This vibrant salsa is made with green tomatillos and fresh aromatics, and can be as spicy or as mild as you like. Just like Green Tomato Salsa Verde, this adds a bold splash to enchiladas and tacos, and makes a tasty dip for tortilla chips. Your favorite Mexican dishes will never be the same after you’ve tried our homemade tomatillo sauce!
With just a handful of plant-based ingredients and a blender, it couldn’t be easier to create authentic, restaurant-quality salsa verde at home.
Sure, you could always pick up a jar of tomatillo sauce from the Mexican aisle in your grocery store, but where’s the fun in that? Fresh, homemade tomatillo sauce is guaranteed to be more flavorful and is well worth the extra effort.
Best of all, with this DIY version, you’ll know exactly what’s going into your food and can adjust the recipe to suit your taste.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to three days, so don’t be afraid to save some for later!
What is Tomatillo Sauce Made Of?
Salsa verde is primarily made up of green tomatillos, which give the sauce its distinctive verdant color. Although they’re similar in both name and appearance, these little green fruits aren’t a type of tomato.
Depending on ripeness, they can range from tangy to slightly sweet, with a taste that’s both earthy and fruity.
In addition to tomatillos, this sauce also contains jalapeno and serrano peppers, onions, garlic, and freshly chopped cilantro.
White wine vinegar and lime juice add a bit of tang, while ground cumin and sea salt complete the flavor profile.
With such simple, wholesome ingredients, this sauce is a great addition to plant-based, vegan, and gluten-free diets.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- tomatillos
- jalapeno peppers (optional)
- serrano peppers (optional)
- yellow onion
- garlic
- white vinegar
- lime
- cilantro
- cumin
- salt
- vegetable oil
(Note: Full recipe is at the bottom of the post)
How to Make Tomatillo Sauce
Step 1: Preheat oven and prepare ingredients
- Turn on your oven to high power broil, placing the oven rack about 4 inches from the heat. Set aside a large baking sheet or roasting pan.
- On a large cutting board, halve the tomatillos using a chef’s knife or paring knife. Then cut the optional peppers in half lengthwise. Roughly chop the onions and garlic.
Step 2: Broil tomatillos
- Place the tomatillos, peppers, onion and garlic into the prepared pan.
- Broil for about 5 minutes or until the skins get charred and puffy. You may need to shake the pan and continue up to 10 minutes longer depending on the strength of your broiler.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for several minutes.
Step 3: Make Tomatillo Sauce
- Using a paring knife, peel away the charred skins and discard.
- Place the tomatillos, peppers, onion, garlic, vinegar, lime, cilantro, cumin and salt into a blender or food processor fitted with a mixing blade. Pulse 3 or 4 times until smooth.
- Get your oil ready. Turn on the processor or blender and pour the oil in over about 5 seconds to create an emulsion, making the sauce thicken somewhat.
- Serve immediately or use as directed in recipes.
Difference Between Tomatillo Sauce and Salsa Verde
Are salsa verde and tomatillo sauce the same thing? Yes and no.
Salsa verde literally translates to “green sauce” and its main ingredient is green tomatillos. For this reason, many people think salsa verde and tomatillo sauce are one and the same.
But roasted red tomatillos can also be used to make red chili salsa. This red variety of tomatillo sauce isn’t considered to be salsa verde.
What Does Tomatillo Sauce Taste Like?
When tomatillos are roasted in the oven, they take on a mild, smoky taste that definitely shows up in the finished sauce. Classic seasonings like garlic, onion and cumin add depth to the salsa, while jalapeno and serrano peppers make it spicy.
If compared to traditional tomato salsa, tomatillo sauce has a noticeably zesty, tangy flavor that many will find refreshing.
Tips and Tricks for Making Tomatillo Sauce
- Picking the tomatillos: Look for bright green tomatillos with firm skin that is slightly soft to the touch. Avoid tired-looking tomatillos that have become mushy or discolored. Remember, tomatillos aren’t green tomatoes. Be sure to look for the distinctive papery husk that encases the fruit.
