Last week I asked my 4-year-old whether he preferred chocolate or vanilla, and he replied “mango.” This is coming from a kid who really likes chocolate, so you can imagine just how deep his mango love runs. At any rate, mango desserts reign supreme in this household — whether it be mango cake, mango pudding, or this creamy and delicious mango ice cream.
This is a Philadelphia-style, or eggless ice cream. The base is super easy to make and comes together in under 10 minutes (assuming you use canned mango puree — more on that in a second). I gravitate towards Philadelphia-style ice cream when fruits are involved — as much as I love custard bases, the eggy richness tends to dull fruit flavors a bit. Not here — the mango is fresh and present!
A couple of notes:
- I am all about using canned mango puree (or pulp). It’s super smooth and relatively cheap, and the flavor is really consistent. I’ve made a lot of mango puree over the years and it’s just not my favorite thing to do — you have to strain it to get it super smooth, and if your mangoes are a bit “meh,” the flavor of your final dessert will be lacking as well. I get my mango puree from our local Asian supermarket. Alphonso and Kesar varieties are the most common here, and both work great. Make sure you’re getting pulp or puree, not juice.
- Of course, if you’re swimming in fresh mangoes and want to make your own, that’ll work too — just dice, blend in a food processor, and make sure to strain it for the best texture. You might have to add a little sugar to taste if your mangoes are not super sweet.
- This ice cream base is adapted from one of my favorite ice cream cookbooks from Salt & Straw. It does ask for a few “special” ingredients — namely milk powder, corn syrup, and xanthan gum. These all help create a nice, smooth texture and increase shelf-life. I can get all these ingredients from my local supermarket, but they are all fairly easy to find online as well.
- Note that this recipe makes a good amount of ice cream, about the max my 1.5 quart Cuisinart ice cream maker can handle. If your ice cream maker has a smaller capacity, you may want to churn in two batches or reduce everything by 1/4 to 1/3.
Mango ice cream
Makes a generous 1 quart/liter / Base recipe adapted from Salt & Straw
Ingredients:
- 100g (½ c) granulated sugar
- 15g (2 Tbsp) milk powder
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 330g (1 1/3 c) whole milk
- 40g (2 Tbsp) corn syrup
- 330g (1 1/3 c) heavy cream
- 330g (1 1/3 c) mango puree (I prefer canned)
Method:
- Make the mango ice cream base: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, milk powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Whisk in the milk and corn syrup.
- Heat over medium, whisking constantly, until the mixture is steaming and slightly thickened and the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Pour into a heatproof container and whisk in the heavy cream and mango puree. Refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
- Churn the ice cream: Churn the chilled base according to the instructions for your machine, until the mixture has the texture of soft serve (for my machine this is about 25 minutes). Transfer to a freezer-friendly container (a loaf pan works well). Cover with parchment paper, pressing it to the surface of the ice cream so it adheres, then cover with a lid. Freeze until firm, at least 6 hours. Ice cream will keep for up to 3 months.