mild version of salsa verde, make it with only 1 jalapeno and for a hot salsa, use 2 or even 3 jalapenos. For a completely spice-free salsa verde, omit the jalapenos entirely. Serrano peppers can also be used in place of jalapenos in the same quantity.
*Calories and nutritional values are approximate and are based on a serving size of ¼ cup of salsa only.
Raquel says
So delicious - everyone loved it. Will make again!
Natalie says
I made this last week and my whole family loved it. Great flavors. So easy to make. Definitely a keeper.
Sangita says
Absolutely delicious recipe is this! Gotta try it out...