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Sweet Salsa Verde is a delicious salsa recipe made from tomatillos, jalapeños, sugar, & cilantro. It is sweet and spicy and takes just minutes to make.

Delicious, sweet and spicy green salsa is great for any Mexican dinner. It’s as much of a staple as our guacamole and homemade red salsa! We also love to use it to make Salsa Verde Chicken.

Salsa Verde aka green salsa in a small bowl with tortilla chips.

aka Green Salsa

I LOVE Salsa!!

We have it for so many of our meals and we love the flavor it adds to these dishes. We have loads of salsa recipes on the site by out go-to’s are our classic Homemade Salsa and Black Bean + Corn Salsa, AND today’s salsa verde.

But, what is salsa verde?

Salsa verde, aka Green Salsa, is a sweet and spicy salsa made with tomatillos, cilantro, sugar and jalapeños. It is very popular in areas like Arizona and is served at many of its Mexican restaurants.

Not only is this salsa addicting, but it takes just about 2 minutes to throw together. Quick and easy—my kind of recipe!

Green Salsa Ingredients - tomatillos

How to Make Salsa Verde

You can’t beat recipes that take just minutes to make. This green salsa is so easy and requires just 4 INGREDIENTS, including: canned tomatillos, cilantro, sugar and jalapenos.

BLEND! To make this salsa, just combine all of the ingredients in the blender or food processor and pulse until blended well.

You can adjust the sweetness and spicy-ness based on the amount of sugar and jalapeños used.

**NOTE**: If you are looking for a salsa that is similar but does not have the sweetness, be sure to check out our Tomatillo Salsa. It’s more savory than this recipe, and similar to what is found at the grocery store for green salsa.

Using Fresh Ingredients

Wat to use fresh tomatillos and fresh jalapeños?

I like to use the canned tomatillos and jalapeños for convenience. If you prefer to use fresher ingredients, you certainly can. Just prep the ingredients and throw them in the blender. 

  • Tomatillos: One 28-ounce can contains 4 servings and 1 serving is about 4 tomatillos. So you will need about 15 fresh tomatillos. Prep them by removing the papery husk and stem, then rinse in warm water to remove the sticky residue. Cut them in quarters and put in the blender. Raw tomatillos are more tart and acidic. When roasted they take on a more mellow and sweeter taste so adjust the amount of sugar used.
  • Jalapeños: You’ll need 1-2 jalapeños. Wear rubber gloves when working with this hot food. Slice the jalapeños in half and remove the seeds and veins. Slice the jalapeños and add them to the blender. 
  • To roast: This is not necessary, but some people like to roast them beforehand. Place the tomatillos, jalapeños and 2-3 unpeeled garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Place the rack about 8 inches from the top. Broil for 5-10 minutes or until nicely charred. Discard the garlic and add remaining ingredients to the blender.
How to Make Green Salsa - salsa verde ingredients

TIPS + FAQ

How long does green salsa last? If stored in an air-tight container in the fridge, salsa verde can last for about a week. If properly canned and not opened, this green salsa can last even longer in the fridge.

Can you freeze salsa verde? You can freeze green salsa by placing it in a covered airtight container or in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. This should keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. For more tips about freezing salsa, CLICK HERE.

What to serve with it? We love serving this salsa verde recipe with tortilla chips (and Frito’s), but also love it with:

Sweet Salsa Verde recipe aka green salsa in a bowl with tortilla chips.

For more salsa recipes, check out:

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4.98 from 49 votes

Salsa Verde Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
Sweet Salsa Verde – a delicious salsa recipe that is sweet and takes just minutes to make. Ingredients include tomatillos, jalapenos, sugar, & cilantro.
Servings: 12
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1 (28-ounce) can tomatillos (about 15) drained
  • ½-⅔ cup sugar
  • 1 small bunch fresh cilantro
  • 2-3 tablespoons diced jalapeño
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Instructions 

  • Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until blended to the consistency you desire.
  • Add additional jalapeños for more spice, or add more sugar if you like it sweeter.

Video

Notes

Make Ahead: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4–6 days.
Seeding Tomatoes: To prevent watery salsa, seed the tomatoes before adding to the blender.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 33kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 0.03g, Fat: 0.04g, Saturated Fat: 0.003g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.003g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.002g, Sodium: 0.2mg, Potassium: 7mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 38IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 1mg, Iron: 0.01mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican
Making this recipe? Tag us!
Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you’re creating in the kitchen!

