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    Home » How To (Cooking Techniques) » How to Cut a Mango

    How to Cut a Mango

    May 16, 2012 · by Valentina · 10 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

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    whole mango and dice half of a mango

    Learning how to cut a mango is easy, and essential if you want to get the most out of this incredibly delicious, tropical fruit!three stacked mangoes

    Mangoes are one of the most delicious fruits available, and they can't be cut and sliced the way most fruits can be because the pit is flat, and almost as wide as the fruit.

    Large mango being slices horizonatlly

    About Mangoes

    • Mangoes originated in India over 4,000 years ago and are considered to be a sacred fruit.
    • According to Melissa's Produce, mangoes are the number one most popular fruit in the world.
    • In the United States, they're approximately number thirteen.
    • There are many varieties of mangoes including Ataulfo or Honey (pictured below), Keitt, Haden, Francis, Kent, Tommy Atkins, and Palmer. These are just a handful of many more. Each type of mango has a unique flavor and texture.
    • Some people liken the general flavor of mangoes to a cross between pineapples and oranges, with a hint of peach. Sometimes they're a bit tart and they're almost always sweet and fragrant with floral notes.

    Large Mango being cut into thin flat slices

    Why is it tricky to cut a mango?

    Mangoes have a big, flat pit in the center, which means they need to be cut differently than many other fruits with round pits.

    There's nothing quite like a perfect (and perfectly prepared) mango!

    How to Cut a Mango

    - Hold the mango in place and cut just off the center line, lengthwise, where this pit is. Imagine the side surface of your knife almost brushing the side of the pit.

    Mango on its side being sliced in half

    - Repeat this process on the mango’s other side. Mango sliced in half with orange knife

    - To cut the mango into slices, use a paring knife to make lengthwise cuts into the mango flesh — touching the inside of the skin, but not cutting through it.

    Mango cut into thin slices being scooped out of skin with a spoon

    - To dice the mango, use a paring knife to make lengthwise cuts into the mango flesh, — touching the inside of the skin, but not cutting through it. Then make the same size slices horizontally — again, not cutting through the skin.

    - Use a large metal spoon to gently scoop out the sliced or diced mango.

    half of a mango being cut into a dice

    - You can make the dice any size you like, and if you don’t scoop the fruit with a spoon, you can almost turn the skin inside out for this pretty presentation.

    Diced mango in its skin

    - To get the mango flesh from around the pit, lay the center piece flat, and use a paring knife to cut the fruit off the pit, towards the edges.

    Mango being sliced into a wedge off of the pit, with an orange knife

    Of course, you can also just bite the fruit off of the pit.

    Mango fruit with bites taken out of it.

    A few delicious recipes with mangoes:

    • Mango Avocado Chipotle Salsa
    • Pesto Mango Avocado Stack
    • Chipotle Mango Quesadilla
    • Baked Coconut Mango Chicken
    Diced mango in its skin

    How to Cut a Mango

    Valentina K. Wein
    Learning how to cut a mango is easy, and essential if you want to get the most out of this incredibly delicious, tropical fruit!
    Print
    Prep Time 1 min
    Course Snack
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 1
    Calories 200 kcal

    Equipment

    • paring knife

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 whole mango

    Instructions
     

    • Hold the mango in place on a cutting board, and cut just off the center line, lengthwise. (Remember, the pit is flat. It’s a similar in shape to the mango.) Imagine the side surface of your knife almost brushing the side of the pit.
      Repeat this process on the mango’s other side. You’ll have two halves, and a flat center portion of the mango that includes the pit.
    • To cut the mango into slices, use a paring knife to make lengthwise cuts into the mango flesh — touching the inside of the skin, but not cutting through it.
    • To dice the mango, use a paring knife to make lengthwise cuts into the mango flesh, — touching the inside of the skin, but not cutting through it. Then make the same size slices horizontally — again, not cutting through the skin.
      Use a large metal spoon to gently scoop out the sliced or diced mango.
    • You can make the dice any size you like, and if you don’t scoop the fruit with a spoon, you can almost turn the skin inside out for this pretty presentation.
    • To get the mango flesh from around the pit, lay the center piece flat, and use a paring knife to cut the fruit off the pit, towards the edges.

    Notes

    Calorie count is only an estimate.
    Keywords exotic fruits
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. MImi Avocado

      May 16, 2012 at 2:15 pm

      Love your photos! AND love those mangoes!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 16, 2012 at 7:05 pm

        Mimi, Avocados are next! 😉

        Reply
    2. Geez Louise!

      May 16, 2012 at 2:16 pm

      perfect, I'm going to link to it in this weeks recipes that are going out.
      Happy Wednesday!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 16, 2012 at 7:06 pm

        thank you, Louise!

        Reply
    3. Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious

      May 16, 2012 at 2:33 pm

      It is such a nightmare for me to cut a mango so this tutorial is incredibly helpful. Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 16, 2012 at 7:06 pm

        Chung-Ah -- so happy this is helpful to you! Thanks for your comment!

        Reply
    4. sippitysup

      May 16, 2012 at 7:09 pm

      You for got to say "Tah-dah" at the end! GREG

      Reply
    5. Jenny

      May 17, 2012 at 12:56 pm

      eating around the pit is the only way to go! great little tutorial...

      Reply
    6. marla

      May 19, 2012 at 2:37 am

      A great post + one I very much needed as I have 3 ripe mangoes to slice tomorrow 🙂

      Reply
    7. Blanca

      May 16, 2013 at 5:00 pm

      Oh Lady you have me cracking up! I wasn't expecting the bitten mango at the end. That's exactly how we eat mangos at our house =) Yum!

      Reply

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