You can cut a mango into slices, cut it in half and eat it with a spoon, or use a peeler to peel it, along with other methods.
Mangoes are a stone fruit with juicy, sweet, yellow flesh.
Native to South Asia, they’re grown today throughout the tropics. Ripe mangoes can have green, yellow, orange, or red skin.
This fruit comes in several varieties and is rich in fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and many other nutrients (1).
However, mangoes can seem unwieldy because of their large pit, so you may wonder how to slice them.
Here are 6 simple ways to cut fresh mangoes.
Mango basics
All parts of a mango — the flesh, skin, and pit — are edible. Nonetheless, since the pit tends to be hard and bitter in a ripe mango, it’s usually discarded.
The pit is flat and located in the center of the fruit. As you can’t cut into it, you have to slice around it.
While many people peel this fruit, finding the skin tough and bitter, mango skin is edible. Though it doesn’t taste as sweet as the flesh, it provides fiber and other nutrients.
1. In half and with a spoon
One of the easiest ways to cut a mango is to keep the skin on and vertically slice off each half away from the pit.
Then use a large spoon to scoop out the flesh and transfer it to a bowl to slice or eat.
Alternatively, you can scoop out smaller spoonfuls to eat one at a time as a snack.
2. Into slices
To make thin mango slices, use a sharp knife to vertically cut each half of the fruit from the pit.
Next, take one of the halves in your palm and cut long slices into the flesh with your other hand. Be careful not to break the skin. Repeat with the other half.
Alternatively, you can slice each half on a cutting board instead of in your hands.
Use a spoon to gently scoop the slices onto a bowl or plate.
3. Into cubes
Cubing a mango is also known as the hedgehog method.
Use a knife to divide the fruit vertically, then hold one of the halves and score a grid pattern into the flesh. Make sure not to break through the skin. Repeat with the other half.
Next, peel the skin back on each half to pop out the cubed fruit (so that the mango resembles a hedgehog) and pick off the pieces with your hands. You can also spoon the cubes into a bowl.
4. With a peeler
If you want to cut a mango into thinner slices, use a vegetable peeler or knife.
Remove the skin and then run your peeler or knife through the flesh, making thin shavings. Stop when you hit the pit and repeat with the other half.
5. With a mango splitter
A mango splitter is a tool specifically designed to halve a mango while removing the pit.
To use one, place your fruit vertically on a cutting board and center the splitter on top of it. Use your hands to push the oval slicer into the middle of the mango to remove both halves from the pit.
6. With a drinking glass
To save yourself time while prepping a mango, try using a drinking glass.
First, slice off each half using a sharp knife. Then, holding one half in your palm, push the rim of a drinking glass in between the flesh and skin with your other hand. Continue this motion until the flesh has been removed and is inside the glass.
Dump the flesh into a bowl and repeat with the other half.
Ideas for freshly cut mango
Incredibly juicy and sweet, mangoes can be used in several different ways.
Here are some ways to enjoy this tropical treat after you cut it:
- on top of yogurt or oatmeal
- mixed into salads or puréed into a
salad dressing - blended into a smoothie with nut
butter, milk, and yogurt - stirred into salsa with corn, bell
peppers, jalapeños, cilantro, and lime - mixed into a sweet rice pudding
- grilled and enjoyed on top of
tacos or burgers - tossed with
cucumbers, lime, cilantro, and olive oil for a refreshing salad
The bottom line
Mangoes are stone fruits with sweet, juicy flesh.
You can cut a mango in many different ways. Try using a knife, peeler, or even a drinking glass the next time you crave this tropical fruit.
Fresh mango can be enjoyed on its own or added to yogurt, salads, oatmeal, smoothies, salsas, or rice dishes.