What is your favorite fruit? For me, it is, hands down, MANGO! And this love is not a recent one; I grew up enjoying mangoes all summer, so much so that my mom had to actually stop me from eating fruit. Aren’t fruits healthy, I would ask 😉 I am glad this love has slowly transferred to my daughter. She has started to enjoy mangoes, and Mango Lassi is her favorite drink to order whenever we are at an Indian restaurant. It is not just her; Mango Lassi, similar to masala chai, is everyone’s favorite at Indian restaurants. This sweet drink perfectly complements the spices in Indian food. Mango Lassi has become so popular that it is now available as a ready drink at big stores such as Costco. The good news is that Costco and many other stores also carry fresh mangoes. So now we can make fresh homemade Mango Lassi in no time. Enjoy this creamy Mango Lassi alongside Pear Juice for a refreshing drink combination. Another fruit we love to get from Costco is figs, and we love to make this Fig Date Smoothie.
Watch How to Make Mango Lassi
What is Lassi?
Lassi is basically a yogurt-based drink that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is typically a blend of yogurt, water or milk, spices, and sometimes fruit. Lassi can be made sweet or salty. Another popular type of lassi all over the world is Mango Lassi.
What is Mango Lassi?
Mango lassi is a yogurt-based drink made from yogurt, milk, and mango pulp. You could call this a Mango Yogurt Smoothie. It can be made with fresh, frozen, or canned mangoes. You can add spices, such as cardamom or cinnamon. Fresh Mango Lassi is often garnished with saffron (kesar), pistachios, or even mint.
Ingredients
Let’s see the main ingredients to make traditional Mango Lassi:
Mango: You can use fresh, frozen, or canned mango pulp in this recipe. If available, Alphonso mangoes are the best and most sweet to make lassi. However, it is totally fine to use other varieties of mangoes. Look for very ripe mangoes. If using mango pulp, use 1 cup instead of the mango chunks in this recipe. Yogurt: Traditionally, plain whole-milk yogurt is used to make mango lassi. However, you can make it low-fat yogurt, too. Plain Greek yogurt will also work, but you would need some extra milk to get the right consistency. You can also use almond milk yogurt to make this lassi vegan. Milk: Adding milk will give this mango lassi the right consistency. You can use your favorite whole, low-fat, or 2% milk. Almond milk can be used to make this vegan. Or you can also use water if you prefer. Sweetener: Traditionally, sugar is used to sweeten mango lassi. However, you can use honey, maple syrup, or agave too. Spices: Optionally add a pinch of ground cardamom or cinnamon to the lassi.
How to make Mango Lassi?
Now, the easiest part is to make the Lassi.
Put mango chunks, yogurt, milk, sugar, and cardamom into a blender and blend until smooth. I used my Vitamix to make this lassi. If you have planned ahead, you can also freeze the mango chunks before using them in this recipe.
Adjust the consistency to your taste by adding water or blending in some ice cubes. Pour mango lassi into serving glasses. Keep it chilled before serving.
Garnish with saffron and/or pistachios. Other garnishes that can be used are mint leaves, sliced almonds, or even some mango chunks. You can also serve this mango lassi topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make it a dessert. This fresh mango lassi can be refrigerated for up to a day. I prefer to make it just before serving. Once you have the ingredients prepared, it takes only a minute to prepare.
Common Questions
Expert tips to make the best Mango Lassi
Use sweet, ripe mangoes to make lassi. They will give the best-tasting Mango Lassi flavor. If fresh mango is not available, then only opt for frozen mango chunks or canned mango puree. If you are planning ahead, put mangoes in the refrigerator so they are cold for the lassi. You can add a few ice cubes to this to cool it down even more, I prefer to use whole milk yogurt and whole milk when making lassi.
Enjoy this delicious Mango Lassi with Chicken Tikka Masala, Chana Masala or Palak Paneer Saag. You might also like this delicious Strawberry Lassi, Fig & Date Smoothie, also called Anjeer Milkshake, or this authentic Masala Chai.
