Easy Chunky Jalapeño Tomato Avocado Salsa Recipe

We’re adding something easy and delicious to your salsa repertoire, tomato avocado salsa. Fresh and vibrant, this variation of a classic is spiked with spicy jalapeño, bright lime juice, and fragrant cilantro. Great as a dip for chips or topping grilled pork chops.

This recipe was first published in May 2010 and last updated with a video, more tips and helpful notes in November 2024.

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Years ago, I shared this tomato-avocado salsa recipe. Tomatoes and avocados are impeccable perfection, but I’ll admit, not something I often combine. Our good friend Ivy changed all that when he made this salsa for a dinner party years ago and to this day, I often crave its fresh flavors.

His tomato avocado salsa boasts a fiery spice underneath a layer of creamy avocado and offers a wonderful sweet-salty balance. The natural flavor of tomatoes truly shine and I knew I had to share it with you even if it broke my no-tomato-in-the-guacamole rule.

It’s like if guacamole and pico de gallo combined into one glorious, chunky salsa.

Not only does this chunky avocado salsa scream for tortilla chips, it is also the perfect topping for so many Mexican food recipes from burrito bowls to cheese tamales.

Why You’ll Love Tomato Avocado Salsa

• Great quick appetizer
• A chunkier, lighter version of guacamole
• Simple to make with only 8 ingredients
• Amount of spice is adjustable to your tastes
• Vegan, gluten-free, full of healthy fats and antioxidants
• The perfect garnish for garnaches, carnitas, and more
• No food processor or blender needed

If you’ve tried (and loved) my smoky chipotle guacamole, think of this recipe like the chunky version of that salsa!

Fresh Salsa Ingredients

Since this avocado tomato salsa is made with just a few ingredients, it’s imperative to use high quality ripe veggies. I’m fortunate enough to have an avocado tree in my backyard that keeps me stocked with ripe avocados but when you’re buying them in the grocery store, do the pressure test. Choose ones that are firm but give just slightly when gently pressed with your thumb. Underripe avocados are good too, just know they will take a day or two to ripen before you can use them.

For the BEST easy tomato avocado salsa, use these ingredients:

1. Ripe avocado: Another tip for picking the best avocados is to check under the stem. If the stem cap easily removes and you see green color underneath, it’s likely ripe. If it’s brown underneath, it might be overripe.
2. Tomatoes: Use the ripest tomatoes you can find. Fresh Roma tomatoes are a good choice. Even in the winter, cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes can be sweet and flavorful.
3. Jalapeños: If you don’t like a lot of heat, use half the amount called for in the recipe or leave out the seeds and white ribs of the chiles. If you like a lot of heat use serrano pepper instead.
4. Fresh cilantro: You don’t have to pick the leaves off the stems, the tender stems can be chopped right along with the cilantro leaves. Just like we do for cilantro-jalapeño hummus, shrimp aguachile, and more.
5. White onion: I like the brightness of white onion but red onion would also be good, just a little sweeter.
6. Garlic: I don’t often put garlic in my chunky salsas but a little here adds a nice rounded flavor.
7. Fresh lime juice: Fresh squeezed lime juice only please. Buy an extra lime so you can add more depending on the flavor of your veggies.
8. Kosher salt: To bring out all the flavors.

Cook’s tip: Cooking is far from an exact science and it is crucial to taste your food as you are cooking it. Does it taste good? Does it make your mouth happy? If not it probably needs something. Start with salt—a pinch or two—then taste it again, better? If not, add a little more and maybe some lime juice and taste again. Repeat this process until you say to yourself “damn that salsa is good!”

How to Make This Easy Avocado Salsa Recipe

1. Mince the onion, jalapeño, and garlic.
2. Chop the cilantro. Again, feel free to use the tender stems as well as the leaves. It doesn’t need to be super fine, just a good chop.
3. Dice the ripe tomatoes.
4. Dice the avocado. Cut each avocado in half, the remove the pits. Carefully run a pairing knife inside the avocado, cutting the flesh into crosshatch marks without going through the avocado skin. Scoop the diced flesh out into a medium bowl.
5. Add all the other veggies to the bowl. Squeeze the lime juice over the top and season with salt.
6. Stir. Gently stir to combine but be careful not to break or mash the avocado too much.
7. Serve. Serve right away or transfer to an airtight container. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the salsa then another piece over the container, then cover with the lid. This extra wrapping keeps the avocado from turning brown. Refrigerate for up to a day in advance.

Let’s Compare Salsa Recipes

I’ve shared a few (like over 20) salsa recipes on my blog and you might be wondering which to make first. Here’s a quick review:

1. Mango Salsa: This mango recipe is classic and simple with an unexpected shot of tequila. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and spicy and a little boozy—my favorite for good reason.
2. Tomato Avocado Salsa: Today’s recipe! Similar ingredients to so many of my salsa recipes but with a chunky twist.
3. Chile Piquín Molcajete Salsa: You’ll love the spicy punch of chile piquín in this lovely-textured molcajete salsa.
4. Tomatillo Avocado Salsa: My tomatillo avocado salsa is an easy, breezy, no-cook salsa recipe that makes a large batch—perfect for a crowd. This one is so popular it even made it into my cookbook, Plant Powered Mexican.
5. Salsa Macha: Made with garlic, black sesame seeds, and dried chile de arból this oil-based salsa macha is totally different than most Mexican salsa recipes.
6. Fiery Habanero Salsa: Enjoy super spicy goodness with an undertone of caramelized sweetness from charred onions in this spice-lovers habanero salsa recipe.

Whichever you choose to make, you’re guaranteed salsa perfection!

Serving Suggestions

There’s so many ways to enjoy this salsa. Here are 4 of my favorites:

• Use it to top crispy red adobo fries
• Or as a garnish on these yummy new potato and chard tacos
• Serve as a dip with oven roasted jalapeño poppers
• Even is great at breakfast with green chile breakfast casserole