When mangos are in season, I make this homemade mango salsa pretty much every week! My mom made it for a backyard barbecue once and I was instantly hooked.

If you like mangos, this is the salsa recipe for you. Perfect for summer entertaining…or just a lunchtime snack. Mango salsa is on the sweeter side, but not too sweet. Which makes it the perfect combo for salty chips.

Add jalapeño, black beans, and a couple other ingredients and you have a well balanced sweet and spicy (and highly addictive) salsa for parties and backyard dinners at home.

  

I usually like to serve it up chunky, but you could also run it through the food processor or blender to make it smoother and more on the liquid side.

I also frequently add it to a homemade black bean quesadilla, if I have any salsa leftover. Yummy and simple to throw together in a couple of minutes. My favorite kind of recipes.

When are mangos in season?

You can find mangos at the grocery store year round, but the season for mangos is May through September. That’s when mangos will be the sweetest and most tasty. So basically all summer long!

How to pick a ripe mango

If you’re not sure what to look for at the grocery store or farmers market when it comes to mangos, give it a gently squeeze. A ripe mango will give slightly and often smells fragrant / sweet near the stem.

How to choose the best mangos for salsa

You want ripe mangos for the salsa if possible, but this recipe works with less ripe mangos as well. If I end up using a mango that is not as ripe, I’ll often add more to the salsa for more flavor – like pineapple or tomato. I’ve included a list of additions below as well.

Ingredients for Mango Salsa

• 1 ripe mango
• 1/3 cup of minced onion
• 1 tablespoon of minced jalapeño
• the juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro leaves*
• 1/2 cup of black beans (optional)
• 2 tablespoons of minced red or orange pepper (optional)

For parties, I double all the ingredients and make a larger batch. But when I’m just making it for our family of three for a meal, I stick with the above measurements.

*If you have a cilantro aversion / thinks cilantro tastes like soap, you can substitute the cilantro for parsley.

Other ingredients you could add in

• 1/2 of an avocado, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped or diced
• 2 thick slices of pineapple, chopped
• 1 nectarine or peach, chopped or diced
• 1/2 cup of cooked corn

Mango Salsa Recipe

1. Wash and prep.

Start by washing and prepping produce as follows:

• dice the mango – You can make this as large or as small as you like. 
• mince the onion
• mince the jalapeño 
• mince the pepper
• chop the cilantro
• wash the black beans

2. Mix it all together.

Throw it all together. Squeeze in the lime. Mix and that’s all you need to do to make a seriously delicious mango salsa of your own.

What to eat with mango salsa

Mango salsa always pairs well with seafood and other proteins – like fish tacos, chicken, salmon, halibut, etc. If you have a little extra time after making this salsa, homemade lime chips are a great flavor combo.

Serving mango salsa top of summer tacos recipe, burritos, or a Mexican breakfast bowl are really tasty options too. Oh, I put a few spoonfuls on my eggs the other day with some avocado too and it was delicious.

Mango season is here! I’m celebrating with a guide to preparing mango, whether you want it sliced or diced. Mango is one of the most popular fruits in the world, but I didn’t grow up eating it and had to learn how to prepare it. I’ve tried all the different methods, and I’m sharing the best way to cut mango today.

Mango tastes sort of like a juicy tropical peach, with notes of honey. Even when it’s ripe, it typically has a light sourness to it, which keeps me going back for more. I love using mango for a burst of sweetness in salads, salsa, and savory entrées—not to mention snacking on them.

Mangoes are at their peak in the summer, typically available from May through September. I’ve been excited to find Ataulfo mangoes (also known as honey or Champagne) on sale at Whole Foods lately. That’s the variety you see here, and they’re particularly buttery and delicious. My preparation methods will work well on any variety and size of mango!

Mango Preparation Tips

How to Tell if a Mango is Ripe

Look for mangos that yield slightly to a gentle squeeze, like a ripe avocado or peach would. It should have a vibrant color, which varies depending on the variety, and smell sweet on the stem end.

Underripe mangoes will be very hard. Avoid overripe mangoes with wrinkled skin or brown spots—they tend to be extra sweet, but with a more stringy and mushy texture inside.

Watch How to Prepare Mango

You’ll find written instructions in the recipe at the bottom of the post. For visuals, check out this brief video:

Note on Mango Skin

If you’re wondering, “Can I just eat mango skin?” the answer is technically yes, but you might not want to. Mango skin contains fiber and nutrients, though I’ve heard it’s not very tasty.

Mango skin can be irritating to human skin because it contains urushiol, which is the same compound found in poison ivy that can cause contact dermatitis. As someone with sensitive skin, I’m careful not to eat mango right off the skin.

How to Serve Fresh Mango

Ripe mango is a delicious snack on its own. I love it with a sprinkle of chili-lime seasoning like Tajín, which offers some salty spiciness to balance the sweetness.

You can freeze diced mango for smoothies, or simply to preserve a surplus. To prevent the pieces from sticking together, place the mango on a parchment paper-lined pan, freeze until solid, then transfer it to a freezer bag.

Mango goes particularly well with ingredients like black beans, berries, chili peppers, cilantro, coconut, ginger, lime, mint, red onion, peanuts, pineapple and yogurt. Many of those ingredients are incorporated in the recipes below.

Recipes with Fresh Mango

Here are a few recipes featuring mango on Cookie and Kate. You’ll see that I love to combine sweet mango with savory and spicy flavors for balance:

Please let me know how this method works for you in the comments. I love hearing from you.

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