Fresh Mango Smoothie with Kefir (Mango Lassi)
This tasty fresh mango smoothie drink is easy to make and offers plenty of health benefits. Start with fresh mango, add kefir for probiotics benefits, and omit adding any sugar since mango is sweet enough to fulfill the sweet tooth.
Table of contents
Benefits of Smoothies
I love smoothies. I discovered the world of smoothies at the beginning of my health improvement journey and never stopped making them. They became part of my daily routine when my first daughter was born. I figured that the best way to introduce fresh fruits to babies that can’t chew is to offer them smoothies. You can read more on this in my Healthy Banana Avocado Berries Smoothie recipe.
And the best part about making smoothies is that you can combine many different fruit and veggie variations, so they always stay exciting. Yes, you can add veggies you don’t like and cover their taste with the silkiness of a banana or the freshness of berries.
And I love adding kefir. You’ll find kefir in many of my recipes simply because it offers excellent benefits over milk. Check out my How to Start Eating Clean for Beginners post to see why fermented dairy products, such as plain kefir or plain yogurt, are better than milk.
Fresh Mango or Frozen Mango for Mango Kefir Smoothie
It is always best to use fresh fruits for smoothies, as nothing can beat this natural freshness. But using the frozen ones is okay.
I still remember the class I took as a Biochemical Engineering student explaining the process of freezing that fruits undergo commercially. The critical point is that these fruits are picked at the peak of ripeness, so what you get in the beg of frozen mangoes is the very best nutrient quality. Plus, the freezing process doesn’t involve adding chemicals except for ascorbic acid (vitamin C), so you are safe picking frozen fruits for your smoothie.
On the other hand, I just told you that it is best to pick fresh fruits. But, when it comes to mangoes, it is not easy to find a nice ripe mango at the store. At least for me, here in the Northeast US. So, I often don’t have a choice except to pick the bag of frozen mangos.
How to Cut Fresh Mango
If you bump into a nice ripe fresh mango at the store (which could sometimes happen at Costco), I bet you will ask the famous question. So, how do I cut it, exactly?
But before we go into this, you should note that nice red-colored mango doesn’t necessarily mean that it is ripe (trust me on this! I’ve been there.) To decide whether the mango is ripe, I use the same techniques as judging avocados – gently press the fruit, and if it is not hard and not too soft, it is good.
You should first know that mango has an elongated flat seed at the center. And the second thing to know is that you must learn to work around this seed as you cut.
Two methods worked for me:
- Peel the skin of the mango using the vegetable peeler. Set up the mango on the cutting board. Cut two sides past the seed first, and then cut the other two remaining sides past the seed also. Cut the flesh into cubes for smoothies.
- Omit peeling the skin and to cut the sides, as explained above. Take the mango side in your hand, and flash side up. Make cuts lengthwise and crosswise using a knife, but don’t cut the mango skin (and your hand under it ;)). If the mango is really soft, you can scoop the cubes out with a spoon. Otherwise, you can use a small knife to cut away the cubes.
Mango Kefir Smoothie is also known as Mango Lassi
We like having Indian food from time to time. And one thing we always order is mango lassi. So, this fresh mango smoothie with kefir is the same as Indian mango lassi, with one less ingredient – cardamom powder. But if you like the authentic taste of an Indian mango lassi, feel free to sprinkle some cardamom powder on top!
Ingredients for Mango Kefir Smoothie
These are the ingredients you’ll need for the mango smoothie:
- 1 ripe mango
- 1/2 cup plain kefir
- 1/4 cup ice cubes
- Cardamom powder (optional)
How to Prepare Mango Smoothie with Kefir
Time needed: 10 minutes
- Cut Mango.
Cut ripe mango per the steps above.
- Prepare Blender.
Add mango pieces into a blender.
- Add Liquids.
Add 1/2 cup of kefir. You can add more or less kefir per your taste to control the thickness of the smoothie.
- Add ice.
Add 1/4 cups of ice cubes and mix until smooth.
- Spice it up (optional)!
Optional step: sprinkle some cardamom powder on top.
If you liked this Fresh Mango Smoothie with kefir, here are some other great options to try:
Fresh Mango Smoothie with Kefir (Mango Lassi)
Ingredients
- 1 mango
- 1/2 cup kefir
- 1/4 cup ice cubes
- cardamom powder optional
Instructions
- Cut ripe mango. There are two methods that worked for me to cut a mango.
- Peel the skin of the mango using the vegetable peeler. Set up the mango on the cutting board. Cut two sides past the seed first, and then cut the other two remaining sides past the seed also. Cut the flesh into cubes for smoothies.
- If you don't own the veggie peeler, omit peeling the skin and cut the sides, as explained above. Take the mango side in your hand, and flash side up. Make cuts lengthwise and crosswise using a knife, but don’t cut the mango skin (and your hand under it ;)). If the mango is really soft, you can scoop the cubes out with a spoon, otherwise, you can use a small knife to cut away the cubes.
- Add mango pieces into a blender.
- Add 1/2 cup of kefir. You can add more or less kefir per your taste to control the thickness of the smoothie.
- Add 1/4 cups of ice cubes and mix until smooth.
- Optional step: sprinkle some cardamom powder on top.
