This easy, 6-ingredient recipe for Grilled Mango recipe mixes fresh fruit with the fiery kiss of the grill, a touch of zesty chili powder, and tangy lime juice to make a deliciously sweet, smoky, tart, and spicy treat.
Perfect for serving as a dessert over ice cream or coconut rice, or mixing into a sweet and savory salsa, grilled mangoes are the new star of summer eating!
If you’ve ever wondered, “can you grill mango?” the answer is a resounding YES! If you love tropical fruit and you're a fan of grilling, this BBQ mango recipe is for you. I love how easy it is to make, and the uses for it are nearly endless!
Easy Grilled Mango Recipe
This grilled mango recipe is the newest addition to my grilling lineup, and it’s just as tasty as my grilled pineapple and grilled pears recipe. Made with just a handful of simple ingredients with only a few minutes of prep, this delectably juicy, sweet & savory masterpiece is equally at home on a dessert plate or cozied up next to your favorite grilled proteins like chicken or fish.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It only uses a handful of simple, wholesome ingredients, so you can feel good about feeding it to your family.
- The recipe is incredibly quick and easy to make — all you need is about 15 minutes from start to finish!
- Sweet mango combined with tart lime and piquant chili powder makes a great flavor profile that can lean either sweet or savory depending on how you want to use it.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This recipe only takes a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of the post for exact amounts.
- Mangoes - Use ripe, juicy mango varieties such as Ataulfo, Kent, or Tommy Atkins. If you prefer, use Pineapple, Pears, Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, Cantaloupe, or Honeydew Melon instead.
- Olive Oil - You’ll need a little grease to protect your mangoes from the sticky, hot grates of the grill. You can also use melted butter, vegetable oil, refined coconut oil, grapeseed oil or avocado oil instead.
- Lime Juice - For a touch of acidity to help wake up all the other flavors. Feel free to use lemon, orange or pineapple juice instead.
- Salt - A sprinkle of salt may sound strange on fruit, but it somehow makes it taste sweeter. Feel free to omit it if you are on a salt-free diet, or swap in lime zest for an added flavor boost.
- Chili Powder - For a whisper of heat to tame the sweetness. I suggest adding a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, jalapeno powder, smoked jalapeno powder, or chipotle powder to each mango. If you’re not a fan of any spicy foods, use cinnamon instead.
- Fresh Cilantro - For a pop of color and bright herbaceousness. If you’re leaning in a sweet direction, consider using mint instead. For savory applications for people who don’t love cilantro, Thai basil, parsley, or dill are all great substitutes.
Optional Variations
As much as we love this super simple recipe for grilling mango, you have a little wiggle room to make it work for your palate. Here are some fun variations to consider:
- Extra Sweet - Add a little maple syrup, brown sugar or honey to your oil for extra sweetness and more pronounced caramelization.
- Tajin - Rather than using salt and chili powder, swap in the Mexican condiment/spice blend known as Tajin. With an intoxicating mix of salt, chiles, and lime, it’ll be right at home on your grilled mangoes.
- Add Ins - Add grated coconut or coconut extract, vanilla extract, lemon, orange, or lime zest to the olive oil for some additional flavor.
- Kebab-Style - For your next party, feel free to thread mango chunks onto soaked wooden skewers (or metal skewers) before grilling and seasoning. Take it from me — grilled mango on a stick is way easier to eat at a backyard shindig than mango still in its shell!
How To Grill Mango
Grilling mango is incredibly simple. You’ll be done in just a few quick and easy steps! See the overview here and then check out the full instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Step 1: Cut the mango in half, remove the seed, and slice the mango, being careful not to perforate the skin.
Step 2: Brush with oil and grill until slightly charred.
Step 3: Season. Sprinkle the grilled mango with lime juice, salt, chili powder, and cilantro. Enjoy.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerator: Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Remove the grilled chunks from the skin, then store in an air-tight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
This delicious grilled mangoes recipe is perfect with nearly any summer dish. Here are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
Savory Grilled Mango Ideas:
- Serve with grilled chicken, pork, or fish, preferably as a grilled mango salsa with fresh bell peppers, avocado, tomatoes, and jicama.
- Make a grilled mango salad by scattering it over a bed of peppery arugula and adding piquant red onions, salty feta, and crunchy marcona almonds before dressing it in a lime vinaigrette.
- Blend it into a sauce with extra chile peppers to brush on chicken wings or to serve as a condiment with your favorite grilled means.
