Air Frying Mango Might Be Your New Favorite Way To Use Frozen Fruit

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Frozen fruit contains the same nutrients and health benefits as fresh fruit, but it is often more convenient to use, and allows you to enjoy varieties even when they aren't in season. However, one of the risks of using frozen fruit when cooking or baking is that it will end up mushy and tasteless or make your dish soggy. We have a creative solution that might end up being your new favorite way to use frozen fruit: Air frying it.

Before air frying, put your frozen mango chunks in a freezer bag with about 1/2 tablespoon of neutral oil and shake the bag to make sure each piece is evenly coated. Then add whatever seasonings you like and shake everything up again. Put the chunks in a single layer in your air fryer basket and turn it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove them when the exterior is golden brown and starting to caramelize — around six to eight minutes.

Air frying mango caramelizes the exterior flesh of the fruit, giving it a crisp, satisfying outer shell while intensifying its juiciness and tropical flavor. And mango is just one of the fruits you need to start air frying. This trick works with almost any type of frozen fruit, and can even be adapted to dehydrate fresh fruit at a low air fryer temperature to extend its shelf life and flavor. The result will be chunks of perfectly toasted fruit with a unique texture and a bright, juicy pop of flavor. You can add it to a salad, veggie, or meat dish, or even your morning oatmeal, without worrying that it will make the dish soggy and unappealing. You can even eat your air-fried mango chunks on their own for a healthy snack.

Almost any recipe that uses fresh mangoes will also work for frozen varieties. You can use air-fried mangoes in your favorite smoothie recipe to achieve a deeper and more complex flavor. The caramelized mango will add rich, sweet, nutty notes that complement other ingredients like coconut milk, pineapple, and chia seeds.

Using air-fried frozen instead of fresh mango in a chicken mango salad will provide the ideal balance between the salad's other fresh, moisture-rich ingredients. This can prevent your salad from being too wet, and also encourage the dressing to stick. Before air frying, season the mango chunks with lime juice, honey, and sea salt. Then grind your peanuts and coat the mangoes generously. This gives them a bit of a crouton-like texture that will add a delightful crunch to the salad.

If you're worried about using frozen fruit to make mango salsa, air-drying it first will slightly dehydrate it so the salsa won't become waterlogged. Lightly dust the chunks of mango with a chile lime seasoning or Tajín Clásico before air frying. Then combine them with the other ingredients for a fresh, tropical salsa. You can also make a blended mango salsa by putting everything in a blender or food processor with ¼ cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt. Blend it until it reaches your ideal salsa consistency, and use it as a dressing for salad or to drizzle over fish tacos or coconut-crusted cod filets.