Watermelon mango salsa is the best vegan summer snack, it's light, fresh, fruity, and absolutely delicious! You'll love the sweet and tangy flavors in this refreshing twist on classic salsa! Enjoy it with cinnamon chips, on tacos, or in dessert nachos!
If you love fruit and salsa then there's a good chance that you're absolutely going to love this watermelon mango salsa! The combination of sweet watermelon, tropical mango, tangy chunks of kiwi, spicy red onions, and zesty fresh lime juice is a delicious combination! This fresh fruit salsa is the best light and summery snack and it's a great way to eat up all that fresh and juicy watermelon that is so abundant during the summer.
How to Make Watermelon Mango Salsa
This vegan salsa is beyond easy to make and you can whip it up in just a few minutes! Start by chopping the watermelon, kiwi, mango into small, uniform cubes. Roughly chop the fresh cilantro, mince the red onion, and then put all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
Drizzle lime juice over the fruit and season with a pinch of salt. Gently stir the fruit to distribute the lime juice. Put the salsa into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before serving.
What Goes With it?
You can enjoy this watermelon mango kiwi salsa with:
- Crackers
- Tortilla Chips
- Pita Bread
- Naan
- Cinnamon Chips
Can You Make it in Advance?
This salsa tastes the best when it's made fresh, but you could make it the day before if you need to. If you make it too far in advance, the fruit will become soft and the salsa will be a little watery which isn't the best presentation.
How Long Does it Last in the Refrigerator?
Store the salsa in an airtight container and it will last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. It won't be as fresh as the first day that you made it, but it will definitely still taste delicious.
Can You Freeze it?
Yes, you can freeze the salsa. Put it in a freezer-safe container and you can freeze it for up to two months. To defrost, place the salsa in the refrigerator for 24 hours to thaw. There may be a little bit of extra liquid that you can drain before serving.
Ways to Adapt this Recipe
You can enjoy this fruit salsa with chips or crackers, but there are other ways that you can serve it too!
- Add Plant-Based Protein: Add a boost of protein by adding (1) 14 oz can of black beans (rinsed and drained) to the salsa.
- Mango Watermelon Salad: Cut the fruit into larger pieces and serve it on a pretty platter. This fruit salad would be a beautiful side dish to serve for brunch or a special breakfast.
- Spicy Watermelon Salsa: Add a spicy kick and a ton of flavor by adding one finely diced habanero pepper to the fruit salsa.
- Fruit Salsa for Tacos: This fresh fruit salsa is delicious served over crispy baked tofu tacos and it adds so much flavor that you just don't get from traditional tomato salsa.
- Add Crunchy Texture: The red onion adds a little bit of crunchy texture, but you could bulk the salsa up and add even more texture by adding one diced cucumber to the salsa.
- Dessert Nachos: Arrange a base of cinnamon chips or crackers on a large tray and then evenly spread the watermelon mango kiwi salsa over the chips and top it with dollops of coconut whipped cream (or vanilla ice cream) and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon for a delicious and unique dessert.
Substitutions & FAQ
- Gluten-Free: This watermelon mango kiwi salsa is naturally gluten-free. Just make sure to use gluten-free crackers like these delicious sweet potato crackers or these crispy seeded crackers.
- Mango Substitutions: You could use pineapple, papaya, mandarin oranges, or peaches instead of the mango.
- Watermelon Substitutions: You could substitute cantaloupe, honeydew melon, or strawberries for the watermelon.
- Kiwi Substitutions: If you don't like kiwi because of their tart and tangy flavor, you could use Sungold kiwi instead. Sungold kiwi is much sweeter and the fruit is a beautiful golden color. Sliced grapes would also work.
- Cilantro Substitute: You could substitute fresh basil or fresh mint or just omit the fresh cilantro completely.
- Can You Use Frozen Fruit? Fresh fruit is best, but frozen fruit will work in a pinch too. I wouldn't use frozen watermelon, but frozen mango and frozen kiwi is fine to use. You'll need to let the frozen fruit defrost in the fridge first and then drain any excess water before you chop it to use for the salsa.
- What Can I do With the Leftover Cilantro? This watermelon kiwi salsa recipe only calls for ½ a bunch of cilantro. You can use the rest of the cilantro to make this vegan chipotle mayo.
Success Tips
- Look for a heavy, round, seedless watermelon that has a yellow spot on its belly and lots of sugar webbing lines. If you find a watermelon with all of these features, it should taste super sweet!
- Try to use a red onion for this watermelon kiwi salsa instead of a yellow or white onion. Red onions are loaded with antioxidants, they're mild in flavor, and the vibrant color is beautiful in this summer salsa.
- Cut the fruit into small uniform pieces to make the salsa easier to eat.
- You don't need to remove the cilantro leaves from the stems, the stems are 100% edible. You can just chop the stems up with the rest of the cilantro and add it to the salsa.
- You can enjoy the salsa as soon as you make it, but I think it tastes best once it has been chilled in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Store the leftover fruit salsa in an airtight glass container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
More Vegan Watermelon Recipes You'll Love!
4th of July Watermelon Skewers
Watermelon Mango Kiwi Salsa
Equipment
- Large Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 cups seedless watermelon diced
- 1 large mango diced
- 3 medium kiwis diced
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- ½ cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- ¼ tsp himalayan pink sea salt (add more to taste)
Instructions
- Dice the watermelon, kiwi, and mango into small uniform pieces and put it in a large mixing bowl. Also add the minced red onion and roughly chopped fresh cilantro to the bowl.
- Drizzle the lime juice over the fruit and use a large spoon to gently stir it to combine. Put the fruit salsa in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill before serving.Â
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted on 7/24/16 but I updated it with better recipe instructions on 6/25/20.
This looks yummy, but I'd probably leave out the onions and cilantro and just do the fruit with some cinnamon-sugar chips. I love that you included a bunch of other fruit combos that would be good together!
Peaches, pineapple and mango oh my! ooo and that kiwi!
I love unique salsas! This one looks like a great one with with bright flavors!
Me too, thanks!
Loving the flavors in this (and all the alternatives!) Would make for such a refreshing summer party dip 😀
It sure would! Thank you! =)