This Mango Habanero Hot Sauce is so tangy, sweet, and spicy–it's the perfect condiment! Adjust to your spice level and serve this with tacos or on a Cilantro Rice bowl!
Alright, I'm not going to lie, I am a total baby when it comes to spicy food. I've been trying to work on it, and I have actually found some really great hot sauces with amazing flavor. So, I was inspired to make one!
This habanero hot sauce is tamed by the sweetness of the mango. I added some sugar as well to balance it out, and I removed the seeds from the habanero. For all you heat-lovers, go ahead and leave in some seeds if you dare! Or reduce the sugar! Both of these will make this mango habanero sauce blow you away!
This sauce would go great on some tacos, paired with an Avocado Sauce!
Why you'll love this recipe
- No cooking necessary - This recipe uses all raw ingredients! It couldn't be much easier.
- Adjust the heat-level - If you LOVE spicy food, leave the seeds in one or two of the habanero peppers! You can also reduce the amount of sugar used in the recipe.
- Sweet & Spicy - The sweet mango balances the heat from the peppers so well!
What you need for this recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Mango - Use fresh mango with skin and seed removed, or use a mango purée.
- Habanero Peppers - Raw habaneros de-stemmed and de-seeded, unless you choose to keep the seeds.
- Rice Vinegar - Or white vinegar.
- Orange Bell Pepper - I don't recommend substituting this with another pepper. You could use yellow or red if necessary, but it will change the color of the sauce significantly.
- White Onion - Or yellow or sweet onion.
- Garlic - Just 2 raw cloves. Don't go overboard as raw garlic can be quite pungent.
- Lime Juice - Fresh squeezed when possible.
- Sugar - Feel free to reduce the sugar amount if you really love the heat of the sauce.
How to make this recipe
Note: It is HIGHLY recommended to use gloves while handling habanero peppers. The oils from these peppers can stay on your skin even after washing, and you risk getting it in your eyes.
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
Begin by giving half of a white onion a rough chop, juice the limes, and roughly chop the orange bell pepper (without the seeds).
Peel and remove the seed from the mango. Use a food processor or blender to puree mango completely.
Put gloves on. Use a sharp knife to remove the stem from the habanero peppers. Remove the seeds for a milder sauce.
Try to keep the peppers mostly whole and intact, so that you know how many you are adding to the sauce.
Step 2: Blend
To a food processor or blender, add all of the ingredients except for the habaneros.
Blend until smooth.
Start by adding just one or two habaneros (with or without seeds). Blend, then taste.
Add the remaining habaneros if you want more heat. Blend until smooth.
Step 3: Finishing Touches
Taste and adjust levels of spice, sugar, or salt accordingly.
(Optional) You can run this sauce through a mesh strainer if you want a smoother sauce, but I found this to be mostly unnecessary.
Serve on tacos, with rice bowls, or on a salad!
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Be careful with the seeds! If you're not sure how spicy you can handle, always start slowly. If uncertain, try removing the seeds, setting them aside, and adding them slowly to your liking.
- Feel free to add or remove some of the sugar. Adding more will tame the heat, removing some will make it spicier.
- I do not recommend substituting the orange bell pepper. Switching it for another bell pepper color will result in a very different looking sauce.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe is not particularly spicy as it is written, but it is easy to increase or decrease the heat-level!
According to the Scoville heat units, a habanero pepper is 100 times hotter than a jalapeño, with a SHU of 350,000
When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this sauce can last at least 2 weeks.
Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Mango Habanero Hot Sauce
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender
- Sharp Knife
Ingredients
- ½ White Onion roughly chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic
- ½ cup Mango purée or 1 mango
- 4 Habanero Peppers de-stemmed and (optional) de-seeded
- ¼ cup Rice Vinegar
- ¼ cup Lime juice 2 limes
- 1 cup Orange bell pepper roughly chopped
- ¼ cup Water
- 3 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Note: It is HIGHLY recommended to use gloves while handling habanero peppers. The oils from these peppers can stay on your skin even after washing, and you risk getting it in your eyes.
- Begin by giving half of a white onion a rough chop, juice the limes, and roughly chop the orange bell pepper (without the seeds).
- Peel and remove the seed from the mango. Use a food processor or blender to puree mango completely.
- Put gloves on. Use a sharp knife to remove the stem from the habanero peppers. Remove the seeds for a milder sauce.
- Try to keep the peppers mostly whole and intact, so that you know how many you are adding to the sauce.
- To a food processor or blender, add all of the ingredients except for the habaneros.
- Blend until smooth.
- Start by adding just one or two habaneros (with or without seeds). Blend, then taste.
- Add the remaining habaneros if you want more heat. Blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust levels of spice, sugar, or salt accordingly.
- (Optional) You can run this sauce through a mesh strainer if you want a smoother sauce, but I found this to be mostly unnecessary.
- Serve on tacos, with rice bowls, or on a salad!
Patricia says
The spice of the pepper comes from the membranes inside which the seeds are attached to. The chemical capsaicin from the membrane can also be on the seeds. Hope this helps when adjusting the heat of your salsa.
Frank says
Excellent!
Frank says
Excellent! Great taste and easy to make!