How to Cut a Mango

Learning how to cut a mango is easy, even if it seems like a daunting task! Everyone enjoys eating fresh fruit at peak ripeness. Follow the steps below to cut up fresh sweet mangoes.

It’s just about peak mango season and it’s time to go pick some ripe mangos out at your local farmers market. With the steps below, you will easily be able to cut a mango with a substantial yield.

This tropical fruit is tangy and sweet and often sought out in my family. Even though it’s a fan-favorite fruit for a dessert and a snack- there’s always one problem- it’s daunting to cut. So how do you cut a mango?

The steps for cutting a mango are listed below.

So, what will you need to cut a mango? You need a sharp chef’s knife, or a pairing knife, a cutting board, and of course, a ripe, ready-to-eat-mango.

How to Cut a Mango

The guide below will yield that most from a ripe mango. Once you know which cuts to make, you just need to score the flesh and scoop it out with a spoon.

When cutting a mango, set it upright. Make two vertical cuts along the sides of the mango, also known as the “cheeks” of the mango. After they are cut, you will be left with two oval pieces of fruit. After they are cut, set them to the side.

After cutting off these sides, you will want to cut off the other two small sides of the mango, along with any other flesh that you are able to slice off with your knife.

Sometimes when you’re slicing off the flesh from the fruit, some of the pit will come with it. As you can see in the picture to the left, I did just that. Don’t worry about this too much. Use your knife and cut out the pit that ended up coming with the fruit when you cut slices off.

After slicing off all slice-able sides of the mango, score the fruit and scope out the flesh with a large spoon. You can make these cubes large or small, depending on your preference and depending on what you are planning on doing what the fruit after you scoop it out of the skin. When you are scoring the mango, be careful not to pierce the skin of the mango, since it will make scooping the fruit out much more difficult.

Another method of getting the fruit out of the mango is a method called “Hedgehogging” It’s when you take your scored mango slice and invert it so that all of your cubes are sitting upright, like the quills of a hedgehog. Then, take a pairing knife (or the same knife you used to score with) and cut off the cubes, or the quills, of the mango.

Now that you have your mango all cut up, how do you plan on using it? The good news is that the possibilities are endless. Mango is great by the spoonful or with a little Tajin seasoning sprinkled on top.

Use this cubed mango in a 5-ingredient mango salsa or add it to a smoothie.

Storing your Cut Up Mango

Once you have your mango cut up, you can store your mango in an airtight container, for up to four days. Your mango will begin to get a bit mushy after that fourth day. Another option is to freeze your mango in portions so it’s easy to use for recipes like smoothies.