Mango Lassi is hands down the most popular lassi there is. And this mango lassi recipe will not only show you how to make the best mango lassi that is rich, creamy and delicious, but also how to adapt this Indian yogurt drink to suit your tastebuds.
Mango Lassi is one of my favorite drinks, right along with this masala chaas (spiced buttermilk). Because I clearly have a thing for Indian yogurt drinks – both sweet like lassis and savory like chaas. Though I have to say that there are savory lassis too. But this one is a total sweet treat, and deliciously so!
And in this post, I have not only shared my go to mango lassi recipe, but also how I balance the proportion of ingredients – to make the best mango lassi ever!
And I understand that this can be a subjective thing, so I have also shared how you can tweak the quantity of ingredients to make this mango lassi to suit and delight your tastebuds. So enjoy! 🙂
Jump to:
What is Mango Lassi
Lassi is a rich and refreshing Indian yogurt drink that uses yogurt as the base, and comes in 2 varieties – sweet and salty.
The salty lassi is made by adding salt & assorted spices to the yogurt. And in some cases, even a pinch of sugar, though not enough to sweeten the drink.
The sweet lassi is usually sweetened with sugar and / or a ripe, sweet fruit. Or the pulp of a ripe sweet fruit, like mango for making mango lassi.
What is Mango Lassi made of
You don’t need a whole lot of ingredients to make mango lassi. In-fact strictly speaking, you only need yogurt and mangoes. But of-course, there are some delicious add ons, that make an already amazing drink, that much more irresistible.
Ingredients You Need
Mangoes / Mango Pulp – There is nothing quite like the pulp of fresh, sweet, and ripe mangoes for making mango lassi. But when mangoes are not easily available, you can use store-bought mango pulp. I prefer using either the Alphonso mango pulp or the Kesar mango pulp – both are really yummy.
Yogurt – For making lassi, it’s best to use unsweetened full fat thick yogurt.
Milk – Adding a little milk helps thin out the lassi, and cuts down the rich creaminess of yogurt, and makes it more of a drink vs just flavored yogurt. Here again, using full fat whole milk is best. But in a pinch you can use low fat milk and yogurt.
Water – I further thin out the lassi using water to get the desired consistency of lassi I want. But this is mostly because I am using full fat whole milk. If you are using low fat milk, then you can thin out the lassi using only milk.
Sugar – To sweeten the lassi. Or you can substitute sugar with jaggery powder or even honey.
For garnishing the lassi..
I’m not sure if garnish is exactly the right word here, but you can sprinkle the following things on, right before serving the lassi, for that extra burst of flavor and texture.
- Cardamom powder
- Crushed pistachios
- Strands of saffron
How to Make Mango Lassi
- In a blender, blend together the mango pulp, yogurt, milk, water, and sugar.
- Once you’ve blended it well, pour it into a serving jar, and preferably chill the drink in the refrigerator for an hour or so.
- Right before serving, you can sprinkle a little cardamom powder on it, add some crushed pistachios, and maybe even garnish it with a few strands of saffron.
- Serve mango lassi chilled.
Recipe Notes / How to Tweak this Recipe
- Mangoes vs pulp – I always use mango pulp (usually store-bought), but you can use fresh or frozen mango pieces instead of mango pulp, or pulp made from fresh mangoes. Pulp made from sweet ripe mangoes works best, so you won’t have to add as much of a sweetener like sugar.
- Pulp vs dairy – As a general rule, I use equal quantity of fruit pulp (in this case mango pulp) and dairy (yogurt + milk) for making lassi. This works best for retaining the flavor of the fruit in the lassi. But you can adjust this to suit your preference.
- Yogurt vs milk – I use double the quantity of yogurt to milk, as this gives me the perfect creamy consistency I want. But you can alter this based on your preference, and add more yogurt for a creamier consistency, or more milk for a thinner consistency.
