Mangonada

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A mangonada is a vibrant and delicious drink made with juicy mangoes, chamoy, and chile-lime seasoning. It’s the perfect balance between sweet, sour, spicy, salty, and umami. Try making your very own version at home!

💛 Why you’ll love this recipe

• Quick: You can easily blend up a mangonada in no time! Just throw the ingredients in a blender and layer it with chamoy. That’s all there is to it!
• Refreshing: The unique combination of spicy Tajin, savory-sweet chamoy, and juicy mangoes is incredibly refreshing, especially during hot summer months.
• Customizable: Mangonadas are great for customizing. Feel free to experiment with different flavors and ingredients. The possibilities are endless!
• Versatile: Enjoy this recipe as a drink, paletas (popsicles), shaved ice-style, or even turn leftovers into ice cubes for the next batch!

If you enjoy mangonadas, you should really check out our agua de jamaica, tejuino, cantaritos, and agua de tamarindo.

🥭 What is a mangonada?

A mangonada is a type of frozen drink that is extremely popular all across Mexico. It’s one of those treats that walks the line between a refreshing drink and a satisfying dessert.

Typically, a mangonada is made up of four main components:

• Mangoes
• Chile-lime salt
• Chamoy
• Lime juice

Mango sorbet or frozen mangoes make up the base, chamoy is drizzled in layers throughout, and the top is full of fresh mangoes, chile-lime salt (Tajin), and more drizzles of chamoy.

Mixing all of these colors, flavors, and textures into one cup seems like a lot, but it just works. It’s a perfect balance of sweet, tangy, savory, juicy, and spicy elements.

You can serve it as-is, or elevate the flavors even further by adding a tamarind candy straw (tarugo). Mangonadas are perfect for backyard barbecues and summer afternoons when the weather is hot!

🤔 Mangonada vs chamoyada

A mangonada is a type of chamoyada, which can be made with different fruits. So in this case, we’re making a mango chamoyada!

You may also hear mangonadas called by other names like mangoneadas or chamangos.

Chamoyadas come in various forms — drinks, raspados, popsicles, or fully loaded meal replacements. The drinks are typically served in clear cups, revealing layers of bright colors.

📜 History

The origins of the first true mangonada recipe are largely unknown, but it likely stemmed from experimentation with different shaved ice (raspado) combinations.

With roots in both Rome and East Asia, raspados grew in popularity in Mexico after new ingredients like umeboshi and tamarind were introduced.

In the last few decades, mangonadas and other chamoyadas have become more well-known in the US too. Some speculate it’s due to the uptick in paleterías (Mexican-style popsicle stores) starting up.

Regardless of when or where mangonadas originated, all we know is more of the world needs to try this golden-red beverage.

🌱 Are mangonadas vegan?

You’ll be happy to know mangonadas are a very vegan-friendly beverage! If you are ordering one out, make sure the candy they use is gelatin-free.

🛒 Ingredients & substitutions

• Mango: Use fresh or frozen mangoes, and set some aside to garnish your drink. For our mangonadas, we use the Ataulfo variety, but Tommy Atkins or Kent work too.
• Chamoy: We love homemade chamoy for drizzling and chamoy rim dip for coating the glass. Feel free to use pre-made chamoy to save time. For more information, check out our guide on what exactly chamoy is and how to use it.
• Lime: Use fresh lime juice and adjust it up or down depending on how tangy you like your drink. Lemon juice is a good alternative.
• Chile-lime salt: We typically use Tajin, but you can make your own by combining chile powder, salt, and citric acid.
• Tamarind candy straws: Also known as tarugos or banderillas, they are made from spicy tamarind candy paste wrapped around straws. If you live outside of Mexico, it’s easiest to order tarugos online or check at a Mexican food market.

For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.

📝 How to make a mangonada

Step 1: Prepare the fruit

Prepare all of your garnishes by peeling and cubing the fresh mangoes, adding chile-lime salt to one shallow bowl, and chamoy rim dip to another. If you have a squirt bottle, add some chamoy into it as well to make drizzling the inside of your cups easier!

Step 2: Blend the mango base

Squeeze both limes into a blender. Then, add in frozen mango chunks, water, cane sugar, and ice. Blend on high until you have a smooth consistency, adding in small amounts of water if you need to.

Step 3: Prepare the glasses

Rim your glasses by dipping them in the bowl of chamoy paste followed by chile-lime salt. Add a drizzle of chamoy to the bottom of your cups and around the sides. Add as much or as little chamoy and Tajin as you’d like!

Step 4: Assemble the mangonadas

Divide the frozen mango mixture between cups, then add more chamoy on top. Continue layering until all the cups are full.

Once the cups are almost full, add a handful of fresh or frozen mango cubes to the top (this is optional, but it’s totally worth it)!

