This tangy, sweet and spicy mango salsa is perfect served in a lettuce taco alongside delicious additions, such as vegan kebab pieces and co. Delicious as an addition to your next BBQ party and it brings a wonderfully summery feel to your feasting table!

If you love spicy and spicy flavour combinations, then this spicy mango salsa recipe is truly for you! Created with grilled mango, that adds a wonderful sweetness but also mildly smoky flavour, and fresh green chili that packs a good punch. You can easily serve this mango salsa on its own or as a side dish – or add it to delicious lettuce wraps in combination with your favourite ingredients, just like I did on this occasion!

What you’ll need to make this fresh mango salsa

Ingredients

fresh mangos
red onion
red bell pepper (alternatively you can also use a sweet pointy red pepper)
fresh green chili
fresh coriander (swap for parsley, if you have none)
fresh mint leaves
oil
apple cider vinegar (or any other light vinegar, such as red wine vinegar)
brown sugar
salt
black pepper

To serve (optional):

Pulled Oumph! or another protein source
vegetable oil
large romaine lettuce leaves
Vegan chili mayo or guacamole to serve

Equipment

BBQ (though optional, please see FAQ below!)
a large mixing bowl
chopping board and a sharp knife
a small bowl to mix the dressing

How to make spicy mango salsa

There are a few simple steps involved in creating this diced mango salsa, so let me briefly go through them, so you can soon make your own fresh mango salsa from scratch!

Grilling the mango

To start with, let’s prepare the mango and make it super juicy, sweet and lightly smoky! For this recipe, I like to grill my mango on the BBQ. I simply find it adds a whole new level of flavour that’s simply divine and brings this mango salsa to the next level.

Don’t worry if you don’t own a charcoal grill or simply don’t want to spend the extra time to fire up the BBQ – you can also make this delicious vegan salsa with raw, uncooked mango or simply grill it in the oven. A few other options include using an electric grill or lightly searing the mango in a skillet on the stove.

To prepare the mango for the grill, slice off both halves of the mango around the stone. Leaving the skin on, score each mango piece in a criss-cross pattern and place it skin-down onto the hot BBQ grill. Leaving the skin on will help the mango stay together in one piece and will also make it easier to handle it when taking it off the BBQ again.

Preparing the taco ingredients

If – like me – you’re serving this grilled mango salsa as part of a lettuce taco, now is the perfect time to prepare the rest of your ingredients. Prep the Pulled Oumph according to packaging instructions (if using) and get everything ready to roll once your mango is readily grilled.

Assemble the salsa

When your mango is grilled and wonderfully seared, remove it from the BBQ and allow for it to cool down for 5 minutes to be a little easier to handle. Peel and cut the grilled mango into small cubes and add it to a large mixing bowl alongside the finely diced and rinsed red onion, red bell peppers, and green chili. By rinsing the red onion before adding it to the salsa, we ensure that the sharp taste of the onion is washed out mostly, and we get rid of the typical ‘raw onion’ taste, which I personally prefer.

Sprinkle a handful of finely chopped fresh coriander and fresh mint into the mango mixture and stir to evenly coat.

Create the fresh salsa dressing

In a small jug, combine the ingredients for the salsa dressing. On this occasion, we’re using oil, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper. Whisk or shake the dressing to evenly combine all ingredients, and then drizzle it over the salsa.

Give everything a thorough mix in order to evenly distribute the dressing.

Assemble the lettuce tacos

We’re going into the final round! Finally, assemble your lettuce tacos: Scoop about 1-2 tablespoons of the mango salsa into each lettuce leaf, then top with 1-2 tablespoons of Pulled Oumph! and finish off with a delicious drizzle of chilli mayo or a dollop of homemade guacamole to serve. Simply divine!

Extra tip: add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to take your mango salsa to the next level!

How to serve mango salsa?

This mango salsa is simply delicious on its own, though I personally prefer it in lettuce wraps. It’s very versatile and you can definitely experiment with it, however, here are some ideas:

lettuce wraps
tacos
as a side salad
on its own
on a burger
with a potato salad
as a fresh sprinkle on BBQ’d vegan proteins
as bruschetta on toasted bread
alongside tortilla chips!

Simple swaps for this recipe

Tacos

Instead of lettuce leaves, you can also use cornflour or wheat flour tacos to wrap your fillings and this mango salsa in!

Mango

If you’re out of mango, then don’t you worry, as there are a few delicious alternatives to make a delicious salsa based on this recipe! Try grilled peaches or pineapple for example – both wonderful and tasty alternatives to using grilled mango in this salsa.

Green chilli

To add a wonderful kick to this salsa, I love to finely dice a green chilli and add it into the mix. If you don’t have any green chili to hand, you can also use some jalapeno pepper or simply leave it out entirely if spicy is not your thing.

Red bell pepper

Instead of using red bell pepper, simply swap it out for its slightly-less-sweet sister: yellow pepper! Alternatively, sweet pointy red peppers are also a delicious option.

Herbs

You can totally make the salsa and dressing with dried herbs, however, the taste is not the same and I wouldn’t recommend making this salsa with dried herbs. The freshness from the mint and coriander add so much flavour to this salsa, that you wouldn’t want to miss out on!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Personally, I’m a huge fan of using apple cider vinegar for all types of recipes, but if you don’t have any to hand, then simply swap it out for another light vinegar, such as red wine vinegar. Stay away from swapping it out for something like balsamic vinegar however as the flavours are simply too different.

Spicy Mango Salsa – Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this mango salsa without a BBQ?

I love grilling the mango for an extra kick of flavour for this recipe, however, you can absolutely make this delicious salsa without grilling the mango upfront. Simply cut it raw into small cubes or grill it in your oven – I find that heating the mango upfront brings out some extra sweet juiciness that’s simply delicious in this fresh salsa recipe.

I don’t have enough mango for the recipe, can I swap it out with something else?

Try swapping out part of the mango for equal amounts of pineapple or peaches – simply delicious!

What is ‘Pulled Oumph!’?

Oumph! is an amazingly innovative Swedish company that create delicious plant based frozen foods for awesome people. Their Pulled Oumph is primarily made from soy with a flavoursome sauce and holds a great texture fried or grilled. I love all the Oumph products and have been a big advocate of the brand for years, so if you’re in the UK (or somewhere else in Europe), then definitely keep an eye out for these awesome products!

Here, in the UK, you can get them from the freezer aisle at Tesco, Asda & Iceland for example.

This recipe is:

100% vegan
wonderfully fruity and tangy
mildly spicy
delicious
grilled on the BBQ
naturally gluten free
the perfect addition to your BBQ!