Pico de Gallo with Avocado (Salsa Fresca Recipe)

Looking for a Pico de Gallo recipe with avocado? This is it! Serve this homemade Pico de Gallo with tortilla chips or use as a topping for Mexican cuisine! 

I love summer because summer brings ripe, fresh tomatoes! And that means that I’m up to my ears in fresh salsa. I mix up my abundance of juicy tomatoes by switching between making this roasted grilled salsa, and this easy salsa fresca recipe or as you probably know it, Pico de Gallo.

This chunky Pico de Gallo is full of simple ingredients! You’ll need ripe tomatoes, creamy avocado chunks, onion and cilantro! It has a great texture and is so fresh! To add zesty flavor, I use both fresh lime juice and a splash of rice wine vinegar. A few seasonings like cumin and garlic, and you’re good to go! While you can use a food processor to help cut the fresh veggies, I recommend cutting the veggies with a sharp knife to have more control over the size of pieces. 

I have quite a few ingredient substitutions suggested below. I have to say, the flavor of this recipe really depends on the fresh ingredients! If you’re not able to find fresh avocados at the grocery store, I think its better to omit them for the best flavor. 

When we visit the Yucatan side of Mexico, most restaurants serve an assortment of classic Mexican salsa with your dish. Most commonly, they serve a fresh, chunky salsa like this pico de gallo! 

Love this recipe? Check out more of my Mexican-inspired dishes! The Best Pollo Asado Tacos | The Best Flank Steak Tacos | Authentic Mexican Chicken Lime Soup (Sopa de Lima) | Mexican Cochinita Pibil (Roasted Yucatan Style Pork) | The Easiest Al Pastor Tacos (Tacos de Trompo Recipe) | Hatch Chile Salsa Verde

I love making Pico de Gallo with Avocado, because it keeps SO well in the fridge (gotta love that lime juice!) and it can be used in so much. I mostly eat it as a dip with tortilla chips, but it’s a great topping for tacos, salads, and you can even mix it with shredded meat to fill burritos or enchiladas! Make it once, eat for days! It also reminds me of very sunny, good times in Mexico where most of their salsa resembles this chopped texture (“salsa fresca”), not so much the blended salsa that we eat here in the States. 

Recipe Substitutions

I love this avocado pico de gallo recipe because it has so many substitutions! Here are a few ingredient substitution ideas for this homemade salsa recipe: 

• Don’t have ripe avocado to use? Just omit them! I think it’s better to not have avocado in the mix than add sub-par avocado. 
• If you don’t have enough fresh lime juice, you can supplement with lemon juice. 
• Instead of white onion, use red onion. 
• Instead of rice wine vinegar, add white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. 
• Instead of jalapeño peppers, use serrano pepper, habanero pepper (extra spicy) or even diced red bell pepper for subtle heat and great crunch. Just know that the pepper you choose will affect the heat level! I prefer jalapenos for that reason.
• Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for extra heat.
• You can use fresh garlic cloves instead of garlic power! Mince one garlic clove for this recipe. 
• This recipe is awesome with a bit of fresh green onions, black beans or corn kernels, too! 

Check out all of my Cinco de Mayo recipes here! 

Serving Suggestions 

A bowl of pico de gallo with a handful of tortilla chips is a wonderful snack or Cinco de Mayo appetizer! 

But, I think fresh pico is a versatile condiment that adds flavor to so many healthy recipes and your favorite Mexican dishes! Use it as a great topping for tacos, enchiladas, taco salad, nachos, carne asada, rice bowls or tostadas. Since this is an avocado salsa, I think it’s also a delicious topping for avocado toast or fried eggs at breakfast. I also like to put it on top of grilled protein. 

Storing Leftover Pico de Gallo

Store leftover pico de gallo with avocado in an airtight container, or cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. 

After a couple of days, the avocado will brown, so you may want to pick those bits out before eating!