Cucumber Pico de Gallo
Cucumber pico de gallo is a simple fresh salsa recipe brimming with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, lime, and garlic. Easy to make and delicious on everything!
Serve with Walking Taco Casserole or Crock Pot Salsa Chicken tacos or your favorite Mexican recipes.
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Delicious cucumber pico de gallo is super fresh, chunky salsa and a refreshing way to beat the heat on hot summer days. It's a fun twist on classic pico de gallo with crisp cucumber, garden-fresh tomatoes, sharp red onion, and a zing of jalapeno, and it tastes great on everything.
Obviously, it goes perfectly with salty tortilla chips and a batch of Frozen Strawberry Margaritas. It's also a great topping on grilled chicken or fish, baked sweet potatoes, burgers, salads, or eggs.
❤️You're going to love this
- Delicious homemade pico de gallo with simple ingredients
- Great way to use up fresh garden cucumbers and tomatoes
- Refreshing twist on traditional pico de Gallo with cool, crisp cucumbers
- Easy to make it hot or not -- omit the jalapeno, throw in a habanero - up to you.
🌶️Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
- Cucumbers. I like to use English cucumbers -- the ones wrapped in plastic --because they have thin skin and no seeds, so no peeling or seeding is necessary. If you use regular cucumbers, peel and seed them.
- Roma tomatoes. Roma tomatoes, a type of plum tomatoes, are nice and meaty and hold up well in this fresh cucumber salsa. Beefsteak tomatoes are also a great option.
- Red onion. Red onion adds bright, sharp flavor without being too harsh. White onion will also work great.
- Jalapeno pepper. I remove the ribs and seeds from the jalapeno to tamp down the heat. For spicy pico de gallo, leave them in or use a hotter pepper like a serrano pepper or habanero pepper. For mild salsa, leave it out or substitute a little chopped bell pepper.
- Fresh lime juice and lime zest. I include the zest in this pico de gallo recipe because the zest has so much flavor. You'll need 2 small limes or one large juicy lime. You can also use lemon juice and lemon zest, if it's what you have.
- Chopped parsley or cilantro. I can't do cilantro, so I use flat-leaf parsley for its bright, lemony, herbaceous flavor. If fresh cilantro doesn't taste ishy to you, go ahead and use it! Or try any other fresh herbs you love like basil or mint.
- Salt. Add a generous pinch of salt to draw out the flavor of the fresh vegetables.
🥒How to Cut Cucumbers for Pico de Gallo
- Cut the cucumber crosswise into 2-3 more manageable sized pieces.
- Cut each piece lengthwise into 4 planks.
- Cut each plank lengthwise into 3-4 strips.
- Cut the strips crosswise into very small cubes.
🍅How to Seed and Dice Tomatoes for Salsa
- Cut each tomato in half lengthwise.
- Cut each half into two pieces - so now you've quartered the tomato.
- Run your knife underneath the pocket of seeds to remove them.
- Cut each quarter into strips and slice the strips into dice.
🥣How to Make Cucumber Pico de Gallo
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, garlic, green onions, and parsley or cilantro. Add the lime zest, lime juice, and salt. Gently toss everything together.
Step 2: If you can stand it, refrigerate it for about an hour to give the flavors enough time to mingle.
Serve with tortilla chips, and enjoy!
🎁Storage
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
☑️Expert Tips
- Make your pico de gallo as mild or spicy as you like by using mild, medium, or spicy peppers. Use bell peppers for mild, seeded jalapeno for medium, and a spicy pepper like serrano or habanero for hot.
- Cut the vegetables into small dice for optimal chip dipping.
- English cucumbers require the least amount of prep - no peeling or seeding. If you use fresh garden cukes, remove the seeds before chopping. Waxy cucumbers from the grocery store will need to be peeled.
❓Recipe FAQs
Pico de gallo is a type of fresh Mexican salsa, also called salsa fresca. It is made with fresh ingredients, where salsa is often cooked. Pico de gallo is sometimes chunkier than salsa, but you can make it as chunky or smooth as you like depending on how you chop the vegetables.
Yes. Removing the seeds from the tomatoes when making salsa or pico de gallo keeps it from becoming too watery.
📖 Recipe
Cucumber Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber, diced about 2 cups
- 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeno, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 green onions, sliced
- ¼ cup parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 limes, juice and zest
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, garlic, green onions, and parsley or cilantro. Add the lime zest, lime juice, and salt. Gently toss everything together.
- If you can stand it, wait about an hour before serving to give the flavors enough time to mingle.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
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This looks delicious. I can't wait to give it a try! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Hi, Pam, thank you so much, I hope you enjoy it :). Cara
Oh my wow!!! I’m glad I took a shot at this random recipe. Haha! It is so flavorful and fresh and incredible! It’s going in my regulars box. Can’t wait to bring this to a bbq!
Hi, Natalie, thank you so much for trying this recipe, I'm glad you enjoyed it :).
That is the best ever. I made half a recipe to begin with and ate most right away. Almost finished with 2nd batch. Good with potato chips or tortilla chips.. This is definitely a keeper.. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the nice note, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!. It doesn't last long around here, either :).