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Ripe, juicy mangoes make a lovely Mango Frozen Yogurt, served with a fruity blueberry compote - the perfect accompaniment!

Mango frozen yogurt

A French friend recently said to me “On ne peut pas tout avoir” – “You can’t have it all.” But with mangoes, I feel like I can. Soft, sweet flesh, sometimes with a hint of spice, and easy to peel, mangoes just may be the perfect fruit. When I lived in California, they were blissfully in season during the spring, bridging the gap between when last of the winter fruits were disappearing, and summer fruits and berries were still due to arrive.

Mangoes are so popular with many cultures as if you go to multicultural markets and neighborhoods, you’ll see them being sold by the case of nine or twelve, because people eat so many of them. In Paris, up behind the Gare du Nord by La Chapelle, there is an Indian and Sri Lankan community that reveres mangoes, and it can be a jackpot for finding the fruits when they are in season. When buying mangoes, take a good sniff; a ripe mango will not only feel slightly soft to the touch, but will exude a rich tropical aroma. Some varieties have green skins when ripe so color isn’t always the best indication.

Mango frozen yogurt

Fruit varies. Which is a good thing because if fruit was standardized, it would scare me. To make this frozen yogurt, I used Ataulfo mangoes, which are also called Champagne mangoes in the States. Some varieties of mangoes are sweet, others have flesh that’s a bit spicy. (And some are even used unripe and crunchy, like papayas, to make salads.) I like them all. You can tweak any sweetness in this frozen yogurt with fresh lime juice, which provides a bit of contrast to the silky mango flavor, as does the tang of the yogurt.

Mango frozen yogurt

To peel mangoes, use a paring knife to carve away the skin. In the middle, there is a narrow pit that’s flat. Cut the meat away from the pit and dice it, then squeeze the pit to obtain as much of the precious juice/pulp as possible. One company came out with a mango splitter, which I haven’t used, but looks fun, especially if you’re a big mango-user.

Although mangoes are a tropical fruit, they have a particular affinity for blueberries. I had some in my freezer (in France, they’re called myrtilles and are less-common than they are in the States), and I pick them up if I see them fresh, although most of the time they’re pretty expensive, at least compared to America. So frozen will do just fine if they’re not available to you.

Mango frozen yogurt

Mango Frozen Yogurt

I used Greek yogurt here, which is strained and richer than regular yogurt. You could use either full-fat, low-fat or 0% Greek yogurt you wish, or use regular whole milk yogurt, which will yield a slightly more icy frozen yogurt. There are a lot of different types of mangoes around the world. Depending on what kind you use, you may want to strain the mango pulp. Taste a spoonful or run your fingers through it – if there are fibers, press the puree through a mesh strainer before using. For this recipe, I used four medium-sized mangoes, each weighing about 325g/11 ounces. To prepare mango puree: Some cut and prepare the mangoes with the skins on. (I’ve linked to some videos and posts after the recipe that explain how to do that.) With the peeled mango lying on a cutting board, I hold it so that the two “meaty” sides are the left and right, then cut the flesh away from the pit, trying to cut as close to the pit as possible, to get as much flesh as you can. Use a knife to cut away as much of the flesh that remains around the pit. Dice the mango pieces and puree them in a blender or food processor. I’m often asked about how to keep homemade ice cream soft. For this frozen yogurt, you could add 1-3 tablespoons of rum, to taste. But for more suggestions, check out that post for other ideas. Like most homemade ice creams and frozen yogurts, it’s best to remove this one from the freezer for five minutes or so prior to scooping.

For the mango frozen yogurt

  • 2 1/2 cups (625ml) mango puree
  • 2/3 cup (130g) sugar
  • 1 cup (240g) plain yogurt, (see headnote)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, or to taste

For the blueberry compote

  • 3 cups (12 ounces, 340g) fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1/3 cup (65g) sugar
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch or potato starch
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
  • To make the mango frozen yogurt, whisk together the mango puree, sugar, yogurt and lime juice until the sugar is dissolved. Chill thoroughly, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • To make the blueberry compote, heat the blueberries in a nonreactive saucepan with the sugar, lemon zest, and water until the blueberries soften and release their liquid.
  • Dissolve the corn starch or potato starch in the 2 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice and add to the blueberries. Cook until the berry mixture begins to boil, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove the blueberries from the heat and let cool until room temperature. The compote will thicken as it cools.

