How to Cut 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!

_{Above: Tree-Ripened Kent mangoes.}

Mangoes are my favorite fruit. Of all time. No other fruit beats it.

The flavor of a mango is somewhere between a pineapple and a very sweet peach. Sometimes they're a bit tart and they're almost always sweet and fragrant with floral notes.

According to Melissa's Produce, mangoes are the number one most popular fruit in the world. I totally get that!

Mangoes cannot be cut and sliced the way most fruits can be because the pit is flat, and in many cases, almost as wide as the fruit.

How to Cut a Mango

* The mango variety in the below tutorial is a Honey Mango (also called Ataulfo).

The step-by-step photo tutorial below shows three mango cutting methods

• Cutting the mango with its skin.
• Cutting the mango within it's skin.
• Peeling the mango first and then cutting it.

1) Cutting the Mango with it's Skin

- Hold the mango in place and cut just off the center line, lengthwise, where the pit is. 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.

- Now you can slice the two halves you cut off of the pit.

- To cut the mango into slices, you can cut the halves into quarters and then carefully slide the knife between the skin and the flesh. Then place the flesh quarters, flat side down on the cutting board and slice them further if desired. Now you can cut in the other direction for a dice.

2) Cutting the Mango Within its Skin

- You can also slice and dice by using a paring knife to make lengthwise cuts into the mango flesh — touching the inside of the skin, but not cutting through it. And for a dice just cut in the slices in the opposite direction.

- Use a large spoon to then scoop out the pieces.

- Or, once diced, rather than scooping the cut flesh out, you can almost turn the skin inside out for this pretty presentation. The dice can be large or tiny, your call.

- 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.

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

3) Peeling the Mango First

Many people like to peel the mango first. You'll usually be able to get the most of the fruit this way, but I only suggest it if you're very confident with a knife. Mangoes are incredibly slippery, so it's precarious and not necessarily the safest method.

- Peel the mango. Then holding it very carefully, perhaps with a paper towel, make the first cut on one side of the pit. Once you've done that, place the peeled mango, flat side down, to horizontally cut the second half off. Now you can slice and dice.

Mango Cutting Tips

• When making your first cuts, the closer you can get the side of your knife to the pit, the better.
• I find it's easiest to use a Chef's knife for the initial cuts and a paring knife for the slices and dices. Unless you're cutting a really large mango, like a Keitt or a Pink Elephant, then a Chef's knife will be best for everything.
• If you're making a mango salsa (recipe below), it's best to use the third method and peel the mango first.

Mango Varieties

There are at least 500 varieties of mangoes. At least!

Each type of mango has a unique flavor and texture. You can learn about more varieties at The Mango Factory.

Below is a short list of just a handful of varieties that you're most likely to see in your market, and a couple that are newer that I'm highlighting because they're amazing.

• Baby Sugar - A newer variety, Baby Sugar mangoes are only about 2 bites each and have edible skin! They're over-the-top sweet, almost like candy.
• Honey (Ataulfo) - On the smaller side, these have a flatter pit than many others, so the flesh to pit ratio is high. With a sweet and sour flavor, the flesh is on the firm side, practically fibrous-free, and it's super smooth. When perfectly ripe, they're much sweeter than they are sour.
• Pink Elephant - A newer variety that is nothing short of a tropical showstopper! Grown in Vietnam with light pink skin, they can weigh up to 2 pounds -- enough to serve 3 to 4 people! The flesh is super smooth and the pit is on the thin side, which means there's more fruit for you to enjoy!
• Tree-Ripened - Tree-ripened mangoes include the Tommy Atkins, Kent, Manzanillo and the Keitt. They're very sweet and especially rich from staying on the tree longer. The Tommy Atkins is likely the most popular variety of mango in the US.

Recipes with Mangoes

• Avocado Mango Salsa with Chipotles
• Pesto Mango Avocado Stack
• Chipotle Mango Quesadilla
• Baked Coconut Mango Chicken
• Tomato-Mango Endive Appetizer
• Mango Salad with Basil

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