How to Cut a Mango

Learn How to Cut a Mango and peel its skin to either eat for a snack or use in your favorite healthy recipes.  A few tips and tricks will also show you how to pick a mango, tell when it’s ripe, and store it for later. 

Cutting a Mango

Recently the hubby requested I buy a few mangoes at the grocery store since they are currently in season.

Being a little bit of a stranger to this fruit, I acquiesced but was not entirely enthused to try it out.

As I watched him carefully cut, peel, and dice this brightly colored fruit I became curious to see what all the hype was about.

You guys… if you don’t already know – mangoes are the freakin’ BOMB!

The soft and delicate texture, mixed with their natural sweetness makes them a delicious and healthy after-dinner dessert you can feel good about enjoying.

Or you can even mix them into a Homemade Mango Avocado Salsa!

And even though they may initially seem a bit intimidating, there are actually 2 super easy ways you can quickly cut and peel them in less than a few minutes!

What are They?

Mangoes are a stone fruit, like peaches, plums and nectarines. They are grown on trees and typically found in the tropical regions of South Asia, with India and China being the top producers.

Mangoes are made up of a thin, inedible skin (or peel) with a juicy pulp (or flesh) and a thin, oblong pit running through the very center of the fruit.

They are sweet enough to be eaten on their own as a dessert of snack, or used in recipes such as Mango Salsa or Sticky Mango Rice.

Selecting a Ripe Mango

While they can normally be found year-round in the United States, May through August is mango season, with June-July being their peak production time.

Much like avocados and peaches, selecting a ripe mango depends primarily on how they feel, and not so much on their appearance or color.

To determine if a mango is ripe, apply firm but gentle pressure to the fruit.  If it gives slightly when squeezed, it is ripe and ready to eat.

A mango will also emit a slightly sweet and fragrant aroma from their stem end as it becomes more ripe.

Mangoes will ripen naturally on their own if kept at room temperature for a few days.

You can also place the mango in a sealed paper bag for 2 days if you would like to speed up the process slightly.

Once they are ripened, you can place the fruit in the refrigerator for a few days to slow down the ripening process.

How to Cut a Mango

Now that you’ve selected a good, ripe mango, it’s time to start preparing it by peeling, cutting, slicing, and/or dicing.

There are two different methods you can use to cut a mango.

Classic Method:

A mango has a thin pit running down the middle of the fruit.  To avoid this, you’ll want to cut and remove the right and left cheeks of the mango.

Cutting the Cheeks (Step 1):  Place mango on a cutting board with the stem facing up.  Insert a sharp knife about ¼-inch to the right of the midline.  Starting from the top of the fruit, cut all of the way down to the bottom.  Repeat this process with the left side of the mango.  You should have 3 slices of mango at this point (2 cheeks and 1 midsection with the pit.)

Dicing the Flesh (Steps 2 and 3):  Using a smaller pairing knife, hold the mango in your non-dominant hand and make vertical incisions into the flesh of the mango.  Pay careful attention not to cut all of the way through into the skin.  Turn the mango 90 degrees and make vertical cuts that intersect the previous ones in a crosswise fashion.  Repeat this step with the other mango cheek.

Cut, peel, or spoon Flesh (Steps 4a, 4b, 4c):  You can remove the mango pieces by either using a paring knife, your thumb, or a spoon.  Place your tool of choice where the flesh meets the skin and cut/push/scoop it off.

Extra Mango around the Pit (Steps 6 and 7):  There may still be some edible mango left around the pit.  To get to this, place your paring knife into the skin of the midsection piece and carefully cut between the flesh and the skin to remove it.  Cut and remove any additional mango flesh until the pit is all that’s left. 

Alternative Method (Vegetable Peeler)

There’s another method you can use if you’re scared to hold the mango in your hand while using a paring knife.

Peel Skin with a Vegetable Peeler (Step 1): Using a vegetable peeler, remove all of the skin from the mango.

Cutting the Cheeks (Step 2):  With the stem side facing up, remove the right and left cheeks from the mango as instructed above.

