Mango Lassi: The Refreshing Drink of Summer
Mango lassi recipe | mango lassi with fresh mango | how to make mango lassi with detailed steps.
Mango lassi, a traditional Indian drink, is a creamy and delicious blend of mangoes, yogurt, and spices. This refreshing drink is the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day and is enjoyed by people of all ages. In this blog post, we’ll explore the origins of mango lassi and how to make this popular drink at home.
Origins of Mango Lassi
Mango lassi is believed to have originated in northern India, where it is a popular drink in Punjabi cuisine. The drink is made with mangoes, yogurt, and a blend of spices and sweeteners, and is traditionally served as a cooling beverage to combat the heat of summer.
Ingredients and Flavor Profile
The main ingredients in mango lassi are ripe mangoes, yogurt, sugar or honey, and cardamom powder. Some variations of mango lassi also include rose water, saffron, and nuts, such as almonds or pistachios. The ingredients are blended together to create a smooth and creamy drink that is sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy.
To make this lassi, you can use either fresh mangoes or mango pulp. In India, yogurt is commonly known as curd or dahi (as in hindi).
This is a simple recipe, use mangoes with less fiber (Alphanso mango) and adjust the sugar to taste, depending on the sourness and sweetness of the yogurt and mango. Try to use fresh yogurt for this recipe.
Ingredients In Mango Lassi
- Mango: To make the lassi, you can use either fresh or canned mango pulp. When mangoes are in season, I highly recommend using fresh sweet mango. Mango lassi is made from popular Indian mangoes varieties such as Alphonso Kesar, and dasheri. However, canned mango pulp is acceptable and can be found in any Indian grocery store.
- Yogurt: You can use any yogurt you want, I often use whole milk yogurt, but you can use whatever yogurt you want. You can use non-diary yogurt such as almond yogurt.
- Flavoring: The lassi is flavored with cardamom powder at the end. If you don’t like cardamom, leave it out. If you want, you can also add some saffron to the lassi. If you don’t have cardamom powder (which is an important ingredient used in India to flavor food, especially drinks and desserts), you can flavor the lassi with vanilla extract.
- Sweetener: You can use any type of sweetener like sugar, maple syrup, honey, etc. I used sugar to sweeten this lassi, but feel free to use your favorite sweetener. You can even omit the sweetener if you prefer.
- Liquid: If you like to adjust the consistency you can use milk, water, ice cubes, almond milk, oat milk, etc. Some people do not use milk in their lassi because they prefer a thicker texture and a more sour flavor. So, depending on your personal preferences, you can adjust the amount of milk used or even skip it entirely.
How To Make The Best Mango Lassi
Mango Lassi
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped ripe mango or canned pulp or frozen chopped mango
- 1 cup chilled plain yogurt (curd/dahi)
- 1/2 cup cold milk or water to thin out the consistency of lassi.
- 2 Tablespoon cane sugar/honey/agave nectar, adjust as needed, based on the sweetness of mangoes.
- 1/8 Teaspoon ground cardamom optional, more or less to taste
- 5-6 Icecubes optional
- Mint Leaves or nuts (for garnish) optional
Instructions
- In a blender add chopped mangoes, yogurt, sugar, milk, and cardamom. Blend it for 2-3 minutes.
- If you want a more milkshake-like consistency, add ice cubes and blend it for 1 more minute.
- To serve, pour the contents into a glass and top with a pinch of ground cardamom or garnish with mint leaves.
- The lassi can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Notes
- Use any milk of your choice, almond milk, oat milk etc.
- You can add 1 more cup of mango chopped if you like more mango flavor.
- Garnish with silvered almonds/pistachios
Mango Lassi Recipe with Canned Mango Pulp
You can make the best mango lassi at home by following this simple Indian-style mango smoothie or lassi recipe that uses canned mango pulp.
If you use mango pulp, keep in mind that a lot of mango pulp is already sweetened.
Mango pulp comes in a variety of varieties that can be found in an Indian grocery store. There are Alphonso mangos and Kesar mangos, which are simply different varieties of fruit. Mango Alphonso is my favorite. If you can find it, I highly recommend it because it has a very rich, full, lovely balanced flavor.
It’s simple to use mango pulp to make Indian mango lassi or mango smoothies, but if you have fresh mangoes on hand, you can also make fresh mango smoothies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mango pulp
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup milk or water as needed to adjust the consistency.
- 1/4 cardamom powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar/honey/agave nectar, adjust the sweetness to your taste.
- Icecubes as required.
Directions
- In a blender combine mango pulp, yogurt, sugar, milk/water, and cardamom powder. Blend it for 1 minute until well mixed.
- Check for sweetness and adjust as needed.
- Add ice cubes to the serving glass, then pour the mango lassi. Garnish with almonds.
Mango Lassi – Tips
- To make mango lassi, use cold yogurt, cold milk, and mangoes straight from the refrigerator.
- You can garnish the lassi with nuts like sliced almonds or pistachios.
- Use fresh sweet mangoes with less fiber for best results, Indian mango varieties like kesar, alphonso work well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Serve Mango Lassi?
Mango lassi is typically served as a refreshing drink on its own, but it can also be used as a base for smoothies or as a topping for pancakes or waffles. The drink can be garnished with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, chopped nuts, or a drizzle of honey.
How To Make Vegan Mango Lassi
You can use plain almond milk yogurt in this case. That works best, but you can use any non-dairy yogurt you want. I wouldn’t recommend coconut yogurt because it will give it a strong coconut flavor. And replace the milk with oat milk or water.
Can You use Greek Yogurt for Mango Lassi
You can use Greek yogurt, but the lassi will be very thick. Thin it out with liquids (milk, ice cubes) as needed.