Mango lassi with red dates

Mango lassi with red dates – A creamy, healthy, refreshing Indian summer drink. This recipe I have given is sugar less, as it is naturally sweetened by red dates and mango. Here is a detailed recipe to make this delicious Indian yogurt drink.

If you are a fan of mangoes, you need to try this recipe.

Mango lassi is the most popular drink from most of the juice shops in Indian subcontinent, a must try summer drink.

You can make this lassi at home with some added healthy natural sweeteners like red dates. Making it sugar free. Yes it’s very easy and simple to make. These red dates are not very sweet to taste, they are mildly sweet and caramel in flavour. So it pairs great with mangoes.

A perfect drink to be relished with your family. This drink is often made in my house during mango season along with fresh red dates.

When mangoes are in season, make these delicious dishes from Karnataka. Have a look at these mango recipes from blog

Roasted Eggplant Mango Curry – This is an authentic side dish from coastal Karnataka with Udupi Mattu gulla and mangoes.

Sugar baby mangoes in coconut mustard gravy – Here is one more authentic side dish from coastal parts of Karnataka that can be tried in your kitchen.

Check a quick video of how to make Mango Lassi with red dates in the recipe card and try this in your kitchen. If you have enjoyed the video do subscribe to Dice n Cook Youtube channel for more food videos.   

Mango lassi | How to make mango lassi with red dates

What is lassi?

Lassi is an Indian yogurt-based drink or smoothie, there are many varieties of lassi both fruit based, and spice based.

Traditional lassi is either sweet or salted. The salty lassi is made of yogurt or dahi, salt and other Indian spices. However sweet ones are made of sugar and yogurt.

However now different variants of lassi with fruits and flavors are prepared across India.

What is mango lassi?

Mango lassi with red dates is one such variant of traditional one. It is a blend of soaked red dates, mangoes (puree, pieces or frozen), curd or yogurt, milk and flavored with saffron. It is creamy, thick, and refreshing!!

If the mangoes are sour, you can use more dates or sugar to balance the sweetness. You can also call this a Mango Yogurt Smoothie

Why will you love this recipe?

You will love this Indian mango yogurt drink because its

Creamy and delicious

Healthy gut friendly

Glutenfree summer drink

Perfect after meal dessert

Easy drink

Sugar free drink, not overly sweet.

This recipe works well with any non-fibrous mangoes at home.

Which mangoes to use?

Mangoes are one of the best summer gifts to mankind. It is always best to use non-fibrous mangoes. Deep golden yellow colour ripened mangoes are used.

Use soft and tender mangoes instead of green firm ones. Alphonso variety of mangoes are best however anything available in hand can be used.

The next key ingredient is fresh red dates, lets see what these are in the next section.

What are fresh red dates?

I am sure many would be wondering what these red dates are, these are typically available in Indian market for a very short time.

So, use them when you see them in bunches in near by local vendors.

I use them in salads, smoothies, pickle and lassi.

You can check this link here for further details on fresh red dates and making pickle of it.

Equipment

High speed blender is used to blend all the ingredients.

Ingredients

Mango – Mangoes are the main ingredient in this lassi. Use any variety fresh, preferably sweet and ripe non-fibrous mangoes. It gives the best lassi.

If you are short of mangoes, can use canned or frozen mango pieces. Make sure that canned mangoes are not sweetened using artificial sweeteners.

Do not worry about the specific kind of mangoes to be used as suggested by experts, depending on the place you live, best mango variety which is locally available can be used.

Red dates – Fresh red dates are used as natural sweetener with slightly caramel taste here. These are red in colour and remain fresh for 4 to 5 days, do not use over ripe ones, they don’t taste good.

It is important to select fresh red dates. Select the red dates attached to yellow string than detached fruits. Buy the ones which are firm and red in colour.

They are less sweet compared to pitted dates. Note this so you can adjust as per taste. As I have not added any artificial sweeteners, 15 dates will be perfect for four people.

You can cut open the fruit, remove the seeds, and add them to lassi.

Hot water – It is used to soften the dates before we blend them.

Curd or Yogurt – I have used homemade curd. I have beaten the curd and used it here. It gives mango thick texture with preferred slight tangy flavour.

This also aids gut health as a post meal drink. Low fat yogurt too can be used.

Milk – Whole milk is used to make this lassi. It adds to balance the thickness of lassi making it light yet creamy.

If you don’t have milk, water can be added to adjust the consistency.

Saffron – Good quality saffron or kesar is used for colour and flavour. Do not add too much otherwise it over powers the flavors of mango.

Ice cubes – Helps in chilling lassi if you want to serve immediately. Otherwise you need not use it and refrigerate the lassi.

Mango pieces as toppings – We can top it with few pieces of mango. Also top it with pieces of red dates and kesar before serving.

Step by step instructions

The entire process of making mango lassi is divided into two and full ingredients list, measurements is given in the recipe card.

Processing of red dates:

Raw red dates are usually hard than compared to pitted dates. So red dates should be softened before grinding it, otherwise chances of few bits of dates remain in the lassi while grinding.

We often soak the red dates in hot water for 15 minutes to make lassi and milkshake. This helps to easily remove the seed and makes the outer skin soft.

After 15 minutes, remove the seeds by easily splitting open the fruit. Make sure to remove all seeds and keep the red dates ready for blending.

Blending:

Take a high-speed blender jar, put split red dates, mango pieces, curd, milk, saffron and very few ice cubes.

Blend until everything is smooth. If required mix with a spatula for even blending.

Adjust the consistency of lassi by adding some water. However, the quantity of ingredients I have mentioned gives a perfect thick lassi, so I have not added any extra water.

Garnishes:

Mango lassi can be garnished with chopped mango pieces, finely chopped red dates and few saffron strands.

Other garnishes like mint leaves or any nuts of choice like almonds, cashew or pistachios can be used.

How to serve mango lassi

It should be served immediately as the flavors are best.

Mango lassi is to be served as dessert after meal or as a party drink. Can be served chilled or as it is. If we skip ice cubes, we can refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

We can also top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to serve it as a drink.

If using frozen or refrigerated mango puree, then we can serve it immediately without further refrigerating.

How to store lassi

Leftover lassi can be stored in an airtight glass jar and refrigerated for upto a day. You can serve it when required.

Consistency can be adjusted with water if required. Since curd is used I don’t recommend storing it for more than a day.

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Recipe Card

Tips to make perfect mango lassi

If sweetener is used, always check the level of sweetness after blending so that it can be adjusted.

Ripe mangoes should be used in making mango lassi.

Fresh saffron should be used for best aroma.

Plain curd or dahi should be used to make lassi. And no flavoured curd.

Always try to use both curd and milk for proper balance of taste.

Buttermilk should not be used in lassi, as it will dilute the drink.

If more milk is added it dilutes the lassi, so add as mentioned in the recipe. And it results in mango milk shake.

Use few ice cubes, otherwise it dilutes the lassi.

Recipe Variations

Honey can be used along with red dates for preferred sweetness.

Cane sugar, jaggery, maple syrup or agave syrup can also be used.

Ice cubes are optional. If you prefer to refrigerate it, ice cubes can be skipped.

Flavour variations:

Cardamom powder can be used instead of saffron or along with it for some extra hint of spice.

Lemon zest can be added to brighten the lassi colour, do not add more.

Mango lassi with red dates can be topped with small pieces of mangoes and finely chopped red dates. This gives a nice bite in every sip.

We can also top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Frequently asked questions

Can we make mango lassi vegan or dairyfree?

The traditional lassi is yogurt based drink, so skipping yogurt changes the flavour. However if you want a vegan version, then coconut yogurt or any nut milk can be used as alternative.

Can we use Greek yogurt to make lassi?

We have to use plain Greek yogurt to make lassi and see to it don’t use any flavoured yogurt. Also adjust the consistency as Greek yogurt will be thick.

Which mangoes are best?

Ripe sweet non-fibrous mangoes can be used. If mangoes are not available, canned mango pulp can be used. Do not use sour mangoes to make lassi, as lassi should be sweet to taste. To balance the sweetness, we must use more sugar.

Can we use jaggery?

We can reduce the number of dates and instead swap with small quantity of jaggery. However, the colour and taste of lassi changes when jaggery is used.

Can we use frozen mango?

Frozen mangoes can be used when fresh ones are not available however the colour and texture slightly changes.

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