The combination of mango and habanero blends a kick of heat with the pleasure of fruity-sweet flavors, and it’s spreading on restaurant menus. Mango habanero is being used on everything from wings, fish, and beverages to ice cream and whiskey.
This sweet-hot combination is gaining steam along with consumers’ love of Latin flavors and the flavor’s seemingly endless applications, from appetizers to desserts.
Though habanero is one of the spiciest peppers on the market, these sauces tend to be only mildly spicy, focusing instead on habanero’s floral and fruity characteristics and the sweetness and richness of mango.
According to market research firm Datassential, mango habanero is found on 4.8% of restaurant menus across the U.S., a 118% increase over the past four years. It’s best known among Gen Z, millennial, and Hispanic consumers.
Click through the gallery to read more about mango habanero and to see how one restaurant is using it on its menu.