Mango season, ILYSM. If you’re like me and have been busy putting fresh mango in literally everything (hello, fresh mango salsa) it’s time to sharpen those knife skills and learn exactly how to cut a mango.
With this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn the best way to cut a mango 3 super easy ways so that you get perfect mango chunks every time! Add it to salsas, smoothies, on top of grilled chicken and more. Tips for freezing it for later, too. Take a scroll and be sure to check out the video to see it in action!
How can you tell if a mango is ripe?
When choosing a mango for recipes, I usually pick the ones that are red on the outside rather than the all yellow ones. To tell if a mango is ripe, simply give it a gentle squeeze. If it gives just slightly, it should be ripe enough to cut and dice for your recipes. I would avoid using mangoes that are super soft unless you’re going to blend up the mango in a recipe. Have a slightly ripe, but still firm mango will ensure that the cubes you cut remain intact.
If you have mangoes that you want to ripen faster, you can put them in a brown paper bag and even add a banana or apple to speed up the ripening process!
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See how to cut a mango 3 different ways
Step-by-step guide for cutting a mango
Step 1: hold your mango upright and find the tallest side. The pit will be sitting along that line, so you’ll want to be facing parallel to that side. With a small paring knife, carefully slice half of the mango off of the pit while aiming your knife towards the center of the mango.
Step 2: turn your mango 180 degrees and hold the top while you slice the other half off of the pit.
Step 3: take one half of your mango and cut lines vertically through the fruit side of the half without cutting through the skin. Be careful not to get your fingers in the way of your knife while you do this.
Step 4: flip your mango half so that the vertical lines you just cut are now facing you horizontally. Cut lines vertically through this side of the fruit without cutting through the skin. You should end up with grid-like lines in this half of your mango.
Method 1: using a knife
To cut your mango using a knife only, carefully turn your mango half inside-out by pressing the skin side outward with your thumbs. The fruit side of your mango half will then have equal-sized cubes sticking out. Take your paring knife and carefully slice off the cubes of mango away from you without cutting through the skin.
Method 2: using a spoon
After you’ve created a grid-like pattern in half of your mango as shown in the photo above, take a spoon and scoop out the equal-sized cubes, leaving the skin behind.
Method 3: using a cup
After you’ve created a grid-like pattern in half of your mango, take a small glass cup and use the rim to scoop out the mango cubes. You’ll do this by pulling the cup down your mango half using equal pressure.
Start at step 4 with your other mango half, and use any of the above 3 methods to cut your second side!
Storing & freezing tips
- In the refrigerator: store fresh cut mango in airtight containers or bags in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- In the freezer: spread out your cut up mango on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place it in the freezer for a few hours until frozen solid. This is called a flash freeze and will prevent the chunks of mango from freezing together. After the pieces are frozen, add them to freezer-friendly, airtight containers and store them in the freezer. Try frozen mango in smoothies, as fruity ice cubes or just as a cool summer treat!
Use fresh mango in these delicious recipes
- Blackened Salmon Tacos with Forbidden Rice & Mango Guacamole
- Mango Chicken Stir-Fry
- Fiesta Mango Black Bean Quinoa Salad
- Jerk Chicken with Caribbean Rice & Mango Salsa
- Avocado Strawberry Mango Salsa
Get all of our delicious mango recipes here!
I hope you loved this tutorial on how to cut a mango! If you try it be sure to leave a comment so I know how it went. Enjoy, xo!
Tips by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on May 30, 2019, and republished on August 1, 2021.