Mangoes in season, and what best you could think of to beat the heat? Undeniably, it has to be Mango Lassi. A soothing Indian drink made from very ripe sweet mangoes, yogurt, little milk and a dash of cardamom. A little sprinkle of sliced or powdered dry fruits and saffron is perfect!
Do you know what is the most favourite fruit that huge number of Indians love? They are mangoes, yes, mangoes! The amount and the variety of mangoes available in India is indeed amazing. Be it the raw ones or the ripe ones, summers are full of mango delicacies for us.
Lassi, aam ras, aam panna, shrikhand, raw mango chutney, sweet mango chutney, mango milk shake, mango smoothie, mango fruit leather and what not. Did I mention about curries, biryanis and vegetable preparations using mangoes? Gosh! they are so versatile.
What is Mango Lassi?
Mango Lassi, is basically a ripe mango smoothie having a base of yogurt. Traditionally, lassi is made using yogurt only and it has a nice thick body with lot of froth. But, many people do not prefer super thick lassis. Therefore, adding ¾ to 1 part of either milk, butter milk or water to 2 parts of yogurt to gives the balanced thickness - a semi thick pouring creamy consistency.
A dash of cardamom powder gives super refreshing touch and flavour to lassi. Punjabi mango lassi calls for the addition of little cream or malai, so, you can add some of it too. A chilled tall glass of soothing lassi drink to sip on during summers, is a pure bliss!
Do you want to make it a part of your breakfast or a main meal or as serve it as a dessert? Then, adding few nuts like almonds and pistachios or cashew nuts and few threads of saffron won't hurt at all. Trust me, try it with some dry fruits, it will definitely soothe your senses and boost your energy.
The most awesome part of mango lassi shake is, it needs handful of ingredients only. Plus, only 5 minutes to whip it up. Well, for me, lassi is not restricted to summers only. I love to sip on it any time of the year.
For that matter, you will find my chest freezer with few big ziplock bags full of fresh mango cubes that I freeze unfailingly every year. Isn't that amazing? 🙂
Mango Lassi Ingredients
Mangoes - Always use best quality, firm but very ripe sweet mangoes to make lassi.
Yogurt - It is always best to add fresh yogurt which is not sour in taste. Homemade yogurt is the best option to use for and lassi recipes. You can also use Greek yogurt along with little milk, butter milk or water to balance the thickness of the lassi.
Sugar - The amount of addition of sugar is totally your choice. You can skip it, if them mangoes are very sweet. Furthermore, sugar can be swapped with honey or agave nectar as well. Also, increase the amount of sugar if the mango are too tart or sour.
Cardamom powder - Fresh cardamom powder gives nice refreshing cool taste to the lassi
Saffron - Addition of saffron is absolutely optional. But, adding few strands of it gives richness and great aroma to the lassi.
Milk - Using only yogurt may give very thick consistency. So, only if you need to, then consider adding milk, buttermilk, or any nut milk like almond milk, cashew nut milk or soy milk. This will give you nice pouring cream consistency lassi.
Best Mango Variety To Make Lassi
For me, any time choice is Alphonso mango (Ratnagiri hapus) or Kesar mango variety. I would strongly urge you to use Indian mango variety to make best mango lassi recipe.
You can check with your nearest Indian grocery stores for the availability. Even for the pulp, try to get your hands on Indian variety mango pulp for the best upshot.
Flavourings you can add to Mango Lassi Drink
- Mint
- Saffron
- Cardamom
- Rose water
- Holy Basil
- Vanilla essence
- Cinnamon
- A dollop of mango or vanilla ice cream
- Few spoons of malai kulfi
Making Mango Lassi Recipe Using Fresh or Canned Mango pulp
Simply, replace the amount of mango cubes with a canned or a fresh mango pulp. Check on sugar, whether if you want to add it more or reduce it. Proceed with same method as the way we make it with mango cubes. Use 1 cup of mango pulp to 1 cup of yogurt and if needed add ¼ to ½ cup of milk or water.
Freezing the Lassi
Of course, yes, you can make mango yogurt lassi in bulk and freeze in a clean air tight container in portions. It stays perfect until 6 months under freezing temperature. Whenever you want to sip it, simply just thaw it on counter at room temperature for few hours and you are good to go.
Vegan Mango Lassi (Without Dairy Yogurt)
You can choose to use any of your favourite plant based vegan yogurt made out of either almond, coconut, cashew nuts, soy or tofu yogurt. Whip up the mangoes along with vegan yogurt, flavourings and few ice cubes, enjoy.
How to make Mango Lassi - Step by Step
To begin with, add yogurt, milk, cardamom powder, saffron and sugar in a blender jar.
Add mango cubes and ice cubes (if needed). I haven't added ices cubes as, everything used here was chilled.
Blend it until you get smooth lassi. You may increase the amount of liquid to get thinner lassi, if it is too thick for you to pour. Personally I love a little thick lassi. So, I have used a little less amount of milk here.
Pour in serving glasses, garnish with slivered pr powdered nuts and few strands of saffron.
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Mango Lassi Recipe Card
Mango Lassi
Ingredients
- 2 cups Mango (4 medium sized mangoes cut in cubes or mango pulp)
- 2 cups Yogurt
- ¾ to 1 cup Milk
- ½ tsp Cardamom powder
- 4-5 tsp Sugar (or honey or jaggery)
- Few strands of saffron (optional)
- Few ice cubes (optional)
Instructions
- Add yogurt, milk, cardamom powder, saffron and sugar in a blender jar.
- Add mango cubes and ice cubes.
- Blend it until you get smooth lassi.
- Add little more amount of milk or water, if lassi is very thick.
- Pour in serving glasses.
- Garnish with slivered or powdered nuts and few strands of saffron.
- You can refrigerate mango lassi upto 24 hours.
Notes
- Try to use Indian variety mangoes for the best result. I have used alphonso mangoes. You can use any good variety.
- Personally I love a little thick lassi, so, I have added a little less amount of liquid to the lassi. You can add liquid to get the consistency that suits to your taste.
- I haven't added ice cubes while blending, as every ingredient I used have here was chilled.
- You can add honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar and even jaggery instead of sugar.
- Use plant based vegan yogurt, nut milk or soy milk to make vegan mango lassi.
Samantha Francis
Awesome smoothie. Easy to make and a healthy drink to beat the scorching sun. I tried it with Indian mangoes (that too home grown), It taste great and was lip-smacking. I kids enjoyed it and asked fr it quit frequently. Thanks for sharing the smoothie. Every time I try i try it with different ingredients (kind of a slight modification).
Sonali Shinde
What a timing to see this post. Just when I had some mangoes of the season left to make some coolers, I visit this beautiful Lassi page. Thank you.