Pico de gallo is a type of salsa that is served alongside countless dishes. With a tomato and onion base and flavoured with serrano peppers, lime juice, salt, and coriander, pico de gallo is the ultimate Mexican salsa.
Seeing as pico de gallo is so easy to make and has a versatility almost unmatched in Mexican cuisine, it can be easy to go overboard and make a batch much too big for you to use before the onion and tomatoes start turning bad. Would it be possible to freeze pico de gallo to save those wasteful leftovers?
To freeze pico de gallo, drain as much of the liquid from it as possible before transferring it to a container or bag. Seal it up, removing as much air as possible before popping it into the freezer.
How to Freeze Pico De Gallo
Because pico de gallo contains so few ingredients, it is a dish as simple to freeze as it is to make from scratch.
But there are plenty of benefits to freezing a batch of pico de gallo that you should take advantage of. Just ask yourself if it is more beneficial to you to freeze a whole batch of pico de gallo or the individual ingredients:
How to Freeze Pico De Gallo
There are a few ways detailed across the internet that you could go about freezing a whole batch of pico de gallo, but not all of those methods consider how the individual ingredients of the salsa will react to being frozen.
The next time that you go overboard with your pico de gallo and don’t want to see fresh food go to waste, follow this method for freezing a completed batch of pico de gallo:
- Prepare The Salsa
Follow your favourite pico de Gallo recipe (try this one from Cookie + Kate) to prepare the salsa as you usually would. - Drain
Use a spoon to remove any excess liquid that may have been squeezed from the tomatoes. - Transfer
When you are happy with the pico de gallo, transfer as much as you would like to freeze into an air-tight, freezer-safe container or a secure zip-lock freezer bag. - Remove Air
If you are using a freezer bag, push as much of the air out of the bag as possible. - Secure Shut
Close either the bag or container and ensure that there are no holes or breaking points in the container to keep it as secure and air-tight as possible. - Freeze
Place the pico de gallo directly into the freezer and leave it until you are ready to defrost it or up to 3 months.
Do not be tempted to put your pico de gallo in the microwave to defrost it. Instead, remove the pico de gallo from the freezer and leave it in the fridge to defrost by itself. Then just before you serve the salsa, remove any excess water from the salsa so that it is not too wet.
How to Freeze Pico De Gallo Dressing
The best thing about pico de gallo is how few basic ingredients it requires. The most complicated aspect of the dish is finding the right combination of pepper, lime juice, coriander, and salt to make the tomatoes and onions stand out.
Once you unlock the key to that perfect combination, you will want to keep making pico de gallo again and again.
Well, the good news is that you don’t have to go through the effort of making a fresh dressing every time. Instead, you can just make a bigger batch of pico de gallo and freeze it in perfect portions:
- Make The Dressing
Of course, you can’t freeze the sauce unless you make it! Do so following your favourite go-to recipe or method. - Cube It Up
Pull a clean ice cube tray out of your freezer and pour an equal amount of the sauce into each cube. - Add Salt
Sprinkle a little more salt on top of each sauce cube for that little extra flavour kick once the sauce defrosts. - Flash Freeze
Place the ice cube tray directly into the middle of the freezer. Then leave the pico de gallo sauce to freeze solid for a few hours. - Transfer
Once the sauce is no longer liquid, remove the tray from the freezer and pop each cube of frozen sauce out of the tray. Then add them to a freezer bag. - Freeze Again
Zip up the freezer bag and place it back into the freezer for long-term freezing. You can freeze pico de gallo sauce for up to 3 months.
All you need to do when you are ready to use the pico de gallo sauce is pull out one of the cubes of the sauce and microwave it for a minute or so. Then leave the sauce to cool a little and enjoy.
How to Freeze Pico De Gallo Successfully
If you don’t want things to go wrong when freezing your pico de gallo, then make sure you stick to these 2 essential tips:
- Expect Expansions – Tomatoes, which make up the base of the salsa, expand a fair amount once frozen due to the amount of moisture they possess. When you are packing up your pico de gallo to freeze, do not fill the storage container or freezer bags too full. Otherwise, the tomatoes will not have room to expand and may explode.
- Add Seasoning and Acid When Defrosted – Pico de gallo is supposed to be simple and full of flavour, which can get lost once the salsa is frozen, as this typically dilutes the flavour of dishes. To prevent losing the impactful flavour of the salsa, season it and add a little more lime juice once it has fully defrosted.
Does Pico De Gallo Freeze Well?
Unfortunately, because pico de gallo is a chunky salsa and is made from a base of fresh tomatoes and onions, it is not the best salsa to freeze.
The moisture from the fresh ingredients will change the texture in the freezer, potentially ruining the consistency of the salsa. Instead, it is best just to freeze any extra pico de gallo sauce for later use.
Freezing Pico De Gallo FAQs
If you have further questions about freezing pico de gallo then look through these FAQs:
Once made, pico de gallo can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days before the dressing softened the other ingredients too much.
Acacia may be a freelance writer by day, but they are a food fanatic by night. They are always trying out new recipes or finding different ways to elevate classical dishes. But their biggest culinary aim is to educate others on the basics of the kitchen so that they too can enjoy delicious food.
