Easy Mango Pico de Gallo
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This sweet and spicy salsa fresca pairs perfectly with grilled fish, chicken, or taco salads, and makes a pretty tasty dip for tortilla chips, too!
Mango Pico de Gallo featuring tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, and fresh lime juice marries traditional salsa with delicious fruity flavor.
A popular topping in many Mexican recipes, the best Pico de Gallo is made by dicing fresh ingredients by hand. Using a blender or chopper can result in soupy or frothy salsa.
But don’t worry — prepping the ingredients for this easy pico de gallo recipe really doesn’t take long. Follow my tips to make this mango salsa in 15 minutes tops!
I have an easy method for dicing fresh mangoes and there’s no need to take time to peel the tomatoes either making prep work super easy and super quick.
Interested to try more delicious homemade salsa recipes? You’ll love my salsa verde made with grilled tomatillos, onions, garlic, and jalapeño pepper. Or, try one of my other fruity salsa recipes like blueberry salsa served with grilled pork tenderloin or strawberry salsa with grilled chicken.
Why you’re going to love it!
- Quick and easy. Only 15 minutes prep time!
- Fresh flavor. So much better than jarred salsa!
- Versatile recipe. Serve it as an appetizer or as a topping for a Mexican main dish.
Mango pico de gallo: behind the recipe
I confessed a while back about my obsession with chips and salsa — just ask my family who empties the chip basket first when we’re dining out at a Mexican restaurant!
This obsession is probably why I enjoy making salsa at home so much. I’m also a big fan of easy, fresh recipes and this mango pico de gallo definitely fits the bill.
What differentiates Pico de gallo from traditional Mexican salsa is the chunky texture with very little liquid. It’s often the “salad” served alongside chimichangas, enchiladas, or tacos.
Key ingredients and substitutions
- Mango — You can tell if a mango is ripe by its color and feel. The skin of a ripe mango should have shades of yellow and orange and it should give slightly when you give it a gentle squeeze.
- Tomatoes — Often I use Campari tomatoes for their sweet flavor and firmer texture. Roma tomatoes also work well in this recipe.
- Onion — The recipe calls for both red onion and green onions, but you can use just one or the other if you like.
- Jalapeño — Remove the seeds for less heat or leave them in for more spice.
- Lime — Adds the acidity that melds all the flavors together.
- Cilantro — You either love it or you hate it. In our house, my husband has an aversion to cilantro, so I leave it out of his bowl!
How to dice a mango
- Stand the mango up on its end and carefully slice off the “cheeks” by running a sharp knife straight down on either side of the seed in the middle.
- Take a paring knife and score the flesh on each cheek in a criss-cross pattern without cutting through the skin, making a 1/4-inch dice (or whatever size you wish).
- Gently scoop the flesh away from the skin with a large spoon.
How to make mango salsa fresca
STEP 1 | Chop ingredients
- Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out most of the seeds with a small spoon. This helps keep the texture chunky, and not liquidy. Dice the tomatoes — but do not peel — into 1/4-inch pieces and place in a bowl.
- Cut the jalapeño in half and remove the seeds with the tip of a spoon; finely dice or mince.
- Dice the red onion and scallions, and if using, chop the cilantro.
tip
- Placing diced red onion in a small bowl of cold water for a few minutes will keep the onion from being too strong and overpowering the other flavors in the salsa.
- The flavors of mango pico de gallo get even better it you have time to let it rest for an hour or two in the refrigerator before serving.
STEP 2 | Combine ingredients and season
- Add the diced mango, onions, and jalapeño to the bowl with the tomatoes and stir gently.
- Use a citrus juicer to squeeze in the juice of half a lime. Season with salt. Taste and adjust the amount of lime and salt to your liking.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve or chill until ready to use.
tip
- Leftover salsa served with tortilla chips make a tasty snack, too! I love these handy new Ziptop containers for storing leftovers! Never lose another lid! You can get your own set with my affiliate link and take 15% off any order with my discount code: LIFELOVEANDGOODFOOD15.
Frequently asked questions
Store mango pico de gallo in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. When serving leftovers, drain off any accumulated juices first.
This dip itself is gluten free, but if you’re serving with tortilla chips make sure the brand you choose is made from 100% corn. Some may have added wheat flour, so check the ingredient list.
Mango Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 16 ounces fresh tomatoes diced (Campari tomatoes or Roma tomatoes)
- 1 large mango diced
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper seeded and diced
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- 1-2 scallions sliced (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro optional
Instructions
- Dice the red onion and place in a small bowl of cold water while you prepare the other ingredients. This will keep the onion from being too strong and overpower the flavors of the salsa.
- Dice the tomatoes—do not peel—and place in a medium bowl with the diced mango; stir gently.
- Drain the red onion and add to the mixture with the remaining ingredients, adjusting the amount of fresh lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in fresh cilantro and serve with tortilla chips or with grilled fish or tacos.
Notes
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