Step 6: Add the finishing touches

Garnish your mangonadas with an extra drizzle of chamoy, a sprinkle of Tajin, and a tamarind candy straw. Happy drinking!

If you have questions about how to make a mango chamoyada, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!

🥗 Serving suggestions

Try pairing your frozen chamoyada treat with a warm and crispy antojito like one of these:

• Picaditas: Tender masa cakes topped with green and red salsa, fresh onion, and creamy queso.
• Garnachas: Fried corn discs topped with salsa, jackfruit, and cabbage slaw.
• Sopitos: A crispy masa base loaded with toppings like beans, chorizo, queso, salsa, and cabbage.
• Corundas: Triangular-shaped tamales from Michoacán served with spicy red salsa and crema.
• Sopes: Crispy corn cakes topped with refried beans, fresh veggies, and crumbled vegan queso fresco.
• Jackfruit carnitas: Make a batch of vegan carnitas to serve as tacos with guacamole, salsa, and pickled red onions.

🥤 How to eat a mangonada

Since mangonadas are generally quite thick, you can drink them with a tarugo (tamarind straw), a regular straw, or a spoon. The choice is yours!

🌡️ Storage

If you end up with more mangonada than you can drink, follow these storage tips:

• Fridge: Store your leftover mangonada in the fridge for up to 1 or 2 hours max. Any longer and it will start to melt.
• Freezer: You can make this recipe ahead of time and store it in the freezer for up to 1 month. When you’re ready to serve it, let it thaw for a few minutes then blend it until it’s creamy and smooth again.
• Prep ahead: The easiest way to prep ahead is to cube and freeze the mangoes. Peel, cube, and freeze them in a single layer on a lined baking pan. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container for storage. You can make the chamoy ahead of time too.

Here are a few other clever ways to use up the remaining recipe:

• Paletas: Add the leftover mangonada mix to popsicle molds to make paletas. Store them covered in your freezer.
• Ice cubes: Freeze the rest of the recipe in ice cube trays and blend them with your next mangonada recipe.

♻️ Variations

• Strawberry: Instead of mangoes, try using frozen strawberries instead.
• Pineapple: For a sweet and tropical flavor, swap out mangoes for pineapple.
• Coconut: Blend some coconut milk for a creamy version of the classic mangonada.
• Watermelon: Use frozen watermelon cubes instead of mangoes for a lower calorie version.
• Cucumber: Blend a peeled and seeded cucumber for a refreshing twist.
• Sugar-free: If your mangoes are extra ripe, leave the cane sugar out for a healthier alternative.
• Non-spicy: Leave out the Tajin and for a mild version of a mangonada.
• Extra spicy: Add in hot sauce or more chile-lime seasoning to liven things up.
• Boozy: Try adding your favorite spirit to make it a spiked mangonada. Some of our favorites include mezcal, tequila, rum, or vodka.

🧑‍🍳 Top tips

• Use ripe mangoes: The difference between ripe and unripe mangoes is serious business. Your drink will be way sweeter if you time it right!
• Make the chamoy: We promise your chamoyada will taste much better (and be healthier) if you make your own chamoy.
• Prep before blending: Get your cups ready, mangoes chopped, and Tajin opened so you don’t have a melted drink by the time you’re ready to enjoy it.
• Layer the chamoy: To achieve an even flavor throughout, layer the chamoy in every few tablespoons of the mangonada mix.
• Add more ice: To make a lower-calorie chamoyada and save money on mangoes, swap out some fruit for ice.
• Fresh lime: Freshly squeezed lime juice will yield the best and brightest flavors. Avoid bottled lime juice for this recipe!
• Adjust the sweetness: Taste and adjust the cane sugar before adding it all in. Sometimes, mangoes are very sweet and you may not need the sugar. Other times, you may need to add a little extra.
• Don’t over blend: Over blending your mangonada can lead to a thin and watery drink. Stop blending as soon as everything is smooth and well-combined.
• Serve immediately: To prevent the mangonada from melting or losing its flavor, it’s best to serve it immediately.
• Cube mangoes: Adding freshly cubed mangoes not only provides a nice texture, but it also adds extra sweetness and flavor. Just make sure to use ripe mangoes.

💬 FAQ

🍹 More drink recipes

If you enjoyed this mangonada recipe, check out some of these other fruity and tropical beverages:

• Raspados: Cool and refreshing shaved ice topped with fresh mango syrup.
• Agua de Guayaba: Another type of agua fresca made with creamy and tropical guavas.
• Agua de Sandia: A refreshing mix of watermelon, sweetener, and mint.
• Jugo Verde: A healthy green drink featuring nopales, pineapple, spinach, and more!

Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.