Mango Lassi used to be my favorite thing to order at Indian restaurants back in the day (yep, that would be have been me and all the five year-olds at the table ;) ). When I went dairy-free it was definitely an experience I found myself missing out on, so it was naturally one of the first recipes to appear on the blog.
This vegan mango lassi makes a great breakfast smoothie. It's thick, smooth (duh!), fruity, creamy, and lightly spiced. It's easy to throw together, tastes amazing, and I find it such a refreshing and nourishing way to start the day. Plus that beautiful yellow color never fails to make me happy.
Besides, who can resist a smoothie that leads to impromptu singing... (mellow yellow anyone?)(ok, I'm a cheese ball for even mentioning it, but couldn't resist.. Spontaneous corny Donovan moment at its finest right here... :)).
Vegan Mango Lassi
A vegan version of the traditional Indian mango lassi yogurt dessert drink. Refined sugar-free.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 2 minutes
- Yield: approx 1½ cups
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
- ½ cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- Heaping ½ cup frozen mango chunks
- 2 tbsp raw cashews
- 1½ tbsp maple syrup
- 1½ tbsp lemon juice
- dash of salt
- tiniest pinch of cardamom and turmeric (less than an ⅛ teaspoon each spice)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a power blender and blend until smooth. Add more milk if you want it less thick. Enjoy!
Amanda says
SUPER delicious!!! Creamy, perfect balance of salty and sweet. Terrific recipe!
The Real Person!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Amanda. I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)
Sophia Phillips says
I subbed the mango for apple and used extra creamy plain oat milk (forgot the cashews). It was delicious!!! I made it for my sister (trying to get her to eat healthier for her stomach) Thank you!!!
The Real Person!
Hi Sophia, so glad this recipe inspired you to make something tasty :) I like the sound of this with oat milk.
Chris says
Another wonderful recipe! I used 2 cups of plain almond milk, a tablespoon of vanilla, a 10-ounce bag of frozen mango, 8 tablespoons of raw cashews, 6 tablespoons of maple syrup, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, a pinch of cardamom, and just a pinch of salt. How would the turmeric affect the taste? I've been hesitant to try it for fear it would make the smoothie a little bitter.
The Real Person!
Love your swaps. The turmeric is not very palpable here at all, and definitely not bitter. I find the cashews and mango and maple syrup mask it pretty well (I'm not a fan of the taste either, by the way). But it's totally non-essential. I just use it for color. So you can omit if you prefer, or add less to taste.
ananda says
Your recipes look amazing!
The pop ups on your site make it REALLY difficult to look at!!!
The Real Person!
Hi Ananda, thanks for the feedback. It's taken on board and I agree with you -- pop ups are incredibly annoying for me as well. The moment the site can run efficiently without them, rest assured they'll be taken off :)
krkennedy says
Excellent. I only used a teaspoon of maple syrup and I did not have the cardamon but i put unsweetened coconut yogurt in and vanilla bean protein powder and it was the bomb!!! Loved it. thanks
The Real Person!
So happy you liked it -- thanks for sharing! I've never tried it with a protein powder before, so good to know it works well in this :)
Steve says
Interesting recipie may I ask how many mangoes you are supposed to use per recipie , I know it can vary to taste but is this per each mango or would you recommend atleast 2 mangos? Also what's a good substitute if your allergic to bananas and nuts? I presume coconut milk instead of almond but what other fruit besides banana if you don't want cashews? Also would you recommend boiling cardamon and using the water to release flavor? I find seeds have less flavor than whole ones
The Real Person!
Hi Steve,
It's about 1 large mango. If you add 2, it'll just be more mango-y though.
You could substitute with another mango for the banana / cashews, or use a non-dairy yogurt. Yogurt is the best in terms of keeping the flavor creamy and fresh, and closer to a traditional mango lassi.
Any dairy-free milk should work fine, including coconut (in place of almond).
