Pickled Mango Recipe (2024)

Sweet yet tangy pickled mango is a delicious treat that’ll be sure to make your mouth water and have you coming back for more.

Summer time in Hawai’i brings an abundance of delicious mango. Mango just so happens to be my favorite fruit. The juicy, sweet, orange goodness is irresistible.

And a classic recipe to use unripened mango is PICKLED MANGO.

Is your mouth watering yet? If it is then you should totally make this.

Here’s what you need to make pickled mango:

• Water
• Rice vinegar
• Apple cider vinegar
• Granulated sugar
• Hawaiian salt
• Li hing mui seeds
• Mangoes

If you’ve got yourself some extra mangoes definitely make some mango bread and mango salsa too.

First let’s talk mango.

Mangoes are stone fruit that are native to South Asia and ever so popular in Hawai’i. There are several hundred different types of mangoes and each vary slightly whether it be flavor, size, or color.

There are many different varieties of mangoes. Most common in Hawai’i are: Haden, Common, Rapoza, Pirie. My personal favorite is Haden.

As a nurse practitioner I do see quite a few mango allergies in the clinic. Most commonly the sap or leaves will cause contact dermatitis. Just keep an eye out for this if you’ve never handled mango before.

So what is pickled mango?

Pickled mango is a process of pickling mango is a vinegar, sugar, and salt mixture. Green mango is used in this recipe which gives you a nice crispy crunch.

And the next important part of the process is pickling.

Pickling is used to prolong the shelf life by immersing in vinegar or anaerobic fermentation in brine. The key to this is having a pH of less than 4.6 which will kill most bacteria.

Because we will be using a low pH (acidic) liquid it is important to use non-reactive cookware.

Non-reactive vs Reactive cookware?

When speaking of reactive and non-reactive we are talking about the material your cookware is made from.

Reactive material will react with the acidic liquid often causing a discoloration of the food and a metallic taste. These materials include: aluminum, cast iron, and copper.

Non-reactive material will not react and includes: enamel coated materials, stainless steel, glass, or ceramic.

Since this recipe uses an acidic liquid you want to be sure to use a non-reactive pot.

Now let’s talk li hing mui.

What is li hing mui?

Li hing mui is a sweet and salty dried plum that originated in China and has become a very popular flavor in Hawai’i.

Some li hing mui are more sweet and some are more on the salty side. This can be added to your pickled mango to bring out a pop of extra flavor.

Depending on the brand of li hing mui you may only need a few seeds or you may need more. Adjust the amount based on the brand of seeds you have and what flavor you like.

How to store pickled mango?

Pickled mango should be placed in non-reactive containers and stored in the refrigerator. I like to use mason jars.

How long does pickled mango last?

Pickled mango stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator can last a few weeks.

You want to try to get the flavor of the pickling liquid where you want it before placing the mango in to soak. Once it has soaked it is a little harder to adjust the flavors at that point.

How to make pickled mango?

Set a non-reactive pot over high heat and add water, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar and salt has dissolved.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

While your pickling mixture is cooling begin prepping the mangoes.

Peel mangoes and cut into slices. Place slices in a glass jar.

Add li hing mui seeds to each jar

Pour cooled pickling liquid to each jar to fill it about 3/4s full. Place in the refrigerator to chill overnight. ENJOY!

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