Every nation has created their very own, lovely refreshments and India invented one of my favourites, Lassi. While the traditional lassi is a savoury drink, there are sweet varieties. My personal favourite is the mango lassi, and it has become very popular in Singapore, Malaysia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It could be described as mango smoothie which is just asking to be turned into a frozen dessert. For the sake of snacking on the go, I turned the drink into Coconut and Mango Ice Pops which are lovely refreshments for hot summer days.
Mango is a wonderful fruit that freezes easily into a deliciously smooth, melt in the mouth texture without having to do much to it at all. All you need are some very ripe mangoes because the riper they are, the sweeter they will be, and you can avoid unnecessary sweeteners.
In fact, mangoes can be so sweet that you might even want to balance them out with a little bit of lemon juice when you puree them. However, it’s worth knowing that the lemon will not only cut through the sweetness but also preserve the lovely, vibrant mango colour if you have the self-control to store these for a long time.
There are many ways to make this ice pop. You could, of course, mix the coconut completely into the mango puree but I prefer to layer it and create a line in the centre of the ice pop. But whatever you do, make sure to keep them out of sight in your freezer because the temptation to eat them all at once is real. Especially since the mango remains wonderfully creamy which makes it so easy to just bite into the ice pops. Here you see exhibit A… one of the three ice pops that got eaten while taking pictures.
Even if you lack self-control and eat a few at once as I do, then you can at least find comfort in the fact that mangoes are incredibly healthy. There is a reason why they call it the “king fruit” in India. It has a lot of probiotic dietary fiber, vitamin A, potassium and is known to boost the immune system.
- 2 large mangoes
- 2 tsp lemon juice (optional)
- 250 ml (1 cup) full fat coconut milk
- ½ tsp of vanilla essence
- Peel and cut the mango into chunks. Add them with the lemon juice to a food processor or high-speed blender and process until very smooth. Set aside.
- Mix the coconut milk with the vanilla.
- Layer the mango pure and the coconut vanilla mixture into the ice pop moulds and freeze until solid for at least 5 hours.
If You want very clear lines you will have to start by roughly filling the ice pop mould with half the mango puree. Add the ice pop sticks and freeze them. Add the coconut cream in a thin layer and freeze again. Repeat the same with the other half of the mango puree and freeze until solid.
You say coconut milk and -cream. Is there a difference? If I use chilled milk from a can,the upper layer is more like cream, than the more fluid stuff below. Does it matter which one I use?
THEY SOUND DELICIOUS 😀
Hello Suhela, the error was in the recipe instruction. I meant to write “coconut vanilla mixture” and my head just went to coconut cream. I blame the heatwave. =D You can use coconut cream if you want to but I used full fat coconut milk for this. And yes, coconut cream and the top layer of coconut milk is the same. – Love, G.
Ohhh this coconut mango popsicle looks amazing! I do love both of those flavors.
I love how pretty these orange and white ice pops look! The flavors sound absolutely amazing together too!
These look absolutely delicious! My kids love coconut and I love mango, so I bet these would be awesome!
I absolutely love the vibrant color of those. Outside of that, coconut makes a delicious match up with mango!
Well – this is something that is so ‘cool’! I could never make mine that great looking – but I do so love the ingredients! I have saved the recipe and thank you ?
I love mangos and coconuts! I know my boys and I would love to make this! So perfect for this hot weather!
Coconut and mango is such a delicious combination and these look beautiful. The only way to cool down in the summer.
So delicious I licked the bowl. Had this on coleslaw mix with tuna. This looks great, and I am definitely going to try making this tonight. I wonder, if you wanted a bit of tang to it, would it taste okay to sub half the water for rice wine vinegar?