Fresh Mango Lassi made with just a few ingredients, is so creamy and refreshing. This Mango Lassi which is a favorite to enjoy at Indian restaurants, can be easily made at home in no time!
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 a 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.
And it is not just her, Mango Lassi is the favorite for everyone to order at indian restaurants, similar to Masala Chai. This sweet drink perfectly complements the spices in Indian food.
Mangoi Lassi has become so popular that it is now available as a ready drink at big stores such as Costco too. However the good news is that Costco and so many stores also carry fresh mangoes. So now we can make fresh homemade Mango Lassi in no time.
Another fruit we love to get from Costco is figs, and we love to make this Fig Date Smoothie.
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.
How to make Mango Lassi?
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 in place 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 would need some extra milk to get the right consistency. You can also use almond milk yogurt to make this lassi vegan.
- Milk: Add milk will give a right consistency to this mango lassi. You can use your favorite whole, low-fat or 2% milk. Almond milk can be used to make this vegan.
- Sweetener: Traditionally sugar is used to sweeten mango lassi, however you can use honey or agave too.
- Spices: Optionally add a pinch of ground cardamom or cinnamon to the lassi.
Now the easiest part to make the Lassi.
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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 in this recipe.
- Adjust the consistency to your taste by adding water or blend in some ice cubes.
- Pour mango lassi in 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. It takes only a minute to get ready once you have the ingredients prepared.
Can greek yogurt be used to make Mango Lassi?
Yes, use ¾ cup of greek yogurt and add more milk or water to adjust consistency to your taste.
Can Mango Lassi be made without yogurt?
By definition, lassi is made with yogurt (dahi), so if you make it without yogurt it would technically not be lassi anymore. You can make a milkshake or smoothie with mangoes.
Can Mango Lassi be made vegan?
Use almond milk yogurt and almond milk to make the mango lassi vegan.
Expert tips to make the best Mango Lassi
- Use sweet ripe mangoes to make lassi. They will give the best tasting Mango Lassi. If fresh are not available, then only opt for frozen mango chunks or canned mango pulp.
- If you are planning ahead, put the mango 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.
Mango Lassi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup Mango cubes (fresh mango peeled and chopped, choose very ripe mango or frozen mango or 1 cup of canned mango pulp)
- 1 cup Plain Yogurt whole milk yogurt, cold
- ½ cup Milk cold, or water to adjust consistency
- 4 tsp Sugar adjust to taste
- 1 pinch Cardamom powder (Elaichi) optional
- Saffron (Kesar) to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Put mango, yogurt, milk, sugar and cardamom into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Adjust the consistency to your taste by adding water or blend in some ice cubes.
- Pour mango lassi in serving glasses. Keep it chilled before serving. Garnish with saffron and/or pistachios (see notes for more garnish options).
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
I love mango lassi. I once had two glasses before a meal in a restaurant then was too full to eat, it’s very filling. If I made it I don’t think it even needs sweetening, mangoes are very sweet. But if I sweeten it now I would use stevia. I didn’t realise cardamom was the missing ingredient, I have it and I love it. Just need some mangoes now!
Mango lassi is my all-time favorite beverage from India. I cannot drink it slowly--I slurp it down in 2 seconds flat! I used your recipe as a guide for making a small batch with 2 champagne mangoes that were starting to look a little Suspect. I used 2% vanilla bean Greek yogurt and a fair amount of lowfat milk to get it to a good drinking consistency. It was delicious, and while I'm sure the vanilla muted the mango flavor a little, I'm really happy to have made my first ever mango lassi using what I had on hand. Thank you!
Hi Jenni - So glad to hear you enjoyed the mango lassi. Thanks for sharing the changes you made. It is always great to adjust based on the ingredients you have on hand!
I would NOT use honey. It didn't blend because the drink is so cold and my toddler reorient drink it. Maple syrup is a much better alternative and also safe for children under 1.
Great point. Thanks for sharing!
thank you pipingpotcurry for giving me wonderful information