This *surprisingly healthy given how decadent it tastes* mangonada is cool, refreshing, sweet, smokey, and a little spicy! Enjoy this on a hot day or to spice up (literally) your morning smoothie ritual. It’s packed with nutrients,  naturally sweetened by all the delicious fruit and has virtually no fat!

Jump to Recipe

I like to delve deep into recipes, making everything from scratch – but feel free to make it easier by buying chamoy sauce or tamarind candy straws or follow along on this fun culinary journey with me!

I had my first mangonada when I went to Mexico with my mom for a month as a kid to learn Spanish. Along with sliced mango with lime and chili powder, I saw people walking around with this vibrant bright drink I learned was called a mangonada. I had to try it. After I did, I would always beg my mom to get me one whenever I’d see the fruit carts on the street. 

I recently tried to do a cleanse where I only ate fruits and vegetables. I found my options to be pretty limited. But then I remembered the delicious mangonadas I used to love as a kid and thought I’d try to make a wholesome version of it.

Traditionally, the vegan mango smoothie base is sweetened with white sugar and both the chamoy and tamarind straw are made with sugar, artificial flavors, dyes, and preservatives. In the spirit of wanting to put beneficial rather than harmful substances into my body, I thought I could make a wholesome alternative while still capturing the delicious essence of the drink. 

I made this recipe totally scalable to your possible skill and effort level. Keep it simple by just making the smoothie only (which is delicious on its own) or you can go all the way with it and make your own chamoy and tamarind straw or buy. It’s totally up to you how much you wanna get into this and how much time you’ve got to play with it. 

What’s in a mangonada?

Tamarind Straw: Sticky tamarind fruit and coconut sugar combine to form this sweetened candy straw rolled in chili powder. Sweet, smoky, tangy, delicious. I’m obsessed with tamarind fruit. It looks like some type of legume on the outside but when you finally break away the outer shell and veins, a deliciously sticky, sour and delicately sweet exotic tasting fruit reveals itself. Whenever I eat Indian food, I love putting tamarind chutney on everything to bring out a complex dimension of flavor. The tamarind has a similar effect on this vegan mango smoothie.  

Vegan mango Smoothie: Frozen mango, orange juice, lime. Very simple, very flavorful. 

Chamoy Sauce: Sweet, smokey, bright red apricot chile sauce. This pairs so beautifully with the mango. I’d drink this stuff (not really), but it’s SUPER good in this. This is my take on chamoy sauce. Its a little different texturally and in flavor than the store-bought version, but I think it tastes better and it’s packed with way more health benefits.  

Mangonada Ingredients

Mango: Mangos are just as healthy as they are delicious! High in fiber and vitamins A and C. Packed with antioxidants and a surprising source of calcium!  Growing up my grandma would always give me mango when I had insomnia. It would always help fix my sleep cycle. In this recipe, I use fresh and frozen mango. You can buy bags of frozen mango or cut fresh mango and freeze it yourself. Make sure the mango is frozen for at least 6 hours or overnight to create that deliciously refreshing slushie-like texture. 

Orange Juice: Hydrating and as you probably know, very high in vitamin C that helps with immune function. Lesser known is its anti-inflammatory properties. The orange juice adds extra sweetness to the tart mango. 

Apricot: Instead of apricot jam which most homemade chamoy recipes call for, I used fresh apricots for extra nutrients and freshness. Dried apricots provide a thicker texture and are still packed with nutrients as well. If you can, try to find a brand that’s sundried and free from preservatives like sulfur dioxide for maximum health benefits. 

Maple Syrup: Don’t be afraid of natural sugar! Maple syrup is loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Chili Powder: Brings a smokey spiciness to this smoothie that contrasts with the sweetness of the mango and apricot so nicely.   

Variations: 

Feel free to play around with this recipe and make it your own. 

You can try to use pineapple juice instead of orange or top your mangonada with a blend of different fruits. 

You can try using different fruit in the chamoy too, such as fresh and dried pineapple.  

Try rimming your glass with sugar or coarse salt  instead of chili powder. 

(Definitely not in the health-focused spirit of this blog but this would taste delicious with some tequila in it, just sayin’. ) 

Ingredients: 

Tamarind Straw:

Tamarind 

Coconut Sugar 

Maple syrup

Water 

Mango Smoothie: 

Frozen Mango 

Orange Juice 

Lime Juice 

Chamoy Sauce 

Fresh apricot 

Sun Dried apricot 

Dried chile moritas or other varieties dried chiles 

Maple syrup

Lime juice  

Chili Powder 

Directions: 

Tamarind Straw 

First, assemble your straw to give it enough time to set while you make the rest of your smoothie. 

