Our easy homemade mango salsa is the best! The flavor and texture is so good. It’s sweet, spicy, and savory, all in one delicious bite. Eat it as an appetizer with tortilla chips or use it as a topping for a main course, such as fish tacos. It also makes an excellent side dish for a summer barbecue.
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If you’re looking for a refreshing summer fruit salsa that’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, this is for you.
The sweet mango pairs perfectly with the spicy pepper and onion, the crispy corn, and the tangy lime.
You’ll only need 8 (9 including salt) simple ingredients to make this quick and easy salsa.
Ingredients and substitutions
Mango – The sweet flavor and firm texture of this delicious fruit pairs perfectly with the other ingredients.
If you don’t like or can’t eat mango, substitute with peaches, pineapple, or strawberries.
Red Onion – We chose red onion because it has a milder flavor than yellow onion when raw.
Substitute with shallots.
Corn – You can grill fresh corn or use frozen fire roasted corn. Roasting or grilling the corn adds depth of flavor. If you don’t want to grill it, go ahead and boil it.
Jalapeno Pepper – We love the kick that hot peppers give this salsa. It’s a great compliment to the sweetness from the mango and corn.
Substitute with poblano pepper if you want a milder salsa, or you can use a red or green bell pepper if you don’t want spicy salsa.
Cilantro – This adds a fresh flavor to the salsa. Some people don’t like it, so feel free to leave it out or substitute with flat leaf parsley.
Tomato – A firm red or yellow tomato adds acid to the dish.
Limes – Fresh lime juice adds a tanginess to the flavor and acid (which helps cook the vegetables).
Salt – A little salt balances the sweet, spicy, and acidic flavors of this dish.
How to choose a perfectly ripe mango
For this fresh mango salsa recipe, you don’t want the mango to be too ripe, because if it’s too soft, it’s hard to cube, so look for the following.
Firmness – Lightly press the center of the mango. Like an avocado, the flesh of the fruit should be slightly soft. Not too soft, and not too hard.
Color – Mangoes range from green, to yellow, to orange. It’s fine if it’s mostly green with tints of orange and yellow, as long as it gives a bit to pressure when you press your fingers into the center.
If it’s all green, it’s probably not ripe enough.
How to dice a mango
Slice away the sides of the mango from the core, then carefully score each side of the mango vertically and horizontally.
Use a large spoon to scoop out the diced mango from the fruit.
The diced mango should fall into the bowl evenly and easily.
How to make mango salsa
STEP ONE
Grill the corn until it just begins to blacken. You can also roast it in a 400˚F (204˚C) oven.
Once it’s done, let it cool and cut the kernels off of the cob over the bowl you’re mixing the salsa in.
STEP TWO
Dice the mango, onion, pepper, and tomato, and chop the cilantro. Add them to the bowl with the corn.
Pro Tip: Dice the vegetables evenly and try to make sure that they're close to the same size.
STEP THREE
Add the salt and squeeze the lime juice over the ingredients and gently toss to coat.
Storage
Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing isn’t recommended.
Easy Homemade Mango Salsa
Equipment
- knife
- grill
Ingredients
- 2 mangoes seeded diced
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 2 fresh corn cobs grilled and kernels removed from the cob (SEE NOTE)
- 1 jalapeno pepper cored, seeded and finely chopped
- ½ cup cilantro leaves coarsely chopped
- 1 large tomato finely diced
- Juice from 1 large lime or two small limes approximately ¼ cup
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Grill the corn on medium heat until you see grill marks on each side and it’s slightly blackened, approximately 15 minutes. Let cool and then cut the kernels off of the cob. Hold them in the bowl that you’ll make the salsa in so they don’t fly all over the place.
- Dice the mango. See instructions in the content. Put in a medium bowl with the corn, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, tomatoes, lime juice, and salt and stir well.
Christine @ RunPlantBased.com says
Yum, perfect timing and this looks wonderful. Thanks!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Christine!
Ramya says
will be making this soon i never had mango salsa before looks perfect or my snacks will dm you guys if i make this and let you guys know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Ramya! We hope you like it as much as we do. 🙂