Mangos and mangoes are both accepted plurals of mango, the tropical fruit Mangifera indica. India grows about 43% of the world's mangoes, mangosteens and guavas combined. Alphonso, Kesar, Dasheri and Totapuri are the best-known Indian varieties, and each suits a different use.
To order, browse Kesar mango boxes.
People type "mangos" into a search box for many reasons: to check a spelling, to compare varieties, to look up nutrition or simply to buy the fruit. This page covers all four in order and points you to the right product when you are ready.
Mangos or mangoes: which spelling is right?
Both. Most dictionaries list "mangoes" as the usual plural and "mangos" as an accepted variant, so you will see both in print and online. We use "mangoes" in most places on this site, and "mangos" where the topic is the search term itself. The English word comes from the Portuguese manga, which took it from Malayalam, and the root is traced back to Tamil man and kay, meaning mango fruit.
What mangos are
The mango tree, Mangifera indica, is believed to have originated in the area covering northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh and northeastern India. It is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines. India produced about 43% of the world total in 2023, roughly 26 million tonnes, although that FAO figure also includes mangosteens and guavas.
Named varieties such as Alphonso are propagated by grafting, because Indian-group mango seeds are monoembryonic and do not reliably grow into the same fruit as the parent tree. That is why a variety stays consistent from orchard to orchard, and why the place a tree grows still matters to the final flavour.
The fruit has a long history in the region. The 13th-century poet Amir Khusrau called the mango the fairest fruit of Hindustan, and Emperor Akbar is recorded as planting a mango orchard of 100,000 trees near Darbhanga in Bihar.
Indian mango varieties at a glance
| Variety | Associated with | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alphonso (Hapus) | Konkan coast of Maharashtra | Named after Afonso de Albuquerque. Fruit generally weighs 150 to 300 g with creamy, non-fibrous pulp. |
| Kesar | Junagadh and the Gir area, Gujarat | Said to have been grown in 1931 and known as Kesar since 1934, when the Nawab of Junagadh remarked on its orange pulp. |
| Pairi (Payari) | Maharashtra (Konkan) | We list Pairi by the dozen, in season. |
| Dasheri | Uttar Pradesh, near Lucknow | A long, yellow-green North Indian mango, popular for eating fresh. |
| Totapuri | South India | A beak-shaped mango widely used for pulp and juice. |
| Neelam | South India | Listed by APEDA among the varieties used for mango pulp. |
APEDA lists Alphonso, Totapuri, Neelum and Kesar among the varieties used for pulp, which tells you something: a variety suited to eating fresh is not always the one that suits a tin, a juice or a dessert. For a longer list, our guide to mango varieties in India goes variety by variety, and the Kesar mango guide covers Kesar in detail.
Nutrition in mangos, per 100 g
Figures below are for 100 g of raw mango and come from the nutrient table on Wikipedia's mango page. They are generic for mango, not specific to Alphonso, and real values vary with variety and ripeness.
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | about 60 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | about 15 g, of which sugars about 13.7 g |
| Dietary fibre | about 1.6 g |
| Vitamin C | about 36 mg, roughly 40% of the Daily Value |
| Folate | about 43 micrograms |
| Vitamin A | about 54 micrograms |
| Potassium | about 168 mg |
Mango is a sweet fruit with fibre and vitamin C, not a medicine. If you have diabetes, kidney disease or any condition that affects what you should eat, ask your doctor or dietitian how mango fits your diet. Our page on mango and diabetes covers that question, and the Alphonso nutrition guide goes deeper into nutrients.
Choosing and ripening mangos
Use your nose first. A ripe mango smells sweet and fruity near the stalk, gives slightly under gentle pressure and feels heavy for its size. Wrinkled skin or large dark patches suggest the fruit is past its best. Skin colour varies by variety, so an even yellow or a patch of green tells you little. Colour is a rough clue, not proof of how a mango was ripened.
Keep firm fruit at room temperature, away from direct sun, until it ripens. Put ripe fruit in the fridge only if you cannot eat it soon. Alphonso takes about 15 days from harvest to full ripeness, so a delivered box often needs a few days on your counter. Our ripening guide has the steps.
Origin, GI and ripening
A geographical indication (GI) ties a product name to a place. Alphonso from the Ratnagiri and Devgad belt of the Konkan carries GI No. 139, and we hold GI Authorised User certificate AU/5974/GI/139/260 for it. The registry entry for Devgad Alphonso is merged with application 139. Our our published brand facts shows the details. We make no GI claim for Kesar or for any other product.
Ripening is the other question buyers ask. We do not use carbide. Our Alphonso mangoes are ripened naturally on hay beds. Selling fruit ripened with carbide gas is prohibited under Regulation 2.3.5 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011. Our carbide guide explains what home checks can and cannot show.
Buying mangos online
We ship Alphonso from 55 villages of the Ratnagiri and Devgad belt, plus Kesar, and Alphonso pulp all year. The 2027 season opens on 1 February 2027, with Alphonso harvested from about February to June and the best supply from March to May. Alphonso starts from Rs 1,849 per dozen, Kesar from Rs 999 per box and the Alphonso Mango Pulp Tin from Rs 590. A dozen weighs roughly 1.8 to 3.3 kg depending on grade.
We dispatch by Blue Dart, and about 65% of Indian PIN codes get next-day delivery. Orders received before 1 PM are dispatched the same day. Check your PIN code at checkout. Fresh Alphonso is not sold outside the season. Browse the whole mango collection or go straight to the Ratnagiri Alphonso dozen boxes page.
People also ask
Is it mangos or mangoes?
Both are accepted. Most dictionaries list mangoes as the usual plural and mangos as a variant, so neither is wrong. Mangoes is safer in formal writing. The word reached English from Portuguese manga, which took it from Malayalam, with a root that goes back to the Tamil words man and kay.
Which Indian mango is the best?
There is no single best mango. Alphonso is prized for soft, aromatic, non-fibrous pulp. Kesar has an orange pulp and a different sweetness. Dasheri and Totapuri suit other tastes and uses, such as pulp. Choose by how you will use it: eating fresh, aamras or cooking.
How many calories are in a mango?
Raw mango has about 60 kcal per 100 g, with roughly 15 g of carbohydrate, of which about 13.7 g is sugar, and about 1.6 g of fibre. A whole fruit weighs more than 100 g, so the total is higher. Ask your dietitian about portions if you are managing your blood sugar.
When is mango season in India?
Alphonso is harvested from about February to June, with the best supply from March to May, and the 2027 season opens on 1 February 2027. Gir Kesar reaches the market in April and May. Other regions have their own windows. Fresh Alphonso is not available from July to January.
Related searches
- Buy mangos online
- Alphonso mangos
- Alphonso vs Kesar
- Ratnagiri mangos
- Kesar mangos
- Mango varieties in India
- Mango nutrition facts
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia, Mango, accessed October 2026.
- Wikipedia, Alphonso mango, accessed October 2026.
- APEDA, Mango Pulp, accessed October 2026.
- Wikipedia, Gir Kesar, accessed October 2026.
Written by Prashant Powle, founder of AlphonsoMango.in. Last reviewed October 2026.
