Nostalgia is the driving force behind so many recipes. It is a powerful emotion that runs deep within all of us, connecting us to old memories and allowing us to relive moments from the past that would otherwise have been forgotten. For me, there is no better way to experience nostalgia than through food. And that’s exactly how this mango lassi popsicle recipe came into my life.
There’s a part of Houston that’s home to all of my favorite Indian stores—it includes clothing, jewelry, specialty groceries, and restaurants. Every few weeks, my mom drives my brother and I there to get the necessities. Huge range of spices, rice and flour in bags almost as big as ours, her favorite vegetables from India, and boxes Indian Desserts let my dad have a snack after dinner. Our reward for being a little patient while my mom shopped? A tall glass mango blended when we stopped for lunch.
My love for mango is deep. Everyone on Team Camille Styles knows my obsession with fruit is essentially a personality trait. When summer comes, I’m trying eat a lot of mango I can in as many ways as possible. While I love to mix mango and yogurt to make mango lassis, sometimes in the summer I like to mix things up a bit. And what calls for summer more than popsicles? Enter: this mango lassi popsicle recipe.
What goes into a mango lassi?
First, some important logistics. When my mother made mango shakes for us growing up, she just put the mango, yogurt, some milk and some seasoning in the blender. Sometimes, if it’s a hot Texas summer day, she’ll throw some rocks in. But other than that, the components are still pretty simple. And you all know my philosophy when it comes to recipes with very few ingredients: quality matters!
If you can find them, then the ripe and succulent Alphonso mangoes will do the best. Otherwise, any mango you can buy at the store will work. You can absolutely use frozen mangoes, just defrost and drain off the liquid for this particular recipe.
Do I need to use yogurt in this mango lassi popsicle recipe?
Yes, you have. Lassi itself is actually a yogurt drink, and we get the mango lassi by simply adding in, you guessed it, mango! Please note, if you want to get creative, you can make any lassi flavor you like—this strawberry lassi is a lover. Personally, I use full cream yogurt because I sometimes find the smell of Greek yogurt a bit overwhelming. But you can use any yogurt you have, even non-dairy yogurt if you need to.
And when it comes to seasoning, you all know what I mean. Freshly ground! Cardamom adds a really lovely floral scent to these popsicles and it always gets better. My mom added saffron to our growing lassis, so I always incorporate a pinch into mine, but you can skip it if you want.
Milk versus powdered milk in this Lassi mango ice cream recipe
This is where the trail splits when it comes to turning mango lassi into popsicles.
I tested two different versions side-by-side, because one problem I have with many “healthy” fruit creams is that they often freeze. I love the popsicles that remind me of the cool ice cream of the mango lassi. There are several reasons why popsicles may freeze: not enough sugar, not enough cream, and/or too much water. The fruit itself is already filled with water and when you add milk, you are increasing the water content. To tackle the excess liquid, I turned to an ingredient that I happen to always have on hand for Indian desserts: powdered milk.
You can find powdered milk at the grocery store. I use one located on the bottom shelf of the grill aisle at Whole Foods. Powdered milk gives this recipe a creamy, creamy taste, reminiscent of actual mango lassi. (Bonus: It does this without adding extra liquid to the popsicles.) Test them with the coconut milk version, which has a much creamier texture. The coconut milk version is also delicious, but I highly recommend trying it with powdered milk if possible!
Assemble and store your sticks
When it comes to summer popsicles, I use silicone popsicle molds. It makes it a lot easier for you to remove frozen ice cream and keep your ice cream from sticking.
For garnish, I like to pour some white chocolate on top, add some rose petals, and finally, sprinkle with some crushed pistachios. This mango lassi popsicle recipe is a celebration of summer — be sure to decorate them that way!
If you’re going to keep the leftovers around, I recommend wrapping each popsicle in parchment paper, then placing them in an airtight bag or container in the freezer to prevent the ice from burning. That is, of course, if you have leftovers.
This post was originally published on July 26, 2017 and has since been updated.
