To store mangoes, keep unripe fruit at room temperature away from sun until it softens, then move ripe fruit to the fridge. Store cut mango in a covered container, and freeze pulp or slices for longer. Never refrigerate unripe mangoes.
For what is available now, see GI-tagged Ratnagiri Hapus.
How to store mangoes at a glance
Mangoes need different care at each stage. An unripe mango wants warmth, a ripe mango wants cold, and a cut mango wants a lid. The times below are rough guides, because they depend on the fruit, the weather and your fridge.
| Stage | Where to keep it | Roughly how long |
|---|---|---|
| Unripe, hard | Room temperature, out of direct sun, loosely in a paper bag or on newspaper | Until it softens, usually a few days |
| Ripe, whole | Fridge, in the crisper drawer | A few days, up to about five |
| Cut flesh | Covered container in the fridge | A day or two |
| Pulp or slices | Freezer, in small portions | Some months, if sealed well |
If you are not sure whether your fruit is ripe, our guide on how to know when a mango is ripe lists the smell, squeeze and weight checks.
Storing unripe mangoes
Mangoes are tropical fruit and they like warmth. Keep unripe fruit on a dry surface at normal room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Sun can scald the skin and ripen the fruit unevenly.
- Spread them out. Keep fruit in a single layer or two layers at most, so the bottom ones do not crush under the weight.
- Use paper, not plastic. A paper bag or a sheet of newspaper per fruit lets the fruit breathe. Plastic traps moisture, which leads to mould.
- Do not wash before storing. Wash just before you cut or eat. Moisture on the skin invites mould.
- Do not refrigerate. Cold stops ripening, and tropical fruit can suffer chilling injury at cold fridge temperatures, with dull skin and poor flavour.
- Check daily. Press gently with your palm and smell the stalk end. Our page on how to ripen Alphonso mangoes at home has step-by-step methods.
Mangoes release ethylene gas as they ripen. A paper bag keeps a little of it near the fruit and can speed things up, and a ripe banana or apple in the bag adds more. If you want to slow things down, keep the fruit apart and in a cooler, airy spot.
Storing ripe mangoes
Once a mango is ripe, move it to the fridge to slow further softening. Put the whole fruit in the crisper drawer, which is usually the least cold part, and eat it within a few days. Take it out a short while before eating, because cold dulls the aroma and the taste of a ripe Alphonso is better close to room temperature.
Can you put mangoes in the fridge? Yes, once they are ripe. People ask whether aam fridge mein rakh sakte hain, and the answer is the same: only ripe fruit, never unripe fruit. If you have a lot of ripe fruit and not enough time, peel and cut some of it and freeze it.
A ripe mango that is stored too long will first lose its aroma, then its firmness, and finally ferment. If the stalk end smells sour or alcoholic, do not keep it. Keep ripe mangoes away from vegetables you want to stay fresh, because the gas they release can speed up spoilage nearby.
Storing cut mango and pulp
- Cut fruit: put pieces in an airtight container, or wrap the cut half tightly. Keep it in the fridge and eat it within a day or two.
- Pulp: store covered in the fridge and use it within a few days. Our guide to making mango pulp shows how to prepare it.
- Skin side: a cut mango left uncovered dries out and picks up fridge smells. A lid is not optional.
If you need pulp outside the season, our Alphonso Mango Pulp Tin is available all year in 850 g and 3.1 kg sizes, from Rs 590. Once opened, refrigerate what is left, cover it and use it quickly. See the difference between mango pulp and puree for what to use where.
Can you freeze mangoes?
Yes. Freeze ripe flesh, not the whole uncut fruit. A whole frozen mango has a damaged texture after thawing, and peeling a frozen one is hard work. Here is a simple method:
- Peel ripe mangoes and cut the flesh from the stone.
- Spread slices or cubes on a tray in a single layer and freeze them until firm. This stops them sticking together.
- Move them to a freezer bag, press out the air and label it with the date.
