Pickle salsa (pickle de gallo)

Here’s the one thing your summer barbecues are missing: dill pickle salsa.

It’s briny, garlicky, and full of satisfying crunch!

Pickle salsa is a fun alternative to typical tomato based salsa. And it works like a dream as a sandwich topping.

You’ve got standard salsa ingredients like cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and onion. Pickle brine in the salsa mellows out the onions over time, making an almost pickled onion experience.

But of course, the true star of the show is the pickles themselves. If you’re a fan of dill pickles too, you’re going to love the hefty punch of pickle flavor.

I first heard about pickle salsa while watching an episode of Guy’s Grocery Games. A contestant with a burger restaurant said that he always included it on his sandwiches.

As a fan of pickled things, the idea intrigued me.

Around the same time I heard about a pickle company that was selling their own “pickle de gallo” in stores. However, whenever I looked for it on the shelves of my local natural grocery stores, it was nowhere to be found.

I decided the only logical thing was to create my own recipe!

After all, salsa is one of the easiest things to make. It just involves a little chopping and stirring.

And I always have the ingredients on hand – especially pickles in a variety of shapes and sizes.

I can say with certainty that I’ll be returning to this pickle salsa recipe time and again – especially in the warm weather months.

In this post:

For this recipe, I recommend a garlicky Kosher-style dill pickle.

Pickles from the refrigerated section are especially nice, because they maintain their bite. However, any dill pickle will work for this recipe.

I do not recommend sweet or bread & butter pickles for this recipe.

Cut the pickles, bell pepper, onion, and jalapeños into small, bite-sized pieces. Mince the garlic or use a Microplane zester. And chop the cilantro.

Put all of the chopped vegetables into a bowl. Add lime juice & pickle brine. Then stir.

You can make this salsa your own by varying the ingredients and amounts.

• Add chopped tomatoes
• Replace red bell pepper with yellow or orange
• Instead of yellow onion, use spring onion for a milder flavor
• Use fresh jalapeños instead of pickled (Use your best judgment on amounts depending on your proclivities for heat & your specific pepper since they vary)
• Replace cilantro with fresh dill for a more pronounced pickle quality
• Add a pinch of salt, if necessary

Pickle de gallo is great right out of the bowl as a dip. Serve it with tortilla chips, just as you would any other pico de gallo.

It’s also a wonderful alternative to relish.

Use it as a topping on:

• Veggie burgers, veggie dogs & sausages
• Chili dogs
• Vegan chicken salad sandwich
• Cheeseburger pizza
• Chili dog pizza
• Vegan nachos
• Walking tacos

Because of the vinegar, garlic, and salt in the brine, this pickle salsa will last around a week in the refrigerator.

Store it in a covered container in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

I do not recommend freezing it.

📖 Recipe

Pickle salsa (pickle de gallo)

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 8 votes

If you love the briny, garlicky flavor of dill pickles, you're going to go wild for this salsa. It's terrific as a dip with tortilla chips. Or use it as a spread on burgers, hot dogs, and sausages. Vegan and gluten-free.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: burger topping, dip recipe

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup chopped dill pickles cut small
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper cut small
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons chopped onion cut small
• ▢ 1 heaping Tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeno peppers or fresh
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lime juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dill pickle brine from jar
• ▢ Pinch of salt optional

Instructions

• ▢
  In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the salt. Taste for salt and tanginess. (Pickles are salty already & so are tortilla chips. So I recommend tasting the salsa first to see if you need it.)

  Add a pinch of salt if needed or another splash of pickle brine or lime juice.
• ▢
  Move to a serving bowl. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping. Or use it as a spread on hot dogs, burgers, or sausages.

Watch how to make it

Notes

I recommend dill pickles for this salsa. Pickles from the refrigerated section maintain a lot of their crunch and are especially good here. But any dill pickles will work for this recipe.

Red bell pepper can be replaced with yellow or orange bell pepper.

Remove any big or rough stems from the cilantro before chopping, but otherwise, using the stems is fine. It makes your cilantro go that much further, and there’s a lot of flavor there.

If you decide to use fresh jalapeño instead of pickled, use your best judgment on the amount. Fresh jalapeños vary by pepper in terms of heat. So use more or less depending on your heat proclivities & the specific pepper you’re using.

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Nutrition

Calories: 11kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 354mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 376IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg