How to Slice a Mango | Easy Step-by-Step Photos (+Video)

Learn how to slice a mango without peeling it. No confusing tricks or hacks to learn here – just a simple method for how to cut a mango so you can enjoy this juicy fruit sliced on its own or diced for your favorite mango recipes.

Three mangos on a kitchen towel. Text overlay reads "How to Cut a Mango"

As much as I love the convenience of prepped food items at the grocery store (I’m looking at you, bag of coleslaw mix!), I know that doing the work myself almost always saves me money.

Knowing how to do a few basic things in the kitchen – like how to cut a pineapple or how to freeze blueberries or how to cut a whole chicken into parts – means big savings over time.

Today, let me show you one of my favorite easy tutorials – how to cut a mango!

HOW TO CUT A MANGO FRUIT

There are various ways to cut mangoes. I’ve found that the most popular method isn’t easy. It’s also very time-consuming and doesn’t yield a lot of fruit.

My method for how to slice a mango is the opposite.

It’s quick and easy.
No peeling is required!
It gets the most fruit off the pit.
It allows you to prepare mango halves, mango slices, or diced mango.

While some of the steps can take practice, this will help clear up any “how do I cut a mango” confusion, and cutting mangoes gets easier with every mango you cut!

HOW TO PEEL A MANGO

You WON’T need a vegetable peeler. In my experience, peeling a mango is not the easiest way of cutting a mango. When I’ve tried, I just end up getting mango juice everywhere.

However, I do recommend having a few kitchen tools handy before you begin:

Sturdy cutting board. Mangos are juicy, and your fruit will slip and slide all over the place if your board isn’t sturdy. I recommend a cutting board like this one, placed on top of a kitchen towel on your counter.
Serrated knife. Sometimes the skin is hard to cut through, even with a sharp knife or small paring knife. Using a serrated knife will help with that, as well as cutting off the fruit closest to the pit.
Chef’s knife. Choose a knife that has a little bit of give, like a filet knife or a good chef’s knife. You don’t want to use a cleaver, butcher knife, or a very long and wide chef’s knife because they don’t have the flexibility you need. You’ll use this knife to remove the skin from the mango and to chop the mango pieces.

Let me show you the easiest method for how to slice a mango!

HOW TO SLICE A MANGO INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1. CUT JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THE CENTERLINE

A slice in a mango while being held by a hand on a cutting board.

Mangos are usually oblong. If you stand one upright on a flat surface cutting board, you’ll see how it’s shaped like an oval when you look at it from overhead. Position the mango so that the oval of the mango goes up and down, away from you and towards you.
Mangos have a gritty pit that’s also oblong. As a result, you’re going to slice the mango all the way through, just to the right of the centerline. If you run into the sides of the pit as you cut, just move a little more to the outside of the fruit. This takes practice, and every mango is different, so you might not get it right on the first try.

STEP 2. CUT JUST TO THE LEFT OF THE CENTERLINE

Two slices on a mango with the center raised slightly while being held by a hand.

Just like you did on the right side, now you’re going to cut just to the left of the center.

STEP 3. CUT EACH MANGO HALF INTO THIRDS

Two halves of a mango sliced into thirds on a cutting board

You’ll have one middle section that looks close to a rectangle, and two pieces that look like prisms.
If you want more “perfect” mango cubes, you’ll want to cut as little off the two ends as possible. Again, this will come with practice.

STEP 4. FILET THE MANGO FROM THE SKIN

Two halves of a mango cut into thirds on a cutting board, with the flesh filleted from the skin.

With the mango cheeks lying on the cutting board skin side down, gently yet firmly cut the mango away from the skin. You want to cut as close to the skin as possible, without cutting through the skin.
The side of the mango is where you’re going to get the bulk of your cut mango pieces.

Note: You are NOT cutting the skin away from the mango. If you do this, you’ll leave more fruit on the skin and less to enjoy later.

STEP 5. CUT THE REMAINING MANGO FROM THE PIT

The mango pit with a few slices and cut mango bits nearby on a cutting board

With the mango standing up, it’s time to cut off the two remaining edges from the core. Starting just off-center at the top, cut down and around the core, in the shape of a circle. You will not be able to cut straight down.
Continue cutting mango flesh away from the pit until you feel resistance in the knife – that’s how you know you’ve hit the pit. Try to get as much mango off the pit as possible, even if the pieces aren’t very pretty.

STEP 6. FILET THE REMAINING MANGO FROM THE SKIN

Just like you did in Step 4, filet the rest of the mango away from the skin.

STEP 7. CUBE YOUR MANGO

This is the best part! Simply cube the mango chunks and serve or use them in your favorite recipes!

An up close view of how to slice a mango with several slices on a cutting board

HOW TO CHOP A MANGO AND USE IT IN RECIPES

What do you do with all the mango cubes you just chopped up? Make delicious mango recipes! Mango can go with either sweet or savory flavors. Here’s how cut mango can be a part of your next menu plan:

As a snack! Mango is juicy and delicious on its own.
After you’ve learned how to chop a mango, make Mango Salsa
Use mango as the creamy factor in Beginner Green Smoothies
Tuck cut mango in a taco shell with Slow Cooker Carnitas and Cilantro Lime Slaw
As a topping for Instant Pot Oatmeal or the Best Steel Cut Oats
Flash freeze cut mangoes for later (use the same method as how to freeze strawberries). Store in a resealable bag or an airtight container in the freezer.

Cubes of mango in a white bowl with a spoon.

HOW TO DICE A MANGO AND ENJOY IT!

I get this question a lot: “Can I still eat _____ if I’m trying to stay within my macros?”

And my answer is always YES!

Maybe you already know how to dice a mango, but you don’t generally buy them, because mangos are a fruit that can be higher in natural sugars and carbohydrates.

No food is off limits here – there’s always a way to make it fit with your macro goals for the day, whether that’s your favorite fresh fruit or a slice of cake.

Maybe you enjoy a small portion.
Maybe you make an either/or decision: I can either have mango at breakfast OR a roll with dinner.
Or maybe you run the numbers and realize you have more wiggle room than you think.

There are plenty of ways to make the foods that you enjoy fit with your nutrition goals.

If you need help figuring out how it all fits together, grab my free guide here to start achieving your real body goals by eating the foods you love.

HOW DO I CUT A MANGO FAQS

Should I refrigerate mangoes?

Once the mangoes are ripe, they should be moved into the refrigerator until mango cutting time. Doing so will slow down the ripening process. Cut mangoes should also be refrigerated.

How do you know if a mango is ripe?

A ripe mango will slightly give with a gentle squeeze. If your mango is very soft and overripe, you can still cut it using the method in this post, but your pieces may not turn out as nice-looking and would be best used in smoothies or salsa, where they will be chopped up anyway.