How to Cut a Mango

At first glance, a mango might appear easy to cut, but its juice tends to spill and create a big mess. Moreover, the large pit in the center makes it challenging to slice around. This guide will show you two methods to cut the mango so you can enjoy this delicious fruit.

Rinse the Mango. Hold the mango under cool running water and gently rub it with your hands as you wash it. While it's not necessary, you could use a vegetable brush to scrub the surface of the mango, though this step is not required since you won’t be eating the skin.

Place the Mango on a Stable Cutting Board. Stand the mango upright on the board using your non-dominant hand. You’ll be slicing the mango from top to bottom. Hold the serrated knife with your dominant hand.

Use a Serrated Knife to Cut the Mango into Three Pieces. The mango has a flat pit in the center that you can’t cut through. The fruit is oval-shaped. When cutting the mango into three pieces, make two parallel cuts on either side of the pit, usually around 2 cm thick.

• The flattest sides of the mango are called the 'cheeks.'
• When cutting, try to ensure you get as much flesh as possible from the cheeks, as that’s the part you’ll eat.
• You’ll end up with three pieces: two with thick flesh and the center piece with the pit.

Cut Squares on the Mango Cheeks. Use your knife to make vertical and horizontal cuts on the two mango cheeks. Each cut should be spaced about 1.5 cm apart, making sure not to cut through the skin.

Press the Mango Skin Beneath the Cheeks to Make the Flesh Pop Up. The mango pieces will fan out like the back of a hedgehog, so this cutting style is often called the 'hedgehog method.' Now, you’re ready to enjoy most of the mango flesh.

Use a Knife to Carefully Separate the Mango Pieces from the Skin. You can now cut the mango pieces off the skin and enjoy. Be cautious, as the skin is very thin. If you cut through it, you may also cut your hand. Sometimes, if the mango is ripe enough, you can peel the pieces off with your hands. Many people enjoy eating mango straight from the skin!

Use a small knife to cut around the mango pit. Place the mango with the pit facing up on the cutting board, and use a paring knife to carefully cut around the pit. It may be tricky to locate the pit exactly, but generally, the area where the knife feels firm is the pit. The mango pit is oval-shaped.

Peel the skin off the remaining mango flesh. Gently peel the skin from the portion of mango with the pit using your fingers. The mango skin is thin and easy to remove.

Wash the mango. Hold the mango under cool running water and gently rub it while rinsing. You can also use a vegetable brush to scrub the skin, but this isn't necessary since you won't be eating the skin.

Peel the mango using a vegetable peeler. Hold the peeler in your dominant hand, and with your non-dominant hand, keep the mango standing upright. Carefully move the peeler in long, smooth strokes along the mango's surface.

• There's no need to press too hard when peeling the mango.
• Turn the mango while peeling if needed.
• Be cautious: your hands may become slippery as you peel the mango.

Cut off the ends of the mango. Mangoes have an elongated shape with rounded tips at both ends. Slice off the two ends of the mango to create flat surfaces.

Insert two forks into both ends of the mango. The sharp prongs of the forks will easily penetrate the mango. Hold the forks while cutting the mango flesh to keep your hands dry and prevent slipping while cutting.

Use a knife to divide the mango into three pieces. The mango has a flat pit in the center that you cannot cut through. The mango itself is oval-shaped. To cut the mango into three parts, slice two parallel pieces on either side of the pit, each about 2 cm thick.

• The flat sides of the mango are called "mango cheeks," which are the two pieces you're cutting off.
• While cutting, aim to leave as much flesh on the mango cheeks as possible, as this is the part you'll eat.
• In the end, you'll have three pieces of mango: two sides and the middle piece with the pit.

Cut the mango flesh away from the pit. Use the same knife to carefully cut the flesh from the pit. Perform the same motion as when peeling the mango: slide the knife from top to bottom along the mango to separate the flesh.

• When the knife no longer cuts into the flesh, you've reached the pit.
• Now you can enjoy your mango!

• Make sure the mango is ripe. A ripe mango will not be too hard and should feel slightly soft. You can gently press on the mango to check if it’s ripe.
• Be careful: Mangoes are very slippery!
• Ripe mangoes will have a strong fragrance. The mango will also ‘give in’ a bit when you press gently on the skin.

• Serrated knife
• Paring knife
• Cutting board
• Ripe mango
• Vegetable peeler
• Fork to hold corn on the cob