Are you a fan of mangos and salsa? Then you’ll love this Spicy Mango Salsa recipe! It’s outrageously delicious, with the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, tangy, and fresh flavors all in one bite. Enjoy it with salads, scoop it up with tortilla chips, load it onto tacos, and much more!
Page Contents
- BEST Spicy Mango Salsa Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Recipe Ingredients
- Ingredient Notes
- How to Make Spicy Mango Salsa: Step-By-Step Instructions
- Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Tips for Making Fresh Salsa
- Nutrition Tips: What are the Potential Health Benefits of Mango?
- What Goes with Spicy Mango Jalapeño Salsa
- More Delicious Side Dishes
- Printable Recipe Card
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Pin Recipe for Later!
BEST Spicy Mango Salsa Recipe
This fresh and spicy mango salsa recipe is a must-try for anyone who loves spicy food and tropical flavors. With just a handful of simple ingredients, it’s one of my favorite recipes in the summer months when mangos are in season. The sweet and spicy combo is the perfect pairing for seafood, chicken, and plant-based proteins. It’s also brilliant with curry as an alternative to a sugar-loaded mango chutney, which is actually how this recipe was born in my kitchen.
Looking for more salsa recipes? Try this Chunky Tomato Salsa!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s perfectly sweet, spicy, tangy, and fresh, all in one bite!
- It’s loaded with Vitamin C
- It is suitable if you are following a gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, nut-free lifestyle.
Recipe Ingredients
To make this delicious salsa recipe at home, here’s what you’re going to need:
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh Mangos: Choose mangos that are ripe but not too ripe. A ripe and ready-to-eat mango should give slightly when gently squeezed. If it’s too hard, it’s not yet ripe. If it gives too easily under pressure, it’s likely overripe. You can also buy precut mango from the supermarket, which can save you some time. But it’s much more expensive than slicing and dicing your own.
- Shallots: For crunch and their subtle sharp, and savory kick.
- Cilantro (Fresh Coriander): For its fresh, slightly lemony, slightly peppery flavors.
- Jalapeno Peppers: For heat. Jalapeños are where the majority of the spicy flavors will come from. Keep the seeds if you want the salsa very hot, remove them if you want it hot, and omit the jalapeño entirely if you don’t want any spice.
- Cumin Seeds: For a nice blend of peppery and smoky notes and an exciting warmth. I’m channeling Mexican food vibes with this delicious spice. Optional.
- Fresh Lime Juice: No flavor can bring mango to life quite as well as lime. It’s a match made in heaven.
- Sea Salt Flakes and Pepper: To bring out the flavors and make them shine.
NUTRITION TIP: Mangos are a delicious, sweet fruit. That said, eating too much at one time can cause a sharp spike in blood sugar levels followed by a sugar crash. This can cause irritability, tiredness, and hunger, even if it wasn’t long since you last ate. To help prevent blood sugar spikes, and get the most out of your mangos, balance your meals with protein and healthy fats.
How to Make Spicy Mango Salsa: Step-By-Step Instructions
This spicy mango salsa comes together easily with just a handful of ingredients. Here’s what you need to do:
- Add Ingredients
Add all the ingredients to a large bowl.
- Combine Ingredients
Gently toss ingredients together. Then, serve and enjoy!
Find the recipe card with exact ingredients and full recipe instructions at the bottom of this page. ⇩
Jump to RecipeRecipe Substitutions and Variations
Substitutions
One of the things I love about this recipe is that you can customize it to your liking. So don’t let ingredients you don’t like or can’t get hold of at your local grocery store stop you from making this delicious recipe. There are so many options to make the recipe work for you.
- Shallots: Red onion, green onion (spring onions), chives.
- Cilantro: Mint, basil, or lomit
- Jalapeño Peppers: Habanero pepper (very hot), red chili (hot), mild chili powder (mild), red bell pepper (not spicy)
- Cumin Seeds: Ground cumin, caraway seeds, or omit
- Lime Juice: Red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice
Variations
Here are some of my favorite variations of spicy mango salsa that you might like.
- Mango Habanero Salsa: Use habanero peppers instead of jalapeños for extra spicy salsa.
- Tomato Mango Salsa: Use a 50/50 combination of tomatoes and mango for a flavorful twist on traditional tomato salsa. Plus, the colors are stunning.
- Mango Cucumber Salsa: Use a 50/50 mix of mango and cucumber for a super fresh summer salsa with added crunch.
- Mango Black Bean Salsa: Add a small can of black beans and load the dish with protein.
- Corn Mango Salsa: Perhaps hubby Food Geek’s favorite variation, the addition of sweetcorn (either a small can or fresh off the cob) for an extra pop of flavor and texture.
