How To Tell When A Mango Is Ripe

Mango is a delicious tropical fruit.  Mangoes are very sweet and juicy, it’s a super yummy fruit.  However, mangoes are only sweet and juicy when they are ripe.  If you ever tried a mango that was not sweet and not juicy, you have eaten an unripe mango!  Mangoes that are not ripe taste like cardboard – they are tough and lacking in flavor.

In order to enjoy a mango, you have to make sure the mango is ripe before eating it.  So how do you tell when a mango is ripe?

To tell if a mango is ripe, give it a gentle squeeze on the sides.  If it’s ripe, it should give a little bit under your fingers.  Checking if the mango is ripe works the same when as telling if an avocado is ripe. If the mango feels rock-hard under your fingers, it is not ripe!  Rock-hard mangoes are not ready for eating!

When you gently squeeze a ripe mango, you should feel like your efforts are not futile – the mango should feel somewhat soft.  Not soft to the point so your fingers end up inside the mango – that would mean a spoiled mango :) Just a little bit soft – just not rock hard.  If a mango feels soft inside, it is ripe and ready to be eaten.

If a mango is rock-hard, leave it on the counter.  The good news is that mangoes ripen on the counter in a few days.  Just leave an upripe mango on the counter and check it after 2 days.  If it’s still rock-hard, check the next day.  Keep checking every day until you feel that the mango has gotten softer.  Don’t forget about your mango on the counter – it can go from rock-hard to spoiled before you know it :)  Catch it when it becomes ripe and eat it all up!

Using this strategy, you’ll always pick the yummy ripe mangoes.  No more getting tricked by the mangoes – you know know exactly how they should feel when they are ready to be eaten.  Enjoy the yummy ripe mangoes!