Vegan Mango Lassi

Mango lassi is a simple, tasty beverage from Indian cuisine that’s usually made with yogurt and/or milk. Swap in plain, unsweetened (or vanilla) vegan yogurt and your favorite plant-based milk and you’ve got a fantastic nondairy version of a classic refresher. 

Lush, ripe seasonal mango is best for this smoothie. That said, frozen mango works too, when fresh out of season or unavailable to you. Even canned mango (in unsweetened juice) works.

A bit about mango and their varieties

Mangos are one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world and come in many varieties (in India alone, there are some 1,500 varieties, though very few are imported into the U.S.) So there’s usually one or more in season at any given time. 

A rundown of common mango varieties from Melissa’s Great Book of Produce by Cathy Thomas and the Melissa’s produce website:

• Ataulfo (also known as honey mango): Small, kidney-shaped with greenish-yellow to deep golden skin. About 6 to 12 ounces. Very sweet and rich in flavor.
• Keitt: Large oval, green, with occasional red and yellow patches. About 20 to 26 ounces. Firm, juicy, and sweet flesh. Minimal fiber. Shortest season, usually only available 2 to 3 months of the year.
• Kent: Large oval with greenish-yellow skin and red shoulders. About 20 to 26 ounces. Very sweet, soft butter-like texture. 
• Sapurana: Melissa’s website says that “the creamy, velvety flesh of the fruit highlights a honey-sweet flavor with a hint of lemon.” This melon is imported to the US from Central and South America.
• Tommy Atkins: Medium-sized, oval. Skin is yellowish-orange with deep red blush. About 12 to 24 ounces. Can be more fibrous than other varieties.

Here’s a Keitt mango in all its glory. Melissa’s Produce is a great source of mangos year-round.

All this being said, you’re welcome to use frozen or canned mango for greater ease. It’s all good!

Photos of beverage by Hannah Kaminsky, BittersweetBlog.com.

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Yield: 3

Vegan Mango Lassi

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Substitute coconut yogurt and your favorite plant-based milk and you’ve got a fantastic nondairy version of a classic refresher. 

Prep Time 12 minutes

Total Time 12 minutes

Ingredients

• 1½ to 2 cups peeled and chopped fresh mango (or substitute frozen mango, mostly thawed, or canned)

• ⅔ cup (6 to 8 ounces) vegan yogurt
(coconut, cashew, etc.)
• 1½ cups plain or vanilla unsweetened plant-based milk (see Note)

• A handful of ice cubes, optional

• Pinch of ground cardamom, optional
• 1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup to taste, optional

Instructions

1. Combine the mango, yogurt, plant-based milk, optional ice cubes, and optional cardamom in a blender. Blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more plant-based milk.
2. Taste to see if you’d like to add any sweetener. Add according to taste, then blend again briefly.
3. Divide between 3 tumblers or tall glasses and serve at once.

Notes

Though any plant-based milk is fine, cashew milk or coconut beverage (not the coconut milk that comes in a can) are especially good with this.

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