A simple and easy to pull together Mango Avocado Salsa for scooping up with chips or spooning into tacos. It’s a fabulous appetizer to accompany BBQs, alfresco dining, Mexican food or simply as a snack. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free!
Table of Contents
Recipe Inspiration
Our trip to Costa Rica this past April captured our hearts. Rob and I had been planning this dream for what seems like forever. We finally made it happen.
The country is gorgeously green, with vibrant and generous culture, varied ecosystems of beach and cloud forests, volcanoes and jungle. Never did we imagine we’d see a sloth holding its baby, tent bats, Motmot, Jumping Pit Viper, Caiman, a variety of frogs like the Blue Jean Frog, and Capuchin and Howler monkeys. The birdlife alone is incredible and with birding being a daily activity, we spotted over 80 different species! Most new to us, but some familiar, like the Great Kiskadee, who were moving through on migration to North America.
While there was much wildlife watching and exploring jungle and river ecosystems, we swam in hot-springs fed pools, ate fabulous typical Costa Rican food and enjoyed locally grown fruit and veggies daily. Mango and avocado were two local favorites. These two fruits are abundantly grown in Costa Rica, with mango being a major exported fruit. We arrived shortly after mango peak season, so they were still in abundance at roadside stands, markets and local restaurants.
One morning I ordered avocado toast (so excited to see this on the menu! – it’s the simple things) but Carlos, our waiter said there were no avocados available, that the fruit on the tree wasn’t quite ripe. I was excited to learn how local our food was being sourced, even though I’d have to wait for avocado for a day or two. Totally worth the wait.
While we generally enjoyed mango simply, we found this succulent, juicy fruit to be served on tacos. Add a few avocado slices and wallah, Mango Avocado Salsa! I had something like this years ago, but had forgotten about it, and how delicious it is as a snack or appetizer.
A Few Recipe Notes
- How to choose a Mango and Avocado: I follow the same rules when it comes to these two fruits. Unripe fruit will be hard and not give to light pressure. To ripen, simply store them at room temperature. Test the fruits each day by giving them a gentle squeeze. When ripe, both fruits will give just a bit under pressure. Store ripe avocado in the refrigerator where it will stay ripe for several days. Enjoy the mango right away (else it tends to get mushy and brown inside).
- Cutting a mango used to stymie me. Here’s a video that shows how simple cutting a mango is! And for avocado, a quick video tutorial on how to dice one.
- Mango Avocado Salsa recipe is best enjoyed shortly after it’s made. It tends to get soggy and brown as it sets, so it’s not a recipe I recommend making in advance.
- This is a mild salsa as written. For a spicier salsa, add an additional jalapeño, with ribs in for even more spicy!
- Enjoy this Mango Avocado Salsa on tacos or simply with chips!
More Mango Recipes to Love
- Forbidden Rice Salad with Mango, Bok Choy and Coconut Curried Dressing
- Tropical Mango Almond Cake – from The Beach House Kitchen
- Matcha-Mango Coconut Popsicles
- Tequila Spiked Mango and Avocado Salsa – from Floating Kitchen
- Quinoa Mango Black Bean Salad with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette
the recipe
Mango Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 Mango large, diced
- 1 Avocado large, diced
- 1/4 C (30g) Purple Onion small dice
- Fist-full Cilantro leaves chopped fine
- 3 Tbs Lime Juice about 2-3 limes
- 1 Tbs Jalapeño seeds and ribs removed, diced fine (take this up to 2 Tbs for more heat!)
- 1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt + more to taste
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the mango, avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeños and salt. Gently mix together and taste for salt/lime/jalapeños adjustment. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes minutes before serving.
This is one our favorite summertime salsas! Only difference is that we never thought to add jalapeno. I think it would really add a nice kick! Great idea!
How wonderful to read about how your trip inspired this salsa! It sounds like such a refreshing treat on a summer afternoon. Loved hearing more about your Costa Rica adventures too. The wildlife there is so incredible! And I am impressed with all of your bird knowledge. :)
Your trip sounds so great, Traci – love that you saw so much wildlife. My brother and sister in law went to Costa Rica last year and absolutely loved it – will need to add this to my trip list. I love mangos – they always go in my smoothies – so will definitely be trying this salsa – I’m a big salsa fan and this one looks so refreshing! We have taco tuesday at work every week so I’ll plan on making a big batch and bring it to work!
I just hade a small portion for lunch and loved it! I am using homegrown mangoes; the salsa flavors are just sunny and beautifully delicious. Thank you for sharing Traci. I am about to prepare a bigger portion for tonight’s appetizers… It’s a keeper. YUM!
Oh my goodness, home grown mangos? DO YOU SHIP?! lol! Thank you for your note, Rafaella – such an encouraging note from The Chef! So happy y’all loved it! Hooray!!
This mango salsa screams summer to me Traci. Costa Rico sounds like a dream. Having lived in the Caribbean, I can only imagine the beauty. Aaaaand how delicious the mangos were over there..
I think there is something in the air that makes those mangoes so SO delicious.
This salsa will surely be making an appearance in our grilling scene this summer.
Thanks for yet another gorgeous recipe my dear friend.
Yes! Mangos every dayyy! This would be sooo good with BBQ eats… cooling and refreshing! Thank you love!
What a photo !!
Thank youuu lovely!
Hi Traci, always a pleasure to check out your blog. I want to visit more Blogs in the future. Always too busy with Instagram as you know. I sometimes struggeling with these facs. However. This Salsa is a perfect for Steffen and me because we both love mango and Avocado. Normally I try to reduce my Avocado consume because it doesn’t has a very good life cycle assessment – but sometimes I still buy them (yesterday for example). I will save this idea for my next grill session! xoxo Janine
Hi hiiii J! So nice to see you here! Yes, I get it… I hope you and Steffen enjoy the recipe… xo
Your trip to Costa Rica sounds so wonderful Traci! I want to go there someday with my family.
Your salsa sounds amazing! Beautiful shots as always! I make a mango salsa, with pineapple, but never tried mango avocado salsa! Must be so creamy, and sweet and delicious :)
I’m so glad you like the recipe, Amisha! The wildlife in CR… just watching them on their terms in their habitat was remarkable and beautiful. And the way Costa Rica leaves space for wild things is a model the rest of the world needs to adopt. We’ve destroyed so much.
Costa Rica sounds like such a magical place! We are hoping to go next year. This salsa sounds divine, I really can’t think of a better combination. Love it, Traci! <3
It’s so progressive in so many ways… very different then our culture. I admire how they care for the wild while trying to balance human needs. It’s an inspiring and beautiful country. I hope you two make it happen Tessa!
My son Sean absolutely loves mango Traci (and so do I), so I will be making this for him the next time I visit him in Florida! Sean will go for the extra jalapeno because he loves spicy! So happy your dream and Rob’s to visit Costa Rica came true! It sounds like you both had a blast! It’s on our bucket list too! Thanks so much for sharing my mango cake! Hope you’re having an awesome weekend!
Oh yes, that extra jalapeno is my fave… I hope Sean enjoys it, Mary Ann! Costa Rica was a dream come true… it seems like we blinked and it was over… can’t wait to head back!
This probably is my favorite salsa ever. I love that you added avocados in it. I cannot wait to add it in next time around. Such nice links to cut mango in your notes.
Happy Weekend my dear!!
xo
Ooooohhh you’ll love the addition of Avo, Ash! It adds just an additional layer of flavor and creamy!
I could seriously eat my weight in this salsa :). What a dream for summer afternoons by the pool!
I’m SO with you, Laura! xo