How to Dice a Mango + Video

With this fail-proof method, you can learn how to dice a mango despite this favorite fruit's odd shape and peculiar pit.

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Half of a mango held in a hand with cubes of flesh attached to the skin.

Mangos are a sweet, tropical super fruit packed with over 20 different vitamins and minerals. But if you’ve ever sliced into a fresh mango, you may have run into trouble. Learning how to dice a mango makes the task a cinch.

Half of a mango held in a hand with cubes of flesh attached to the skin and text overlay.

Mangoes are a flavorful stone fruit and a popular addition to smoothies, tropical fruit salads, and cocktails. We love mango salsa for its spicy sweet contrast and summer isn’t complete without at least one pitcher of peach mango sangria. Or even a wonderful dessert of Mango Trifle!

close up of mango pit with whole and cut mangos on wooden cutting board

Unfortunately, because the mango seed runs almost the length of the fruit and is oddly shaped, cutting a mango can be more challenging. Today I will show you the easiest way to slice into this sweet fruit. There is a video below as well as step by step instructions with photographs to help you.

What do I Need for this Recipe?

🥭 Ingredients:

ripe, firm mangoes – regardless of the variety, mangoes all have a similarly shaped pit – flat and wide.

Equipment Needed:

A sharp knife and a sturdy cutting board are all that is needed to properly dice a mango.If you would like to peel the mangoes, a vegetable peeler will do the trick. A small paring knife works well for maintaining control here.

🔪 Instructions to Cut a Mango:

PREP: Before you begin, think about the way the mango seed is shaped; the mango has an oblong pit that runs through the center of the mango from top to bottom and is flat but wide.

Knife cutting a mango on wooden cutting board with mangos in the background.

Step 1:

Place the mango upright with the stem end down on the cutting board.

Slice down the length of the mango, just to the outside of the center of the fruit so that your knife slices parallel to the long flat seed, but doesn’t bump into it.

Two open halves of a mango, mango seed, and two whole mangos on wooden cutting board.

Step 2: Repeat on the other side of the pit so that you have two side chunks and one flat pit piece.

Knife, cutting board and lengthwise slice pattern in mango half

Step 3: Cup one mango half skin side down in your palm. Carefully slice vertical cuts into the flesh, up to the skin, but not going through the skin. If you would like mango slices instead of mango pieces, skip ahead here to Step 5.

Step 4: Slice crosswise to make a grid or crosshatch pattern, again being careful not to slice through the skin.

Half of a mango inverted so that chunks are popped outward.

Step 5: Press the skin from the back to invert the mango half, “popping” the fruit from the skin.

Knife slicing the chunks of mango downward off of the skin.

Step 6: Slice the fruit from the skin or scoop the flesh off of the skin with a large spoon. You may also be able to cut some remaining flesh from the sides of the pit.

How do I store diced mango or mango slices?

Store freshly sliced mango in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can also freeze cut pieces for up to 3 months. Spread slices of mango on top of a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then, transfer the fruit into a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. The frozen mango pieces will be ready to toss directly into a blender!

How do I select ripe mangoes from the grocery store?

The skin of a ripe mango will look different depending on the variety. Most mangoes appear orange or yellow. Some mango varieties show reds and greens on their skin as well. Look for a mango that has its skin intact and doesn’t show bruising or cuts in the flesh. Give a gentle squeeze to the side of the mango – a ripe one will have a little give. An unripe mango will feel rock hard. If you do end up with unripe mangoes, place them in a brown paper bag for a couple days to speed along the ripening process. You don’t want overripe mangoes either – these will be very mushy and soft.

Where do I store whole mangoes.

Store intact mangoes on the countertop if they are ripe and you will be using in the next day or if you need to ripen them up. If mangoes are ripe but you are not ready to use them yet, store in the refrigerator for several days.

How do I peel a mango?

A vegetable peeler is the best way to peel a mango. If you have a serrated peeler (like you might use on tomatoes), that works well for mangoes also. I find it easiest to scoop the mango flesh away from the peel rather than peeling the skin off. Mango fruit is very slippery and can be difficult to hold or manage once it has been peeled. You can use a fork pierced in the flesh to hold a mango steady for dicing if you have peeled the skin away.

Mangos are delicious to eat alone and they also pair well with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. They are yummy in smoothies or fruit salad. Their firm texture will hold up and they keep their fresh color even after they have been sliced. Now that you know how to easily dice a mango, I hope you’ll enjoy including them in many recipes.

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Created by: Stefanie