Notes

Serving: Serve scoops of the frozen yogurt with some of the compote.
Storage: The compote can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Related Posts and Links

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

How to Cut a Mango (Simply Recipes)

Tips on Buying an Ice Cream Machine

How to Make Ice Cream Without a Machine

Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream

Mango Varieties, and more about mangoes (Mango.org)

Cinnamon Ice Cream

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36 comments

    • Taste of France

    When I lived in Kenya, I got spoiled with a mango tree (and an avocado tree) in my yard. But the best mangoes were in Lamu, an island on the coast, not far from Somalia. There’s a café/furniture shop with a little interior courtyard, where they would take fresh mangoes and squeeze out the most amazing sorbet. HEAVEN.
    I really need to buy an ice cream maker.
    Something I learned in Kenya: to pick good fruit, whether mangoes or pineapples or many other kinds, sniff. It should smell good.

      • Anthony Machacek

      Thank you anonymous writer.
      When in Lamu I will definitely visit the cordyard
      Anthony

    • Allyson

    Oh, I love the idea of adding rum to this frozen yogurt. If I find enough mangos to make this I’m definitely using a spiced rum. Thanks for the brilliant recipe, as always.

    • Nadia@maisontravers

    You have me salivating. I love mango.

    • Annabel

    Making my mouth water, as usual…. mind you, we love fresh mango so much that I think my husband would object if I “wasted” it on a frozen yoghurt! He is not good at fruit ices of any description. Ah well, I can always make some for me. And my grandsons would probably grab the blueberries before I could make them into compote…. I actually think I prefer them cooked; fresh, they can be tasteless, but the children like them.

    • Queenie

    There’s a Mexican restaurant where I live and every year they have mango mousse for a few weeks out of the year when mangoes are at their peak. Every year we ask if it’s time for mango mousse (and probably drive the staff crazy). I’ve been meaning to buy an ice cream machine… so now I can learn to make your sorbet and have when I want!

    • franinoz

    Try simply buzzing frozen mango pieces in your food processor; no need to add anything; no sugar or flavourings. Needs to be done right before you eat it as it doesn’t stay creamy in the freezer. I cut up and freeze a tray of mango pieces in the mango season and have creamy smooth mango “gelato” right through the winter.

      • El

      I do this too, with all kinds of fruit – try black cherries!

    • Bernadette

    David, with kitchen space at a premium, I can say that a mango slicer and a pineapple corer are 2 tools that in our fresh fruit loving house are worth devoting space to. Thanks for the terrific recipe!

    • Nicolette

    Oooh David, timing is everything, d’accord?! Yesterday, I just picked up some more of my favorite mango. The Ataulfo variety in my estimation are less fibrous and more perfumed than any others and hence the common name for them ‘champagne’ mangoes ! When in season, I stuff myself using them in everything from smoothies, salsa dressings over fish, chicken, etc. to slicing and devouring them straight over the sink! So what’s one more delicious way to consume them….I only wish I could grown them in the Northeast! Thank you for constant generosity in sharing your adventures & recipes!

    • Oonagh

    David, does this frozen yoghurt go rock hard in the freezer? My experience with frozen yoghurt is that it does. I’ve tried adding beaten egg white and it doesn’t seem to help.

    • Bites for Foodies

    I love the idea of adding yogurt for a creamier texture. I make ‘nice cream’ all the time during the summer but I’ve only ever made it with bananas or strawberries. I’ve actually added some avocado to my strawberry ice cream…it also adds a super creamy texture! http://www.bitesforfoodies.com/recipes/3-ingredient-strawberry-sorbet/

    • Lillie

    Did you see Claire Prak’s mango buttercream chiffon cake in the Guardian? Alphonso are her favorite mangoes.

    • Linda

    With the smallest of small freezers in France, (so no room for an ice cream maker) I’ve been making all my ice cream by hand.
    I was wondering though, with less fat and a liquidy (as opposed to bananas) base, will this recipe work by vigilant and enthusiastic stirring as well?

