Nightshade Free Salsa Verde (AIP)
This AIP nightshade-free salsa verde is packed with vegetables and easy to make in a food processor. It’s made without any chilis or tomatillos, but still has a zesty and rich flavor.
What is salsa verde? How do you make it nightshade free?
Salsa verde is a green salsa that’s traditionally made with tomatillos, jalapenos, and chilis. If you’re like me and are nightshade-free, it’s incredibly hard to get that salsa flavor without the nightshades. However, it is possible! With a little imagination and some creative ingredients, you can make a salsa verde-inspired dip with zero nightshades. It’s tart, zesty, and packed with greens, making it a healthy and yummy dip.
The Ingredients for Salsa Verde
- Cucumber and Kiwis. Make sure both are peeled! I know kiwi sounds random but I’ve seen some other AIP salsa recipes with kiwi (like castaway kitchen and wendy’s AIP kitchen) so I decided to try it, and seriously, it works!
- Avocado.
- Garlic and Red Onion.
- Lime Juice. This gives it great flavor and helps keep it fresh if you want to store it a few days!
- Green Onion and Cilantro. I like having both of these flavors, but if you prefer you can omit cilantro and add extra green onions.
- Dried Oregano, Salt, and Pepper.
How to make Nightshade Free Salsa Verde
Step 1. Blend the salsa in a food processor.
Step 2. Season further to taste and serve!
Can you use a blender instead of a food processor?
You can use a blender, though it may puree it further than what you see in the photos.
Can you make this salsa ahead of time? How long does it stay fresh in the fridge?
Since this salsa has lots of lime juice, it can stay fresh in the fridge for about 2-3 days. However, it’s best fresh!
What if you don’t like cilantro?
I highly recommend keeping the cilantro in there if you can since it adds a lot of flavor. But if you don’t like it, you can add more green onion instead.
What can you serve the salsa verde with?
Use this salsa verde just like you would any other! You can dip chips like grain-free tortilla chips or plantain chips, or even make recipes like salsa verde enchiladas.
You’ll also like…
Nightshade Free Salsa Verde (AIP)
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 2 kiwis, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 medium avocado
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 3 sprigs of green onion
- 3 tbsp cilantro
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and blend for 10-15 seconds or until smooth. If a thinner salsa is desired, add 1-2 tbsp of avocado oil.
- Taste the salsa and season further to taste. Serve with plantain chips.
Notes
All nutritional information are estimations and will vary.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 125
- Fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 21.6g
- Fiber: 5.6g
- Protein: 2.4g
AIP
Low Carb
Paleo
Whole30
Genius! We’ve been looking for a milder salsa verde for chicken veggie enchilada dish and this fits the bill! The texture is perfect and is mild with a touch of sweetness!! Kudos to you.
★★★★★
thank you!!
It’s really good!! I made it this morning and I loved the flavor and taste and glad it’s tomato free. It’s hard to find things tomato free.
★★★★★
Thank you!!
Omg, Michelle! This tastes incredible! I have never been able to tolerate tomatoes again, and I used to LOVE salsa. This is the most amazing recipe because it really does taste like the real thing. I’ll be enjoying this recipe all summer long. Thank you!!!!!
★★★★★
Wow! Bravo! Being AIP, i miss salsa so much! I would just eat it and pay the price the next day, but now there’s no need. Even hubby, who has no dietary restrictions, thought this was really good. The garlic gives it a nice nose clearing kick. Ha! Thank you so much for sharing.
★★★★★
This was such a hit with my husband who cannot have nightshades. We ate with some Siete chips and it was perfect. Thanks for the recipe!!
I also added a couple of avocados to some leftover and is made a great guacamole
★★★★★
So glad you and your husband love it!
You have outdone yourself, Michelle! This salsa verde was PHENOMENAL – I made dairy free and gluten free enchiladas with it. My husband is the pickiest eater so I made the salsa verde chicken enchiladas while he was at work and he had no idea that the entire meal was nightshade free (and the man hails from San Antonio so his expectations are high). So stinkin’ delicious and we will definitely be making this to snack on at the house or to make salsa verde pulled pork enchiladas in the future.
★★★★★
This is an amazing recipe! I have already made it 4 times in the last 2 weeks!
★★★★★
YAY, so glad you are enjoying it!!
This recipe is perfect. We use a lot of salsa verde in my family, and I’ve really missed it since I learned that I can’t tolerate nightshades. I’ve used it on tacos, for enchiladas, and in white chicken chili.
★★★★★
I just made this salsa. It’s delicious!!! I forgot to peel cuke and I didn’t have a kiwi, and it’s still yummy! Thank you Michelle!
★★★★★
is this recipe freezer friendly to use salsa at a later date?
Haven’t tried but let me know if you do!
I’d love to know this too! Has anyone tried freezing? I’m skeptical only because of the avocado in the recipe. Otherwise I’d think it would freeze very well.
This salsa makes me forgot about all other nightshade salsas I used to love once upon a time. And it freezes fantastically!
★★★★★
I am so glad I came across this recipe after recently learning I am allergic to tomatoes! This salsa and AIP tomato sauce has made me feel like I can finally start go back to a semi-normal way of eating without compromising flavor! I shared this salsa with friends and they were impressed that there were no tomatoes in it! Truly so good I almost cried! 🙂 10/10 recommend!
I am so glad you are able to enjoy these recipes! They are so delicious without the tomatoes!
Omg… this is SO YUMMY!! I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but all the flavors of a salsa are there…. without the inflammation! Thank you, Michelle!❤️
★★★★★
Yay, so glad!!
I love this salsa! This year I found out I am allergic to nightshades. I am so very thankful to find this recipe! I add a tablespoon of horseradish to add some “spicy” to it.
★★★★★
Yay, so glad!!
My first time making myself a nightshade free recipe! Love it. I added a whole avocado instead of half, and I don’t super enjoy cilantro so I used maybe a tablespoon and then added a tsp of cumin.
Yum!!
11 out of 10 — just made incredible salsa verde enchiladas and would have been completed AIP (used the Coyotos cassava tortillas) too had I not added A2 cheese. So delicious and entirely nightshade free due to this amazing sauce!
★★★★★