Mango Lassi

My first taste of a mango lassi came when I was living in Boston, circa 1998. Though I grew up in the kitchen, what my family was most interested in were the classics; things like chili, enchiladas, and tuna casserole. Indian food, not so much. I had a boyfriend at the time, though, who had grown up in a much more cosmopolitan family than I, plus he had the benefit of having done so in a much more cosmopolitan city than Austin, namely beautiful Boston. We were also both vegetarian. So we ate at Indian restaurants pretty often. The Indian food there is amazing, by the way (as is the Thai, Malaysian, and Chinese food). Anyway, it was there that I first tried the famed mango lassi.

It seems unusual to my American palate to associate dairy products with the word “refreshing”, but that’s exactly what the mango lassi is meant to be. Or any lassi, I guess. Mango is the only kind I’ve ever seen on a menu. Prolly cause it’s the best! Anyway, a lassi is a drink made from yogurt and water or ice. Some variations will add sugar (sometimes shocking amounts!) or milk or spices like cardamon and herbs like mint. I’ve even heard tell of savory lassis, which I imagine to be like a drinkable raita. Seems like a thing I will try sometime soon.

This is a great drink for breakfast as it has the probiotics and protein of yogurt, with some fiber and vitamins in the mango, and not a whole ton of sugar like those smoothies at Jamba Juice. It would also be a nice, light dessert.

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Mango Lassi

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5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Hilah Johnson
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups yogurt
  • 1 cup mango cubes
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • Optional: 1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds; sprig fresh mint

Instructions

  1. Combine all in a blender, in the order given. Blend on ice crush or milkshake mode if your blender has that function.
  2. Serve cold

Notes

Try with other ripe, seasonal fruits too! Peaches, berries, nectarines, pineapple would all be good.

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(Ed. Note: I wrote this post last week. In light of the sadness and meanness that took place in Boston yesterday, I just want to add my condolences to the town and its citizens.)

14 Comments

  1. Jewel on April 22, 2013 at 10:05 am

    Have you ever had an avocado milk shake? We have a number of excellent Vietnamese and Thai restaurants where they serve them, and they are the essence of delicious simplicity. It’s just condensed sweetened milk, ice, avocados, lime juice, vanilla, cardamom and a bit of mint. Add some seltzer water for some fizz….oh yeah, I learned a valuable lesson. When opening a jar of Kim Chi for the very first time, always treat it like opening a bottle of champagne. Kim Chi is the Mentos-Diet coke of the condiment world.

    • Hilah on April 22, 2013 at 12:28 pm

      Whoa whoa whoa. No. I have never had an avocado milkshake but it sounds like a heavenly treat! Also seems like something you could put in an ice cream maker and turn into dessert in a cinch.

  2. Jewel on April 22, 2013 at 2:41 pm

    It is a very refreshing thing, when you consider that avocados aren’t that versatile. They tend to be kind of an enhancement rather than the show. I used to teach piano to some Filipino kids, and they were not only great students, but hospitable beyond all reason! Every lesson was a culinary surprise. They introduced me to some fantastic drinks and snacks, like their version of egg rolls and other countless goodies. Ah. I remember. I was given a package of seasoning for rice that had some amazing spices and pumpkin seeds in it. I had no idea what it was called, because the package was in Tagalog, but I used it in lamb stew with mango and dried apricots in a coconut yogurt sauce on basmati rice. One of the best dishes I’d ever made. I scour the international sections at the stores or the Asian food markets, and I haven’t found anything that resembles it.

    • Hilah on April 23, 2013 at 4:02 pm

      True, they really aren’t very versatile it seems. Though I bet other countries use them differently than we think of them. To me, avocados are savory but I’ve hears (like the milkshake) that in SE Asia they are served with sugar on them instead of salt!
      That story is great. Sounds like you learned as much from the kids as they learned from you.

  3. Amber Boegly on April 24, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    This looks great! I recently acquired a blender from my aunt that she wasn’t using, and I’ve been looking for healthier recipes to help me lose weight and get in better shape. Just one question: when it says “yogurt” is that like frozen yogurt (kinda like ice cream) or like Yoplay yogurt (which I find gross but would likely blend in without the after taste)? I’m also thinking of trying strawberries and/or cantaloupe with this.






    • Hilah on April 24, 2013 at 6:11 pm

      Hi Amber!
      I just use a plain, unflavored, fat-free yogurt. It’s a little bit tart because there’s no added sugar (great for dieters!) but I think the ripe mango balances it out, plus the honey of course. You should be able to find several brands in the yogurt section. The plain kind is usually sold in larger containers, not as single-serve.

  4. rania khalid on June 8, 2013 at 7:58 am

    it is looking so delicious

  5. rania khalid on June 8, 2013 at 8:50 am

    i am going to try that!!!






    • Hilah on June 8, 2013 at 10:42 pm

      Hope you enjoy!

  6. Marie on October 9, 2013 at 9:54 am

    I came to your site as I saw you with Hetal on showmethecurry.com. This Mango Lassi is indeed a great treat! I make this often through out the year as I wash, cut and freeze mangoes when in season and instead of adding ice cubes, I just add the frozen mango cubes for a delicious Mango Lassi/smoothie.






    • Hilah on October 9, 2013 at 1:23 pm

      Hi Marie!
      Thank you for visiting me here. I’m glad you appreciate what a wonderful, cooling treat a lassi is, too. 🙂

  7. That is the question! on November 22, 2013 at 12:26 pm

    Will it blend?!?

  8. Sriram Ramkrishna on March 15, 2014 at 12:58 am

    For years I insisted that there was no such thing as Mango Lassi. At least where I was I never saw it. We had either sweet or salty lassi, but not mango. Of course, now when I go back I see it all the time. But apparently it has been around.

    But the stuff you get at the restaurants here feels more like they put cream or half and half in it. It’s not usually that thick. In fact, it is almost like a milkshake and I had a hard time distinguishing one from the other. It’s probably been adjusted for the American palate.

    When I make “lassi” (I’m not sure how authentic it is) but it is:

    water, fresh made yoghurt, and then here’s the thing for salty, black salt. Just a pinch. Otherwise you’ll get sulfurous yoghurt drink and it’ll be hard to drink it down. 🙂

    • Hilah on March 17, 2014 at 8:39 am

      Interesting, Sri. Mango Lassi is the only kind I ever knew about until the last couple of years when I started hearing about salty lassis. Is black salt something you find at Indian groceries? What else can you do with it?
      Thanks!

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