    Thanks!

    • Linda

    Oh and if you ever run across them, I strongly recommend picking up some “elephant tusk mangos”. (Xiangya mang)

    Mmmmm……that’s one of the hardest things about manger française. Mangos and durains and dragon fruit and coconuts and and and don’t grow here :(

    • Suzy | The Mediterranean Dish

    I have had a fondness for mangos since I was a little one growing up near the shores of the Mediterranean. My father regularly took me on excursions to the local farmer’s market, and I remember, returning home with baskets full of mangos. We had a lot of freshly squeezed mango juice :-) Love this recipe, David. The balance of flavors!!!

    • Gayle

    Great recipe! Mangoes are in season here in the US right now. I’ve been using them in everything lately.

    One of my favorite ways to use Ataulfo mango puree is to reduce it in a sauce pan with a can of coconut milk and a teeny bit of mild curry powder. I serve grilled shrimp with the sauce with a squeeze of lime. So tropical and good!

    • Caroline Scott

    If you don’t have freezer space, I suggest that you make mango jam: 8 mangoes, peeled, cut into chunks; cover with 2 cups of sugar and juice of 3 limes; stir occasionally and allow all of the juices to come out. Place in a heavy bottomed 8-Qt pan, over medium-high heat, stirring until the mangos break down and become a thick sauce. Taste for sweetness (adding more sugar if you desire) and then place into 1/2 pint jars and either store in refrigerator or water-bath process for 10 minutes. Delicious!

    • sue

    The mango pit remover works like a charm and does not require peeling the skin. The secret is to cut a small slice across the bottom so it stands straight up. Then poke the top with the tip of the paring knife to locate both sides of the pit. Place the cutter over that spot and push down…. voila, two perfect pieces that can be cut in whichever way you chose….long slices or small cubes. Instead of squeezing the pit, I cut off all the remaining fruit and add it to the rest. The pit will have some juice and bits of fruit that goes right into my mouth as a reward for all that work!

    • Robert H.

    Oooph, mangoes! we eat as many mangoes as we can find when in season. the best we’ve found are the organic from Trader Joes, oh and that mango cutter? Genius! We give them out to people for Christmas and folks are always MOST appreciative.

    • Susan zabriskie

    Easy no sugar added mango sorbet…freeze mango chunks then run through a Champion juicer without a juice screen. Done!

    • Daveed

    Blueberries will thicken themselves as long as you don’t add any liquid when bringing to the boil with a little sugar, they seem to have quite a good pectin content. Don’t use any starch

    • Karen brown

    This looks so delicious! I really like your recipe for blueberry compote with gin, forget which of your books its in(I have them all), but prefer to save about a third of the berries to pop in uncooked at the end for a bit of textural contrast. Served it with a lemon-verbena pannacotta,to guests a few weeks ago, and got huge compliments on the compote. Cheers from the South Seas, Karen

      • carter

      I was wondering where you found the recipe for lemon Verbena pannacotta? It sounds delicious.
      Thanks, Carter

        • Karen Brown

        I made the verbena pannacotta using David’s recipe (just search the site) for vanilla pannacotta, and at the stage where you warm the cream and milk, I put a fistful of fresh verbena leaves in to steep for about 20 minutes. I kept tasting the milk/cream till it was the intensity of flavour I liked, then strained the liquid before reheating it and adding the gelatine. I’m sure dried lemon verbena would work too, but maybe start with a smaller amount, as dried herbs can be more intense. I used soaked gelatine leaves (three leaves per 500mls. of liquid for a medium set, as I find the flavour of the leaves more neutral than the powder.) I had made the compote earlier, and put a layer of the blueberry compote in the bottom of small glass jars, then a layer of lemon curd, and topped that with the semi-set pannacotta. This was done the night before my guests came, so it was a good do-ahead dessert. David’s idea of gin with blueberries is fabulous, really does something sexy to the berries. I topped the jars with some fresh berries and a sprinkle of crushed amaretti biscuits for a bit of crunch. Hope this helps Carter. Cheers from Kiwiville, Karen

    • Tian

    Best way to get the mango flesh is to slice the cheeks as close as you can to the seed, slice through the flesh diagonally left, then right (slice without piercing the skin). Then scoop it all out with a spoon!

