Homemade Fresh Mango Drink Recipe (No Preservatives or Artificial Color)

I had a Coca-Cola a few days before making this, and right after I thought I’d rather have something mango. But I also didn’t want to make sugary drinks a daily habit, so I waited a bit and yesterday made my own instead of buying.

It doesn’t have any artificial color, preservatives, I only used mangoes, lemon, sugar, and water.

Ingredients

• 600 to 700 grams mango flesh (from about 1 kg of whole mangoes)
• 4 teaspoons white sugar (adjust based on how sweet your mangoes are)
• 1 lemon
• A small amount of water for straining, more for serving

How to Make Market-Style Mango Drink at Home

Pick and Prepare the Mangoes

I bought one kilo of mixed mangoes because I didn’t want all sweet or all sour; mixed mangoes give the drink a different favourite, kinda sour and sweet.

When you’re buying mangoes from a market, press gently; mangoes that give slightly under pressure are closer to ripe and will blend better. 

Very firm ones are still raw and will taste more astringent in the drink. 

Don’t use any mango that smells fermented near the stem; otherwise, you’ll get rid of the sharpness after cooking (yeah, we have to cook).

So, peel, remove the seeds, and use only the flesh. I used around 600 to 700 grams from one kilo of whole mangoes, which is a normal yield.

Blend It with Sugar Before Cooking

Add 4 teaspoons of white sugar to the mango pieces before blending. I add sugar so that it blends into the mango properly and coats every part of the paste. 

By doing so, you’ll get more consistent sweetness.

Blend two or three times until the paste is completely smooth with no visible chunks. 

If you see any stringy bits spinning around in the blender, keep going. 

Stringy paste is much harder to strain later, and you’ll have to work twice as hard to push it through.

Cook the Paste Properly on the Stove

Transfer the paste to a pot and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously. 

Don’t go away anywhere, even for a minute, because mango paste will burn fast on the bottom if you stop stirring. 

You’ll notice it starting to loosen slightly as it heats up, then it’ll begin to bubble and thicken when it’s about to boil.

Then let it reach a full, rolling boil, where you’ll see bubbles at the edge; it’ll also dissolve the sugar properly. If you take it off too early, the concentrate can taste gritty when cooled.

Let It Cool, Then Add Lemon

Take it off the heat and let it cool down to room temperature. Don’t add the lemon while it’s still hot because the heat will kill some of the fresh citrus character, and you will get a cooked-lemon flavor instead of a clean, sharp one.

Once it’s cooled, add the lemon juice and stir it in well. I used two lemons because mine were dry with very little juice inside. 

One normal-sized lemon is enough. If your mangoes are already sour, start with half a lemon and taste first; apart from this, you can use Lime.

Strain Into a Clean Bowl

Pour the cooled paste into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and press it through using the back of a spoon. 

It won’t flow through on its own because of how thick it is, so you’ll need to keep pressing. 

When it stops moving, pour a thin stream of water into the strainer and keep pressing; the water thins the paste just enough to push it through without watering down the whole batch.

Use as little as possible and add it slowly.

You can also skip straining if you don’t mind fiber in the drink; I strained it because I wanted to make it like a market drink in texture, completely smooth with nothing to chew on.

What comes through is a smooth, pale golden concentrate, and that’s what you store in the fridge and mix with cold water when you want a glass.

Why I Cooked It Instead of Just Blending

I know that most mango drink recipes stop at the blender; in them, we just blend, add water and sugar, and drink it the same day, and that is normal. I do it too.

But it has a very short shelf life, one to two days, and then the flavor starts going off.

When you cook it, the heat makes the concentrate last longer in the fridge, and it also breaks down the mango further, which gives you smoother and better textures, similar to a market drink. 

So if you want a drink that you can make once and use over several days, then consider cooking it.

If You Want to Change the Flavor

• Add a spice: A small pinch of ground cardamom stirred in after straining gives the drink a warmth. You can start with half a teaspoon and taste, plus you can also try a pinch of ground ginger if you want it slightly sharper.
• Add mint: Blend a few fresh mint leaves with the mango before cooking. It will give the drink a clean, fresh edge; it’ll work better when you’re serving it over ice.
• Make it sparkling: Instead of mixing the concentrate with regular water, use sparkling water when serving; the concentrate-to-water ratio should stay the same.
• Make it richer: If your mangoes are very sour and you want a sweeter, more intense drink, increase the sugar to 6 teaspoons and reduce the amount of water you add when serving; the concentrate will be thicker and sweeter.

If You’re Missing an Ingredient

• Lemon: Lime is the best swap and works really well. If you have neither, you can add a small splash of white vinegar as a last resort, but use very little and taste as you go because vinegar is much sharper than citrus.
• White sugar: You should use honey, though it will change the flavor slightly and make the drink taste a little more floral. Use the same quantity and stir it in while the paste is still warm from cooking so it can dissolve easily. Raw cane sugar also works and keeps the flavor clean.
• Fine mesh strainer: A cheesecloth or clean muslin cloth stretched over a bowl gives you an even finer strain than a mesh strainer and removes more fiber. If you have one, it’s better for a completely smooth concentrate.
• Fresh mangoes: Frozen mango chunks work if fresh aren’t available; follow the same steps, though the flavor won’t be as bright, the process is the same.

How to Serve It

Add a couple of tablespoons of concentrate to a glass, pour in cold water, and stir. The ratio depends on how thick your concentrate came out, so start with a small amount and adjust. 

After the first glass, you’ll know exactly how much to use.

Whenever I want some, I take the container out of the fridge, mix some concentrate with cold water, and drink it. 

Between the rest of my family and me, it’s not going to last long anyway, but it should keep well for about a week in the fridge. 

Don’t leave it out at room temperature for more than a few hours once it’s been opened.

If you want another mango drink, you can try this mango avocado banana smoothie; it’s thicker and more filling.

FAQs About This Mango Drink

How much concentrate goes into each glass?

You can start with 2-4 tablespoons per glass of cold water and adjust from there (I prefer 1/4th of a glass at least). 

But it depends on how thick your concentrate came out and how sweet your mangoes were.

Why won’t the paste go through the strainer?

Pour a thin stream of water into the strainer as you press the paste through. It makes the paste thin enough to move without watering down the whole batch. 

Add it slowly and use as little as possible.

I only have sweet mangoes; will this still taste good?

Yes, and now lemon will be more important for you; you have to use the juice of a whole lemon, and if it still tastes flat, add a little more.