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This Homemade Mango Habanero Salsa recipe blends sweet juicy champagne mangoes with spicy orange habanero peppers. The refreshing combination has the perfect mix of in season fruit and bold heat. This is the BEST salsa for summer, served alongside dishes like tacos or with your favorite tortilla chips.
This salsa can be made chunky or smooth and only takes a few minutes and steps to come together.
Why you’ll love this mango habanero salsa
- fresh mango: yellow champagne mangoes offer the best sweet flavor
- flavorful salsa with spicy flavors: if you’re a fan of heat, this recipe is for you. But I’ve also included substitutions for those who aren’t a fan of spice!
- chunky or smooth texture: this salsa can be made with a texture similar to Pico de Gallo or with a smooth, blended texture like traditional salsa.
- easy to make: this salsa comes together in just a few steps, with no cooking required for those hot summer days where you don’t want to turn on your oven!
- versatile serving applications: use this fruit salsa as a dip for chips or as a part of a Mexican-Inspired meal like tacos!
What are Habanero Peppers?
This homemade salsa recipe uses spicy habanero peppers! They’re a type of chili pepper that definitely brings the heat.
The heat level of chili peppers is measured on what’s called the Scoville Scale. You can learn more about the Scoville Scale here. Jalapeño peppers fall in the mild-medium range on the scale and habanero peppers fall in the very hot range.
Ingredients
Today we’re using fresh ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store for this homemade mango habanero salsa.
- Ripe Mangoes: I recommend yellow champagne mangos (or Ataulfo) since they have a sweet, creamy texture
- Habanero Peppers: you’ll only need 1 or 2 of these peppers since they’re pretty hot
- Red Onion or White Onion: for lots of flavor
- Garlic: just one clove adds a tremendous amount of aromatic flavor…don’t skip on this!
- Fresh Cilantro: for fresh, vibrant flavor
- Coarse Sea Salt: essential for bringing out all the fresh flavors
- Fresh Lime Juice: some acid to balance the sweet, spicy and salty!
Substitutions For Mild Heat:
As far as spiciness goes, habaneros are one of the hotter peppers. If you’re sensitive to heat, here are a few options that will be milder. You can read more about the Scoville Heat Units of different peppers here.
- Bell Peppers (0 SHU): red bell pepper (or yellow) would add a nice crunch if you’re super heat sensitive.
- Jalapeño Peppers (2,500 – 8,000 SHU): a good option if you still want some heat
- Serrano Pepper (10,000 – 25,000 SHU): these peppers are spicier than jalapeños but milder than habaneros
Add-Ins:
Feel free to add in other in-season produce to this homemade fruit salsa:
- Pineapple: for pineapple mango habanero salsa that’s extra sweet!
- Peach: if it’s summer and you have fresh peaches, they’d also be a great addition.
Helpful Equipment
- Plastic Gloves: for cutting the habanero
- Food Processor: if you’d like a smoother salsa
Step-by-step instructions
For Chunky Mango Habanero Salsa:
STEP 1: Prep the produce by dicing and chopping it. Wear gloves when handling the habanero pepper.
STEP 2: Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Place covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
For Smooth Blended Mango Habanero Salsa:
STEP 3: Add all the ingredients, plus a drizzle of good quality olive oil, to a food processor.
STEP 4: Pulse 5-10 times until the salsa consistency you enjoy is reached. If the salsa has too much liquid, strain some of the liquid with a fine metal sieve. Place covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
How to Serve the Salsa
This is the best mango habanero salsa because of how versatile it is!
The tropical flavor goes great with dishes like fish tacos or alongside salty tortilla chips.
Some recipes this salsa would go well with are:
- Garlic Aioli Vegan Fish Tacos
- Black Bean Corn Salad
- Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
- Vegan Blackened Chicken
How to Store the Salsa
To store the salsa, transfer it to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Or transfer the salsa to an airtight container. It will stay fresh in the fridge for about 5 days.
I don’t recommend freezing this recipe since the texture of the vegetables will change when thawed.
Tips and Tricks
- Wear gloves: if you frequently touch your eyes or wear contacts, I recommend using disposable gloves to deseed and chop the habanero peppers. The oils from the pepper can easily get on your hands and irritate your eyes.
- Let the flavors blend: like most sauces, the longer the mixture sits together, the better it tastes!
- Consistency: the texture of this salsa is completely customizable! It can be as chunky or as smooth as you’d like. I recommend using the pulse feature on the food processor (vs. a blender) for better control of the texture.
- Control the Heat: to decrease the heat of the salsa, completely remove any white membrane in the pepper as well as the seeds. This is where the capsaicin, which causes the heat, is.
Salsa FAQ
This habanero mango salsa recipe is medium heat. If you’re very careful when removing the white membrane and seeds, it can actually lean toward the mild side.
Habaneros fall between 100,000 – 350,000 SHU on the Scoville scale. As a comparison, Jalapeños are between 2,500 – 8,000 SHU. You can learn more here.
For a milder salsa use Jalapeño, Serrano, or Poblano peppers.
More Sauce recipes:
Did you make this sweet and spicy mango habanero salsa recipe?
I’d love to know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and comment below!
Easy Homemade Mango Habanero Salsa
This homemade Mango Habanero Salsa recipe blends sweet juicy champagne mangoes with spicy orange habanero peppers. The combination is the perfect mix of refreshing and bold heat. It's perfect as a summer side to dishes like tacos or alongside your favorite tortilla chips.
It can be blended smooth or can be served chunky as pico de gallo.
Ingredients
- 1 cup ripe yellow champagne mango, diced (about 2-3 medium mangoes)
- 1 orange habanero pepper, diced small (membranes removed and deseeded)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup tomato, diced (about 1 small tomato)
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- Juice of ½ a large lime
For Smooth Salsa:
- Drizzle of good quality olive oil
Optional Add-Ins:
- ½ cup fresh pineapple, diced OR
- ½ cup fresh peach, diced
Instructions
*Video tutorial is above the recipe card!*
For Chunky Salsa:
- Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Place covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
For Smooth Salsa:
- Add all the ingredients, plus a drizzle of good quality olive oil, to a food processor.
- Pulse 5-10 times until you reach the salsa consistency you enjoy.
- If the salsa has too much liquid from the fresh produce, strain some of the liquid with a fine metal sieve.
- Place covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
- Wear gloves: if you frequently touch your eyes or wear contacts, I recommend using disposable gloves to deseed and chop the habanero peppers. The oils from the pepper can easily get on your hands and irritate your eyes.
- Control the Heat: to decrease the heat of the salsa, completely remove any white membrane in the pepper as well as the seeds (this is where the capsaicin, which causes the heat, is).
- Consistency: the texture of this salsa is completely customizable! It can be as chunky or as smooth as you’d like. I recommend using the pulse feature on the food processor (vs. a blender) for better control of the texture.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 25Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 5mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 0g
Nutritional info is an estimate.
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I live in Hawaii and am familiar with Hayden, Puree, and a couple other mangoes but have never heard of champagne mangoes?
I would probably use Hayden as largest, sweetest in my opinion. Would these be ok to interchange? Where do you find champagne mangoes? Don’t know what area you’re from?
Hi Jazzy, champagne mangoes are sometimes referred to as yellow mangoes which I’m able to find at my local grocery store (Eastern U.S.). You can use any ripe mango you have on hand in this recipe as long as they are sweet!
I tried the recipe, it’s really good.