Mango Habanero BBQ Sauce: Sweet Meets Heat
This mango-habanero bbq sauce recipe is perfect for grilled shrimp, fish, chicken or pork, with just the right amount of sweet and heat.
When you’re firing up the grill this summer (or spring or fall or, hey winter!), you need to have a good BBQ sauce around. There are some very good ones out there at the grocery store, and some bad ones, but it’s pretty tough to go wrong with a good homemade BBQ sauce.
I enjoy making my own sauces for grilling because they’re fresher, and I can control what goes into them. I’m not super crazy about too much added sugar and all those preservatives. And I want awesome FLAVOR.
Like this particular recipe. It’s Mango-Habanero BBQ Sauce, and it has everything going for it. It’s got a touch of sweet from the mango, a nice level of heat from the habanero peppers, and I’ve made it slightly thick so it sticks to whatever it is I’m grilling.
YES!
Talk about an awesome bbq sauce. Let’s talk about how we make it, shall we?
Ingredients Needed
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Mango-Habanero BBQ Sauce recipe:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 habanero peppers diced
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2-3 cups chopped mango (I used 2 cups for this recipe, but you can use more as desired)
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons spicy chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- ½ cup brown sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Mango-Habanero BBQ Sauce Recipe Steps
First, heat a large saucepan to medium heat and add olive oil with onion and peppers. Cook about 5 minutes, or until everything softens.
Add the garlic and cook another minute, until garlic becomes fragrant.
Add remaining ingredients and stir until everything is combined.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Process until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a ½ cup of water or more and continue to process to your preferred consistency.
Serve the sauce right away, or let it sit awhile to allow the flavors to more fully develop.
Servings: 12 ¼ cup servings
Recipe Tips
Wear Gloves. It’s a good idea to wear kitchen gloves when handling hot peppers. The oils from the peppers can get on your skin and cause a burning sensation. If this happens, see this page – How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn.
Thinner BBQ Sauce. If you’d like a thinner, more consistent bbq sauce, swirl in a bit more water to thin it out. You can also use a food processor, blender or immersion blender to process the sauce a bit more to a finer consistency. Or, run it through a sieve.
How Long Will This BBQ Sauce Last?
The sauce will last a couple weeks in the refrigerator if stored in a sealed container. You can freeze the sauce for up to 6 months to keep it longer. Just remove it from the freezer, thaw completely, then serve cold. Or, you can heat it gently in a small pot to serve warm.
The Heat Factor
Medium-Hot. You’ll get a nice level of heat from the habanero peppers.
Looking for a milder bbq sauce? Cut back on the habanero peppers by replacing some with milder peppers, like serranos or jalapenos, or core them out to remove some of the heat.
Want spicier? You can easily add more habaneros, or go with hotter peppers, like the ghost pepper. YES!
Serving Suggestions
I love this bbq sauce on any cut of chicken or pork, on grilled shrimp, on salmon, and also drizzled onto grilled vegetables. It’s wonderfully sweet and spicy. Got another way you use it? Let me know! I’d love to hear.
Try Some of My Other Mango-Habanero Recipes
- Mango-Habanero BBQ Chicken
- Mango-Habanero Chicken Wings
- Roasted Mango-Habanero Salsa
- Mango-Habanero Hot Sauce
- Caribbean Style Mango-Habanero Hot Sauce
- Mango-Habanero Margaritas
- Mango-Habanero Cocktail: The Summer Heat Wave!
Try Some of My Other BBQ Sauce Recipes
- Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce
- Chipotle-Bacon-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
- Peach-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
- Ancho BBQ Sauce
- Easy BBQ Sauce
- South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
- White BBQ Sauce (Alabama White Sauce)
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 habanero peppers diced
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2-3 cups chopped mango I used 2 cups for this recipe, but you can use more as desired
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons spicy chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- ½ cup brown sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Heat a large saucepan to medium heat and add olive oil with onion and peppers. Cook about 5 minutes, or until everything softens.
- Add the garlic and cook another minute, until garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir until everything is combined.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20-30 minutes.
Process until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a ½ cup of water or more and continue to process to your preferred consistency. Serve the sauce right away, or let it sit awhile to allow the flavors to more fully develop.
Recipe Video
Heat Factor: Medium-Hot. You'll get a nice level of heat from the habanero peppers. Looking for a milder bbq sauce? Cut back on the habanero peppers by replacing some with milder peppers, or core them out to remove some of the heat. Want spicier? You can easily add more habaneros, or go with hotter peppers, like the ghost pepper. YES!
16 comments
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Hi there. Would this recipe be safe for canning in a hot water bath?
Thanks!
Sam, yes, absolutely. Check the acidity first. It’s best at 3.5 or below for home canning. Let me know how it goes.
Noticed you had some roasted Habaneros in one of your pics. This will be my method tomorrow night using your recipe!
I love this guy!
Oh yeah! Extra roasted peppers are great on the side when I got the grill fired up. I love it. Thanks, David!
Your recipes never disappoint! I made this today….going on baby back pork ribs tonight!
I used 2 c. Manga. I might use 3 c. next time. Excellent sauce! Another keeper.
Outstanding, Marnie! Glad you loved it! This is definitely one of my favorite sauces! Wish I had some of those ribs!
Its mango season here in India. Totally trying this recipe!!!
I hope you enjoy it!!
An absolutely brilliant recipe with a fruit flavoured chilli it’s got to be heaven.
Thank you, Robert! I do LOVE this sauce!
Hey Michael!
Wieder ein großartiges Rezept, ich glaube ich werde es auch mal mit Apricots versuchen was sagst du dazu, bestimmt auch super oder!?
Grüße,
Jesse-Gabriel
Hello, Jesse. Lucky for me I have Google Translate! Yes, apricot would be a GREAT addition! Let me know how it turns out. (DEUTSCHE: Ja, Aprikose wäre eine tolle Ergänzung! Lass mich wissen, wie es ausgeht.)
Looking forward to making this for some wings this weekend!!!
Awesome, Peter! Totally perfect for wings, and chicken in general.
Burgers!!
Totally! This would ROCK on burgers!