What Goes With Mango?
Wondering what goes with mango? Learn the best ingredient pairings, meal ideas, popular flavor combinations, and other helpful tips.
Knowing what goes well with mango gives you a starting point for putting meals together using the ingredients you already have on hand.
Whether you want to reduce food waste, get more creative in the kitchen, or improve your cooking skills, it starts with understanding what flavors pair well together.
What Are Mangoes?
Mango is one of the world’s most popular tropical fruits. It’s native to India but is now also grown in Central and South America, Mexico, some parts of Asia, California, and Florida.
Their skin ranges in color from green to red to orange to yellow or some combination of these colors depending on the variety. The flesh is a golden yellow-orange color that surrounds a flat, hard, pit. Because this fruit has a pit/stone in the center, it’s part of the stone fruit family along with apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, cherries, and dates.
Helpful Tips
When To Buy
Mango is in season from May through September. But due to the various growing regions, you can buy mangoes year-round. Look at the seasonal produce guide to see what’s in season right now.
What To Look For
When buying a mango, look for fruit that feels heavy, has a pleasantly sweet aroma, and will give slightly to the touch. Don’t rely on the color for ripeness, because they have varying skin colors depending on the mango variety.
How To Store
Store mangoes at room temperature until they are soft, then move them to the refrigerator if not eating right away to prevent them from overripening.
To freeze mangoes, remove the skin and cut the flesh from around the pit. Arrange the mango pieces in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid before transferring the frozen mango to a tightly sealed freezer-safe bag.
What Goes Well With Mango?
Vegetables
Bell peppers, cabbage, chile peppers, garlic, ginger, onions, and scallions.
Fruit
Avocados, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, coconut, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, kumquats, lemons, limes, oranges, papaya, passion fruit, pineapple, raspberries, and strawberries.
Spices
Anise, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, curry powder, nutmeg, star anise, white pepper, and kosher salt.
Herbs
Basil, cilantro, and mint.
Nuts & Seeds
Almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, and sesame seeds.
Non-Dairy/Dairy
Buttermilk, caramel: try miso caramel or dairy free caramel sauce, cheese, cream: use coconut cream or cashew cream for dairy-free, créme fraiche, mascarpone, milk, and yogurt.
Proteins
Chicken, duck, fish, pork, prosciutto, salmon, shellfish, shrimp, squab, and tuna.
Pantry Items
Amaretto, butterscotch, Champagne, white chocolate, coconut milk, coffee, honey, olive oil, rice, rum, sake, sugar, tabasco sauce, vanilla, vinegar: balsamic and red wine, vodka, and wine.
Popular Mango Pairings
- almonds + lime
- basil + champagne
- black pepper + lemon + mint + passion fruit
- coconut + rice
- ginger + mint + papaya
- salmon + sushi rice
What To Make With Mango
Mangoes are a popular ingredient in Indian, Mexican, and Thai cuisines. They are most frequently eaten raw in both sweet and savory dishes.
Use them in beverages such as cocktails, mocktails, and smoothies like my mango kiwi smoothie. For a refreshing iced drink, try a mango matcha latte.
Mango is a common ingredient in appetizers such as ceviche and salsa, and fruit spreads such as chutney and mango compote. It works well in both fruit salads and green salads alike such as my chicken mango salad. At some restaurants, you’ll also find fresh mango tucked inside some specialty tuna or salmon sushi rolls.
Add ripe chopped mango to oat milk chia pudding, oat flour waffles, or with maple tahini nut free granola and yogurt.
For dessert, make a delicious mango custard, mousse, sorbet, or coconut rice pudding topped with fresh mango.