Easy Mango Habanero Salsa With Avocado

This vibrant mango habanero salsa recipe is packed with fresh mango, sweet red pepper, avocado, and spicy flavors. It’s a colorful feast for your eyes, a treat for your taste buds, and the perfect accompaniment to grilled salmon, fish tacos, or your favorite tortilla chips.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

There are so many reasons to love this colorful salsa!

The sweet-hot combination in this recipe really delights your taste buds.

Homemade salsa is versatile, so easy to make, and so much better than jarred salsa. This habanero salsa is a perfect topping for grilled fish or fish tacos. And my restaurant-style roasted tomato salsa is heavenly with a big bowl of chips and a side of guacamole.

Recipe Substitutions

• If you can’t find ripe mangos, I’ve also made this salsa with fresh pineapple, nectarines, or peaches. They’re all yum!
• Don’t feel like cutting mangos? They can be tricky, I know! Check the cut fruit and vegetable section in the grocery store. You can often find cut mangos.
• If you don’t like red onion, use a sweet onion like the sweet Maui or Vidalia. You can also use minced scallions if you prefer a milder onion flavor.
• Do you prefer a spicier salsa? No problem. Just adjust the spice level up or down by adding more or less habanero (or other) chili.s
• What about tomatoes? Personally, I don’t like tomatoes in this salsa, but you do you!
• I really REALLY like to dice my ingredients so I get a chunky mango habanero salsa, but I know that can be time-consuming. If you prefer to use a food processor, just pulse it a few times unless you prefer a smoother salsa. Then have at it.

How Hot Are Habanero Peppers?

They’re hot! Chili peppers are ranked on the Scoville scale, which measures their heat. It ranges from 0-100 Scoville heat units, where you’ll find sweet bell peppers, to 3,000,000+ Scoville heat units where you’ll find pepper spray.

• A habanero pepper ranks between 100,000 – 350,000 (depending on the variety)
• A serrano pepper ranks between 10,000 – 25,000
• A jalapeno pepper ranks between 2,500 – 10,000

Because habanero peppers are so hot, I highly recommend that you wear gloves when working with them. I like to keep a package of these disposable food service gloves in my pantry exactly for this reason. I learned my lesson the first time cut them with bare hands and then rubbed my eyes. OUCH!!

Keep in mind also, that their heat might transfer to your cutting board. Make sure you clean it well after mincing your habaneros.

But they’re not just about heat. Habaneros also have a slightly smoky, citrusy flavor which is nice in this salsa. If you can’t find habaneros (or you prefer a more mild heat in your salsa) you can absolutely substitute a different spicy pepper, like jalapenos or serranos here.

Personally, I love spicy food, so I’m all about the combination of hot peppers with the sweet flavor of ripe mango in this fresh, flavorful salsa.