Grilled Mango Dessert Ideas:
- Remove the chunks of grilled mango from their skin and use them to top vanilla ice cream or fruit-forward sorbets (e.g. lime, apricot, peach, or pineapple).
- Mix into a grilled fruit salad using other grilled tropical fruits.
- Serve over Thai coconut sticky rice, rice pudding, or tapioca.
- Blend into a sweet sauce with lime, ginger, and agave for making cocktails or spooning over desserts.
Expert Tips
- Thoroughly clean and oil your grates before grilling for the best results.
- Choose ripe mangoes that are still firm, but yield to pressure when gently squeezed and are slightly soft for best results.
- Avoid using overripe or mushy mangoes or fruits of any kind for grilling for best results.
- Slice the mangoes lengthwise from pole to pole, making sure to cut around the pit of the fruit.
- Turn frequently while grilling until desired charness is achieved (less than 5 minutes per side).
- Remove immediately once finished cooking, as over-charring can cause your grilled mangoes to be too dry and not as flavorful.
- Let cool slightly before handling, then slice away any charred sections with a serrated knife.
Top Tip:
Be careful not to cut all the way through the mango skin when slicing the flesh. The rind acts to hold the mango together to prevent it from falling through the grates!
FAQ
Do you have questions about grilling mangoes? Here are some of the questions I hear most frequently. If I’ve missed anything, be sure to ask me in the comments below!
Grilling fruit concentrates the natural sugars in them, making them sweeter, especially on the exterior surface where the sugars are caramelized while grilling.
Just give them a look. By the time they have grill marks, they should be nice and hot. They're finished!
If you don't feel like scoring your mangoes with a knife, one alternative is to simply cut them into cubes or wedges. This will still give you plenty of surface area exposed to the heat so they will caramelize nicely while still retaining their shape during cooking in a foil pan. The disadvantage is that they won't look as attractive on the plate but they will still taste great!
For optimal results, preheat your grill to medium heat, about 250ºF. If too hot, you may end up burning the mango before it has a chance to cook properly and if too low, won’t have time to char and caramelize properly.
While you don’t technically have to (mango skin is edible), most people prefer to since the skin is somewhat tough and bitter.
More Fruit Recipes
Grilled Mangoes
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Grilled Mangoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ripe mangoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Juice from 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
Optional Garnish
- fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium heat. (about 250ºF)
- Cut mangoes in half, removing the pit from both halves.
- Using a sharp knife, score the mangoes in a diagonal pattern in both directions. This will create diamond shapes. Be sure not to cut through the skin on the back side.
- Press gently on the skin-side of each half, so the flesh of the mangoes are more exposed.
- Brush mango flesh with olive oil.
- Place mangoes flesh-side down on your heated grill.
- Grill until mangoes are slightly charred. Remove from grill.
- Sprinkle mangoes with lime juice, salt, and chili powder.
- Optional: Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Extra Sweet - Add a little maple syrup, brown sugar or honey to your oil for extra sweetness and more pronounced caramelization.
- Tajin - Rather than using salt and chili powder, swap in the Mexican condiment/spice blend known as Tajin. With an intoxicating mix of salt, chiles, and lime, it’ll be right at home on your grilled mangoes.
- Add-Ins - Add grated coconut or coconut extract, vanilla extract, lemon, orange, or lime zest to the olive oil for some additional flavor.
- Kebab-Style - For your next party, feel free to thread mango chunks onto soaked wooden skewers (or metal skewers) before grilling and seasoning. Take it from me — grilled mango on a stick is way easier to eat at a backyard shindig than mango still in its shell!
- Serve with grilled chicken, pork, or fish, preferably as a grilled mango salsa with fresh bell peppers, avocado, tomatoes, and jicama.
- Make a grilled mango salad by scattering it over a bed of peppery arugula and adding piquant red onions, salty feta, and crunchy marcona almonds before dressing it in a lime vinaigrette.
- Blend it into a sauce with extra chile peppers to brush on chicken wings or to serve as a condiment with your favorite grilled means.
- Remove the chunks of grilled mango from their skin and use them to top vanilla ice cream or fruit-forward sorbets (e.g. lime, apricot, peach, or pineapple).
- Mix into a grilled fruit salad using other grilled tropical fruits.
- Serve over Thai coconut sticky rice, rice pudding, or tapioca.
- Blend into a sweet sauce with lime, ginger, and agave for making cocktails or spooning over desserts.
Nutrition
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