Every home cook needs a crowd-pleasing salsa recipe to throw together when you have a party or friends pop over unexpectedly. Each ingredient in this mango avocado salsa is fresh as can be—including the tomatoes—and the mango adds a fun tropical accent.
The best time to make this is summer and fall, when you can easily score tomatoes, red onions and cilantro from the farmers market, but thankfully, those ingredients are also available year-round at your grocery store. Prep time for this recipe is only 15 minutes. You can even chop the onion, tomato, mango and cilantro ahead of time, then add the avocado and lime juice just before serving.
Ingredients for Mango Avocado Salsa
- Avocado: Look for avocados that are slightly ripe. How do you know without getting past the peel? The avocado should feel slightly soft in your hand, as opposed to firm, and the peel more brown than green.
- Mango: Adding a touch of sweetness, as well as an orange hue, this fleshy tropical fruit is a must.
- Tomato: Fresh tomatoes are key here, rather than chopped or stewed tomatoes in a can. Not only are those not fresh, they tend to be paste-like, and that’s not a texture you want with this recipe.
- Red onion: Red onion, instead of white or yellow, adds a crisp flavor, particularly as they are raw.
- Cilantro: Use fresh cilantro herbs, not dried spice in a jar. You’ll taste the difference, and the texture and aesthetic will be so much better!
- Lime juice: Not only does it brighten up the flavor, lime juice also keeps the avocado from turning brown, which can be a very unsavory effect!
- Tortilla chips: This is where you can have fun! Blue corn or yellow corn? It’s up to you. If you can find scoop-shaped tortilla chips, they are the best, as they hold the salsa nicely as it travels to your mouth.
Directions
Step 1: Prep the avocado and mango
Remove the skin from three large avocados and chop them into small squares.
Editor’s Tip: There are a gazillion ways to chop an avocado, but our Test Kitchen has hit on the best method, which is to chop into quarters, with the skin still on. You’ll peel it after.
Step 2: Chop the tomato, onion and cilantro
Keeping the skin on, chop a large tomato into chunky pieces small enough to fit onto a tortilla chip. Peel and chop a small red onion; the smaller the pieces, the better. Then, dice fresh cilantro so that it’s easily distributed. The chopped cilantro should be visible in the final recipe but not more than a single leaf-size in each chopped piece.
Editor’s Tip: Plum tomatoes work particularly well for this recipe because they contain less water than other tomato varieties, making the salsa even more chunky. If you’re using plum tomatoes, use three for every large tomato you would have used.
Step 3: Juice the fresh limes
To juice the lime, you can squeeze a half lime over a juicer or by hand.
Editor’s Tip: While fresh is always best, if you don’t have limes on hand and also want to save time, it’s okay to use lime juice from a bottle.
Step 4: Combine the ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the avocado, mango, tomato, red onion and cilantro. Next, stir in the lime juice and salt.
Step 5: Serve with vegetables and chips
Fresh vegetables (such as carrot slices and celery sticks) are a healthy and gluten-free alternative to tortilla chips.
Mango Avocado Salsa Variations
- Add smoky flavors: Roast the chopped tomatoes drizzled with olive oil in the oven at 450°F for about 30 minutes, or until they start to wither. Combined with the other ingredients, the recipe will have more depth due to this fire-roasted accent.
- Make it spicy: You’ll notice this avocado mango salsa recipe does not contain peppers. Adding diced jalapeno or serrano peppers will appeal to spicy-loving fans. Adjust to taste.
- Swap pineapple for the mango: If you’re game for the tropical-fruit vibe in this recipe but don’t prefer mango, opt for chopped pineapple instead. Both fruits add a bright, sweet flavor to balance out the tomato’s acidity.
Can you store mango avocado salsa?
As long as the recipe is kept in the refrigerator in a container with a lid, it should stay fresh up to three days. If you know you’ll have leftovers, store only the salsa minus the avocado, and add the avocado when you’re ready to eat again—avocado lasts only about a day in the fridge before it turns brown and mushy.
How long does mango avocado salsa last?
You can keep this out at room temperature for several hours, and the taste will not be affected, although you should definitely try to eat it immediately after making it—or after you’ve removed it from the fridge.
Can you freeze mango avocado salsa?
This is not a good recipe to freeze. The reason is that the vegetables you’ve chopped will no longer be crisp, and crisp vegetables are the hallmark of a good salsa recipe!
Mango Avocado Salsa Tips
Can I make mango avocado salsa ahead of time?
You can absolutely make this recipe ahead of time—or most of it. Chop everything except the avocado, store in the fridge, then within 24 hours add the avocado and lime juice.
Can I skip the mango?
We get it: Mangoes are not everyone’s jam. While the mango does add that necessary tropical element to this recipe, eliminating it will not alter the recipe drastically.
Besides tortilla chips, what are some ways to serve avocado mango salsa?
Chips and dip can get, well, stale, which is why we developed this handy list of ways to use up salsa. Scoop it onto bean burgers, smooth it over ribs or add it to your favorite baked beans.
