Copycat Qdoba Salsa Verde Recipe

Copycat Qdoba salsa verde recipe so you can enjoy it at home year round. Homemade and easy to make with just 6 simple ingredients.

Homemade Salsa Verde

We talked about how to cook tomatillos the other day. Those are the base to this. Beyond that main ingredient is just a bit of heat with a jalapeno (could be omitted), salt, onion, garlic and fresh cilantro.

I mean all the good stuff right? 😉 Oh and don’t forget the fresh lime juice that is a must with any great Mexican recipe.

I will say a close second is bottled Tostitos salsa verde. If you have to grab something already made in a hurry I would opt for that. Fresh is always way better though right? You can make a batch and keep in the fridge to use for a few weeks or for canning salsa you can then use it for a year or two which is great.

Avocado Salsa Verde

You could add this other popular green fruit/veggie (whatever you want to consider it) too at the end if you want. If you do it will add a creaminess and good fats into the mix. When I am batch cooking I will make a large pot full, fill and seal jars, and then blend 2 avos into the remaining half for the rest. The below recipe doesn’t include this.

I used to buy Trader Joe’s salsa verde, until I made a batch of this. We used to visit Qdoba often in our last house because there was something for everyone and they had healthy selections for us all. After making this myself nothing else compares. It is SO cheap to make too that it doesn’t make sense to not just do it.

Salsa Verde Ingredients

1. Lots of tomatillos, boiled and softened so they blend well
2. Add 1-2 jalapenos if you want some spice, 1/2 – 1 is usually enough for my wimpy self
3. Salt of course
4. Fresh lime juice
5. Onion
6. Bunch of fresh cilantro
7. I like to make roasted air fryer garlic to dice and add into this baby

Whether I actually can it or just store it in the fridge I love mason jars, they’re just my fave. If you make a large batch this is a great holiday gift for your neighbors too. Just tie a twine bow around the edge with a label for what it is, the date jarred, and from _______ your name. It’s always a real hit!

Once you have boiled your main ingredients so they’re nice and tender it’s ready to blend. It doesn’t really matter whether you use a food processor or blender, either one will do. Add more citrus to thin our or less to keep it thick and chunky. This way you can keep it the texture you really like, taste, add more salt if desired and enjoy.

There is a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here is a quick rundown for you;

• Remove the outer husks from your fresh tomatillos. Bring a large pot of water to a continuous rolling boil and boil for about 7-8 minutes until outsides soften and shrivel up a bit. Remove, drain, and allow to cool.
• Add these and your jalapenos (if any) into a blender or food processor and pulse until it is as smooth as you’d like. 

Include all other ingredients and blend again. Bottle and refrigerate, I like it best when it’s really cold served with chips or use it in a bunch of recipes. OR you can use this instead of the red variety to make things like Crockpot salsa chicken.

Salsa Verde Recipes

I use a whole jar of this to make pressure cooker carnitas with either pork or beef, both are great. You can spoon this inside or on top of burritos or fish tacos of course. We thought outside of the box and made Instant Pot taco bowls one time with this tossed in with the ground beef which was out of this world.

• This and our pico de gallo salsa is a win for any taco Tuesday at your home and adds more flavor, it’s more of a red tomato salsa version
• You can add a cup or so into our 5 ingredient Crockpot chili
• Use a jar of this to make this pressure cooker chicken tacos recipe which is a cheap and healthy meal

Want to use some extra tomatillos to make something else? Throw some into this green pepper jelly and serve it over pork chops or as a dip over cream cheese.