Pickle de Gallo Recipe (Pickle Salsa)

Jump to Recipe

This dill pickle salsa, aka pickle de Gallo, is your new favorite dip or food "accessory." It's packed full of crunch from dill pickles, sweet red bell pepper, and onions—balanced with a tanginess from lime and pickle juice! It's perfect as a dip or a topping for brats or burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, or grilled chicken and pork. Bonus: it's low-calorie, plant-based, low-carb, and keto-friendly, too!

Colorful chopped pickle de gallo vegetables in a white bowl.

You will love this Pickle de Gallo Recipe

Fresh and Colorful. I think it is fair to say that you can eat with your eyes, and with this gorgeous, bright, and very colorful pickle salsa - your eyes will gobble it up! Bright colors, fresh ingredients, fabulous flavor - what else is there?

Satisfying and Delicious! This salsa is not only beautiful, it is full of crunchy textures and a balance of flavors which is so satisfying to eat. It is loaded with salty, sweet, tangy, and crunch from the chopped pickles, bell peppers, jalapeno, onion, pickle juice, and lime--fresh, tangy, slightly spicy, and super flavorful!

Healthy. This recipe is full of healthy veggies--which are low calorie, low-carb, keto-friendly, gluten free, sugar free, and plant based! The perfect recipe to make and take to a party or store in the fridge for SO many uses--scroll to how to serve for ideas!

What is Pickle de Gallo?

Pickle de Gallo is a spinoff of pico de Gallo, which is a fresh tomato salsa with tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice. Pickle de Gallo is a fresh pickle salsa with chopped pickles, onion, garlic, jalapeno, bell pepper, cilantro, pickle juice, and lime juice.

Pickle Salsa Ingredients

Ingredients needed for making pickle de gallo laying on a white wooden board.

Here's what you'll need to make pickle salsa:

Kosher Dill Pickles: you can use any brand of kosher dill pickles you prefer.
Red Bell Pepper
Yellow Bell Pepper
Red Onion: substitute with a sweet onion if you prefer to use a different kind of onion.
Jalapeno: be sure to de-seed your jalapeno before adding to your salsa to control your heat level.
Garlic: mince fresh garlic cloves or use store-bought pre-minced to save on prep time.
Fresh Cilantro: omit if desired; however, it is delicious in this salsa!
Pickle Juice Brine
Lime Juice: one lime will normally yield about two tablespoons of lime juice. Roll your lime on your counter before cutting to juice to get the most out of your lime.
Salt and Pepper: used for seasoning to taste.

For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!

Be sure to save this pin to Pinterest for later 😉

Pinterest pin with a colorful white bowl full of pickle de gallo.

Substitutions and Variations

Reduce or increase the amount of jalapeno as desired to taste. Removing the seeds with help reduce the spice level as well.

Adjust quantities of any ingredient as desired.

Substitute the red onion with sweet or yellow onion if preferred. I like to use red for the color, and I prefer red onion when eaten raw.

Omit the fresh cilantro if you do not like cilantro. I have made this salsa without it, and it is still very good.

Use green bell pepper if you prefer the taste. I like to use other colors in this salad because it adds brightness to the salad, and yellow, red, and orange bell peppers are a bit sweeter, which compliments the slight spice from the jalapenos.

Adjust any seasonings to taste.

How to make Pickle de Gallo

Here are the step-by-step instructions for making this salsa:

Adding the pickles and remaining vegetables to a white bowl.

Add all the vegetables to a bowl.

Adding the pickle juice and stirring to mix all the ingredients.

2. Add pickle juice and lime juice and the remaining ingredients. Stir.

Pickle de gallo stored in a lidded air tight container.

Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to blend flavors.

Transfering the pico to a white serving bowl and a chip dipping into the salsa.

Transfer to a serving dish. Adjust salt, pepper, and seasoning to taste.

How to Serve Pickle Salsa Recipe

Serve as a dip, and use tortilla chips or corn chips to scoop it up!

Use as a topping for grilled or roasted chicken, pork, and fish.

Top your burgers, brats, hot dogs, sloppy joes, or even pulled pork sandwiches!

Meal idea! I like to make my slow cooker BBQ pulled pork recipe and serve this pickle de Gallo over the top. Use a bun if you'd like; otherwise, I make it keto by removing the bun! Make a simple side salad to serve along with it to keep it light and delicious.

What do you eat pickle salsa with?

The options are really endless. Eat it as a salsa, often with tortilla chips, corn chip scoops, or even pretzel thins. I also enjoy using this as a relish on top of a classic hot dog, pulled pork sandwich, or any other things you want to add a pickle relish/salsa to!

Dill Pickle Salsa Storage

Store your leftover salsa in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Is pickle de gallo refrigerated?

Yes, you must refrigerate as it is perishable.

How long does pickle de gallo last?

Pickle de Gallo lasts in the fridge for up to 5 days. The salsa is made up of mostly fresh ingredients, so keep in mind that they will release water over time, so your salsa may accumulate additional liquid as it sits.

Pickle Pico FAQs

What does pickle de gallo taste like?

The best way I like to describe it is like a fresh dill pickle relish with extra crunch from fresh bell pepper, jalapeno, and onion--bright flavor from the fresh cilantro and lime juice and the most addicting thing to eat!

What are the ingredients in pickle smash salsa?

Pickle smash salsa is a brand of salsa that you can find in the grocery store. They make there's using cucumbers, garlic, onions, vinegar, spices, xantham gum, mustard seed water, and salt.

What gives pickles their sour flavor?

Vinegar is what gives pickles their classic tangy, sour flavor and crunchy texture.

Dill Pickle Salsa Recipe