- Mango and Avocado Salsa: The creamy texture of avocado adds a unique and delicious dimension to your mango salsa. Plus, it adds a source of those all-important healthy fats.
Tips for Making Fresh Salsa
- Use ripe mangoes: The riper the mango, the sweeter it will become. And the sweetness of the mangos is what balances out the spicy jalapenos.
- Chop the ingredients finely: Mango is the only ingredient you want chunky. Slice the other ingredients as finely as you can for an even balance of flavor in every bite.
- Don’t overdo the jalapeño: The spice level of this salsa is entirely up to you. If in doubt, go easy. You can always add more later if you want it spicier.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving: Let the salsa chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Preferably a couple of hours to allow the flavors to meld together. It tastes even better the next day!
Nutrition Tips: What are the Potential Health Benefits of Mango?
Mango is brilliantly nutritious, and here are just some of the benefits that may come from including this delicious fruit in a balanced diet.
- Mango May Improve Skin Health: Mangos are loaded with vitamin C, which helps support collagen production. Collagen is what gives our skin its youthful elasticity. In addition, the antioxidants in mangos may help protect against UV damage and oxidative stress, which can contribute to skin aging. [Source]
- Mango May Support Digestive Health: Mangos are also rich in fiber, which is beneficial for digestive health. Studies have found that mango increases good bacteria in the gut, which in turn, may have a positive impact on chronic diseases like inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). [Source]
- Mango May Support Weight Loss: Mango is associated with weight loss, likely due to its high fiber and water content, which helps you feel full while keeping the calories you consume low. [Source]
What Goes with Spicy Mango Jalapeño Salsa
If you’re looking to add a delightful zing and some natural sweetness to your plate, here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy spicy mango salsa:
- Chips: Scoop up Spicy Mango Salsa with your favorite tortilla chips.
- Tacos: In my house, we embrace Taco Tuesdays! I’m talking chicken tacos, pork tacos, black bean tacos, and shrimp tacos. Spicy mango salsa works with all of them. But my absolute favorite has to be a generous scoop on top of fish tacos.
- Enchiladas: Add a generous spoonful to some tasty enchiladas. I love it loaded onto my BBQ Chicken Enchiladas.
- Seafood: Spicy mango salsa is the perfect topping for fish. Some of my favorites include cod, halibut, salmon, and shrimp.
- Curry: Mango salsa is a fab alternative to a super-sweet mango chutney. Serve as a salsa chutney side dish for a beautiful chicken korma or Chicken Tikka.
No matter the combination, spicy mango salsa allows you to add a bright and flavorful twist to your favorite meals.
More Delicious Side Dishes
- Fresh Vegetable Salad
- Easy Roasted Butternut Squash
- The Best Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes)
- Honey-Roasted Parsnips
- The Best Crispy Roast Potatoes
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Printable Recipe Card
📖 Recipe
Spicy Mango Salsa
If you love this recipe, rate it with 5 stars below!
PRINT PIN RATEEquipment
- Rolling Pin
- Medium Bowl
- Spoon
Ingredients
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 2 ripe mangos, flesh diced into medium or small chunks
- 4 tbsp chopped cilantro (fresh coriander) leaves
- 2 small shallots, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped or minced. Remove seeds for less heat.
- 1 lime, juiced
- Pinch sea salt
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare: Gather and prepare your ingredients.
- Toast Seeds: In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl and give them a bash with the end of a rolling pin.
- Mango Salsa: In the large bowl with the cumin seeds, add the remaining ingredients (diced mango, cilantro (fresh coriander) leaves, shallots, minced jalapeno, and zesty lime juice). Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste the salsa and adjust the seasoning if needed. The best salsa should balance sweetness, acidity, and heat perfectly.
Notes
Nutrition Information (Per Serving)
Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional information is estimated using an online nutrition calculator. For accuracy, we recommend you calculate using the exact ingredients and brands you used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this mango salsa recipe is spicy. However, the sweetness of the mango does mellow the heat of the jalapeños. For a non-spicy mango salsa, you can omit the jalapeños.
Yes! Try replacing the mango with fresh peaches for a spicy peach salsa or pineapple for a spicy pineapple salsa.
1. Using a sharp knife, slice down the long side of the mango on a cutting board, making sure to cut close to the pit.
2. Without cutting through the skin, make a checkerboard pattern in the flesh of the mango by cutting across horizontally and then vertically.
3. Scoop out the mango cubes with a spoon.
Fresh ripe mangos work better in this recipe without question. However, you can use frozen and thawed mango in a pinch.
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