The Mangonada is a spicy-sweet frozen concoction of mango, lime, and chamoy that originated in Mexico. It comes together quickly in a blender for those hot days when a chilly treat is necessary!
Recently I made an impulse purchase of 8 pounds of fresh honey mangos – with no real plans for them. Aside from just eating them. I couldn’t help myself! Mostly because the price was right and ripe mangoes are so sweet and juicy on their own. It’s hard to improve upon eating them out of hand. But honey mangoes (Ataúlfo) are especially good – less fibrous than other varieties. Which makes them ideal for blending up with some mango nectar, lime, and a little spicy chamoy. With just a few ingredients and a blender, you can have the spicy-sweet sensation known as the mangonada.
Mangonadas can be enjoyed a few ways. Blend up the ingredients with no sugar added for something akin to a sweet-spicy smoothie. Or, add a little cane sugar or other natural sweetener for a more dessert-like treat. Another way to enjoy them is cocktail-style, with a splash of tequila.
Mangonada Origins
The mangonada is a beloved Mexican street food and chilly treat, often enjoyed during scorching summer weather. It’s a mango-based frozen beverage layered with chamoy sauce—a savory, spicy, and tangy Mexican condiment—and topped with fresh mango chunks. Additionally, the drink is often garnished with a tamarind candy straw, which is a plastic straw covered with tamarind paste and rolled in chili powder. It is sweet, sour and hot all at once, and complements the fruity mango flavor.
Although mostly attributed to origins in Mexico, it should be mentioned that a Hispanic couple from Chicago claim to have invented it in the 2000’s, inspired by a childhood treat. You can read more about that here.
Ready to try it? Let’s go!
Prep Your Mangoes
Begin with ripe fresh mangos. They don’t have to be honey mangoes. Use what looks, smells, and feels ripest. Ripe mangoes will smell fragrant and feel soft under gentle pressure from your thumb. You’ll need about 4-5 mangoes to get the 1 lb. of chunks needed for this recipe. Cut them lengthwise on either side of the pit, so that you have two equal sized pieces of mango. Then, score each piece into squares using a knife on the cut (flesh) side without cutting through the skin. Then, invert the mango pieces, pushing the skin side upward and exposing the squares of mango flesh. Next, just trim them off the skin with a knife. (See video for this action!)
Frozen diced mangoes may be used to remove this step, but they may not have the same brilliant color and ripe flavor that fresh mangoes have.
Into the Blender
In the pitcher of an electric blender, combine the prepared frozen mangoes, freshly squeezed lime juice, mango nectar, and a cup of ice.
Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy, ensuring all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. You can give the mixture a taste here, and if it is too tart, you may add in a little cane sugar or simple syrup to sweeten it up. (See blog notes for simple syrup recipe.)
Rim Your Glasses
Chamoy sauce is key for this recipe – the exact ingredients can vary, but typically chamoy recipes include a combination of fruit, such as apricot, mango, or plum. Also in the mix – chili peppers like guajillo or ancho. And lime juice, salt, and sugar. Some people make their own. But since I’m nowhere near qualified to make an authentic chamoy, I’ll rely on good old Tajín brand. As well as their chili-lime seasoning.
Place chamoy and chili lime seasoning in two small shallow dishes. First dip a glass in the chamoy, then dip into the seasoning.
Layer with Chamoy Sauce in Glasses
Pour a small amount – about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon – of chamoy into the bottom of each glass. Add the pureed mango mixture to fill the glass half full. Add in another spoonful of chamoy. Fill the glass to the top with the mango mixture.
Add a Tamarind Candy Straw
Add a tamarind straw to each beverage. These are made with tamarind paste mixed with sugar, chili powder, and other seasonings to create a sweet, sour, and spicy candy coating on plastic yellow straws. When placed in a drink, the tamarind straw gradually softens, infusing the beverage with its flavor – or you can just nibble on it! The kind I purchased doesn’t really function as a drinking straw until you clear the tamarind paste from inside the straw – and there’s a bunch up in there!
Garnish the Mangonadas
Top each Mangonada with fresh, juicy mango chunks. Drizzle on a little extra chamoy and shake on a touch more chili lime seasoning. Done and done!
