Sweet and spicy salsa is made with fresh ingredients and sure to become your new favorite salsa recipe. If you love fresh salsa, your taste buds will love this sweeter, fruitier spin on the classic! I love serving this easy salsa recipe with homemade cinnamon sugar tortilla chips. It makes a great game day or potluck recipe for your next party, along with healthier buffalo chicken dip, cranberry jalapeno dip, and Greek yogurt ranch dip!
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This spicy salsa recipe is packed with natural flavors from wholesome ingredients like strawberries, green apple, jalapeno peppers, cucumbers, cilantro, raw onion, and lime juice, It's such an easy recipe and might be up there for the best salsa!
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Equipment
- Large mixing bowl - everything gets thrown in a big mixing bowl (I recommend using a 5- or 7-quart bowl) and stirred together so a large mixing bowl is key!
- Cutting board - this recipe involves a lot of chopping so be sure you have a sturdy cutting board!
- Large chef's knife - a since there is a lot of prep required for this recipe, I recommend having a good quality chef's knife.
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Fresh strawberries - I like chopping these into ~½-inch pieces so you can get all the ingredients in one bite, but if you like large chunks of strawberry, keep them bigger! Strawberries are a good source of vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants. I like to look for dark and fragrant berries to maximize flavor!
- Granny smith apples - you can use any apple you'd like but granny smith are great in this salsa recipe because they add a crunchy tartness. Plus some fiber!
- Cucumbers - cucumbers add texture and help to balance out all of the strong flavors in this sweet and spicy salsa.
- Red onion - fresh onions are a staple in salsa, in my opinion. It adds flavor and texture, plus red onions contain anthocyanins, which are a strong antioxidant!
- Jalapeno peppers - these, of course, provide a little kick to the fruit salsa. Sweet and spicy is the perfect combination so the jalapeno adds a nice flavor. The seeds control the spice level: if you keep more seeds in the peppers, it'll be spicier. If you prefer a more mild salsa, remove most or all of the seeds!
- Fresh cilantro - cilantro adds an extra layer of fresh flavor to this sweet salsa and compliments the other ingredients so well. You can swap it for fresh parsley, mint, or basil for other unique flavors!
- Lime juice - fresh lime juice provides some citric acid to prevent some of the produce from browining but also gives a tangy bite to the homemade salsa.
How to Make Sweet & Spicy Salsa
Step 1: Chop all of the ingredients and juice the limes. Combine in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Mix until fully combined.
*Pro tip: this salsa is best after it's marinated for a couple of hours or even over night!
Variations & Substitutions
- You can add fresh tomatoes to make this more like a traditional salsa!
- If you want it a little bit sweeter, you can add 1 Tablespoon of honey or brown sugar before mixing to give it extra sweetness.
- Add a teaspoon or two of chili powder to add some chili flavor.
- You can substitute fresh pineapple for strawberries in this recipe, or add 1-2 cups of diced pineapple in addition to the strawberries and green apple to make an easy pineapple salsa recipe!
- If you don't like jalapenos or want it extra mild, you could substitute green bell pepper for jalapenos!
Storage & Make Ahead Instructions
- Store this fruit salsa in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. I don't recommend freezing it as thawing it will cause a lot of liquid to come out of the ingredients, resulting in a mushy salsa.
- I personally think this sweet and spicy salsa is better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to marinate together. I'll typically prep it the day beforehand, give it a good stir before serving, and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ
If this salsa is too spicy, I'd add more strawberries, apples, or cucumbers to help neutralize the spice. You could also add a tablespoon or two of honey!
It depends on what flavors you enjoy! If you like onion, garlic, tomato, fruit, etc., I would add more of those flavors to make your salsa taste better. Adding a sprinkle of chili powder or drizzle of honey may also help improve the taste.
I recommend storing this homemade salsa in the fridge in an airtight container for no more than 3 days.
You could but I don't recommend it. When fruit freezes and then thaws, it releases a lot of moisture. This would result in a watery salsa after thawing. In my opinion, any salsa should be eaten as fresh as possible!
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PrintSweet & Spicy Salsa
Sweet and spicy salsa is made with fresh ingredients and sure to become your new favorite salsa recipe. If you love fresh salsa, your taste buds will love this sweeter, fruitier spin on the classic!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
- Category: Snacks, Appetizers
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 16-oz cartons strawberries, chopped into ½" pieces
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples, chopped into ½" pieces
- 1 small cucumber, chopped into ½" pieces
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped (with seeds)
- ½ medium red onion, finely chopped
- 3 Tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Wash all produce and dry.
- Chop ingredients/juice limes and place into large mixing bowl.
- Mix well.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for a few hours. Pair with homemade cinnamon sugar tortilla or pita chips!
Notes
- Store in refrigerator in air-tight container for up to 3 days.
- I recommend letting the salsa sit in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors marinate!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ cup
- Calories: 35
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 1
- Fat: 0
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 9
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 1
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: Cucumber strawberry salad, sweet and spicy salsa recipe, sweet salsa recipe, Cucumber strawberry salad recipe, sweet and spicy salsa recipe, sweet and spicy homemade salsa
Tara says
I made this recipe last week as is and this is not salsa. It is a really good fruit salad! To make this more like salsa I added Roma tomatoes and put it in my food processor for just a second and it came out good! Thanks!
Lauren says
Hi Tara, I could totally see that! I guess I call it a salsa because I love dipping cinnamon sugar pita chips in it 🙂 I love the roma tomatoes and food processor idea!