---
slug: how_to_cut_a_mango
category_path: home_kitchen/kitchen_dining/cutlery_knife_accessories/petty_paring_knives
type: informational
title: "How to Cut a Mango"
lead: "Stand the mango up and slice down each side of the flat central stone to get two 'cheeks', then score each cheek in a criss-cross grid without cutting through the skin. Push the skin inside-out so the cubes pop up and slice or scoop them off — the 'hedgehog' method — trimming the flesh left around the stone separately."
recommendation:
  name: "Cut the two cheeks off the flat stone, score a grid, push inside-out, and slice off the cubes"
  reason: "A mango has a large, flat stone down the middle, so the trick is cutting around it. Sit the mango on the board on one end, stem-up, and notice it's wider one way than the other — the stone runs along the wide, flat plane. Slice down about a centimetre from the centre line on each side to take off the two rounded 'cheeks', missing the stone; if you hit it, shift your cut outwards a little. For neat cubes, use the hedgehog method: score the flesh of each cheek in a grid, cutting down to but not through the skin, then press the skin from underneath so it turns inside-out and the cubes fan out, and slice them off at the base or scoop them with a spoon. To get the flesh still clinging around the stone, stand it up, trim off the strips of peel, and cut the flesh away. A ripe mango gives slightly when pressed and smells fragrant at the stem; a small, sharp paring or petty knife gives the most control, and doing it on a board rather than in your hand is safer with the slippery flesh."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-09
---


<ComparisonTable
  columns={["Step", "Do", "Why"]}
  rows={[
    ["Find the stone", "Stand it up; the flat stone runs the wide way", "You cut around it, not through it"],
    ["Cheeks", "Slice down each side of the stone", "Two big pieces of clean flesh"],
    ["Score", "Grid the flesh, not through the skin", "Makes even cubes"],
    ["Pop & slice", "Push the skin inside-out, cut cubes off", "The 'hedgehog'; scoop or slice at the base"],
  ]}
/>