Mango Salad Dressing

This Mango Salad Dressing is super tasty, incredibly refreshing and easy to make with just a handful of healthy ingredients. Oh yeah….we are upping our healthy salad game in the most delicious way with this easy Mango Vinaigrette that takes just 5 minutes to make.

Jump to:

• Why this Mango Dressing is the Best
• What kind of Mangos are best for Salad Dressing?
• How much mango is needed for Homemade Salad Dressing?
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• VARIATIONS:
• How to cut a mango
• Easy Mango Dressing Recipe
• MEAL PREP AND STORAGE
• How to use mango dressing
• Debra’s Pro Tips
• More Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes
• Mango Salad Dressing FAQs
• 📖 Recipe

Hubby says it has to be at least 75 degrees outside to enjoy mango salad dressing. Say what? Please, tell me you don’t subscribe to that nonsense!

Hot and sunny? Yes, please…give me some of that refreshing yumminess. Cool and cloudy? Of course, I’m manifesting summer weather with a great salad with mango dressing. When mango is in season, use fresh…the rest of the year, use frozen mango for this delicious healthy homemade dressing. Either way it’s a win….right?

Homemade salad dressing is the way to go if you want to take control of your health, save money and have all your salad recipes taste incredible. The simple ingredients in this mango salad dressing recipe create a flavorful dressing that will enhance any leafy greens and all your summer salads.

What kind of Mangos are best for Salad Dressing?

Mangos are best bought while slightly firm to the touch and allowed to ripen on the countertop. Mangos will wrinkle and become sweeter as they ripen. Fresh mangos are in peak season from March through the end of July in the US, though in certain regions of the world you can find them all year round.

Cubes of frozen mango are available at your local grocery store, and are flash frozen when at their peak ripeness. There is no nutritional loss when using frozen mango compared to fresh. So, stock up to have some on hand all year round.

New for 2022, Mango is now on the Environmental Working Group Clean 15 list! This means they had the lowest amounts of pesticide residues, according to EWG’s analysis of the most recent USDA data/ Therefore, looking for organic mangoes doesn’t have to be a priority compared to produce on the dirty dozen list, which I try to buy organic if I can.

Ataulfo: These are usually small to medium in size, yellow on the outside and yellow on the inside as well. During the late spring and early summer, ataulfo mangos will be on display at your favorite supermarket at great prices.

Red Mangos: There are many varieties of red mangos. Tommy, Haden, Dent, Palmer are the most common types sold in the US. They range in size from small to extra large. Red mango are sweet with either citrus or peachy notes. They are sweet and juicy, with a combination of green, red, and pink blush coloring.

How much mango is needed for Homemade Salad Dressing?

Be prepared to use however much mango yours yields. An extra large red mango will give approximately the same amount of flesh as two smaller ataulfo mangos, which is equivalent to about 1 ½ cups of cubed mango. If your mango yields a bit more, you can add a bit more lime juice or water to just make more dressing. Or, use anything beyond the 1 ½ cups cut into slices or cubes and add it to your bowl for a delicious mango salad.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Mango: The star of the show! Mango dressing is sweet and refreshing. You could also make this with pineapple, guava, peaches or nectarines.
• Lime: The lime gives this dressing a little zing that helps balance the sweet from the mango. Lemon would offer the same tangy flavor, or substitute with orange juice for a sweeter dressing. Mango has some citrus notes that are enhanced when you add in some citrus juice.
• Olive oil: For an oil free mango dressing, replace the extra virgin olive oil with additional water and add a Tablespoon of hemp seeds for some whole foods plant based healthy fats to help absorb those fat soluble vitamins in your greens.
• Garlic: Love the savory punch this adds, and I like to zest the clove so it gets evenly dispersed in the dressing. But you could sprinkle in some garlic powder or even skip the actual garlic and opt for a garlic infused oil for easier digestibility.
• Seasoning: Just a sprinkle of sea salt goes a long way in creating a more savory fruity dressing. I love a spicy mango dressing, so in addition to the crushed red pepper, I also add some minced anaheim peppers or jalapenos. Even a pinch of cayenne will add some heat.
• Fresh Cilantro: YUM…but I totally understand if you think it tastes like soap and you prefer to omit. In that case, add some sort of fresh herbs. Top choices would be minced parsley, oregano, thyme or mint.

How to cut a mango

It’s best to use a wooden board, a sharp chef’s knife, and a large spoon to cut your mango. A small paring knife also comes in handy.

Place your mango stem side down on the cutting board. Cut as close to the center pit as possible all the way down. Repeat on the other side. You will have three sections, the middle one containing the pit.

Use your large spoon to scoop the mango flesh from the peel. Then use your small paring knife to work on the inside portion. Peel off the skin and then cut any flesh from the pit that you can.

Easy Mango Dressing Recipe

This dressing is easy to make in your food processor or blender. You can also use an immersion blender for this creamy vegan mango dressing.

Roll your limes underneath a flat palm to bring their juice to the surface. Squeeze out the lime juice directly over the food processor bowl for less clean up.

Place mango, lime juice, water, olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding in additional salt or pepper as desired. Use a spoon to check the consistency and add in more water or lime juice until pourable.

Stir in cilantro and any minced hot peppers by hand. Otherwise, your dressing will have a muddy color. It will still taste fantastic, so no worries if you threw everything in at once. Next time, you’ll remember and have this beautiful bright yellow color with flecks of red and green.

That’s it! You’re ready to pour that mango dressing onto your favorite green salad combo.

How to use mango dressing

This mango dressing for salad is one of my favorite things because it’s easy to make and doubles as a mango dipping sauce. You’ll love how vegan samosas taste dipped into this mango sauce, or try it on veggie spring rolls instead of the peanut sauce….Divine!

Mango salad dressing will enhance all your fruit salads too. This combo of fresh spinach, blackberries and pecans is a tasty way to get your greens in, and will take just a couple minutes to pull together. I consider it a major win anytime I can make a tasty salad in under 10 minutes. Prep this 5-minute mango salad dressing in advance and I bet you can get it done in under 5 minutes!

I love to pour this dressing onto my budda bowls, pasta salads and into my wraps. Make your own signature salad with greens, grains, chopped veggies and this amazing homemade dressing.

I used fresh romaine, cooked quinoa, chopped cucumbers and radishes in this photo. Winning combo for sure! Let me know in the comments what your favorite mango salad is.

More Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes

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📖 Recipe