Dicing the Flesh (Step 3):  Place mango cheeks flat-side down on a cutting board and dice or finely dice to your desired size.

Extra Mango around the Pit: Remove any of the remaining edible flesh around the pit and dice to your desired size.

Storing

One medium-sized mango will yield 1 ¼ – 1 ½ cups of fruit.

Store freshly cut, diced, or sliced mango in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.

Freezing:  Place cut fruit in a single layer on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 4 or up to 24 hours.  Place frozen mango pieces in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag and store in freezer for up to a year.

FAQs

Can dogs have mango?

Oops!  Did you drop a piece of mango on the ground and your pup scooped it up?

No need to worry.  Mangos are safe for dogs to eat in moderation.

Are they healthy?

While mangos are extremely low in fat, they are full of carbohydrates, fiber, natural sugar, and potassium.

One medium-sized mango has roughly 200 calories, 1 gram of fat, 50 grams of carbohydrates (5 grams of fiber and 46 grams of sugar) and 3 grams of protein.

A mango is a healthy dessert option for those not on a particular diet.  People on a low-carb, keto, or diabetic diet may want to avoid mangos due to their high carbohydrate and sugar content.

Recipes

While this delightful fruit makes a delicious snack or dessert on its’ own, here are a few ways you can use it in some healthy recipes:

Mango Avocado Salsa

Tropical Fruit Green Smoothie

Frozen Mango Margarita

Chicken with Mango Salsa

5 from 1 vote

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How to Cut a Mango

Learn How to Cut a Mango and peel its skin to either eat for a snack or use in your favorite healthy recipes.  A few tips and tricks will also show you how to pick a mango, tell when it's ripe, and store it for later.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword dice, peel, ripen, slice

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 1 serving

Calories 201 kcal

Author London

Ingredients

• 1 mango

Instructions

Classic Method:

1. A mango has a thin pit running down the middle of the fruit.  To avoid this, you’ll want to cut and remove the right and left cheeks of the mango.

2. Cutting the Cheeks:  Place mango on a cutting board with the stem facing up.  Insert a sharp knife about ¼-inch to the right of the midline.  Starting from the top of the fruit, cut all of the way down to the bottom.  Repeat this process with the left side of the mango.  You should have 3 slices of mango at this point (2 cheeks and 1 midsection with the pit.)

   

3. Dicing the Flesh:  Using a smaller pairing knife, hold the mango in your non-dominant hand and make vertical incisions into the flesh of the mango.  Pay careful attention not to cut all of the way through into the skin.  Turn the mango 90 degrees and make vertical cuts that intersect the previous ones in a crosswise fashion.  Repeat this step with the other mango cheek.

   

4. Cut, peel, or spoon Flesh:  You can remove the mango pieces by either using a paring knife, your thumb, or a spoon.  Place your tool of choice where the flesh meets the skin and cut/push/scoop it off.

   

5. Extra Mango around the Pit:  There may still be some edible mango left around the pit.  To get to this, place your paring knife into the skin of the midsection piece and carefully cut between the flesh and the skin to remove it. 

   

6. Removing the Pit: Cut and remove any additional mango flesh until the pit is all that’s left.

   

Alternative Method (Vegetable Peeler)

1. There’s another method you can use if you’re scared to hold the mango in your hand while using a paring knife.

2. Peel Skin with a Vegetable Peeler: Using a vegetable peeler, remove all of the skin from the mango.

   

3. Cutting the Cheeks:  With the stem side facing up, remove the right and left cheeks from the mango as instructed above.

   

4. Dicing the Flesh:  Place mango cheeks flat-side down on a cutting board and dice or finely dice to your desired size.

   

5. Extra Mango around the Pit: Remove any of the remaining edible flesh around the pit and dice to your desired size.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• One medium-sized mango weighs roughly 0.75 pounds or 335 grams.

Nutrition Facts

How to Cut a Mango

Amount Per Serving

Calories 201 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 3mg0%

Potassium 563mg16%

Carbohydrates 50g17%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 46g51%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 3625IU73%

Vitamin C 122mg148%

Calcium 37mg4%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.