How to Make Mexican Mango on a Stick (Mango Flower)
Mango on a stick or mango flowers are a popular Mexican street food snack. Fresh mango is cut into a shape of a flower and drizzled with lime juice and Tajin or ground chili pepper. Fun to eat and a great way to cool down on a hot day.
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Mexican Mango on a Stick
Mango is my favorite fruit and when in season I love to eat huge amounts. To me a ripe mango is better than a slice of cake!
Today I’m sharing a really cute way and traditional Mexican style of eating mangos. Mexicans grow up eating mango this way and it’s fun and delicious for the whole family.
Mexican mango on a stick are fresh, juicy mangos that are skewered and eaten off of a thick wooden skewer or palito.
The mango is peeled and cut into a shape that resembles flowers.
It’s then drizzled with lime juice and dusted with Tajin or ground chile and salt. Some people also like to add a sweet and spicy sauce called chamoy.
Mango Preparado or Mango Flowers or Mango on a Stick
If you’ve ever been to Mexico you’ll have surely seen street vendors selling this mango snack. It’s actually also popular around the US where there are Mexican communities.
This fun fruit snack can be called different names like mango preparado, mango flowers or mango on a stick.
The mango vendors make the mango look just like a blooming flower. It look so pretty and it takes lots and lots of practice to archive that look. Though we may not get it as pretty as theirs, we can still try it at home.
This makes a really great treat for kids and adults.
Mexican Mango Flowers
As you know mangos can be a bit messy when eating in its original form. But because of the way the fruit is sliced in this pretty method, it makes it so much easier to just take a bite and not worry about the mess.
I promise you’re going to love the taste of the tropical sweetness of the mango flavors combined with a touch of heat.
I prefer to use the low-sodium Tajin on fruit because it provides the perfect amount of heat, and a touch of salty-savory flavor without overpowering the sweetness of the fruit I happen to be eating.
If you can’t find Tajin then feel free to use ground red chile pepper and a little pinch of salt.
For children you could skip the chile powder and chamoy if they don’t eat spicy. Simply drizzle with some lime juice and a little bit of salt. Or even just on it’s own, they’ll love it.
Do watch the video, in the recipe card below, for a perfect visual explanation.
What You’ll Need & Alternatives
- Fresh mango
- thick wooden skewers with pointy ends
- Tajin
- 1 lime
For the mango any variety is fine just as long as it’s not too ripe. It should be tender but firm enough to withstand the handling and slight pressure you need to put on it.
The skewers you can get at the craft section or you can’t find them then a wooden chopstick will also work. My sister sometimes used forks and it also works well.
If you don’t have Tajin use equal amounts chili powder and salt to your taste.
In a pinch if you don’t have fresh limes you can use lemon. The taste will be slightly different but still good.
How to Make Mexican Mangos on a Stick or Mexican Mango Flowers
- Slice off a couple of inches off the bottom rounded end of the mango with a sharp knife.
- Now insert the wooden skewer into the exposed seed center — work it in by pushing and twisting the skewer back and forth, once you feel it go in a bit you can push it in a little further by holding on to the mango and tapping the wooden skewer onto your work surface.
- Peel the mango with either a knife or a sharp vegetable peeler.
- Make small slices with the knife using a slight downward angle and then with a slight tilt push down on the slice to create the petals.
- Work your way around the mango before moving up to create another layer of petals. It helps if you slice the row above in between the slices of the one below. Watch the video.
- Continue slices and creating the petals until you get all the way to the top of the mango.
- Drizzle the entire mango with freshly squeezed lime juice. Then sprinkle with a generous amount of Tajin or chili powder and salt.
- Serve and enjoy immediately!
How To Make Mexican Mango Flowers | Mango on a Stick
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 whole mangos preferably large & meaty mangoes, as it’s easier to handle them
- 2 thick wooden skewers with a point
- 1 Tablespoon Tajin chile powder mix or substitute with ground red chile pepper and a pinch of salt
- 1 whole lime sliced and optional
Instructions
- Slice off a couple of inches off the bottom rounded end of the mango with a sharp knife.
- Now insert the wooden skewer into the exposed seed center — work it in by pushing and twisting the skewer back and forth, once you feel it go in a bit you can push it in a little further by holding on to the mango and tapping the wooden skewer onto your work surface.
- Peel the mango with either a knife or a sharp vegetable peeler.
- Make small slices with the knife using a slight downward angle and then with a slight tilt push down on the slice to create the petals.
- Work your way around the mango before moving up to create another layer of petals. It helps if you slice the row above in between the slices of the one below. Watch the video.Continue slices and creating the petals until you get all the way to the top of the mango.
- Drizzle with freshly squeezed lime juice all around the mango. Then sprinkle with a generous amount of Tajin or chili powder and salt.
- Serve and enjoy immediately!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Try These Mexican Mango Desserts
- Easy Creamy Mexican Mango Paletas Recipe (Made Vegan)
- How to Make a Mangonada at Home (Chamoyadas or Mangonadas Recipe)
- Mango Chamoy Margaritas (Mangonada Margaritas)
- Mango, Orange and Red Chile Salsa
- 4 Ingredient Mango Ice Cream | Helado de mango (No Churn Ice Cream)
- How to Eat a Mango The Easy & Fun Way
- The Easiest and Fastest Way to Peel a Mango
Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
But what kind of mangoes are used?! Is there a specific one that tastes better than another?
Hi Ry,
You can use whatever is your favourite variety and available to you. Just note that the larger sized mangoes are easier to handle for this recipe. Enjoy!