When your husband compliments you, saying he thinks your “Indian buffet at home” is better than actually going to the Indian restaurant for a buffet, you might let it go to your head a little bit. I know it’s made me pretty proud! Between that and making my own vegan almond milk yogurt at home, I’ve been busy recreating some of our favorite Indian dishes. One that I always seem to crave, but know it’s equally terrible for you is a mango lassi, so I’m sharing my healthy vegan mango smoothie recipe.
Mango lassi are one of the best dessert/drinks you can get at the buffet. That said, they are so ridiculously high in sugar. I’ve seen nutrition facts for these drinks anywhere from 32-50 grams of sugar for a fairly small glass! That’s insane! Especially when this recipe makes a healthy amount for half the sugar. I also hate it because a lot of these restaurant style mango lassis are made with mango nectar, which is basically just mango juice, meaning added sugar. That and they add MORE sugar! We wonder why everyone is getting diabetes in this country, when everything has secret added sugar.
That is why I tried to make this at home lassi better. With almost half the sugar coming straight from the mango itself, the rest is coming from dates and if you use coconut water, it’s all sugar in natural states. That and there is some fiber in this drink too. It’s not nearly as sweet as a normal mango lassi, but it definitely is still delicious!
What you’ll love about this healthy vegan mango smoothie?
- It’s vegan. Usually these are made with dairy products, so this one caters to all audiences. By all means, if you consume dairy products, use the regular cow’s milk yogurt, but it works great with dairy-free yogurt.
- No added sugars. With dates and mango being in whole form, and coconut water (if you get it without added sugar) also being in it’s closest to natural state, you don’t need to add any sugar or other sweetener.
- It’s easy to make. Dump it all in a blender and blend. It’s that simple.
- It tastes like dessert, but it is still healthy. This drink even has fiber and probiotics from the yogurt.
How to make this healthy vegan mango smoothie?
- Measure out the yogurt and mango. If you are using a single serving container of yogurt, just put the whole thing in the blender.
- Add the cardamom and dates.
- Blend. If it’s too thick for the blender, add either the milk or coconut water. I prefer the coconut water, but if you don’t have any, milk works too. Add it slowly so you don’t get it too thin.
- Blend and thin to your desired texture and then serve in a glass! You can top it with a sprinkle of cardamom powder or crushed pistachios.
This goes great after a delicious Indian dinner. Here are a few of my favorite dinner recipes:
Bhindi Masala (Indian Vegan Curried Okra)
Aloo Mutter (Indian Vegan Curried Potatoes and Peas)
Aloo Gobi (Indian Vegan Curried Potatoes and Cauliflower)
Instant Pot Dal Tadka (Vegan Indian Curried Lentils)
Healthy Vegan Mango Smoothie, Lassi Style
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup frozen mango
- 3/4 cup dairy free yogurt (I use homemade almond milk yogurt)
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- 2 dates, pitted
- 1/2 cup dairy-free milk or coconut water
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a blender except the coconut water.
- Blend until smooth. If it’s too thick or not enough liquid to blend, add coconut water or milk in parts until it blends smooth. Usually it takes about 1/2 cup to get it smooth.
- If using fresh mango versus frozen, you will need less milk or coconut water.
- Sprinkle some cardamom or crushed pistachios over top and serve cold.
Nutrition
Let me know what you thought of this healthy vegan mango smoothie in the comments below! It’s quickly become a new favorite in our house, and I hope you enjoy the same. Thanks for visiting! It really means so much to me that you took the time to check out my site and tried my recipes.
-Cassie