Vegan Mango Lassi

This recipe is a delicious vegan spin on a classic mango lassi with mango, coconut yogurt, lime juice, and a sweetener. With only 5 ingredients and 5 minutes, this thick, sweet, and cold mango lassi is ready to be enjoyed.

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Lassi is a common drink in India, but there are a few different recipes. All lassi recipes however are cold, thick, sweet, and made with yogurt.

Mango lassi is very similar to a thick smoothie and a yogurt drink. It’s a creamy drink you can make as easy and quick as a smoothie. It’s a refreshing and cold drink and an absolute must-try if you love mangoes.

This 5-ingredient lassi recipe combines (frozen) ripe mango, coconut yogurt, plant-based milk, zesty lime juice, and a sweetener (maple syrup).

What is Mango Lassi (Indian Lassi)?

Indian lassi originated most likely in Punjab in India. It’s a popular refreshing drink, well known all through India. While Mango Lassi might be the most well-known, there are many variations, such as Mint Lassi or Avocado Lassi. All flavors are possible, and often you can choose between a sweet or salty lassi.

Could the Indian Lassi have been a forerunner for the smoothie?

What are some Indian Lassi Variations?

To give you an idea, here are a few Indian Lassi variations:

Sweet Lassi
This must have been the forerunner of a fruit smoothie. This lassi combines a milkshake and a thick smoothie – made with fruit, yogurt, and possibly sweeteners.

Salty Lassi or Namkeen Lassi
This lassi is a cooling drink often served with a hot spicy meal. It is made of yogurt (curd), roasted cumin seed powder, and black salt.

Chaas (Chaach/Mattha)
Also known as the Indian version of buttermilk, is a refreshingly cooling summer drink with creamy yogurt and seasonings.

Mint Lassi
Made with mint and yogurt and a bit of sweetener makes, this a refreshing drink.

Mango Lassi
A mango lassi is a rich, creamy, sweet, and cold beverage made with mango and yogurt. As a classic drink, it is served on a hot day as a refreshing drink. But you can also find it with a meal or as a meal replacement. In the cookbook ‘’Dishoom’’ you will find a delicious Mango Lassi Breakfast recipe with oats and bananas (see recipe notes below).

This version is dairy-free and vegan. Coconut yogurt and plant-based milk make this smoothie creamy together with the frozen mango (or ice cubes when using fresh mango). The maple syrup gives it that typical lassi sweetness, and a squeeze of lemon juice for acidity.

If you are not vegan and looking for a classic mango lassi recipe, this recipe by Manjula’s Kitchen is worth trying out.

Which Mangoes are best for Mango Lassi?

There are different kinds of mangoes available depending on the year and your location. If you are located in Europe, most mangoes might come from Andalusia, Spain. These are the Kent, Tommy Atkins, Keitt, Red Palme, or Osteen mango.

Where I live, Kent and Tommy Atkins mangoes are primarily available. The Kent mango is slightly oval and green with yellow or green with red. The Tommy Atkins mango is more oval-shaped and green and red-colored. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the sweetest mango is the Carabao mango, also known as the Philippine mango or the Manila mango.

The best mango for a lassi recipe should be sweet and not too fibrous, such as the Valencia Pride mango. A good mango for this recipe is the Alphonso mangoes because it’s sweet and not too fibrous. You can read more about mango variations here.

Any mango available to you is suitable for this recipe. The best way to make sure it is sweet enough is to let it ripe long enough. A hard and unripe mango will not be as sweet.

And finally, you can also use frozen or even canned mango pulp for this recipe.

How to know a Mango is Ripe?

The best is to buy a mango that is not too ripe. When it’s too ripe, it can easily get bruised. So, at the grocery store, look for mangoes slightly hard. Once at home, store the mangoes out of the sun.

In the course of some days, the mango will slowly turn into a deeper color, and the skin will become more tender and less firm. It might also create some minor wrinkles.

Once the mango is wrinkled, it’s the right time to use it or keep it in the fridge for just a few more days. At this point, it’s also possible to cut the mango into cubes and freeze it for later. Frozen mango can be kept in the freezer for up to a year.

If you wait too long after the first wrinkles appear, the mango will start to ferment and create even more wrinkles. The chances of cutting into a rotten (brown or white) or fermented mango increases at that point.

Ingredients Mango Lassi

You will only need 5 ingredients and a blender or food processor for this mango lassi.

Frozen or fresh ripe mango is the base for this recipe. Frozen mango creates a thick and cold substance. But you can also use fresh mango if you add a cup of ice cubes to make the same cold and thick result.

Plant-based milk adds extra flavor (depending on which plant-based milk you use). It also helps the blender or food processor. I like to use oat milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or almond milk for this recipe.

Coconut yogurt is the perfect addition in terms of taste and texture. It’s thick, creamy, and combined with plant-based milk the coconut taste is not too overwhelming. If you don’t like the taste of coconut yogurt, plain, unsweetened soy yogurt is also good to use.

Lime juice gives this mango lassi a more acidic flavor, much like a classic mango lassi with yogurt, which tends to be sour because of the yogurt.

Sweetener is what gives this classic sweet Mango Lassi taste. You can use any sweetener you like. Some suggestions are maple syrup, date syrup, coconut sugar, or monk fruit.