- Thinning out lassi with water – I thin out my lassi with water, because I use full fat milk, but if you are using low fat milk, you can always thin out the lassi with milk. How much to thin out is really up to you based on your preference. I have shared the measurements for a lassi that is rich and creamy, while not being too thick, and that will be easy to drink even with a straw.
Vegan Mango Lassi Adjustments
I am not a vegan, so I have not tried all the different kinds of dairy substitutes for lassi.
But coconut and almond milk/yogurt will work best for making vegan mango lassi because of the sweet and nutty flavor. As compared to soy milk that is more beany in flavor.
Serving Suggestion
A cool and refreshing drink like mango lassi is best paired with hot and spicy Indian dishes.
Of-course lassi with classic punjabi dishes like chole bhatures or parathas are a match made in culinary heaven!
That being said, in our household, we don’t need to pair mango lassi with anything. Our 9 year old for instance is happy to chug down the entire jug of lassi, and call it a full meal. 😀
Try these next..
⭐️ Masala Chaas | Indian Spiced Buttermilk
⭐️ Restaurant Style Chicken Lollipop
⭐️ Mumbai Style Prawns Koliwada
⭐️ One Pot Palak Paneer (using Instant Pot)
⭐️ Instant Pot Chicken Biryani Recipe
⭐️ Nankhatai Cookies (under 30 minutes)
As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback 📲 in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I’d really appreciate it. ❤️
📖 RECIPE
Mango Lassi Recipe (Indian Yogurt Drink)
Equipment
- Blender / Mixer
Ingredients
- ¾ cup mango pulp store-bought / made from fresh mangoes
- ½ cup yogurt thick, full fat
- ¼ cup milk whole, full fat
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoon sugar or a sweetener of your choice
For Garnish
- cardamom powder (elaichi powder) optional
- crushed pistachios optional
- saffron strands optional
Instructions
- In a blender, blend together the mango pulp, yogurt, milk, water, and sugar.
- Once you've blended it well, pour it into a serving jar, and preferably chill the drink in the refrigerator for an hour or so.
- Right before serving, you can sprinkle a little cardamom powder on it, add some crushed pistachios, and maybe even garnish it with a few strands of saffron.
- Serve mango lassi chilled.
Notes
- Mangoes vs pulp – I always use mango pulp (usually store-bought), but you can use fresh or frozen mango pieces instead of mango pulp, or pulp made from fresh mangoes. Pulp made from sweet ripe mangoes works best, so you won’t have to add as much of a sweetener like sugar.
- Pulp vs dairy – As a general rule, I use equal quantity of fruit pulp (in this case mango pulp) and dairy (yogurt + milk) for making lassi. This works best for retaining the flavor of the fruit in the lassi. But you can adjust this to suit your preference.
- Yogurt vs milk – I use double the quantity of yogurt to milk, as this gives me the perfect creamy consistency I want. But you can alter this based on your preference, and add more yogurt for a creamier consistency, or more milk for a thinner consistency.
- Thinning out lassi with water – I thin out my lassi with water, because I use full fat milk, but if you are using low fat milk, you can always thin out the lassi with milk. How much to thin out is really up to you based on your preference. I have shared the measurements for a lassi that is rich and creamy, while not being too thick, and that will be easy to drink even with a straw.
Vegan Mango Lassi Adjustment – Mango Lassi can easily be made vegan friendly by using coconut / almond milk and yogurt instead of the regular dairy products.
Please note: The nutrition values are best estimates provided as a courtesy. The exact values can vary depending on the exact ingredients or brands used. If you rely on them for your specific diet and/or health issues, please consult a registered dietician or nutritionist.
Nutrition
Video Recipe
This recipe was first published in Apr 2020, and has been republished with updated instructions, notes & tips, step images as well as video in Apr 2021.
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Jackie
Very tasty 😋. Excellent instructions.
Damyanti
One of my favourites… But then anything mango is a weakness.
Shantala's Kitchen
Mangoes are so well loved for a reason. 🙂
Thanks for the rating.