All the vibrant taste of fresh fruit. All the indulgence of gelato.
Can I Use Frozen Mango?
Know the book Tuck Everlasting? You may have read back in junior high. We think of it each time we see packages of frozen mango at the store. By way of explanation, in the book, immortality turns out not to be quite as keen as one may think. And in reality, frozen mango sometimes turns out to be not quite as lovely as one may expect. While the latter is certainly convenient, it oft lacks the incomparably vibrant aroma and taste that a fresh ripe mango possesses. Do as you wish but we’d rather not sacrifice that robust tropical taste.
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Mango Gelato
Equipment
- Ice cream maker
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 pounds very ripe mango, before peeling and cutting (2 to 3 large)
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl or pot halfway with ice water.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is clear, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Immediately place the pan in the ice water and let it cool, stirring occasionally, until the sugar syrup is at room temperature.
- Peel and dice the mangoes, discarding the pits. Process the mango along with the lime or lemon juice and the sugar syrup in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a container and stir in the cream. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.
- Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, probably 20 to 30 minutes.
- Transfer to a resealable container, cover, and freeze until firm, about 2 hours. Scoop into bowls and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
My spouse commented, “Mmmm, mango-y.” This is exactly what makes this mango gelato so delightful. It tastes deliciously of mango with a subtle creaminess and brightness from the citrus.
My mangos weren’t quite as ripe as I thought that they were, but as I had already started peeling, I decided to take my chances. This recipe was very forgiving of the almost ripe enough mango and it was still lovely, though I want to try again with oozy, almost too ripe mangos, as I think the mango flavor would be completely amped up.
The gelato is a bit easier to serve with a few minutes of rest before scooping and a higher quality ice cream scoop. It is a really pretty finished product that you could dress up with a few mint leaves or something similar and have a beautiful dessert to serve to guests.
This is an easy, creamy delicious gelato. The texture is great and not icy at all. And the lemon or lime juice perks up the mango, which can sometimes be too sweet for me. I got about 2 1/2 cups mango from 2 large mangoes. I might try the recipe with coconut milk or coconut cream in place of heavy cream next time to make a dairy-free version.
This is an easy-to-follow recipe that results in a perfectly smooth and creamy frozen treat. The fresh mango gets a flavor boost from the addition of fresh lime juice which also tames the sweetness. I think this recipe is a bit lighter than a typical Italian gelato
I used lime juice and 3 large mangos. The weight after peeling, pitting and chopping was 664 grams.
Sugar dissolved before boiling. It took about 2 minutes to come to a boil. Cool down to room temperature was 1 to 2 minutes. I kept the bowl full of ice water and emptied it just before pouring the pureed mango into it to speed up the chill down process.
This mango gelato is quick, easy, delicious, and refreshing. It’s nice that it isn’t cloyingly sweet. My husband, who does not like mango, thought that it was good. The hardest thing about the recipe is cutting up the mangoes.
I used 4 ataulfo or champagne mangoes, which weighed 945 g. After being cut up, they weighed 546 g.
Instead of chilling the blended mango mixture for 3 hours, I chilled it overnight as I wasn’t quite ready to churn the gelato. The container I placed the puree in wasn’t big enough to add the cream so I added it straight to the ice cream maker…which wasn’t the best idea as the cream froze around the edges of the bowl. Despite having the cream not fully mixed in, the resulting gelato was delightfully smooth and creamy. After a stay in the freezer of about 3 hours, it was still easily scoopable. And 24 hours later, it was quite hard and needed to be set out for a while to soften in order to serve. Thus far, we have had 4 small servings (1 scoop each) and there are at least that many servings left in the container. This time I made the gelato with lemon as that was I had on hand but next time might try lime.
What an easy, flavorful recipe! It came together so quickly I was surprised at the quality of the finished product. The only difference in this gelato and a store-bought or professionally made one was the texture. I’m not sure if that was my equipment or just the fact that it’s very difficult to get that smooth texture and airiness without having more ingredients and steps. I used lime juice.
Timing on freezing the ice cream was accurate at about 2 hours and it was easy to scoop out afterwards.
