Mango Milk Shake

This is the mango milkshake you find at every Indian restaurant, and it’s shockingly easy to make at home. Canned mango pulp blended with cold whole milk, a little sugar, and ice cubes produces a thick, golden, silky shake that tastes like pure summer.

Canned mango pulp from Indian or Latin American grocery stores is the key ingredient. It’s concentrated mango with added sugar, so you get intense fruit flavor without peeling and pitting fresh mangoes. Mango nectar from regular grocery stores is too diluted and won’t give you the right thickness.

The recipe makes two batches because people always want more. Blend the first round, serve it, and immediately make the second. It goes that fast.

Pro Tips

• Use whole milk, not skim. The fat gives the shake its creamy, rich body. Skim milk makes it watery and thin.
• If using fresh mangoes, use one ripe mango per cup of pulp and add a little more sugar since fresh fruit lacks the added sweetness of canned.
• Blend until completely smooth with no ice chunks. The drink should be thick and pourable, not slushy.
• Serve immediately. Mango milkshakes separate and thin out as the ice melts.

Variations

• Replace some of the milk with plain yogurt for a thicker, tangier mango lassi.
• Add shredded kiwi fruit for a tart, tropical contrast as the recipe suggests.
• Blend in a pinch of cardamom for a traditional Indian spice note.