Mango Purée Recipe: How to Make Mango Purée

Mango purée is a mashed or blended pulp made with fresh mangoes. You can make mango purée with a blender or food processor or mash it by hand with a fork or potato masher for a chunkier result. Choose any type of diced mango, such as Ataulfo or Alphonso, to make mango purée. To choose a ripe mango, lightly apply pressure with your fingers; it should be slightly firm but have some give, similar to a ripe avocado. Ripe mangoes are most distinguishable by their potent aroma, which is sweet and gets stronger as the mango matures.

You can use homemade mango purée for easy recipes like frozen beverages to savory sauces.

1. 1. Baby food: Use mango purée as-is for an easy baby food purée, or freeze it into mini popsicles for toddlers.
2. 2. Baked goods: Adding fruit purées like apple sauce or mango purée helps pound cakes and muffins stay moist and is a great way to reduce or substitute oil in a recipe. Try baking this easy mango cake.
3. 3. BBQ sauce: Fruits lend a tangy sweetness to savory sauces. This easy homemade mango BBQ sauce goes great with pork.
4. 4. Cocktails: Blended or shaken drinks like margaritas and daiquiris use fruit purées to reduce added sugar while building flavor. Try this not-too-sweet mango margarita recipe.
5. 5. Curd: Citrus curds are popular for desserts like lemon meringue pie or trifle. Mango has a similar balance of acidity and sweetness; try making mango curd for your next summer dessert.
6. 6. Frozen desserts: Homemade Greek yogurt popsicles, vegan granitas, and ice creams are gluten-free summer treats that take just minutes to put together. You can easily use mango purée to make a dairy-free frozen granita.
7. 7. Salsa: Instead of using tomatoes for your next salsa, substitute mango purée for a sweet and spicy mango salsa, or use it to make a simple hot sauce to accompany fish tacos.

Here’s how to make a sweet and smooth mango purée at home, step by step:

1. 1. Use ripe mangoes: Ripe mangoes are sweet and juicy, ideal for puréeing, while unripe mangoes can be quite tart. Look for ripe, tender mangoes that have a strong aroma. Once you’ve selected the perfect specimen, here’s how to peel a mango.
2. 2. Strain the purée. Mango has lots of fibers that can make the purée feel chalky. Blending breaks most of them up, so straining through a mesh sieve is optional but makes for a creamy and extra smooth purée.
3. 3. Season to taste. You might want your puréed mango to be more tart, sweet, or even salty depending on how you use it. Blend the mango with lime or lemon juice for a pop of tartness, agave syrup or honey for sweetness, or a pinch of salt to enhance the flavor of your purée.

You can store mango purée in the refrigerator or freezer. If you plan on using it within the first two or three days of making it, store the purée in an airtight container and keep it refrigerated. To freeze, portion the mango purée into ice cube trays, freeze, then simply pop the cubes into a freezer bag for easy use. You can add these cubes to blended drinks like mango smoothies or a mango lassi. Frozen mango purée will last about three months in the freezer.