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Last Updated on July 22, 2021 by Lisa Johnson

Cubes of juicy mango and papaya are combined with red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and chipotle pepper to create this refreshing and versatile Papaya Mango Salsa recipe. It is perfect as a dip with chips and equally delicious as a topping for fish and chicken!

A small white bowl filled with chopped papaya, mango, red onion, cilantro, chipotle chili powder, and lime juice.

I think this papaya mango salsa is going to be showing up a lot in future recipes as well. I have already used it on my Fish Tacos and Mahi Mahi with Panko, but never created a stand alone post…until now!

Ingredients:

A mango, papaya, chopped red onions, lime juice, chopped cilantro, and chipotle chili powder to make papaya mango salsa.

a ripe mango and papaya that you will need to peel and dice.
diced red onion and chopped fresh cilantro.
chipotle chili powder to give the salsa it’s kick, and fresh squeezed lime juice for tartness.

This cool, fresh Papaya Mango Salsa is super easy to prepare and brightens up any dish that it is paired with. It has a slight kick from the chipotle chili powder, but it blends perfectly with the sweet fruit and tangy cilantro.

What is the difference between a papaya and a mango?

Papaya Mango Salsa fruit cookingwithcurls.com

The papaya is a large, tree-like plant that is native to southern Mexico and neighboring Central America. As you can see, it is larger than the mango…so remember that when you are in the grocery store. The fruit is a type of berry, and is ripe when it feels soft and is an amber to orange hue.

Mango trees are long-lived and can grow to 110 to 131 feet tall! Mangoes are native to South Asia, and are the national fruit of India, Pakistan, the Philippines. Mangoes vary in size and color, but are usually a combination of green, yellow, and red here in the states. They have a single flat, oblong pit that is fibrous and does not separate easily from the pulp. I have a special “mango splitter” tool that I use to make life a bit easier!

How to make Papaya Mango Salsa:

Split the mango in half and remove the large seed in the center.

Mango cut with a white plastic mango cutter.

Lay each side flesh side up and slice in both directions to create cubes.

Fresh papaya cut into cubes with a chefs knife then cut away from the skin.

Run a chefs knife between the skin and the flesh to separate the cubes and place them in a large bowl.

Slice a papaya in half and remove the seeds from the center with a spoon.

Fresh papaya sliced in half on a plastic cutting mat.

Lay each side flesh side up and slice in both directions to create cubes.

Half of a fresh papaya sliced into cubes.

Scoop out the cube with a large spoon like you would do with an avocado. Place the cubes in the bowl with the mango.

Cubed papaya and mango in a large glass bowl with a wooden spoon.

Add the red onion, cilantro, chipotle pepper, and lime juice to the bowl and mix to combine.

Chopped cilantro, red onions, and chipotle powder on top of the cubed fruit.

Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

A portion of spice rubbed salmon topped with chopped papaya and mango salsa on a blue plate.

Recipe Notes & Tips

Dice the fruits any size you like it, it all tastes the same.
Store leftover fruit salsa in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
If you do not like the smokey flavor of chipotle pepper, feel free to substitute a traditional or ancho chili powder.

Tools used to create this recipe:

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Serving suggestions:

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Enjoy!!