How to Make Mango Pulp That Tastes Better Than Store Bought

Why You Should Prepare Mango Pulp

This might surprise you, but making mango pulp is super easy and tastes, of course, way better than the store bought mango pulp. Commercially available mango pulp packed in cans and vacuum bags tends to taste less fresh and come with an un-pure mango flavor.

This might be because of added chemical preservatives. The lowest mango quality grade is used in commercially available mangoes. You don't really get the best mango pulp for your homemade precious desserts.

You can buy mangoes too during other times in the year; however, that is not suggested since the mangoes won't taste that great.

However, getting “off-season” mangoes is in many cases still better than buying preserved mango pulp in a can.

Process Overview

As you can see in the video, cutting off the ends first will save you time in peeling the mangoes.

That way you can cut the fruits without much mess, way faster, and you need a quick method to cut numerous fruits effectively without losing the precious sweet mango juice. Some mango varieties have more fibers/strings in the flesh than others.

That's why Alphonso mangoes tend to be popular because they are almost without fibers. Yet, there are 100+ more mango varieties in this world, and half of those don't have fibers, so don't limit yourself to Alphonso only.

Use a mango variety with fewer fibers, or you will need to strain the pulp since the fibers can be annoying. Once you have cut off all the fruit flesh around the core and discarded the peel, you can cut the mango into chunks.

Then place them in a mixer/blender and just mix to a smooth paste. Don't add water or sugar. I wouldn't add any flavoring like cardamom or saffron at this point since you can always do that later.

Keep it natural and simple, so that you can use the pulp in various ways later in your food preparations. I wouldn't add any flavoring like cardamom or saffron at this point since you can always do that later.

Mango Varieties

When you live in India, Southeast Asia, Brazil, Hawaii, and similar tropical environments, and you have a mango tree, you will end up with far too many mangoes to consume in time.

Usually, neighbors exchange a shopping bag full of mangoes among each other. After all, not every tree bears the same mango variety, and even if it did, the mango would still taste differently.

Mangoes are quite mysterious fruits. Having 2 bigger Mankurac mango variety trees in our garden. I can tell you that both trees produce different-tasting mango fruits.

Yes, the base flavor is the same, but the age of the tree, its seed origin, the soil where it grows, general location, the weather conditions of the previous months, and the amount of watering determine the result of the mango fruit flavor.

There are countless mango varieties, with my favorite being the massive Bishops Mango.

The most common mango type in the world is the Alphonso mango, and the most commonly available mango pulp in stores is of the same mango variety.

I don't particularly enjoy Alphonso mangoes, like others do, but the advantage of Alphonso mangoes is that they don't have that many fibers.

Tips

Use up ripe and soft mangoes before they go bad

Occasionally a batch of very ripe mangoes is sold at a very low price; that's when you use your smarts and buy the mangoes and turn them into a pulp.

If you have a mango tree with plenty of fruits, finding ways to use the mangoes quickly and to store them, is a necessity. Just pulp the mangoes and store them for later!

Pick your favorite mango variety to pulp

If you have more than one mango variety, you can choose to pulp each separately, or you can mix them up.

Some mango varieties are better suited for mango lassis too, and others for cakes, and this is something you could explore. You get to pick your mango pulp flavor.

You know what's in your mango pulp

You make it so you know there are no added sugars or preservatives, plus you get to pick the quality of your mangoes used to make the pulp.

It's easy and almost effortless and tastes way better than the store bought canned or vacuumed packets. Homemade mango pulp won't disappoint you and won't turn bad if stored properly.

Freezing mangoes as a whole with the core is not a good idea. The mangoes turn ugly when defrosted, mushy, and kind of not flavorful. That's why we make mango pulp.

Storing

To store the mango pulp/puree, keep a few vacuum zip bags ready.

Fill the zip-lock bags with the pulp, close, and place into the freezer. You can use bigger or smaller bags; I prefer the smaller ones, batch-wise, because it's easier to defrost when I want to use only smaller quantities.

Also, vacuum zip-lock bags are easy to use; just open and use them, and keep the mango pulp in perfect condition in the freezer. It's more hygienic too and you will find that storing filled Ziploc bags will save you space in your freezer, compared to Tupperware boxes.

For one big bag, I used approximately 4 smaller mangoes the other day, so mango pulp is quite compact too in the freezer. You have countless recipe options to use mango pulp in your food!

Uses

I searched the web and asked my friends to share their favorite ways to use mango pulp.  

So besides the common uses such as mango juice, mango milkshake, and mango lassi, I was looking for more creative mango pulp recipe ideas.

Some mango pulp recipes call for commercially available mango pulp; however, you can just use your homemade pulp instead.

My personal favorites:

• Mango Cheesecake
• Habanero Mango Hot Sauce
• Mango Sorbet

Non-alcoholic Beverages

• Orange Mango Juice
• Mango Dragon Fruit Smoothie
• Mango Iced Tea
• Mango Lassi or Mango Shake
• Tropical Blood Orange Smoothie via GarlicandZest.com
• Mango Mastani via SpiceintheCity.co

Alcoholic Beverages

• Mango Passion Fruit Daiquiri - via PassionFruitPawsandPeonies.com
• Spicy Mango Citrus Cocktail - via TastingPage.com
• Mango Mojito - via NutmegNanny.com

Dessert Recipes

• Mango Ice Cream
• Kiwi Mango Cherry Chia Seed Pudding - via StaceyHomemaker.com
• Coconut Panna Cotta with Mango Gelee - via LivingSweetMoments.com
• Mango Mousse Parfait - via VegetarianGastronomy.com