Keep your summer cool with the sweet fresh flavors of homemade pineapple mango salsa. This refreshing fruit salsa kicks up your favorite seafood, grilled chicken, pork tenderloin, and just about anything. Versatile, and tasty, it's your new summer staple.
This pineapple mango salsa was a huge hit with a class I taught so I'm sharing it with you. Take advantage of peak season summer produce and enjoy a batch of this easy pineapple mango salsa recipe. The vibrant color and flavor is amazing.
Jump to:
Why You'll Like This Recipe
- It's fresh salsa, tasty and versatile.
- No cooking required, handy in hot summer months.
- It's like a fresh pico de gallo but made with fruit.
- A delicious sweet savory combo.
For another cool, refreshing summer recipe try this tomato summer gazpacho.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pineapple: Half of a small (3 pound) fresh ripe pineapple or pre-cut fruit spears from the produce section. If you have a choice, get spears versus the chunks.
- Mango: Get a ripe sweet mango but not too soft so it holds shape when cut.
- Onion: Red onion adds nice color and flavor counterpoint to the fruity sweetness but other onions or even a shallot will do.
- Green pepper: Use a jalapeno pepper for a little heat.
- Red bell pepper: For both the sweetness and color contrast but orange pepper works too.
- Fresh herbs: Fresh cilantro and mint are a terrific combination for this fruit salsa.
- Lime juice: Fresh lime juice adds bright refreshing acidity to balance the sweetness of the fruit.
For quantities please see the recipe card.
Chef's Tip: How to buy a mango. While there are many varieties around the world, what I see in Southern California is oval shaped and mostly green, but when ripe having yellow and orange areas of the skin. They should yield to soft gentle pressure and smell fruity sweet. If it's rock hard, it's not ready.
Substitutions and Variations
What are some variations or additions to pineapple mango salsa? Glad you asked.
- For more heat, use a hotter red pepper or green pepper, like a serrano pepper.
- For mild salsa, swap the jalapeno for a green bell pepper or a mild Anaheim pepper.
- Add finely chopped chives for more green color, more herbs, or finely chopped green onion.
- No fresh pineapple? Use canned pineapple packed in water, not syrup.
- Want a mango salsa recipe? Skip the pineapple and use 3 mangoes.
If you like salsas, try this homemade salsa verde recipe made with tomatillos.
Recipe Instructions
Once the pineapple and mango are chopped and ready, combine in a large bowl with the rest of the chopped ingredients, red onion, red and green peppers, and lime juice. Toss together, cover, and place in the refrigerator. Chill for 30 minutes or longer. A cooling summer pineapple mango salsa is ready to serve.
If you need help on how to chop fresh pineapple and mango, please read on.
How to Cut Pineapple
If you’ve never cup up a fresh pineapple, here’s how I do it. I’ve cut up cases of fresh pineapples for fruit platters for catered events. This is how to cut pineapple into spears or chunks for a fruit platter or smaller for this pineapple mango salsa. Cutting pineapple rings is different.
Chef's Tip: How to choose pineapple. When a pineapple is ripe the skins becomes a golden yellow instead of that greenish color. It should smell sweet and give slightly when squeezed. When you give a top leaf a tug it should come out easily.
How to Cut Up A Fresh Mango
There are several ways to cut up a mango for a fresh fruit salsa. Here is how I do it. First, peel with a sharp vegetable peeler and trim off the bottom. I find that an inexpensive plastic y-peeler works best.
Stand the mango flat on a cutting board. Starting with the wider side, cut the flesh from the large center pit in one big piece. Cut extra flesh from the ends. Dice into small pieces for the salsa, about the same size as the pineapple pieces.
Why do I do it this way? Because you can get smaller pieces than doing it the usual grid pattern; a finer salsa not a fruit salad.
Chef's Tip: What is a good substitute for mango in salsa? If mango is not available, try replacing it with chopped peaches, nectarines, or strawberries. All fruity and delicious!
Serving Suggestions
As the salsa sits in the refrigerator it gets very juicy. If it's too juicy for you, strain off some of the juice.
