Mango-Greek Yogurt-Strawberry "Lassi" Popsicle

Fruity, sweet, creamy, refreshing and healthy summer treat brimming over with flavors of fresh mangoes and roasted cardamom.. Yum!

Did I ever tell you that I got this "DIY Popsicle" bug for more than a year now. And, I finally decided to take the plunge. Summer is here and what is more satisfying than a cold home-made popsicle on a hot sunny day? Ah.. home-made popsicles.. can the deal get any sweeter?!

Growing up, each one of us will have memories of running behind the ice-cream truck, chasing it down the street to enjoy these frozen treats. Fast forward to today and not much has changed. Today, my little one's faces light up too, just like me, at the sight of ice-cream shop or an ice-cream truck. Unfortunately, treats today are chock-full of over-processed sugar, harmful food additives & preservatives.

Not to worry... with home-made treats like this, things are totally different.. every single ingredient in this recipe is simple, fresh and straight-forward. Just blend up some fresh fruits along with greek-yogurt, flavor with some spices, pour into molds and freeze. As you can see, there are no additives of any sort plus the recipe is so darn easy. Trust me, your kids are gonna love these "real fruit" frozen treats like never before!

Lassi is a popular yogurt-based drink from India and sweet lassi is a form of lassi, where yogurt, sugar and occasionally, fruit pulp & spices are blended into one thick & creamy drink. Of all, mango lassi is gaining popularity in the Western world.

And, this recipe is "Mango Lassi in a stick", well more or less...especially roasted cardamom just brightens up the flavor. In place of regular yogurt, I have used greek yogurt for it is healthy, thick & creamy - gives a nice, rich texture to the popsicles. I have used negligible amount of sugar, but you can always add more sugar or sugar substitutes if your fruits aren't very sweet.

Just to give my popsicles some perspective, I also have a plain greek-yogurt "white" layer flavored with cardamom and a strawberry-greek yogurt "red" layer flavored with vanilla extract. But, it's totally up to you to get more creative and play with the colors & flavors. This recipe can be easily expanded for bigger batches.

Mangoes are in season now. Give this recipe a try and fall in love with this healthy treat!

Basic Info

Complexity - Simple

Prep time - 20 mins

Freeze time - 6-8 hrs

Serves - 6 popsicles

Ingredients

Yellow Layer

1 Mango, cubed

3 tbsp Greek Yogurt 

2 tbsp Sugar or as needed

Powdered Green Cardamom - to taste

White Layer

6 Oz unflavored Greek Yogurt

3 tbsp Sugar or as needed

3 tbsp Milk

Powdered Green Cardamom - to taste

Red Layer

1 cup of chopped Strawberries

3 tbsp Greek Yogurt 

2 tbsp Sugar or as needed

Vanilla Extract - to taste

Method
Dry roast 6 cardamom pods until roasted and fragrant. Let it cool a bit, remove the seeds and crush them into fine powder.

Blend cubes of mango, greek yogurt, sugar, powdered cardamom until smooth and creamy. I got about a cup of mango layer.

Blend greek yogurt, milk, sugar, powdered cardamom until smooth and creamy. I got about a cup of yogurt layer.

Blend chopped strawberries, greek yogurt, sugar, vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. I got about a cup of strawberry layer.

Spoon them into popsicle molds in alternating layers. Put the stick on and freeze them for 6-8 hrs. Enjoy!