Mango Lassi

One of the MOST popular drinks at Indian restaurants, rich and creamy Mango lassi is super easy to make at home!

Seven easy ingredients and a blender is all you need to make it through the summer months!

Mango season is the MOST loved time of the year. Once mangos arrive in summer, they become the centerpiece for every meal. 

Chopped into pieces, served as sliced or churned into aamras; mangos are super satisfying and great in all forms. Besides, the large number of desserts that are easy to make with mangos are THE best!

If you are a mango lover just like me, this mango lassi recipe is made for you! Besides, it is so simple to make and super refreshing.

The sweetness of mangos combined with the slight tartness of yogurt makes a great combination. A super smooth drink that is creamy, filling and perfectly cold, mango lassi is a MUST-HAVE during mango season. 

What is Mango Lassi

A drink made from yogurt; lassi can easily be understood as drinkable yogurt. 

Lassi comes in various forms; sweet, salty, with rose, mango or other fruits or with lots of nuts. 

Mango Lassi, as the name suggests has yogurt and mango. That would be it for a traditional version. No milk, water or sugar is added.

However, based on the sweetness of the mangos and how thick you desire the lassi to be these can be added. There is a lot of literature on whether or not milk and yogurt can be served together. Make your best judgement based on what suits you.

I generally add water to thin out the lassi if the yogurt is super thick. A lot of recipes call for milk too.

Mango lassi is a super popular drink at Indian restaurants and for events. But it is SUPER easy to make it at home and enjoy. It barely takes 5 minutes to make it and it is such a refreshing drink for summer afternoons!

Why make this Mango lassi at home

• It is super easy to make. All you need to do is blend the ingredients and serve! There is no easier drink than this!
• Home-made lassi is easy to customize. Add some nuts, skip the saffron, flavor with rose water or add a dollop of ice cream. The options are unlimited!
• This recipe can be made ahead of time. When mixed and placed in the refrigerator, the flavors actually become even better. That is why I love to make it for my parties.
• It is a drink that is loved by everyone! Whether kids or adults, it is hard to find someone who does not enjoy mango lassi.
• Lassi is a perfect drink with hot Indian food or some light snacks. It blends well with all cuisines and is apt with lunch, snacks or dinner.

Video Recipe

What you need to make Mango Lassi

Mangos: Mango is the first ingredient in this recipe.

Using fresh mangos or canned pulp from the Indian store works. Both will be perfect in their own way. Just read the sugar content on the can if using it as some varieties do contain sugar.

The sweeter the mangos, the better the taste of lassi without any add-ins.

Yogurt: Yogurt is an ingredient that is required here. Regular or Greek variety works well.

If using Greek yogurt, you might need to thin it out with some water/ milk.

Sugar: As the mangos I used were not super sweet, I add some sugar to the lassi. This however is optional, based on taste and preferences.

Cardamom and Saffron: To make the mango lassi even better I like to add some saffron and cardamom.

Both aromatics, they raise the flavor of mango so well. And they add a lot of texture to the lassi.

Toppings: I like to add some chopped nuts as toppings. Pistachio is my favorite nut for topping. They taste so good with the smooth lassi and look amazing too.

Finally a blender or hand blender is needed to make lassi. I like to use a blender to get a thick creamy lassi.

What mangos work best for this lassi?

In India we generally use alphonso or kesar to make lassi.

However given the short time that these would be available, my mother used to freeze the pulp of these mangos so that we could enjoy it year round. 

Here in the US we do find these pulps in the Indian store. My first priority is definitely alphonso mango pulp for this followed by kesar.

If you do not have access to Indian mangos or pulp, make the mango lassi using Ataulfo or Tommy mangos.

What yogurt to use to make this mango lassi

Yogurt is one of the required ingredients here and most of the time I use home-made yogurt. I use my Instant Pot to make my yogurt from scratch.

If you do not want to make your own yogurt from scratch, store bought plain yogurt works too.

When making it with store bought Greek Yogurt, add some water to make it drinkable.

For regular yogurt, skip the water and yet if the lassi feels too thick, add some water to thin it out.

How to make Vegan Mango Lassi

It is easy to make Mango Lassi vegan. Just swap out the yogurt for your favorite Vegan yogurt and follow the same proportions. It works well. 

What to serve mango Lassi with

Enjoy this super cool and refreshing lassi with your favorite meal or snack.

Have it as a smoothie early morning with some nuts if you like. 

Pair it with your favorite Indian delicacy like Chole, Paneer Jalfrezi, Vegan Gobi Musallam Biryani  or 30-Minute Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani.

It also works well to serve with Indian appetizers. Cupcake Handvo, Deconstructed Potato Peas Samosa Bites, Loaded Curly Fries Nachos and Oven Grilled Tandoori Vegetables are my favorites to enjoy with a glass of mango lassi. 

Steps to make Mango Lassi

1-Add saffron strands and cardamom seeds to a mortar.

2- Using a pestle roughly crush them roughly and set aside.

3- Add everything except pistachios to a blender.

4- Run for 3-4 minutes till thick and smooth. 

5- Open the blender and taste the lassi.

6- Pour into glasses and top with chopped pistachios. Serve immediately or chill before serving. 

Tips and Notes

• Use fresh mango or mango pulp to make the recipe.
• Add sugar based on the sweetness of the mango or pulp
• Thin out the lassi with water or milk if it is too thick for your liking. 
• Substitute yogurt with non-dairy yogurt to make the recipe Vegan.
• The Mango Lassi can be enjoyed fresh or refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

More Mango recipes to try

If you are a mango lover like me, here are some more recipes from the blog that use mangos:

• Fajeto | Gujarati Mango Kadhi
• Mango Kulfi | Indian style Ice Cream
• Mango Falooda
• Simplest Blender Mango Popsicles