Start by peeling a handful of fresh tamarind (about 2 pods). This fruit looks intimidating but its actually pretty easy to peel. Crush the whole pod and gently peel off the hard outer shell. Then de-vein it by pulling the white strands off. The hard seeds inside are the trickiest part, and in my experience, it’s easier just to leave them in and pick them out later or just leave it as is. When I was in Mexico and had tamarindo candies, many times the seeds would still be left in.

Place fresh tamarind and water into a small saucepan over medium-high heat stirring and breaking down pods until a paste forms. Scoop out and reserve the paste in a separate dish. In the same saucepan, add in the coconut sugar, maple syrup, and water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiled, stir back in the tamarind paste, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens substantially (about 3-5 minutes). 

Pour into a long slender jar (something like a salad dressing cruet) and let cool slightly. 

Next, dip a reusable (for health and environmental reasons) straw into melted tamarind candy. Let cool for a couple of minutes. 

On a plate or cutting board shake some red chili powder. Gently roll each straw into the spice mixture until fully coated. 

Freeze while you make the rest of the mangonada.

Your tamarind straw will have more of a caramel texture than hard candy. If you freeze it while you make the rest of the mangonada, it should be pretty firm while you sip. However, on a hot day, it may get a little drippy. I personally love the sweet, sour and spicy sticky sauce combined with the chopped mango on top, so I embrace it when this happens. 

Depending on how many tamarind straws you want to make, you will likely have extra tamarind candy paste.  This is necessary to have enough mixture to fill the jar enough to evenly coat the straw. With my extra tamarind sauce, I like to reheat it, thin it out a bit and add a little cumin, ginger, and hot sauce and then drizzle it on Indian food as a homemade tamarind chutney. As I’m typing this I just thought about making a mangonada / mango lassi hybrid, and instead of coating the tamarind straw in chili powder, coat it instead in garam masala. Whatcha think?

Chamoy Sauce: 

Start off by soaking dried apricots and dried chile in water. I have a pretty high powered blender so I only soaked them for a few minutes but if your blender isn’t as powerful, I’d recommend soaking for up to 30 minutes. 

In a high-speed blender combine soaked apricot and chiles, fresh apricot, water, chili powder lime juice, and salt until very smooth. 

** Feel free to play with the spiciness and sweetness of this chamoy sauce recipe. You can make it less spicy by reducing the amount of chili powder or omitting the dried chile. It’s pretty sweet as is, but you can also add some maple syrup for sweetness and texture if you’d like. 

Mango Smoothie: 

Combine orange juice, frozen mango, and lime juice in a large high–speed blender (I use a Vitamix). If you have one, use a tamper to break down the fruit easier or alternatively stop and scrape down sides if necessary. 

*depending on frozenness of mango and blender quality, more liquid may be needed. Add more orange juice until you reach desired consistency. 

How to assemble a Mangonada  

Dip the rim of your glass in fresh lime juice and then in a small dish filled with chili powder. 

Tilt the glass to the side and spoon in the chamoy mixture, turning the glass as you do so to create streaks of chamoy around the glass. 

Tilt the glass to the side and sprinkle chili powder or tajin inside the glass. 

Fill glass with mango orange smoothie mixture. 

Top with fresh diced mango, more chamoy and more chile powder. 

Insert your tamarind candy straw and sip up! 

This is best enjoyed right away given the frozen elements. It can be stored in the fridge for a day or so but it will congeal and get thick. If you need to save it for later add a little water or orange juice to it before enjoying and possibly re-blend it with some more frozen mango. 

If you’re craving some other cool and refreshing recipes check out my Vegan Caramel Banana Cashew Butter Milkshake or my Rose Golden-Milk Vegan Smoothie Bowl.

Let me know in the comments below what you think of this mangonada recipe! I’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, or modifications! Take a picture of your mangonada and tag me on Instagram @wholesomehedonista.

Nutrition Notes: Serving Size: 1 Mangonada. Total servings: 2. Calories per serving: 294. Fat: 1.3g. Carbs: 71.9g. Fiber: 3.5g. Sugars: 62.8g. Protein: 3.3g.

*As an Amazon Associate, I do earn a small commission for products purchased through the links I’ve provided. I only link to products I’ve used and love!