How to Can Mango Step by Step

If you ask someone what the king of tropical fruits is, they probably tell you a banana, or maybe a pineapple. In reality, it’s the mango!

Mangoes are eaten around the world and in all kinds of different dishes, both savory and sweet, and they’re a critical food crop for several countries. Interesting stuff, but all I care about is how delicious they are!

The sad part about them is that they aren’t in season all the time, but if you have some fresh ones on hand, it’s possible to can them using conventional water bath techniques so you can enjoy them year-round.

If you are a mango fan, this guide is perfect for you. Keep reading and I’ll take you through it step by step… And if you’re wondering whether this is a safe recipe and based on an official recipe, the answer is yes, and you can learn more right here.

Can You Can Whole Mangoes?

No. Whole mangoes are just too big to be safely canned using water bath canning techniques

The good news is that it is easy to safely can them when they are cut up into slices, which is what we will be doing today…

What You’ll Need

You’ll need a standard water bath canning setup, plus a few of other things that you probably have in your kitchen already. Gather all of the following, and then we’ll get to the steps.

Mangoes: The best ones for canning purposes are green and firm. Stay away from softer or extremely fibrous varieties. Kesar mangoes are great for canning, being green and fiber-free.

Water: Needed to make the syrup for packing the mangoes, and also for the canning process. You can can them using water alone, but this is a very bad idea because it will drain most of the flavor out of them by diluting their natural sweetness.

Sugar: Needed to make a light or medium syrup with water. You can make your own easily with sugar, and that’s what we’ll be doing below.

Canning Jars, Quart, or Pint: use any canning jars that you prefer with this guide. Quart or pint jars work just as well, but inspect them closely for any damage, chips, or other defects around the rim or the threads. Those defects will cause a failure, so get rid of them!

Canning Jar Lids, New: you’ll need a number of jar lids to fit the number of jars you’ll be using, plus a few extras in case of failure or follow-up batches. Any lids that you use must be brand new! Never try to reuse a canning lid because they’re highly prone to failure.

Lid Bands: appropriately-sized bands to fit your jars. Unlike the lids, you can reuse the bands as long as they aren’t damaged, dented, cracked, or rusty.

Extra-Large Pot: you’ll need a large pot for this job, that either came with your canning kit or another one that is large enough and deep enough to hold several jars for a batch and cover them with at least an inch of water.

Large Pot or Saucepan: another, slightly smaller pot or large saucepan to make a batch of syrup and also to boil your mango slices.

Jar Lifter: a specialized set of tongs that allow you to safely raise and lower jars into the water under control without them slipping. If you have a nicer model canning rack, below, with handles you don’t need a jar lifter although they are still handy, especially for larger jars.

Canning Rack: a canning rack is basically a large grill that rests on the bottom of your largest pot that you’ll be placing the jars in. Its purpose is to keep the jars from sitting on the bottom and then getting jostled around by air bubbles during boiling.

Nicer versions have long handles that stick up out of the top of the pot that allow you to raise and lower an entire batch of jars at once.

Canning Funnel: a canning funnel is a special type of funnel that will allow you to get food and syrup into your jars while avoiding spills and sticky messes that can prevent you from getting a good seal, or just making a mess in your kitchen generally!

Slotted Spoon: any slotted kitchen spoon will be useful here for plucking the mango slices out of the syrup.

Thin Spatula: you’ll also need a spatula to agitate the contents of the jars after filling them to release air bubbles which will cause your fruit to degrade in storage. You can also use a skewer, specialty bubble-removing tool, or a butter knife for the same purpose.

Cutting Board: any cutting board that you have or like is suitable for prepping your mangoes.

Paring Knife: likewise, a paring knife will be needed to peel and slice your mangoes, but you can use a larger kitchen knife if you prefer.

Kitchen Timer: timing is everything when you’re canning, from the amount of time that you boil your mango slices to how many minutes you process the jars in the boiling water.

You can use a standalone kitchen timer, an app on your phone, the clock on your stove, or anything else to keep track of the time- just make sure it’s accurate.

Canning Mangoes, Hot Packed, Step-by-Step

The following steps will guide you through hot-pack canning mangoes at home yourself using a water bath canner. I strongly recommend that you read all of them before you start so you know what to expect. Speed is a factor during several of these steps!

Step 1: Sanitize equipment. The first thing you must do is sanitize everything that will be touching the mangoes and the syrup during the process.

You can give them a good wash with hot, soapy water immediately prior to the process, or run them through the dishwasher one time on a hot cycle.

Step 2: Prep mangoes. Wash the mangos thoroughly and place them on the cutting board. Peel them, split them, and remove the pits. Discard peels and pits.

Step 3: Cut into slices. Cut the mangoes into slices that are about 3/8 of an inch (1 cm) thick.

Step 4: Prepare your workspace. Make sure you have a clean cutting board or towels on your countertops so you can place hot jars later.

Also ensure you have enough room over your pots to lift jars in and out. It’s imperative that you have a smooth workflow during several of these steps because speed is of the essence.

Step 5: Fill large pot with water; boil. Fill large pot with water, adding enough to the larger canning pot to cover your jars at least one inch. Leave room for displacement. Turn on the heat, and bring the pot to a boil.

