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It’s almost spring which means enjoying more margaritas with chips and salsa. Tomato-based salsas are great but there are so many other types of salsas such as our Habanero Mango Salsa. This mango salsa recipe is more than just salsa – it’s perfect as a topping for baked fish or chicken, on shrimp tacos, or even as an addition to quinoa salad.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
You really only need a handful of ingredients for fresh mango salsa. With so many ingredient options, you can add a few of your own favorites (or leave one of ours out) to make your own customized version. For our version we include:
The full ingredient list and measurements are listed in the printable recipe below.
- Mangos: Any variety of mango can be used but look for mangos that are ripe but not overly rip. They should be soft to the touch like an avocado but not mushy. You can also use pre-cut or sliced mangos if you can find them at your local grocery store.
- Red Peppers: These peppers won’t add any heat but will add crunch. We prefer the flavor of red bell pepper but you can sub out yellow or green.
- English Cucumbers: This may seem like an odd ingredient but they are cool, refreshing, and slightly sweet which balances out the peppers.
- Red Onion: Besides adding a pop of color they also add crunch. You can substitute pickled red onions if you are not a fan of raw onions. I would avoid substituting white or yellow onion which can over power the salsa.
- Habanero Peppers (with seeds removed): Closely related to a Scotch bonnet pepper, habanero peppers are spicy but they are not the hottest pepper available. You will want to remove the seeds and stems to reduce the amount of heat and also wear gloves when handling or immediately wash your hands after cutting. Jalapeño peppers are a great substitute and not as hot. If you want an even milder pepper use a poblano. It will give you great flavor without all the spice.
How to Serve Mango Salsa
There are so many options for serving spicy mango salsa, and it will bring a fresh flavor to whatever you decide to add it to. These are some of our go-to options:
- As a dip with chips or pita
- On top of baked or grilled fish
- As a topping on baked or grilled chicken
- As a condiment on fish tacos
- With quinoa or rice
- In a burrito bowl
- As a topping for fajitas
How to Make Mango Habanero Salsa
Here are the quick step-by-step instructions with visuals; you can find the full instructions with the exact ingredients in the recipe card below.
Pro-tip: Mango salsa is best served fresh so make it the day you plan on enjoying it. Also, make sure your mangos are ripe to get the most flavor. Unriped mangos can be bland.
1. Dice Habanero Pepper: There are a couple of options for dicing a habanero -my hand or with a mini-food processor.
- To dice habanero by hand wear gloves or immediately your hands after handling. Using a cutting board and sharp knife, cut the pepper in half and remove the stem and seeds then dice the pepper. Discard the stem and seeds and throughly clean the cutting board and knife.
- To dice habanero using a food processor. Remove the stem and seed then place the pepper in a food processor. Pulse until the habanero is very finely diced. Discard the stem and seeds and throughly clean the food processor to remove any of the oil residue left behind by the pepper.
2. Cut the Mango: Mangos have a long flat seed in the middle so cut vertically along each side just past the seed. Using knife score the mango flesh without breaking the skin. With a large spoon remove the flesh out by detaching it from the skin.
3. Combine Ingredients: In a serving bowl, combine the mango, red pepper, English cucumber, red onion, and finely diced habanero along with fresh lime juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper then gently toss. Top with cilantro.
4. Enjoy: Chill for at least 10 minutes then serve as a dip with your favorite tortilla chips or as a topping for fish, chicken, or tacos.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: The salsa can be made up to a day in advance but the mangos will release additional juice and become softer.
How to Store: Leftover mango salsa can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Use ripe mangos to get the full juicy, sweet freshness of the fruit.
- Mangos have a big oval-shaped seed in the middle which is inedible. In addition to the method in the directions you can also cut a mango by first peeling it and then cutting the mango into four large pieces around the seed. You can then slice and dice these pieces of mango easily on a cutting board.
- Mango salsa leftovers can be refrigerated in an air-tight container for 3 days. Note: the mangos will soften over time changing the texture of the salsa.
Frequently Asked Questions
Salsa is made from raw fruits and/or vegetables. Chutney is also usually made from fruits and/or vegetables but it is typically blended and cooked.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this recipe for homemade mango habanero salsa, we recommend checking out some of these:
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Habanero Mango Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups fresh mango, cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup red pepper, diced
- ½ cup English cucumber, diced
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 1 habanero pepper, finely diced
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- â…› tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup cilantro. chopped
Instructions
- In a serving bowl, combine the mango, red pepper, English cucumber, red onion, and habanero.
- Add the lime juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper then gently toss. Top with cilantro
- Chill for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- To dice habanero by hand wear gloves or immediately your hands after handling. Using a cutting board and sharp knife, cut the pepper in half and remove the stem and seeds then dice the pepper. Discard the stem and seeds and throughly clean the cutting board and knife.
- To dice habanero using a food processor. Remove the stem and seed then place the pepper in a food processor. Pulse until the habanero is very finely diced. Discard the stem and seeds and throughly clean the food processor to remove any of the oil residue left behind by the pepper.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published on March 11, 2022, but was republished with new photos, instructions, tips, and FAQs in August of 2023.