My whole family really liked this. I used lime juice and tasted the mixture prior to adding the cream and honestly, it would have been great as a sorbet at this stage and at some point I might remake it without the cream (I personally don’t eat a lot of dairy, but this recipe had so little I wanted to try it anyway).
Another cheat you could use in this recipe is precut or frozen mango which would make it even quicker. It’s a pretty impressive dessert overall and it would be great to serve for guests at a dinner party (if and when we ever get to have those again).
This is an easy and creamy gelato recipe that comes together in a pinch and definitely delivers on flavor. II used. 2 fairly large mangoes (Ataulfo variety) which were quite sweet. I meant to weigh the mangoes but in my excitement to make my favorite frozen treat, I forgot. The lemon juice was the perfect amount to cut the sweetness of the mango and produce a perfectly balanced sweet and sour flavor profile. The mango flavor did stand out boldly. The end product was delectable. Definitely making it again.
Yum! Easy, refreshing, and unabashedly mango. Only took a few minutes to put this together, and a short ingredient list makes it even more approachable. Unlike other homemade sorbet-type recipes, this even thaws nicely for storage in the freezer past a couple of days.
My only recommendation? Not to detract from the fully frozen final product, but do try it right from the ice cream maker for a really decadent, soft-serve experience that won’t be replicated after a hard freeze. Soft-serve or scooped from a freezer container, the gelato delivers perfect, velvety blasts of tropical fruit flavor. I know a recipe is perfect if it sparks my creativity, and I’m already plotting my next move: it’d be perfect alongside a pound cake, next to a crispy macadamia nut cookie, or even underneath a handful of crunchy granola. And about that heavy cream? Coconut milk, anyone? I’ll report back!
I used 2 Tommy Atkins mangoes, which are larger than the orangey-yellow champagne mangos, which I’d bet would be delicious. I used 2 pounds.
I let the syrup cool in the ice bath while I finished cutting mangos, about 10 more minutes.
Yes, this was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Screaming with creamy mango flavor with an excellent soft consistency on the first day of freezing. Beware that it gets quite hard in the freezer after more than 24 hours. Nothing a short thaw won’t cure to allow you to scoop more of this lovely stuff. I really just liked it plain, but the kids wanted it on sugar cones. I used two Tommy Atkins and one Ataulfo mangos for about 2 pounds before peeling and cutting. After dicing the fruit, I had one pound, 3oz. The fresh flavor is amazing so don’t experiment on your first go, but the weight after dicing may be important for the day I experiment using frozen mangos instead.
I scooped some gelato after 5 hours in the freezer. The gelato near the outside of the container had the perfect not too hard, not too soft consistency, but the center was still quite soft. This may be due to the shape of my container.
Can I replace the water with 3% milk? I’m thinking it might be more creamy. Should I stick with water?
Jasper, I like your inquisitiveness! I would stick with water because you’re using it to make a classic simple syrup. The heavy cream ensures richness.
Made this yesterday and it is amazingly good. So much easier than the egg custard style recipes, and an absolutely fabulous fresh mango taste. I will be making this again and again. Thank you so much for this one!
Jill, excellent! It is a great, simple recipe.
This was an edible dream, a perfect mango dream. I could not believe how well the gelato turned out. Remarkably easy, rich and bright with ripe mango flavor. I was going to sprinkle with a few candied jalapenos, but, why? The yield was a quart, and I look forward to more!
Judith, so happy you enjoyed the gelato. And I like your idea of candied jalapeños. I may have to steal it!
Hang on to your hat! Or, your throat. I used to consider myself a bit of a fire-eater, but it appears that the time has come to consign myself to the medium-spicy realm. Candied jalapenos have spark to spare, and a bonus is the incendiary simply syrup you are left with from the process–you could have a devil of a margarita! Hmm, perhaps you can grind the candied jalapenos to a granular consistency and just dust your gelato with a discreet little touch.
Judith, I love all of your ideas. “A Devil of a margarita.” Ha!
This is not gelato. Gelato uses more milk and less cream than regular ice cream. You have no milk at all in this recipe. Looks delicious but you can’t call it gelato.
Thanks for mentioning this, Bella. Perhaps this would be better referred to as a sorbetto, since it doesn’t contain dairy, however, according to this site, fruit-flavored gelatos do not need to contain dairy and are offered at most gelato shops in Italy.