{"title":"How to Cut a Mango","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/cooking/how-to-cut-a-mango","category":{"slug":"cooking","name":"Cooking"},"creator":{"name":"Clean & Delicious","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj0V0aG4LcdHmdPJ7aTtSCQ","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE0NGXZ_HBs"},"tldr":"Cut and dice a mango cleanly with a sharp knife and the cheek-and-score method. Three steps to picture-perfect cubes that pop straight out — no waste, no mess.","totalDurationSeconds":260,"difficulty":"easy","tools":[],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Trim the bottom flat","text":"Lay the mango on its side and slice a thin piece off the pointy end (opposite the stem). You're not after much, just enough to give the mango a flat base.Stand it up on the cutting board and check that it doesn't wobble. A mango that won't tip is a mango you won't drop a knife into."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Slice off both cheeks","text":"Picture the mango from above. The pit is a flat oblong running top to bottom, with two wide cheeks on either side and two thin sides. Most of the flesh lives on the cheeks.Hold the mango steady and lay your knife about a quarter inch off-center on top. Cut straight down, parallel to the pit. If your knife hits something hard partway down, you've reached the pit. Back up, shift over a fraction, and start again. Repeat on the other side."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Trim the flesh around the pit","text":"Even after the cheeks come off, good mango is still clinging to both thin sides of the pit. Stand the pit up and run your knife top-to-bottom along each thin edge, pressing the blade against the side of the pit so it acts as your guide.You'll get two long strips of flesh. Set those aside for the next step."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Score a grid into each cheek","text":"Place one cheek skin-side down. Hold the tip of the knife and cut through the flesh in straight vertical lines, stopping right before the blade goes through the skin.Rotate the cheek 90 degrees and do the same in the opposite direction. You should see a tic-tac-toe grid of cubes still attached to the green skin underneath. Repeat on the second cheek."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Flip and pop the cubes","text":"Pick up the scored cheek and push the skin up from below with your thumbs. The cheek pops inside-out and the cubes splay outward like a hedgehog.From here you can pull the cubes off with your fingers, scoop them with a spoon, or slide a knife between the cube and skin to release a whole row at once. This is the iconic mango photo for a reason."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Slice the mango fingers off the side strips","text":"Pick up one of the long strips you trimmed off the pit and lay it skin-side down. Slide the tip of your knife between the flesh and the skin, working slowly so you don't waste meat.You'll end up with a couple of long mango pieces ready to chop, dice, or eat as-is."},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: For salsa, peel and cross-cut into dice","text":"The grid method is great for snacking. For a finer salsa or salad dice, skip the grid and peel the mango first.Use a vegetable peeler the same way you'd peel a carrot. Trim a flat base, then slice the cheeks off as before. Cut each cheek into long boards, stack them, slice one direction, rotate the boards 90 degrees, and slice the other direction. Smaller cuts give you smaller dice."}],"recipe":{"servings":"Yields about 1 1/2 cups diced fruit","prepMinutes":3,"cookMinutes":0,"cuisine":null,"ingredients":[{"name":"ripe mango","amount":"1 large"},{"name":"sharp paring or chef's knife","amount":"1"},{"name":"cutting board","amount":"1"}]},"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T13:34:39.092Z","published":"2026-04-28T14:36:36.400Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}