- Serve pineapple mango salsa with crisp tortilla chips as you would for a red tomato salsa or a green tomatillo salsa.
- Try it with grilled boneless skinless chicken breast, stovetop seared salmon, or grilled flank steak.
- Use it in tacos of any kind, especially these grilled shrimp tacos or fish tacos.
- Try it over cottage cheese, it's great!
- Brighten up rice bowls.
While leftover salsa lasts 4-5 days in an airtight container refrigerated, it's best at 2-3 days. How long does food last? Check out this website and the FoodKeeper App at FoodSafety.gov.
Recipe FAQs
Fresh pineapple (or canned in water), fresh mango, red onion, bell pepper, red for the best color contrast, a jalapeno pepper for some heat, fresh lime juice, and fresh herbs such as cilantro or flat leaf parsley. There are many variations but the is the basic ingredient list for mango pineapple salsa.
First, the combination of flavors is terrific. Pineapple is a terrific companion for tropical fruits like mangoes, bananas, and citrus like oranges and grapefruits because scientifically they share similar aromas. Both are rich in vitamins (like vitamin C), minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes (pineapple). You can tell by their bright colors, that's the beta carotene. So eating them together is a power-packed way to get a healthy dose of something delicious and a boost to your health as well.
Absolutely, pineapple mango salsa is healthy, especially homemade, because you control the ingredients. This fresh fruit salsa provides lots of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, even some fiber. If you're concerned about sugars, there is no added sugar in homemade pineapple mango salsa, just nature's natural sugar. For store purchased, read the labels for added sugar, preservatives, etc.
It is not considered a traditional Mexican salsa, but it shares some flavor profiles with Mexican cuisine. While not traditional, it is delicious salsa!
More Fresh Healthy Recipes
Try grilled lemon chicken, great with this salsa and if you like mango try my spiced coconut mango smoothie for breakfast.
⭐️Did you Make This Recipe?
If you make this recipe, please add your comment. I enjoy hearing from you. If you loved it, please give it a 5-star rating! They really help other readers.
📖 Recipe
Pineapple Mango Salsa
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ small small fresh ripe pineapple or 8 ounces store-cut pineapple
- 1 small ripe fresh mango 6-8 ounces store-cut
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 1 red bell pepper chopped small
- 1 jalapeno seeded and chopped fine
- 2 limes juiced
- 1-2 tablespooons fresh chopped cilantro, mint leaves, or flat leaf parsley
- 1 pinch sea salt
Instructions
If starting with whole pineapple
- For how to cut up a pineapple see photos in post. With a sharp, heavy knife, cut the top and bottom off of the pineapple. Stand it on the flat bottom end and cut in half vertically top to bottom. Use half for the salsa and save the other half for another use. Cut the half into long quarter wedges. Lay a wedge flat on its side and trim off the tough center core. Next, lay the wedge rind side down and run a thin knife close to the rind cutting away the flesh. Cut the long strips again into several long thin slices and dice small. Place in a medium bowl. See photos in post for visual help.
If starting with pre-cut pineapple
- Chop the pre-cut pineapple into small even cubes or pieces and add to a medium bowl.
How to cut up a mango
- Peel the mango with a sharp vegetable peeler. Cut two mango cheeks off of the wide oval sides with the most flesh, then trim off extra mango from the narrow sides. Chop into small cubes and add to the pineapple. Discard the large oval seed when done. Add to the pineapple in a bowl.Note - you can cut the mango the grid method (with the skin on the side pieces), but you'll get finer chopped mango doing it this way.
Finish the salsa
- Add the onion and red and green peppers to the bowl. Gently toss salsa and add lime juice, herbs and salt. Taste for flavor and make any personal adjustments preferred.
Peggy says
This salsa just screams summer time to me! I'm sure it tasty fabulous =)
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
That looks delicious! So beautiful and fresh 😀 And there are certainly worse things than smelling like a pineapple(or even this salsa, I'm guessing :D)
Rivki Locker (Ordinary Blogger) says
I'm cooling off just looking at this salsa. Lucky you, smelling like pineapple. That's a better smell than any perfume I know! 🙂