Make it a Gift

Turn this recipe into a gift just by throwing it in a jar and attaching a printable!!

NOTE: I often store my salsa in mason jars and give it as gifts. Be sure to let those you give it to know that they should NOT put the jar in the pantry unless it has been properly bottled and has a sealed lid.

I made this print for you that is cute and simple! It doesn’t need to be used just for salsa. It can be used for anything!! Attach it to a jar of candy or a box or plate of cookies.

TO SAVE & PRINT MERRY CHRISTMAS TAGS:

To Save, CLICK on the tag you like. Then, RIGHT-CLICK and SAVE. Open it in a program like WORD, RE-SIZE, PRINT, cut out and attach. We have made both a turquoise and a green print version for you and you can choose to use a square sized version or a larger tag version as well.

download your free “we wish you a merry christmas” tags now

Fill out the form below and the FREE printable will be sent to your email.

I attached mine with some glue dots and added some ribbon around the lid. EASY!! Hope you enjoy!

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

So Easy & So Yummy

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Recipe Rating




74 Comments

  1. RaNae+Bradshaw says:

    With both the Red Salsa and the green..How much does one recipe make…a pint…2 pints? I need to buy jars.

  2. Heather says:

    This looks delicious! I would like to make this for gifts but am wondering how long the salsa will stay well without pressure canning it?

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      Hi Heather! Not sure exactly how long it stays in the fridge since we always go throught it in a few days, but I’m thinking at least a week or two. Hope that helps. 🙂

  3. sbasmiles says:

    Kellyn,
    HEB also carries Julio’s salsa in the refrigerator section (usually by cream cheese/sour cream). It is a great line of fresh homemade salsa. It’s made in Del Rio, Tx. HEB also stocks the Julio chips – which have an extra layer of spice on them. As for restaurant salsa.. the hole in the wall Adelita’s off Bailey Road in Pearland is great. I’ve asked them for years to package their salsa. I’d buy it by the case 🙂

    I will definitely be making this recipe very soon! Love the simplicity of it.
    Thanks! ~sba

  4. Aymie says:

    5 stars
    I’m making this for Christmas gifts for my girlfriends this weekend…do you prefer to use fresh jalapeños or do you use the jarred/pickled variety?

    THANKS!!!

  5. Samantha @ Five Heart Home says:

    I’ve never had El Sol, so I’m not sure what style of salsa you prefer, Kristyn, but have you tried the fresh HEB brand salsa in the refrigerated produce section? It comes in clear, resealable baggies, and I think it’s pretty good and very fresh-tasting (but I like my salsa puréed like that). Hope you can bring back a crate of El Sol when you go home for the holidays! 😉

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      Thanks for the tip, Samantha – can’t wait to try it!! Will go to HEB next week. 🙂

  6. Gina says:

    5 stars
    Fabulous- I can think of at least 10 different recipes I would use this in. YUM

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      If you like green salsa you’ll love this – it is so good and took about 2 minutes to make. 🙂

  7. Chelsea says:

    Yum! This looks delicious! I am definitely pinning this one for later.

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      It really is delicious!! Thanks for stopping by, Chelsea!

  8. Molly says:

    5 stars
    Oh yum! I love salsa verde, glad to have found your recipe, thanks for sharing! And those labels are fantastic, I’ve pinned this post and will definitely be using both the recipe and the labels this holiday season, thanks for sharing!
    -Molly from Just a Little Creativity

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      Thanks, Molly!! If you love salsa verde you will love this recipe. Thanks for pinning! XO

  9. Sheila says:

    I love El Sol salsa! I can get it (sometimes) at Walmart, but not at our Sam’s. I wish they did have it. I am in northern AZ.

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      El Sol is our FAVORITE!!! We go there all the time (the bakery is in Chandler). I’m going home for Christmas and it’s on my MUST EAT AT list. 🙂

      1. Sheila Laurence says:

        I had no idea that they had a bakery or anything like that. Wow – we should try to do that sometime. I bet it’s really good. Their salsa is on my list today. I can go through a container every week by myself. 🙂 We are in Prescott, and go down to the Phoenix area as often as we can afford to during the winter, so maybe we could go there. My husband and I drive our kids nuts with all the Mexican food. 🙂

      2. Lil' Luna says:

        Yes, you should definitely go!! It’s in Chandler on the west side of Arizona Ave. in between Warner and Ray. It’s a little hole in the wall, but we LOVE it!! SO SO good! 😀