- Removing the bitterness: Tomatillos can often impart a bitter flavor when used raw. To prevent this from happening, you can roast them in the oven before blending them into your sauce.
- Create an oil emulsion: To get a creamy consistency, you want to create an emulsion like with a salad dressing. Add the oil little by little and whisk vigorously until the right consistency is achieved.
- Control the spiciness: You can opt for basic heat by using just tomatillos, or increase the heat by adding jalapenos (especially with the seeds). Serrano peppers offer the most heat, so be careful if you opt to use them.
What to Serve with Tomatillo Sauce
A jar of fresh tomatillo sauce offers many delicious possibilities for meals at any time of the day. Mix a couple spoonfuls into your scrambled eggs or omelet for huevos en salsa verde.
For lunch and dinner, add the sauce to burritos/wraps, sandwiches, tacos, enchiladas, burgers and salads. Tomatillo sauce easily compliments steak, seafood, chicken and pork, so you can pair it with any meal that could use an unexpected burst of flavor.
It goes without saying that when you’re feeling snackish, tortilla chips and tomatillo sauce are a match made in heaven.
FAQs
Is Tomatillo Sauce Spicy?
The best part about making tomatillo sauce from scratch is how much control you have over the final outcome. If you can handle the heat, go ahead and add both jalapeno and serrano peppers to your salsa, including the seeds. For medium spiciness, you may wish to skip the serrano peppers and remove the seeds of the jalapenos. Omitting both jalapenos and serrano peppers will yield a mild, yet flavorful, tomatillo sauce that’s great for kids or those with a low tolerance for spicy foods.
Are Tomatillos Healthy?
Like all fruits, tomatillos offer a host of health benefits. They’re an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K, and they provide the body with micronutrients and minerals like magnesium, potassium and niacin. Tomatillo sauce is 100% plant-based and low in calories, making it a healthy addition to your meals.
Are Tomatillos Just Green Tomatoes?
Although they seem to resemble tiny green tomatoes, tomatillos come from a completely different plant. Tomatoes and tomatillos each have their own unique properties, flavor and utilizations. As green tomatoes ripen, they increase in size and gradually turn red. Green tomatillos remain small and green, and grow inside a papery husk that will need to be removed before cooking.
Best Tomatillo Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds tomatillos husked and rinsed
- 2 medium jalapeno peppers optional
- 2 medium serrano peppers optional
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 4 large cloves garlic peeled
- 3 tablespoons cup white vinegar
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt to taste
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
Preheat oven and prepare ingredients
- Turn on your oven to high power broil, placing the oven rack about 4 inches from the heat. Set aside a large baking sheet or roasting pan.
- On a large cutting board, halve the tomatillos using a chef’s knife or paring knife. Then cut the optional peppers in half lengthwise. Roughly chop the onions and garlic.
Broil tomatillos
- Place the tomatillos, peppers, onion and garlic into the prepared pan.
- Broil for about 5 minutes or until the skins get charred and puffy. You may need to shake the pan and continue up to 10 minutes longer depending on the strength of your broiler.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for several minutes.
Make Tomatillo Sauce
- Using a paring knife, peel away the charred skins and discard.
- Place the tomatillos, peppers, onion, garlic, vinegar, lime, cilantro, cumin and salt into a blender or food processor fitted with a mixing blade. Pulse 3 or 4 times until smooth.
- Get your oil ready. Turn on the processor or blender and pour the oil in over about 5 seconds to create an emulsion, making the sauce thicken somewhat.
- Serve immediately or use as directed in recipes.
Notes
- Tomatillos sometimes look like smallish green tomatoes, but they are not the same thing. As your grocer for tomatillos to make sure you have the real thing.
- Jalapenos: Include the seeds for extra heat, or remove them to be slightly milder.
- Storage: This sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It does not freeze well.
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