This homemade Mango Habanero Salsa recipe is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy, made in just a few easy steps and enjoyed for days to come. It's a delicious easy appetizer for any kind of gathering and any season.
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Ingredients
Just a few fresh ingredients that should be easily found at the grocery store are needed to make this super flavorful fresh salsa.
- Fresh mango:Fresh is best in this case, so you'll want to look for ripe mangoes (or wait for them to be ripe). A mango is ripe when it's fragrant, and when you gently squeeze it and there's a good amount of give - similar to picking a ripe avocado.If you need, you can use frozen mango, just let it thaw out fully before adding to the blender.
- Habanero peppers: Little peppers with a big spicy kick - they're most commonly yellow, orange, and red.
- Tomatoes: Beefsteak or any big juicy tomato is great for this recipe. It's not a true salsa without tomatoes!
- Onion: Aromatic that adds to the flavor. A white onion is best, but you could also use a yellow onion or red onion.
- Garlic: Another layer of flavor, adding just one garlic clove really brings a lot of depth.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds so much freshness to the salsa.
- Lime juice: Always use fresh lime juice if possible. It has the best flavor and no additives! If you're in a pinch, you can substitute lemon juice.
Directions
This fresh and fruity salsa certainly has a spicy kick but takes almost no time in the kitchen!
1. Prep and broil the ingredients. De-core and quarter the tomatoes, slice the onion in half, remove the stem from the peppers, and slice the garlic in half. Place all on a large baking sheet, drizzle with a neutral oil, and broil at 500℉ for 5 minutes on the top rack.
2. Blend. Add all broiled ingredients to a blender or food processor along with the sweet mango, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Blend for 15 seconds – 1 minute until it's reached your desired consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy!
Tips and tricks
- Consistency:If you want a chunkier salsa, only do a few quick pulses in the blender or food processor to keep the chunks larger. If you want a smooth salsa or just small chunks, puree until for a bit longer. The more you blend it, the more liquidy it gets.
- If you want a really chunky salsa in a pico de gallo type fashion, just dice up the ingredients and toss together instead of pulsing together in a blender or food processor.
- Wear gloves/wash your hands: These peppers are really really spicy, so I recommend either wearing gloves or immediately washing your hands after handling them. If you touch something on your face or anywhere else after touching habanero peppers, you run the risk of it really burning / stinging.
- Customize the spice: To tone down the spice level of the salsa, I'd recommend removing the seeds of the peppers. This can be done by carefully cutting them in half after broiling (keep them whole for broiling) and then scraping the seeds out - definitely wear gloves or be very careful for this.
Recipe variations
There are a few things you could do to customize the flavor profile of this spicy mango salsa. See below for a few options!
- Different peppers: Use jalapeño or serrano pepper instead of habanero peppers for a more mild heat (chunky jalapeño mango salsa in this recipe here).
- Spice level: Amp up or dial down the spiciness by adding more peppers (spicier) or removing the seeds from one or two (milder).
- Different fruit: Swap the mango for a different fruit such as peaches or pineapple.
- Herbs: Add more herbs such as basil or parsley.
- More add ins: Add in a red bell pepper for another flavor element.
What to serve mango habanero salsa with
This homemade salsa recipe is great on its own simply dipping your favorite tortilla chips in it for hours, but it's also great served on top of and alongside some delicious dishes. Below are a few ideas!
- Meat: Drizzle on top of grilled steak or pork chops in place of a chimichurri.
- Fish: Serve on top of salmon or shrimp.
- Tacos/fajitas: Add a dollop on top of your favorite tacos (fish tacos or steak tacos would be particularly delicious) or fajitas
- Quesadillas/burritos: Serve as a dip for delicious quesadillas or burritos.
- Breakfast: Drizzle on top of an avocado toast or some breakfast tacos.
FAQ
Habanero peppers are very hot, their heat level ranges from 100,000-350,000 on the Scoville scale (the Scoville scale measures heat in a range of peppers), making them about 10x hotter than jalapeño peppers. More on this here.
If you have leftover salsa, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-7 days.
Yup! You can make this recipe up to 1 week before you want to use it, just store in the fridge.
I wouldn't recommend it, the salsa will lose a bit of its flavor and become watery. But if that's not a concern, then yes go for it.
Yes indeed.
📖 Recipe
Mango Habanero Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 mangoes
- 2 habanero peppers
- 3 beefsteak tomatoes
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to broil at 500℉.
- De-core and quarter the tomatoes, slice the onion in half, remove the stem from the peppers, and slice the garlic in half. Place all on a large sheet pan and drizzle with oil. Broil for 5 minutes on the top shelf.
- Add all broiled ingredients to a blender with the mango, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Blend for 15 seconds – 1 minute until desired consistency.
Notes
- Consistency:If you want a chunkier salsa, only do a few quick pulses in the blender or food processor to keep the chunks larger. If you want a smooth salsa or just small chunks, puree until for a bit longer. The more you blend it, the more liquidy it gets.
- If you want a really chunky salsa in a pico de gallo type fashion, just dice up the ingredients and toss together instead of pulsing together in a blender or food processor.
- Wear gloves/wash your hands: These peppers are really really spicy, so I recommend either wearing gloves or immediately washing your hands after handling them. If you touch something on your face or anywhere else after touching habanero peppers, you run the risk of it really burning / stinging.
- Customize the spice: To tone down the spice level of the salsa, I'd recommend removing the seeds of the peppers. This can be done by carefully cutting them in half after broiling (keep them whole for broiling) and then scraping the seeds out - definitely wear gloves or be very careful for this.
Roxanne says
Can this salsa be canned?
Haley says
Honestly I'm not all too familiar with canning. I think you need to cook any food that is canned to remove bacteria, so you could warm the salsa first to achieve that. Otherwise I cannot say with confidence. Apologies!