How to Freeze Pico De Gallo

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:

  1. Prepare The Salsa
    Follow your favourite pico de Gallo recipe (try this one from Cookie + Kate) to prepare the salsa as you usually would. 
  2. Drain 
    Use a spoon to remove any excess liquid that may have been squeezed from the tomatoes.
  3. 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. 
  4. Remove Air
    If you are using a freezer bag, push as much of the air out of the bag as possible. 
  5. 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. 
  6. 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. 
How Do You Defrost Pico De Gallo?

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:

  1. 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. 
  2. Cube It Up
    Pull a clean ice cube tray out of your freezer and pour an equal amount of the sauce into each cube. 
  3. Add Salt
    Sprinkle a little more salt on top of each sauce cube for that little extra flavour kick once the sauce defrosts. 
  4. 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. 
  5. 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. 
  6. 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. 
How Do You Defrost Pico De Gallo Dressing?

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:

How Long Does Pico De Gallo Last in the Fridge?

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.

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