- For pulp, spoon it into ice-cube trays or small containers, freeze, then bag the cubes.
- Thaw in the fridge, and use thawed fruit soon. Do not refreeze it.
Frozen mango is best in smoothies, lassi, aamras and ice cream, where texture matters less. Our mango freezer storage guide goes deeper, and there is a note on freezing mango pulp for a baby.
Common storage mistakes
- Fridge too early. Putting hard mangoes in the fridge stops them ripening properly.
- Plastic bags. They trap moisture and speed up mould.
- Deep stacking. The bottom layer bruises, and bruised mangoes spoil fast.
- Sun and heat. A sunny window ripens fruit unevenly and can cook the skin.
- Washing everything on arrival. Wash only what you are about to eat.
- Forgetting the stalk smell. A sour or alcoholic smell means the fruit is over the hill.
When your box arrives
Open the box on the day it arrives and lift each fruit out gently. Check for soft spots, and put any very soft fruit aside to eat first. Firm fruit can finish ripening on a counter in a single layer. If a box arrives damaged, report it within 24 hours of delivery by writing to support@alphonsomango.in or calling 8369048029.
We source Alphonso from 48 villages across the Ratnagiri and Devgad belt on the Konkan coast, and we harvest pre-dawn at Brahma Muhurta. We do not use carbide. Our Alphonso mangoes are ripened naturally on hay beds. Our fruit carries the GI Authorised User certificate AU/5974/GI/139/260 (GI No. 139), as listed on our AlphonsoMango.in brand facts. We dispatch by Blue Dart, and about 65% of Indian PIN codes get next-day delivery. Check your PIN code at checkout.
Storing for later, and our season
Mangoes are not made for long storage. Wikipedia gives about 15 days from harvest to ripening for Alphonso, so buy what you can eat in a few days and freeze the rest. Fresh Alphonso is harvested about February to June, with the best supply from March to May. The 2027 season opens on 1 February 2027. Outside the season we do not sell fresh Alphonso, so be careful with any seller offering it in the off months.
While you wait, you can read about how to store dry fruits for a long time, which also applies to the cashews we sell. See W180 cashew nuts and masala cashew nuts. For fresh mangoes in season, see GI-tagged Ratnagiri Alphonso and our mango collection. A dozen weighs roughly 1.8 to 3.3 kg depending on grade, with prices from Rs 1,849.
People also ask
How do you store mangoes at home?
Keep unripe mangoes at room temperature, out of sun, in a paper bag or on newspaper, until they soften. Then move ripe fruit to the fridge and eat it within a few days. Store cut mango in a covered container in the fridge, and freeze pulp or slices for longer.
Can we keep mangoes in the fridge?
Yes, but only ripe mangoes. Cold slows ripening and can damage unripe fruit, so keep hard mangoes at room temperature until they smell sweet and yield to gentle pressure. After that, the fridge helps ripe fruit last a few days. Let it warm up slightly before eating.
How long do ripe mangoes last?
A whole ripe mango usually lasts a few days in the fridge, and about a day or two at room temperature. Cut mango should be covered and eaten within a day or two. Throw away any fruit that smells sour or alcoholic, leaks liquid or shows mould.
Can you freeze mangoes?
Yes. Peel ripe mangoes, cut the flesh and freeze slices on a tray before bagging them, or freeze pulp in small portions. Avoid freezing the whole fruit, because the texture suffers. Thaw in the fridge and use the fruit soon, without refreezing it.
Related searches
- How to know when a mango is ripe
- How to ripen Alphonso mangoes at home
- Mango freezer storage guide
- Selection, storage and ripening
- How long does a mango take to ripen
- canned Alphonso pulp
- Buy Alphonso mango online
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia, Alphonso mango.
- Wikipedia, Mango.
- Wikipedia, Konkan.
Written by Prashant Powle, founder of AlphonsoMango.in. Last reviewed October 2026.