Make it a Cocktail
As I mentioned earlier, Mangonadas can easily be transformed into a cocktail. Simply add a splash of your favorite tequila or vodka to the blender pitcher, along with the other ingredients before pureeing. More on this in the recipe notes.
Mangonadas are smooth and creamy, and somehow the tangy, salty chamoy makes the mango taste even sweeter! It seems like everyone has a different way to make them, but all have the same basic components. I kept this recipe very simple. You should be able to find everything you need at the grocery store in the international aisle, or for purchase online.
Hopefully you’ll find this recipe helpful, as it comes just in time for enjoying a cold beverage in hot weather. We already have summer temps here in the south, so I think I’m going to need another 8 pounds of fresh mangoes soon!
Related recipe: Mango Raspberry Lassi Ice Pops
Mangonada Recipe
Heather Baird
This Mexico-born sweet sip is the perfect way to beat the heat when temps rise and a chilly treat is necessary! Made with fresh mangoes, lime juice, mango nectar, chamoy, and chili-lime seasoning, it all comes together in the blender in a snap. This is often served as a smoothie-like treat with no sugar or alcohol added, which is how I prefer them. However, you can find variations for sweetening the mixture, along with instructions for turning your mangonada into a cocktail, in the recipe notes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes minsTotal Time 15 minutes mins
Course Dessert, Snack, Street FoodCuisine Mexican
Servings 4
Equipment8 oz. glasses (4)
Ingredients US CustomaryMetric 16 oz. frozen fresh mango chunks2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice11.3 oz. mango nectar 1 can, such as Jumex1 cup ice3 tablespoons chili-lime seasoning such as Tajin Clásico1/2 cup chamoy sauce such as Tajin, plus more for garnishes2 mini tamarindo straws optionalFresh mango chunks from 1 mango
Instructions Place the frozen mango chunks, lime juice, 1 cup of the mango nectar, and ice in the pitcher of a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the remainder of the mango nectar through the lid hole as you blend. When the mixture is smooth and has a thick, sorbet-like consistency, it is ready to use. This should take about 2 minutes.Place two shallow dishes side by side. On one plate, add some chamoy, and on the other add the chili-lime seasoning. Dip the rim of each 8 oz. glass into the chamoy, then into the seasoning.Add a little chamoy (1/2 to 1 tablespoon) into the bottom of each of the glasses; fill half full with the mango mixture. Add another spoonful of chamoy, and then fill the glass to the top with the mango mixture. At this point, you can swirl the layers of mango and chamoy together with a spoon, or leave them with distinct layers.Add a tamarind straw to each glass, if using. Top each mangonada with fresh mango chunks, an extra drizzle of chamoy, and a little more chili-lime seasoning.Enjoy immediately as a remedy for hot weather, or for any sunny gathering.
NotesPrepackaged Frozen Mango Chunks: You can absolutely use frozen mango chunks from the freezer section at the grocery store. However, it’s really difficult to judge the ripeness of the product. If you find your frozen mango chunks are tart, blend in some cane sugar or simple syrup to taste.
Increase the Sweet: As I mentioned, cane sugar is a wonderful, natural sweetener to use to sweeten this beverage. Blend in a little sugar at a time, tasting between blending, until it suits your palate. Or you can add simple sugar, which incorporates easily into the mixture. To make simple sugar, add 1 cup of boiling water to 1 cup of sugar. Stir until the sugar is melted. Then use as a drink sweetener.
Make it a Cocktail: The general rule for cocktails is 1.5 to 2 oz. of alcohol per 8 oz. drink. So for this recipe which makes four 8 oz. servings, you could blend in up to 1 cup of tequila or vodka. But as always, you should add this to your taste and preference.
**This recipe was developed from research across several different websites and a travel magazine. Although attributed to origins in Mexico, it should be mentioned that a Hispanic couple from Chicago claim to have invented it in the 2000’s, inspired by a childhood treat. You can read more about that here.
Keyword chamoy, chili lime seasoning, easy mangonada recipe, fresh lime juice, fresh mangoes, honey mangoes, mangonada recipe, mexican cocktail, tajin, tamarind straws, tequila, vodka
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