Step 6: Pre-heat jars. Take your sanitized canning jars and carefully lower them into the larger pot on top of the rack either using the rack itself or your jar lifter. Reduce heat to a simmer and keep them warm until you are ready to fill.

Step 7: prepare syrup and cook mangoes. To the smaller pot, add water for your chosen syrup and bring to a boil, as follows:

For light syrup (ideal for mangoes) use 5 ¾ cups water and 1 ½ cups sugar for a 9 pint-jar load. Use 9 cups of water to 2 ¼ cups sugar for a 7 quart-jar load. Add sugar to boiling water and stir until dissolved. In both cases, make Again, sure you leave room for displacement; we’ll be adding the fruit in a minute…

When the sugar is fully dissolved, add the mango slices and cook them for 2 minutes in the boiling syrup. At this point, remove the jars and have them set handily nearby for immediate filling.

Step 8: Pack jars. Working quickly, using your slotted spoon remove the mangoes when they are done cooking, and immediately deposit them into the jars.

Pack them tightly but leave just a little bit of space at the top to make adjusting headspace easier; they will shrink during the canning process.

Step 9: Cover with hot syrup. As soon as the jars are packed with produce, pour the still boiling syrup over them leaving a half inch of headspace.

Step 10: Run spatula around jar interior. Using your spatula or similar tool, insert it into each jar and gently agitate the contents to help air bubbles move to the top. Once you’ve done each jar, adjust the headspace as necessary with extra syrup if needed.

Step 11: Cap and close jars. Using a dampened paper towel, wipe off the rim and threads of each jar. Then, avoiding touching the sealant compound, place a lid on each jar and then a band.

Hand tighten the band until very snug, but do not over-tighten. Air must be allowed to escape during the canning process.

Step 12: Load jars into canner. With the water in your larger pot still simmering, load the jars into it using your rack, if it has long handles, or one at a time using your jar lifter.

Make sure to keep the jars level and vertical because you don’t want any pressure against the lids at this time. Turn the heat back up.

Step 13: Bring to full boil. Bring the water in the canning pot to a full boil. It doesn’t have to be frothing, but properly boiling is a must.

Step 14: Start timer. Once the water has reached a full boil, you can officially start the clock for processing.

Activate your timer, setting it for 15 minutes if you are below 1,000 ft elevation, or 20 minutes if you are above 1000 ft in elevation. Add 5 minutes to each if you’re using larger quart jars.

Step 15: Shut off heat. Once the processing time has elapsed, shut off the heat but do not disturb the jars.

Step 16: Rest. Allow the jars to rest for at least 5 minutes in the water.

Step 17: Remove jars. Removing the rack or using the jar lifter as before, lift out the jars cautiously, making sure to keep them upright and level to avoid the contents pressing against the lid as before. This will easily compromise a seal at this point, so be careful!

Set the jars on folded towels on a clean cutting board, making sure to keep them well away from any chilly drafts or stone surfaces; sudden temperature changes can cause shock which will shatter them!

Step 18: cool for 12 hours. Give your jars at least 12 hours to cool, completely undisturbed and untouched. They may need as long as 18 hours.

Step 19: check lids. Once the jars are cool, it’s time to check the lids. Press on the lid with your finger and see if you can detect any movement at all. It should feel totally firm, rock solid.

Next, remove the band and carefully lift the jar straight up by the edges of the lid. It shouldn’t come off or move.

If you have any jar fail the lid test, check after these steps to find out what to do.

Step 20: wipe down. Using a damp (paper) towel, wipe off the jars to make sure there is no residue left over on any of them.

Step 21: store. Place your newly canned mangoes in a dark, cool place that has no chance of freezing. You can expect them to last about a year.

What if a Lid Doesn’t Seal?

If the lid of one of your jars fails the test above and Step 19, don’t get upset and don’t panic. It is both correctable and salvageable. The first thing you should do is continue checking all of the jars so you can separate the good from the bad.

Once that is done, for any that have faulty lids or a bad seal, you can refrigerate and eat the contents if you want to within a couple of days and they’ll be totally fine.

Alternately, if you have another batch of mangoes going in the canner you can recycle the contents into a fresh, prepared jar and use a brand-new lid to re-can them. Hopefully, they’ll work this next time!

What you cannot do, though, is try to re-can them after a day has elapsed. You can refrigerate them and eat them over the course of a couple of days, but once 24 hours have passed, they are officially too old to try and re-can; so don’t!

Helpful Hints

• Don’t waste time and fruit with old, battered jars. Old canning jars can be charming, but they can also be way past their prime. Chips, dings, and cracks are simply going to result in a failed canning process, a huge mess, and potentially injury. Relegate old jars to decorative use or throw them out.
• Experiment with different syrup recipes. Most canning recipes for mangoes call for light or medium syrup, and they are best for mangoes, but you can experiment with heavier syrup or other added ingredients like spices to make something really special. If you aren’t totally confident with spicing up the syrup yourself, don’t worry: there are lots of good recipes out there to try!
• Invest in an efficient workflow. Setting up your work area for maximum efficiency will improve results and reduce failure. Some canning gadgets, often derided as a waste of money, are actually super handy. One of my favorites is a magnetic lid wand that lets you pluck a single lid from a stack or rack and place it on a jar without any risk of touching and contaminating it.