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At my home, we all love mangoes for their sweet taste, perfect texture (not too hard, not too soft), and beautiful golden color. This fruit creates so many opportunities – it can work well in desserts as well as salads or salsas.
However, it can be pretty demanding for a beginner to prepare it well, as it is quite juicy and it has a huge seed with the fruit clinging hard to it. When I first got one when I was younger and didn’t have any idea how to cut up a mango, I made quite a mess with my first attempts! To help you avoid that, I’ve prepared a detailed guide on various mango-cutting techniques so that you can find your own best way to cut this delicious fruit. Check it out!
How to Slice a Mango in Strips
This method is useful if you need slices of mango as a healthy snack, a side dish, or for a different purpose.
- To peel the mango, you need a potato peeler or a paring knife. The former can also be helpful in producing very thin strips of this fruit, as after getting rid of the skin, you can peel off the fruit in strips and use them to make, for example, mango sauces. But if you want them thicker, go to the next step.
- As you can see, the mango is roughly oval-shaped. Put it upright on the cutting board, making the fatter end touch the surface. Start slicing from the top going through the thicker part of the mango at the bottom. When you reach the large seed, glide your knife along its edges.
- Turn the fruit and continue cutting until it is off the pit. Take the big mango slices and cut them into strips.
How to Cut a Mango in Cubes
One of the most popular ways to cut a mango is to make small cubes. Here’s how to achieve it:
- Hold the fruit with one hand and make it stand on its end, with the stem side down. In this position, you can more or less predict where the flat, oval seed is inside it.
- Take a sharp knife in your other hand and start cutting the mango from the top, moving down on one side of the seed.
- Repeat the same process from the other side, and you will get three pieces – a middle part with the seed inside and two side sections.
- Grab one of the side parts and cut it crosswise and lengthwise with your knife, avoiding cutting through the peel. Invert the piece, and the cut cubes will stick out.
- Use your fingers, a paring knife, or a glass to remove the mango cubes from the peel.
- Now, take care of the slice with the large seed inside. Put it flat on the cutting board and cut out the seed with your paring knife, then proceed to remove the peel from the fruit. You should be able to get a few more mango pieces from around the seed.
How to Cut a Mango With a Mango Splitter
It was a relief to discover that it’s not just me – many people have problems with cutting a mango, and for this reason, kitchen equipment manufacturers have created a dedicated tool for this. If you have access to a mango splitter, you can use it by following these steps:
- Put your mango upright on the cutting board with the stem end down and hold it still. Place the mango splitter above the fruit, making sure that its opening is aligned with the widest part of the mango.
- Push the tool down strongly, separating the mango flesh from the seed.
- Go to the previous guide and cut the fruit into cubes, and take them out.
How to Peel a Mango
Apart from cutting the mango, peeling it can also pose some difficulties. It’s essential to know how to peel a mango to get the slices from the first section, so let me explain that in a more detailed way as well!
- For a start, cut off the base where the fruit was attached to the stem. As a result, your mango will have a flat bottom, allowing you to place it upright on the cutting board.
- Take your knife and start peeling the skin, starting from the top of the mango. Continue up to a point you get rid of all the skin.
- Prepare to cut the mango!
How to Prepare a Mango for Refrigerating/Freezing
If you don’t use all of your cut mango, you can store it for later and use it some other time. If you’re planning to do it soon, you can put the mango pieces in an airtight container or zip-top bag (just don’t forget to squeeze out any excess air first) and refrigerate it. It should be all right for 3-5 days.
If you want to store your mango for longer, spread the pieces on a small baking sheet covered with a silicone liner or parchment paper. When they are firm, pack them into a freezer-friendly zip-top bag or an airtight container. You can keep them frozen for up to 6 months.
How Can I Use a Cut Mango?
As I’ve already mentioned, mango can fit both sweet and savory food. My favorite use of this fruit is for fresh mango salsa that goes amazingly well with various Mexican or Mexican-inspired dishes. You just need a few more ingredients like red bell peppers, lime juice, green onions, or cilantro to achieve that amazing, refreshing taste!
I use it for such dishes as baked turkey/chicken taquitos or low-carb burrito bowls. If you have any other ideas on how to use it, let me know in the comments below!
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, thanks to my guide, you will no longer wonder how to cut up a mango without making a huge mess or even hurting yourself. Even though the huge seed may seem hard to deal with, using one of the methods described above should help you to handle it in no time. If you can afford a dedicated mango splitter, it’s the easiest method, but you should be fine with your knife as well.
In this way, you can enjoy your mango as it is in slices or cubes or use it to make delicious dishes. The floor is yours!
