How to freeze mangoes to use in smoothies or other recipes. Mangos are a delicious fruit and one that is easy to freeze for later! Freezing fruit is a great way to save money and have fresh food on hand.
One thing I love to do that saves money is buying fruit in bulk. When in season, fresh fruit can be sold in large quantities. When Costco has mangos on sale, I can't help but buy a flat or two.
If you have a farmers market in the area, that is also a great place to source bulk fruit.
Besides eating right away, or making my mango pineapple salsa, sometimes it's hard to go through that many mangoes at once.
Luckily, they are really easy to freeze and use in the future.
I love taking fresh mango chunks out of the fridge to throw into a mango smoothie, fruit salad, ice cream, or mango salsa.
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How Long Can Frozen Fruit Keep
Purchasing seasonal fruits when they are a lot cheaper, then freezing and storing them for a later time is a great way to stretch your grocery budget.
Often, fresh is cheaper than buying frozen fruit. So why not freeze your own when they are in season?
Fruit can be kept in the freezer for up to a whole year, and is a great way to extend its life!
Having frozen food on hand is a great way to have access to the best quality ingredients.
Want to freeze other fresh fruits? Check out my how-to freeze fresh blueberries.
Allow Mangoes to Ripen
Before freezing, make sure the mangoes are fully ripe.
The perfect mango will be slightly soft to the touch and not rock hard. It will also have turned a slight pink or rose color and have less green. If they are super soft, it's too ripe.
The ripening process can take from a few days, up to a few weeks. It depends on how fresh they were at the grocery store.
Unripe mangoes will be very difficult to cut and have a tough texture.
Store mangoes on the counter, or in a pantry until they are ready to eat.
Once they are ripe, if you need to slow down the process, store in the refrigerator until you are ready to enjoy them.
If they start to ripen too much, that is the time to freeze them in order to extend their life.
Two Ways to Freeze Fresh Mangos
There are two different ways you can freeze mangos. Mango puree or mango pieces.
There are a number of different ways to freeze mangos but the best method is going to be dicing it into individual pieces first.
It also depends on what you want to use them for. Determine how you want to use your frozen mangoes before preparing them.
Diced Mango
Start off by dicing the mangos into bite-sized pieces. See my full guide on how to dice a mango if you need some help.
Prepare a baking tray by lining it with parchment paper. Next, take the mango chunks and lay them out in a single layer. Cover with plastic wrap.
Place in the freezer and allow freezing for 3-5 hours, up to overnight, or until completely frozen.
Transfer to a freezer bag or an airtight container.
Be sure to break up any pieces that got stuck together.
Remove as much air as possible, seal it, and store in the freezer for up to a year.
Be sure to write the current date on the bag so you know when you stored them in the freezer.
If you don't want to dice it up, mango slices can also be frozen.
Mango Puree
Another great way to store your fresh mangoes is in ice cube trays.
Cut it up and run in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Then, pour it into a freezer tray.
Place in the freezer overnight and then remove cubes and store in a freezer-safe container.
We also like to keep them in these popsicle holders and have fresh mango popsicles for summer.
What to Do With Frozen Mangoes
Frozen mango cubes are great to add to smoothies! No need to thaw, just throw in a blender with the other smoothie ingredients and enjoy.
If you want to use it in a salsa or salad, allow the mango to thaw at room temperature before using it.
It should only take a few hours to thaw and then kept in the refrigerator until you're ready to use.
Pair with other tropical fruits like pineapple for an amazing salsa.
Thawed mango can also be enjoyed on its own. It may have a slightly different texture but will still have the same great taste.
Equipment
Ziplock Bag or another freezer-safe container.
Baking Sheet: A 9"x13" can fit 3-4 mangos.
Parchment Paper: Helps the pieces from sticking to the pan.
Plastic Wrap: When flash freezing the mango pieces it recommended to place plastic wrap over the sheet pan. If not, smells from other foods can get in the fruit.
Freezer Tray: To freeze mango puree
Frequently Asked Questions
While they can be frozen whole, it is not ideal. They will freeze much better if peeled and diced first.
Get my full step by step guide to dicing a mango.
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Recipe
How to Freeze Mangoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- Fresh Mangoes Diced
Instructions
Freezing Diced Mango
- Start off by dicing the mangos into bite-sized pieces. See my full guide on how to dice a mango if you need some help.
- Prepare a baking tray by lining it with parchment paper. Next, take the mango chunks and lay them out in a single layer. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Cover with plastic wrap.
- Place in the freezer and allow freezing for 3-5 hours, up to overnight, or until completely frozen.
- Transfer to a freezer bag or an airtight container.
- Be sure to break up any pieces that got stuck together.
- Remove as much air as possible, seal it, and store in the freezer for up to a year.
- Write the date on the bag so you can keep track of when they were frozen.
Mango Puree
- Cut it up and run in a food processor or blender until smooth.
- Then, pour it into a freezer tray.
- Place in the freezer overnight.
- Remove cubes and store in a freezer-safe container.
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