If there’s one thing I hear about Indian cuisine it’s, “omg I love mango lassi”, which always gives me a bit of a gaggy face, but none the less it’s a legit use of mangoes.

As the gaggy face suggests, this isn’t my favorite way to consume mango or yogurt because it just tastes a little too tangy and sweet to me. That said, mango lassi is insanely popular in the States. I think it’s because it tastes like a better version of flavored yogurt you buy from the grocery store. I swear I’m trying to say nice things about it, it’s just not working.

I honestly don’t ever remember hearing about mango lassi till my first trip to the States. That may be because back in the day we were obsessed with making everything into a shake. Shakes were foreign and cool. Everywhere you went there was a list a mile long of fruit shakes. Whereas, lassis was significantly fewer in options. There was sweet, salted, mint, masala, kesar, kesar pista, and malai. I’m sure I’ve forgotten a couple, but you get the idea. More traditional flavors. What’s interesting but not surprising is that as Indian cuisine has evolved and there’s a greater desire to embrace it, the flavors too have evolved. So now there are restaurants that have a mile long list of lassi flavorings.

This recipe is insanely easy, people love it, and it’s actually quite healthy. For those reasons alone it’s a good option. But for me – if I’m in the mood for a sweet lassi, I much prefer kesar elaichi lassi. As for how to best consume mangoes in liquid form, it’s mango shake all the way.