If you love rich, vibrant flavors, this homemade Pipián Verde is about to become your new kitchen staple. Growing up, my grandmother taught me the secret to balancing its unique flavors, and today it’s a true family favorite. Best of all? It’s incredibly easy—using toasted pumpkin seeds gives you a luxurious, creamy texture and a deeply nutty flavor without any dairy required!
If you love Mexican sauces, you’ll also want to try my grandmother’s Easy Mole Recipe.
Quick Recipe Notes
- Taste profile: Nutty, herby, mildly spicy.
- Texture: Rich, creamy texture from toasted pepitas.
- Key Secret: Easy to customize with roasted poblano peppers, spinach, cilantro, and more. Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
-Maggie
👩🏼🍳 How to Make Pipián Verde
Toast the Pepitas
- Heat a dry skillet over medium heat.
- Add the pepitas and toast, stirring frequently.
- As soon as the seeds begin to pop and lightly brown, remove them from the pan immediately to prevent burning.
Some regional variations include blending in a roasted poblano pepper for extra depth.
Cook the Chicken
- Place the chicken pieces in a large stockpot.
- Add enough water to cover the chicken.
- Add the remaining ½ onion, 1 garlic clove, bay leaf, and salt.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the broth.
Make the Sauce
- Add the toasted pepitas, roasted tomatillos, onion, garlic, and serrano peppers to a blender.
- Blend until completely smooth.
- Set the sauce aside.
Finish the Pipián Verde
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Carefully pour in the blended green sauce.
- Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.
- Add the cooked chicken pieces.
- Simmer for about 10 minutes so the flavors come together.
- Serve with Mexican rice and warm corn tortillas.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Depending on the region of Mexico, this dish may be called Pipián Verde or Mole Verde. Both names describe the same style of green sauce made with pepitas.
No. Pepitas are the signature ingredient that gives Pipián Verde its rich, creamy texture and distinctive flavor. There is no true substitute.
Absolutely. Many families blend in roasted poblano peppers, spinach, lettuce, cilantro, or jalapeños to create their own variation of this classic sauce.
🫙 Storage & Reheating
Store leftover Pipián Verde in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally. If the sauce becomes too thick after refrigeration, add a splash of chicken broth or water until it reaches your desired consistency. You can also freeze the sauce and chicken together for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Mexican Sauces
Pipián Verde is one of those traditional Mexican recipes that proves simple ingredients can create incredible flavor. The toasted pepitas give the sauce its rich, velvety texture while the roasted tomatillos add a bright, tangy balance. Whether you call it Pipián Verde or Mole Verde, this authentic recipe is sure to become a favorite at your family table.
Pipián Verde
Ingredients
- 1 cup pepitas or pumpkin seeds
- 8 tomatillos
- 1 onion divided
- 6 garlic cloves divided
- 2 serrano peppers (or more, if you like it spicy)
- 1 whole chicken cut up into pieces.
- Water
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Toast the pepitas in a skillet.
- Stir frequently. Be careful not to burn.
- Once they start popping, remove immediately.
- Roast tomatillos, ½ onion, 5 garlic cloves, and serrano peppers.
- You can do this on the stove or under the broiler until the skin on everything is charred.
- Place the pepitas and the roasted ingredients in a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Set aside.
- In a large stock pot, add the chicken, water, bay leaf, salt, ½ onion, and 1 garlic clove.
- Place a lid on the pot and cook thoroughly.
- In a separate pot, heat the oil and add the green mole sauce.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Add the cooked chicken.
- Bring to a simmer again.
- Let cook for 10 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Serve with rice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- 2 cups of lettuce
- handful of spinach
- 1 roasted poblano pepper
- half bunch of cilantro
- For a milder sauce, use jalapenos (instead of serrano peppers)
This looks like it would be so very good. I definitely want to give these a try!
Such a comprehensive recipe. I will be trying this out
We’ve never tried Pipián Verde but like that you can throw it together and its lasts so long, less waste is always good with us!
I love this. The pictures alone sealed the deal for me. This looks and sounds incredibly tasty.