I just used powdered cardamom powder in this case (it's an older recipe). In the last year or so I started using fresh cardamom pods, and just crushing them in a mortar and pestle to release the seeds and grind those down fresh. It only takes seconds, but the flavor and aroma is out of this world. So if you want maximum cardamom taste, I'd recommend giving that a try.
Rebecca says
You can use oat milk.
Nicole says
I really enjoyed this and after the first glass, immediately made another! Thanks for the recipe!
The Real Person!
Aw, so glad you liked it Nicole! :) I know exactly what you mean -- it's so soothing I always want more too.
Jennifer says
Wow just made it and it was delicious! Thank you!
The Real Person!
So happy to hear, Jennifer :) Thank you for sharing!
Lana says
Audrey, this lovely drink is my favorite breakfast or midday pick me up! It is so creamy, refreshing and nourishing! Love every ingredient, especially cardamom (my favorite spice). Thank you so much!
The Real Person!
Aw, so happy to hear, Lana! I know exactly what you mean -- it's so simple, but really refreshing and filling at the same time.
Debra says
This sounds like such a great drink! I love mangos and I love that it has cardamom in it because it's my favorite spice! I think I have all the ingredients and yellow always lifts my spirits!
The Real Person!
Aw, that's great, Debra :) Enjoy it! I love the yellow of this too -- cheers me up just looking at it.
Evi @ greenevi says
This looks delicious and beautiful! So creamy, I love that you used cashews!
The Real Person!
Thanks so much, Evi -- the cashews & mango definitely make this lassi very creamy.
Anu-My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Oh! What an awesome looking lassi. I love mango lassi, and this looks divine. Lovely share, Audery!
The Real Person!
Thank you so much, Anu! :) Do you have a lassi on your blog? I'll have to go look now!
Harriet Emily says
This is beautiful! I love Mango Lassi, and have always wanted to try a vegan version! This sounds so delicious Audrey, and I love the colour. I can't wait to try this! :D
The Real Person!
Thanks Harriet! I'm semi-jealous of your trip to India -- all the lassi you can have in the world :D (although I wonder if dairy-free version are common? :) ). Can't wait to see what inspiration you bring back with you <3
Bethany @ Athletic Avocado says
Yay for a dairy-free version of a tasty drink!1 I love using mangoes in smoothies!
The Real Person!
Agreed -- mangoes make the best smoothies <3
Alison @Food by Mars says
This looks so comforting and lovely. I've been seeing so much about turmeric milk, and I haven't tried it like this before but clearly need to!! xo
The Real Person!
This is definitely a good intro to turmeric in drinks (I must admit I don't like turmeric too much as a prominent flavor, though it's really been growing on me lately and I've been using it more and more... One day maybe I'll graduate to turmeric milk), but you really can hardly taste it in this -- it just ads a touch of color and a pinch of extra nutrition <3
Sarah C says
Wow, this looks and sounds so good but I can't have cashews and tumeric now. So bummed!
The Real Person!
Thank you Sarah! Do the banana route then or two tbsp non-dairy yogurt. It's all good. The turmeric just heightens the yellow factor -- not a requirement.
Sarah C says
Oh da! I didn't see that! Thanks!
The Real Person!
Hehe. No worries :) Have a lovely weekend, Sarah! P.s. banana walnut bread sounds amazing right about now <3
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
I always want to know about silky smoothie secrets like this, even if it's not the usual Unconventional Baker dessert style! If I had some mango in my freezer I'd be making this today! Instead I'll put mango on my list and cashews too, so I mine will turn out just as creamy as this one! This looks so much like creamy sunshine it's almost a little hard to believe <3
The Real Person!
Oh, yay for mango cashew shopping :) This smoothie never fails to cheer me up <3 Just looking at that color makes me smile... :)
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I've always loved the idea of Lassi. Probably my obsession will all things Indian cuisine, haha! But such a lovely drink!
The Real Person!
Agreed :) I always felt like the biggest kid ordering it at the restaurant though. I used to also adore rasmalai -- have you ever tried that? It was soooo... delicious. Probably my favorite of all the amazing whimsical Indian desserts. Hm, maybe I should try making that sometime... :) It's been many many years now!