Ingredients for mango lassi on an oval white plate on a white backdrop

How to make Mango Lassi

Once you have all your ingredients ready, it’s a matter of minutes before you can enjoy this cold treat. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make this lassi.

Step 1.
Cut the mango in chinks or use precut frozen mango.

Step 2.
Add the fresh or frozen mango, plant-based milk, coconut yogurt, lime juice, and sweetener of choice to a blender or food processor.

Step 3.
Blend until smooth and creamy. Stop blending once it is smooth; if you blend it too long, the mango lassi will get warm, especially when using a high-speed blender.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Frozen mango and coconut yogurt are such a great combination. It’s a sweet, refreshing, creamy, cold, and simply irresistible drink. The perfect drink, snack, breakfast, or dessert on a hot day.

This Mango Lassi is one to try because it’s:

  • Sweet
  • Ready in a few minutes
  • Refreshing
  • Easy to make
  • Cold
  • Creamy
  • Easy to customize
  • Accessible ingredients

Mango lassi in a tall glass with a straw on a plate with ice cubes and fresh mango in front of a pink tile backdrop

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different fruit?
The great thing about this recipe is that it’s so versatile. You can pretty much use any fruit you like instead of mango. A few suggestions are watermelon, peach, pineapple, oranges, nectarines, cherries, or a mixture of fruits.

But you can also get creative with the yogurt, the sweetener, and the toppings. As long as you use yogurt, a sweetener, and fruit, you will create a similar lassi to this mango lassi. The result should be creamy and cold.

Is fresh or frozen fruit better?
Fresh fruit is also perfect if you also add a cup of ice cubes. Frozen fruit, however, will create a creamy, rich texture.

Can I use mango pulp instead of fresh or frozen mango?
Yes, you totally can. It is often used instead of fresh or frozen mango.

What can I use instead of yogurt?
If you don’t like any yogurt (such as coconut yogurt or soy yogurt) and want to make vegan mango lassi, the best option is to use silken tofu, just like in this recipe.

Can I make this without a sweetener?
If your mango is sweet, you can try to make this recipe without any sweetener or use a few dates instead to sweeten the lassi.

Can I make this with coconut milk and coconut yogurt?
It is possible to also use coconut milk together with coconut yogurt. The result will be a more exotic lassi.

Can I keep this for later?
This recipe is best when served immediately, but you can keep t for later in the fridge. Covered, it will still be delicious a day later, even though the texture will be less creamy. Alternatively, you can freeze this recipe and serve it as an ice cream later or let it slowly thaw to the same creamy, rich texture. If you want to enjoy this recipe as ice cream (popsicles), you can use this recipe as an idea on how to freeze smoothies.

More Refreshing Cold Summer Recipes

If you are going to make this lassi recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate this recipe, and don’t forget to tag your photo on Instagram @thegreencreator #thegreencreator.

Mango lassi in a tall glass with a straw on a plate with ice cubes and fresh mango in front of a pink tile backdrop
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Mango lassi in a tall glass with a straw on a plate with ice cubes and fresh mango in front of a pink tile backdrop

Vegan Mango Lassi

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  • Author: The Green Creator
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 5
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 2 1x
  • Category: smoothie, drink
  • Method: blender or food processor
  • Cuisine: Indian
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This recipe is a delicious vegan spin on a classic mango lassi with mango, coconut yogurt, lime juice, and a sweetener.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups / 330 grams frozen ripe mango*
  • 1 cup / 240 ml plant-based milk, such as soy milk, oat milk, almond milk or coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup / 60 ml coconut yogurt (plain, unsweetened) *
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Optional: 

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin seeds
  • chopped fresh mango for serving

Instructions

If you are using fresh mango, cut the mango in big chinks.

Add the fresh or frozen mango, plant-based milk, coconut yogurt, lime juice, and sweetener to a blender or food processor.

Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Stop blending once it is smooth; if you blend it too long, the mango lassi will get warm, especially when using a high-speed blender.

Adjust the taste and texture if needed.

If the texture is too thin and not cold, add more yogurt or frozen mango/ice cubes.

When the texture is too thick, add more plant-based milk. A mango lassi should be sweet, so add more sweetener if it’s not sweet enough.

For more acidity, add more lime juice, and for more substance (creaminess), add more yogurt.

Serve immediately as is or top with more mango and sweetener.

Any leftovers can be kept for a day in the fridge or weeks in the freezer. You can also freeze this recipe as popsicles or as ice cubes.



Notes

Mango replacement
You can use or add other fruits such as peaches or pineapples to this recipe.

Fresh of frozen fruit
If you use fresh fruit, add 1 cup of ice cubes to create a thick and cold texture. If you use frozen fruit, you don’t need to use ice cubes unless you want to make your lassi super cold. Mango lassi is best when ice cold.

Coconut yogurt
Instead, you can use soy yogurt or any yogurt you like

Plant-based milk
A few options are soy milk, almond milk, or coconut milk (for an extra exotic taste).

Breakfast mango lassi
If you want to make this lassi more filling or a breakfast lassi, add 1-2 tablespoons rolled oats and one banana. This can also thicken the mango lassi when you use fresh instead of frozen mango.

Please read the above post for more information regarding this recipe.

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