Last Friday, I stepped off the plane from Montana into Kansas City summer. Ninety degrees and sunny. I ditched my jacket and daydreamed about all the summery outfits I’d rather be wearing while I waited for the bus to take me back to my car. Acclimating to skin-prickling heat is never a pleasant process, but I am so ready for non-stop sunshine and long afternoons by the pool.
I’m also ready for some frozen treats! I’ve had mango on the brain lately (remember those mango spring rolls and that mango salsa?), so when the idea to make a frozen version of a mango lassi popped into my head the other day, I got right to work. Mango lassis are super refreshing blended mango and yogurt drinks. I always make room for one when I visit an Indian buffet. This frozen yogurt version is just as refreshing as the traditional version, if not more so. It’s smooth, creamy and scoopable right from the freezer, thanks to honey’s mysterious anti-freezing properties (can someone explain the chemistry behind that?). Fresh mangos can be a little pricy and difficult to work with, so I recommend using frozen mango so you can save money and skip the slicing steps!
This frozen yogurt is super creamy by design. Full-fat yogurt’s lower water content and higher fat content is key, so don’t use low fat. You’ll also cook the mangos with honey for a while to get rid of excess moisture that would otherwise make the frozen yogurt more icy. Then you’ll blend the mixture in a blender (a food processor might work as well) and chill it completely (you always want your ice cream mixture to be super cold in order to avoid ice crystal formation). Last but not least, you need to use two-thirds cup honey to achieve scoopable-from-the-freezer consistency. Any less and you’ll have to let it rest on the counter for a while. Cheers to summertime!
2-Quart Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender (c/o) Glasslock Storage Container ▸ For more of my favorite cooking tools, shop my kitchen essentials!
