How To Cook Tomatillos To Tender - The Typical Mom

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How to Cook Tomatillos

By Justine

5 from 2 votes |

Published Aug 02, 2025

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This is the best way of how to cook tomatillos on the stove so they are tender and ready to make into our homemade copycat Qdoba salsa verde. Blended to smooth in a pan, they are great to make enchiladas with too.

Tomatillos in husks rest inside a glass bowl, with leafy greens subtly framing them in the background, inviting you to explore how to cook tomatillos

How to Cook Tomatillos for Salsa
When are tomatillos ripe?
Do you boil tomatillos with skin on?
How to Boil Tomatillos on the Stove
How to cook tomatillos to bring out their natural sweetness?
Is it better to roast or boil tomatillos?
How to Make Green Salsa with Tomatillos
How to Cook Tomatillos Recipe
What can you make with tomatillo salsa?
What else can I do with Tomatillos besides salsa?
Can you eat a raw tomatillo?
How to store tomatillos
How many tomatillos in a pound?

Wondering how to cook tomatillos so you can make homemade salsa verde or guacamole at home? It is so simple I tell you. These are so versatile, delicious inside chili or in soups too. Give your next recipe a kick with these babies and let us know what your favorite creation is.

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How to Cook Tomatillos for Salsa

Recently we used these with other peppers to make homemade green pepper jelly, they were a great new addition. Never bought these yourself, but had them at your favorite Mexican restaurant? No worries, we were new to handling them too until this year.

I bet you’ve seen these and wondered if they were green tomatoes? May apples, persimmons? Weren’t sure until you saw the sign and thought huh…….and walked away. Don’t next time, grab a few and give these ideas a whirl.

When are tomatillos ripe?

The color will tell the tale. You want them to be a nice green color like you see here for the boldest flavors. If you see that they are yellow the flavor will be tamer and the outsides will be softer. For the strongest taste it will be a firm texture on the outside and a brilliant green color.

Do you boil tomatillos with skin on?

As far as prep is concerned there isn’t much at all. There is a sort of paper feeling husk on the outside you’ll want to remove. Then just rinse the outside to remove the stickiness outer film that may be present. Beyond that you don’t need the skins to be removed. If you want tto do that it is easier after boiled.

How to Boil Tomatillos on the Stove

You will want to fill a large stockpot with enough water to submerge them. Put over medium/high heat until it reaches a rolling boil with some salt until tender enough to remove the outer husk. Then you want to rinse under water to remove as much of the coating off the outside.

Drop into the boiling water again and allow to cook until the outsides get very tender and start shriveling up. Then you are ready to use them in your favorite recipes or to make green salsa with them.

How to cook tomatillos to bring out their natural sweetness?

I do not recommend roasted tomatillos for cooking as they won’t be as tender on the outsides. While you’re preparing tomatillos by removing the husks and washing, get a pot of water boiling on high heat.

Fill with about 8 cups of water until it reaches a rolling boil. Sprinkle in some salt too.Remove the outer husk. Rinse under water to remove as much of the shiny coating off the outside. Gently drop rinsed tomatillos husked and ready to cook into the rolling boiling water and allow to cook for approximately 8 minutes so the outsides get very tender and shrivel up.

You can test with a slotted spoon. Lift one out and see if it is tender when pricked with a knife. If so, drain water and allow these to cool a bit.

Is it better to roast or boil tomatillos?

That depends on what you are making with them. If you want a smoky flavor then you would want them browned on the outsides. For a smooth mixture, like making carnitas or green pepper jelly you may want more of their natural sweetness. In this case, boil on the stovetop instead.

How to Make Green Salsa with Tomatillos

Blend until smooth in a food processor or you could use a blender too. To make salsa verdeadd a squeeze of lime, minced garlic, a pinch of salt, cilantro and 1/2 an onion. Blend again to the right consistency. In the event that you want to thin it out a bit you could add a bit of olive oil into the mix and blend again.

You can use a blender or food processor to get the right consistency. If you are just enjoying these as is then allow to cool completely, slice and enjoy with a squeeze of lime and salt on top. Some like it juiced so you’d want to blend quite a bit to get them smooth for that. Talk about a superfood gulp.

5 from 2 votes

How to Cook Tomatillos Recipe

By Justine How to cook tomatillos so they are tender and ready to make into homemade salsa verde at home. Great addition to green pepper jelly too! Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 15 minutes Servings: 12 Save RecipeSaved Recipe Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

1 pot

Ingredients 1x2x3x

▢ 2 lbs tomatillos
▢ 8 c water
▢ 1 pinch salt

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Instructions

Fill large stockpot with about 8 cups of water. Put on stovetop on medium/high heat until it reaches a rolling boil. Sprinkle in salt.
Remove outer husk off of all tomatillos. Rinse under water to remove as much of the shiny coating off the outside.
Gently drop into the boiling water and allow to cook for approximately 8 minutes so the outsides get very tender and start shriveling up.
Blend to make salsa verde or slice to add into recipes.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2oz, Calories: 24kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 12mg, Potassium: 203mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 86IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer, DipCuisine: Mexican Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

What can you make with tomatillo salsa?

Or you can just slice to add into recipes like Instant Pot carnitas and more. Inside recipes like Instant Pot chili verde and our Instant Pot Mexican casserole I would leave a little more chunk to it like you see here below.

What else can I do with Tomatillos besides salsa?

Lots of things! Sopa de Tomatilla is a flavorful soup we love. Chili verde with pork is fantastic for a dinner idea. Blend and add them to the top of black bean tacos, fold into rice to add spice and flavor, or include in the dressing for avocado salad.

Can you eat a raw tomatillo?

Yes they are safe but wouldn’t taste very good. Without cooking them first they’re quite sour with a very strong pungent flavor. When they are boiled, like blanched peppers, the tartness will subside a bit to become the flavor you’re most familiar with. It will soften the outsides too of course and make them easier to blend into a sauce.

How to store tomatillos

If you buy them at the store but don’t want to do anything with them for a little bit put them inside of a paper bag and into the fridge. Left inside their papery husks they will last this way in the cold for 2-3 weeks easily. That will give you plenty of time to get your stuff together and make whatever you want.

All that you need to cook them is some water and a bit of salt. If you want to add a bit of heat to Mexican cooking recipes throw in a few roasted jalapenos too.

How many tomatillos in a pound?

If you are going to make fresh tomatillo verde salsa you’ll want about 2 pounds, so how many is that? Well they will all vary in size but I would suggest choosing medium sized. We prefer to buy organic but that is up to you too. In general 8 pieces will = 1 pound of weight. So you’d want about 16 to make a batch, or cut in half for less.

You can find them at almost all grocery stores. If you are in a smaller town, like we are, you may need to go to a natural and/or organic market instead.

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About Justine

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

6 Comments

can you roast them for a more charred flavor or should you boil them first?
Reply
1. You should boil and then roast
  Reply
A good tomatillo recipe for impromptu salsa after a morning shopping in Mazatlan
Reply
1. Oh yay!
  Reply
after boiling and before blending, do you then take off the outer side that has split while boiling?
Reply
1. not entirely necessary but yes I would suggest doing so to make it super smooth
  Reply

Hi, I'm Justine!

Welcome to The Typical Mom blog where we share easy Instant Pot recipes, use our Ninja Foodi, Crockpot and air fryer daily, and share fun family travel destinations!

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