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Can You Freeze Mango?

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By Ross Young

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Reading Time: 5 minutes

Tropical, fruity, sweet – that’s what you want from a perfect mango. But what do you do when mango is out of season? How do you ensure you’ve always got a supply of perfect mango at home?

Can You Freeze Mango?

Yes, you can freeze mango for up to 12 months. You can freeze mango whole, although this isn’t the best approach. The best way to freeze mango is in chunks or, to extend its life further, in sugar syrup.

Does Mango Freeze Well? Yes

Can You Refreeze Mango? Yes

How To Freeze Mango

When freezing mango, there are three main approaches. You can opt to freeze it whole. You can freeze it in pieces. The final approach is to freeze in a sugar syrup to extend its life further.

How to Freeze Whole Mango

Whole mangoes are easy to freeze. They are small enough to fit inside a sealed bag.

  1. Bag Up
    Place a few mangoes into a resealable bag and seal. As you seal the bag, remove as much air as possible. 
  2. Freeze
    Label with the date and then freeze! Easy!

This might be the most straightforward approach, but it certainly isn’t the best approach. Instead, I’ve outlined two superior ways to go about freezing mango (they do take a little more work, however).

How to Freeze Mango Pieces

Freezing mango pieces is actually the approach I recommend taking as it makes it far easier to defrost as much or as little as you need at a given time.

It’s important not to cut mango pieces too small. When frozen, they become brittle and break into small, useless pieces.

Time needed: 10 minutes

This is my preferred method for freezing mango

  1. Prepare Mango

    Slice mango into pieces and discard the pit. Decide how you will use the frozen mango to determine the size. Cubed? Slices?Prepare Mango For Freezing

  2. Flash Freeze

    Place cut mango on a lined shallow baking sheet in a single row, so they do not touch each other.  Put the mango in the freezer for at least four hours to freeze. It is recommended that you let them freeze overnight.Flash Freeze

  3. Bag Up

    Once frozen, remove it from the tray. The mango should be solid, and you can use a spatula or spoon to pop the mango off the sheet. Put the frozen mango pieces into a sealable freezer bag.Bag Up 4

  4. Final Freeze

    Add a label with the date and pop the bag back into the freezer.Freeze Mango

Sprinkle With Sugar

This sweet little secret helps preserve the mango’s bright, tropical flavour, even after it’s been frozen and thawed. But remember, just a light sprinkle is enough; too much sugar can turn your healthy snack into a dessert. Also, this step is especially helpful if the mangoes aren’t fully ripe or sweet when you freeze them

How to Freeze Mango in Sugar Syrup

Although not quite as healthy, adding sugar syrup to your mango can preserve them even longer. If you want to keep the mango in the freezer for beyond a year then give this technique a go:

  1. Prepare Mango
    Slice up your mango into your preferred size and shape. Just don’t cut them too small.
  2. Make Syrup
    Make a super easy sugar syrup. Lukewarm water and sugar are all you need. Add just enough sugar to the water, so when it dissolves, the water is still clear upon stirring.
  3. Add Mango
    Add the cut mango to the sugar syrup.
  4. Portion Out
    Portion the mango to fit your needs when thawed into a plastic container or a resealable bag. Remove air from the bag.
  5. Freeze
    Label and place in the freezer. This technique will preserve the mango if you plan to freeze it for over a year.
Can You Freeze Whole Mango With the Skin On?

Yes, you can freeze a whole mango with the skin on. However, it’s more practical to peel and cut the mango into chunks before freezing it for easier future use.

How Long Can You Freeze Mango?

Whole mangoes can stay frozen for up to two years if safely stored in a sealable bag.

Cut mangoes that are safely stored in an oxygen-free environment can stay frozen for 6 to 12 months. Mango that is soaked in sugar syrup before being frozen has a frozen life of 12 to 16 months providing there is no freezer burn.

How Long Does Mango Last in the Fridge?

Once ripe, a mango will last for around 5 days in the fridge. Once it has been cut up, then it will only keep for 2 or 3 days before it begins to lose both texture and colour.

How Do You Defrost Mango?

To defrost a whole mango, take it out of the freezer and leave it out at room temperature for about 2 hours. Once the mango is softened, cut the mango, and if there are no signs of discolouration, the mango is still in good condition.

To defrost mango slices and mango soaked in sugar syrup, here are 3 options:

  1. Defrost mango portions in the fridge. This will take about 8 hours or overnight.
  2. Defrost mango in cold water. Putting frozen portions of mango in a pot of cold water will defrost in about 2 to 3 hours.
  3. Defrost mango by doing nothing at all! Remove mango from the freezer and use it immediately in dishes or smoothies!
Can You Defrost Mango in the Microwave?

Yes, you can defrost mango in the microwave, but you need to be cautious. Microwaves can heat unevenly and quickly, potentially cooking the mango instead of just defrosting it.

Can You Refreeze Mango?

It’ll be perfectly safe to do so in most cases, but you need to remember that you are likely to ruin the texture when you refreeze any product.

If using the mango in smoothies, this shouldn’t pose too much of an issue. Having said that, refreezing mano can also draw out more of the moisture, making the mango a little bland.

If you can avoid refreezing it, then that is the best approach to take.

Does Mango Freeze Well?

Frozen mango and fresh mango have no variance in taste. Unless the mango has become freezer-burnt, mango should freeze well.

Mango is the perfect frozen food for smoothies. The only thing that freezing mango may alter is the fruit’s texture, making it a little mushier when it’s thawed.

The good news is that the nutritional value of mango does not change between frozen and fresh!

Sources

We have verified the information on this page using the following resources:

Real Simple

WikiHow

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