Mango Lassi Recipe (Indian Mango Drink)

Make the BEST Mango Lassi at home with my simple tips and tricks! Mango Lassi is a popular dessert drink from the Indian Sub-continent and is a summer special loved by everyone. Mangoes, yogurt, milk/cream, ground cardamoms and a little sweetener will take you to mango heaven! One sip of a well-made Mango Lassi & you will surely fall in love with it for the amazing flavor and a smooth, creamy texture.

I know making Mango Lassi is no rocket science but I kind of felt there is really a thing in getting it right and perfect. You need to strike a balance between the sour and sweet flavors of the mangoes and yogurt. In this post I share how to make the best Mango Lassi & even better than what you get in restaurants.

About Mango Lassi

Mango Lassi is a popular lassi variety made with Indian yogurt (dahi/ curd), ripe sweet mangoes and cardamoms. A small amount of milk or fresh cream known as malai is also added to it for a creamy and rich feel and to balance the sourness of the yogurt. Sometimes ingredients like rose water and saffron are also included.

A well-made Mango Lassi is smooth, creamy and thick, yet of pouring consistency. It has a significant mango flavor, tastes sweet with delicate hints of sourness from yogurt.

Here are some popular Indian drinks
Masala Chai
Badam Milk
Turmeric Milk
Turmeric Tea

Choosing Mangoes

Making a good mango lassi starts with choosing the right kind of mangoes. Fresh, ripe sweet mangoes are best here as they are naturally high in flavor. If you live in a country where fresh mangoes are not available you may use frozen mangoes or mango pulp with all the suggested adjustments in my recipe.

Restaurants outside India use mango pulp and also use milk or cream or dried milk (milk powder) to balance the tartness from citric acid in the canned pulp.

Your mango lassi made with canned mango pulp tastes different from the fresh ingredient lassi due to the citric acid. You may end up adding more sugar, more yogurt and more milk to balance the sour taste in the canned pulp. In the end, you won’t have enough mango flavors like the real mango lassi. So fresh fully ripe sweet mangoes are the best!

Mango is a seasonal fruit & are harvested during the summers in India. The mango season is short lived and the best naturally ripened mangoes are available from April to June. The mangoes harvested during the peak season have a delicious flavor and are much sweeter. This is why the mango lassi made with these mangoes taste out of this world.

Mangoes from India & neighboring countries are air-flown to many other countries during this season. If you are living outside India, you may easily find fresh mangoes in the Indian stores, markets and even online during these months.

What kind of mangoes are best for lassi?

There are many kinds of mangoes popular in India and everyone has their own favorite depending on where they have grown-up. While you can make a mango lassi with just any kind that are ripe & sweet, alphonso mangoes are considered to be the best for lassi, as these are super delicious, pulpy, less fibrous and flavorsome. Moreover they are deep in color.

Dahi – Yogurt

Dahi (Indian Yogurt) is the key ingredient in a lassi and it is different from the Greek yogurt. There are 2 main differences between the Indian yogurt and Greek yogurt.

Indian yogurt has some whey in it, whereas Greek yogurt has no whey so if you are using it to make a mango lassi, you have to adjust the consistency by adding some liquid else you will end up with a super thick consistency.

Also to make a mango lassi, fresh made Indian dahi is used & this has a less sour flavor & taste than the Greek yogurt. So if you use Greek yogurt, you have to use some milk or cream to balance the sour taste of the Greek yogurt.

My Mango Lassi Recipe

In this post I share 2 ways to make mango lassi. 1. In a Mason jar or bowl 2. In a blender. With the same recipe you can also make popsicles by simply skipping the milk. More liquid in your popsicles will make it very icy. Pour the prepared mango lassi in Popsicle molds or disposable cups. Freeze until set. Keep the Popsicle molds under running water before you unmold. Pull gently to remove.

How to Make Mango Lassi (Stepwise Photos)

Make it in a mason jar

To make it in a mason jar, simply add chilled mango puree, Greek yogurt, sugar, cardamom powder and milk or cream or ice cubes. Whisk well until smooth. Or secure the jar with a tight lid and shake for 2 mins until well mixed. Your mango lassi is ready under 3 mins.

In a blender

1. You need all the ingredients chilled including mango or you have to use ice while blending to keep the lassi cold. I generally rinse, peel, chop and chill or freeze the mangoes until really cold. Chill the milk as well. If you don’t consume milk with fruits, simply use nut milk or yogurt whey. You will need

• 1½ cups chopped mangoes or 1 cup canned sweetened mango pulp
• 1 cup yogurt
• ½ cup milk (or water or 4 ice cubes or yogurt whey)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar (or maple syrup)
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder 
• 1 pinch of saffron & 1 tbsp chopped nuts for garnish – optional

[If you don’t want to use so much milk, you can also add 4 tbsps milk and 4 tbsps yogurt whey .]

2. Add mangoes, sugar, cardamom powder and milk (or water or ice cubes) to a blender jar. If you are not using a high speed blender, add the yogurt later.

3. Blend until very smooth. Make sure there are no mango fibers left.

4. Add the yogurt.

5. Blend just until smooth, avoid over blending as it can sometimes become slimy.

6. Taste test & adjust the ingredients. If you like it sweeter or prefer more mango flavor, simply add more mangoes. To cut down the sour taste either add milk or cream. If you want it to be slightly runny, pour more milk or ice cubes and blend. Mango lassi has to be thick, yet of pouring and drinking consistency.

Pour mango lassi to serving glasses and garnish with chopped pistas or almonds. If you want it colder, chill it for an hour before serving.

Pro Tips

Chilling ingredients: Mango lassi is always served chilled. So make sure you chilli all the ingredients including chopped mango pieces for a few hours, before blending. The other option is to chill the mango lassi after blending. If you have no time to chill the mangoes you can also add ice cubes while blending in place of the liquid.

Mangoes: All mangoes are not the same. If you are using fresh mangoes that are too fibrous, make sure you blend the mangoes first before adding the yogurt. You can also store the mango puree in a glass container, refrigerate or freeze it. Use it as required. You may also use this to make mango lassi in a mason jar as I shared above.

Liquid: You don’t need any other liquid if you are using Homemade Curd as it has plenty of whey. If using Greek yogurt or sour yogurt, add some milk or cream. This is essential to balance the sour flavors and also bring the mango lassi to the right consistency. If you don’t consume yogurt and milk together, you can use nut milk or even ice. But ice won’t add any flavor but helps with the consistency.

Sweetener: The most common sweetener is sugar. But I use maple syrup sometimes. You can also use honey or even refined jaggery. Unrefined jaggery alters the flavor.

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