Y'all know about my mango addiction, and this post is all about my mango lassi addiction. This simple recipe needs three ingredients and comes together in 10 minutes. It's a delicious, refreshing drink that just goes hand-in-hand with summertime!
The post contains helpful tips and tricks to make sure you're successful in your first attempt. But if you're in a rush, please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end!
Lassi is a traditional Indian yogurt drink, that can be made salty or sweet. The salty version is sometimes called chaas as well. When the sweet version has yogurt blended with mango pulp, that's a mango lassi. Sounds simple, right? That's because it is!
💭 Why you'll love this recipe
- Three ingredients and ten minutes. What more can you ask for?!
- Delicious and refreshing. Mango lassi is both light and refreshing but also sweet and delicious - perfect summertime delight!
- Sweet but healthy. This recipe doesn't contain any added sugar. Using the right type of yogurt can increase it's probiotic benefits too! Mango is also a low calorie fruit that has tons of it's own benefits - check out my mango salsa and mango avocado salad if you want other mango recipes!
🥭 Ingredients and variations
This mango lassi recipe uses exactly three things - mango pulp, yogurt, and milk.
Ingredient notes and variations
- On the type of mangoes. India has roughly 1500 varieties of mango, of which 1000 are produced for commercial use and sale. Most mangoes in the US (and other parts of the world I've lived in) have never come close to Indian mangoes. So, the best bet is to find an Indian store if you can.
- Use yogurt and milk: I use both yogurt and milk for my recipe. You can use yogurt, Greek yogurt, sweetened yogurts, or kefir. If you're vegan, almond yogurt and milk works the best with this recipe. Other varieties leave an aftertaste.
- Sweetness: I don't use additional sugar. Is mango lassi a dessert? Some argue that it is. If you agree, you can add sugar or honey.
- Other toppings: My mom would often add cardamom to my mango lassi, or occasionally garnish with saffron to make it ultra decadent. You can also add rosewater while you blend it, or top off with mint for a fresh finish. I've also seen pistachios or almonds as garnishes, or even frozen mango chunks.
📖 How to make mango lassi (with mango or mango pulp)
Honestly, it's as simple as throwing mango slices or pulp, yogurt, and milk into a blender and whizzing it until it's a nice smoothie. However, I'm sharing some tips here in case you need to prepare your mango.
Mangoes are tricky to slice. But they're not hard once you get the hang of it. Use a thin knife, and slice the mango into thirds - you'll find that the center has the seed and is a bit thicker than the other two. Cut the pulp of the two side pieces in a criss-cross pattern, and then scoop it out.
For the seed: carefully, remove the peel. Then, using your knife, feel for where the seed is. Trim off the pulp along the edges around it. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty? Just wash your hands thoroughly or wear a pair of disposable gloves and squeeze the pulp into the blender. I know, sounds crazy, but probably the most efficient, don't come after me.
👩🏽🍳Top tips and FAQs
If you have an Indian store next to your house, try to get Alfonso mangoes (or mango pulp). If you don't, pick the ripest mango you can find. Unlike mango salad, you want pulpy mangoes for lassi. So, if it's veering overripe that's totally fine.
Yes, you totally can! Instead of yogurt, if you substitute condensed milk, you'll end up with a very sweet version.
Yes! My recipe card uses pulp, but you can use mango or frozen mango chunks to make this recipe. Check notes above to pick the right type of pulpy, sweet mango!
I have found that substituting almond yogurt and almond milk in lieu of yogurt and milk makes for the best vegan lassi!
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
Mango lassi will stay fresh in the fridge for a day or two, but I generally recommend that you make it fresh as needed (literally takes a couple of whirls of the blender!)
Wondering what to eat when you're drinking your mango lassi? Check out these authentic and simple Indian recipes to get started.
If you try this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a star rating. Don't forget to tag #urbanfarmie on Instagram or @urbanfarmie on Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
Mango Lassi
Equipment
- Blender (I use a Vitamix - but even a simple Nutribullet would do)
Ingredients
- 2 mangoes, substitute with 1.5 cups of mango pulp
- ½ cup yogurt, unsweetened
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Optional: If you're using mangoes, slice them into small chunks and then pop them into the freezer for about 30 minutes. This will help chill the drink.
- Add chopped mangoes or mango pulp, yogurt, and milk into the blender and blend like a smoothie - add ice cubes or more milk to adjust to your desired consistency.
- Serve chilled! Optional garnishes include saffron, pistachios, and rose water!
Notes
- To chop up the mangoes, slice them into thirds, and then scoop out each of the sides and then use a thin knife to get the pulp around the hard seed
- To make this vegan, use almond yogurt and almond milk instead
- Garnish with saffron, pistachios, almonds, rose water, or cardamom powder
- This recipe doesn't include added sugar, but you can adjust this based on the inherent sweetness of mangoes - you can also adjust the thickness of the lassi by adding a few ice cubes while you're blending or increasing the amount of milk!
Nutrition
Note: This recipe was originally published on June 23, 2020. It was updated on May 30, 2021 with new pictures. Recipe remains same.
Loved it! This recipe is very simple, easy, and foolproof, especially for people who don't cook very much (or at all?). Really liked the tips. I think I knew how to slice a mango theoretically, but I'd never actually tried it so the guidance was reassuring :). Skim milk really helped with consistency, and I added a little brown sugar because my mango was already pretty sweet. Thank you!