Learn how to cut a mango without peeling it. No confusing tricks or hacks to learn here – just a simple method for how to cut mango so you can enjoy this juicy fruit sliced on its own or diced for your favorite mango recipes.
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!
BEST WAY TO CUT MANGOES
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 cutting 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!
WHAT ABOUT PEELING BEFORE CUTTING 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 for chopping the mango pieces.
Let me show you the easiest method for how to cut a mango!
HOW TO CUT A MANGO INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1. CUT JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THE CENTERLINE
- 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
- Just like you did the right side, now you’re going to cut just to the left of the center.
STEP 3. CUT EACH MANGO HALF INTO THIRDS
- 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
- 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 sides 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
- 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!
WHAT TO DO WITH CUT MANGOES
What do you do with all the mango cubes you just chopped up? Make delicious mango recipes! 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.
- Mango Salsa
- Creamy Factor in Beginner Green Smoothies
- Tucked 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 airtight containers in the freezer.
MANGO CUTTING 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 when 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.
How to slice a mango?
After you have cut the larger pieces off the mango using the first two steps in this post, you can cut the skin off and slice the mango, or you can chop the mango into smaller pieces.
Is mango healthy to eat?
Mangoes are very healthy to eat! They are a great source of potassium and magnesium.
MORE EASY KITCHEN TUTORIALS
- Freeze Pizza Dough
- How to Cut a Pineapple
- How to Freeze Cauliflower Rice
- Make Stock using Kitchen Scraps
I prefer peeling the mango whole with a peeler first. I feel like it’s quicker than having to filet 7(?) Individual pieces.
I cut it similarly to you once peeled, but I like to cut it at the base first to make it flat and more sturdy before cutting the sides. I also don’t cut the first side all the way down so that I have somewhere to grasp when cutting the second side.
Thank you for sharing your technique with us, Jane!
Instead of cutting the large portions into thirds if you cut through the fruit but not through the skin making cubes and the with your thumbs push the skin upwards you can slice of the cubes from the skin. I have found that it gets all of the fruit off and it pretty quick to do.
Sean, good Idea, your method is great for salsa or anything with cubed mango. I like the Tiffany’s way for when I am going to eat or cook the mango.
This is the perfect way to slice a mango. Very neat and appetizing. Thank you for sharing.
I used to work with a man that used a tablespoon on his mango. He slid it between the peel and the fruit and popped it out with no problems. No waste on the fruit either! It was amazing to watch! I never could learn how he did it!!