    • Angela – Patisserie Makes Perfect

    Mango sorbet is my favourite sorbet. I love it so much, I love dried mango too!

    This looks just perfect and makes me even more sad that I don’t have an ice-cream maker. Do you have any experience of using the KitchenAid ice cream attachment?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Yes, I have one and it works very well. (Note that if you have a European KitchenAid mixer, you need to purchase the ice cream attachment for European models since the European stand mixers are a little different.) You do need to pre-freeze the canister at least 15 hours, according to their instructions, but I freeze it for at least 24hrs – just be to be sure.

    • Maria del mar

    Back home in Puerto Rico we have these small mangoes we call ”mangotin”. they are the size of a peach. So sweet ! The season is starting soon and your recipe makes me want to buy a ticket, go home and make this recipe. wow!

    • claudia

    When I used to make mango ice cream here in India, I used a heaping tablespoon of honey to help keep it from icing up. It’s a nice complement to the mango taste as well.

    • Amby

    Mangoes I guess is the most loved fruit in India. There different varieties from different regions. And we’re crazy about them all. In fact if you’re traveling abroad and you miss the mango season, you keep regretting it round the year. My mum would make mango ice cream by straight away reducing raw milk and then adding mango puree & sugar. It would taste heavenly, the best I e ever had.

    • Eka

    I’m going to make this work-both puree and compote-as Popsicles.

    Ataulfo are the ultimate mango!!

    I threw out my mango cutter; I find a sharp paring knife does better and quicker work of peeling.

    I give the pits to my teething babe!

    • Katherine

    I had a few very ripe mangos and I made the frozen yogurt recipe for a dinner party on Sunday and it was a huge hit! It is so delicious and the mango blueberry combo is art in a bowl! Thank you, Katherine

    • N. Andrews

    Hi David,

    I have been following your blog for a while now and I really enjoy all your recipes and your detailed explanation of the receipes. I have been planning on making a mango ice cream based on one of your articles “Ice Cream Recipe: Create Your Own”: http://www.finecooking.com/articles/cyor/ice-cream.aspx. The article specifically instructs me to puree the fruit (in this case ‘mango’) and flavor the custard by adding the pureed fruit into the cooled custard. However, I have a few questions that I wanted to ask you about the above-described process.
    a. Wouldn’t the water content of the puree make the ice cream hard? I understand that adding alcohol will help soften the ice cream, but what if I did not want to add any alcohol? – Check the post for the link to a post I did about making homemade ice cream softer.
    b. Is there any way to remove (most, if not all) of the water content from the puree, especially, the mango puree that you have descirbed above? I could cook the mango puree down, i.e., reduce it over heat, but I would loose the real fresh and bright flavor of the mangoes. I don’t know. I prefer mangoes fresh and you’d lose that flavor, although I have caramelized them for tarts
    c. Also, what would be a good pairing for the mango ice cream for texture? For example, any specific nuts that I can mix into the ice cream? a macadamia nut brittle or candied nuts would be good, but might be better crumbled over it rather than mixed in – there are recipes in The Perfect Scoop
    d. Is there any specific alcohol that would be good to add to the mango ice cream, e.g., kirsch? rum works well with tropical fruits, although kirsch is nice, too
    e. Finally, is there any way that I can add bits of mango pieces without making it too hard (like soaking it in alcohol?) I’ve not had success doing that so I generally serve fresh fruit over, rather than inside, ice cream
    I would really appreciate it if you could answer my questions.

    Thanks
    NA

    Questions answered in italics… – dl

      • Daveed

      The sugar content in the mango puree will roughly match the custard, so it will churn and freeze beautifully, Chunks should be quickly poached in a stock syrup otherwise they could be quite icy chunks as the water content will freeze, seemingly pushing the sugar content to one side almost like distillation by freezing…

    • Karen

    Prepared this last night for a perfect warm weather dessert. A hint: Trader Joe’s frozen mango chunks yield a little more than the required 2 1/2 cups of puree. So delicious and easy.

A

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