This Mango Juice Recipe (Green Mango Juice) is a traditional Pakistani recipe made with unripe sour mangoes. Usually batch-made and enjoyed throughout summer, this recipe requires very few ingredients and minimal effort to put together.
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This juice, also known as Kairi ka Sharbat, is one of many homemade refreshing juices that are popular in Pakistan and India. Long hot summers and a plethora of fresh summer produce pave the way for tamarind juice, lemonade-recipe-with-mint, this mango juice recipe, and many others.
Many of these beverages are now easy to source in grocery stores. However, when I was growing up in Pakistan, you made it at home if you wanted to enjoy fruit juice. I like to follow that tradition and use the month of Ramadan to batch and prepare all the juices I remember my mother making for us all.
For another delicious Ramadan mango recipe, try my mango milkshake (4-ingredient Pakistani recipe).
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Is this Juice or Nectar?
There are many variations of this recipe that you will come across. This is my mother's recipe and how I grew up enjoying mango juice. More of a nectar, versus a juice, it has a longer freezer life and is a great recipe to batch.
The original version enjoyed during my childhood was a little more sour as the raw mangoes, known as "Kairi" are more green, sour, and firm than the mangoes I can source in the USA. However, although the color of my juice is more yellow than the one I remember, the addition of lemon and chaat masala helped create the perfect flavor profile.
Why you'll love this mango juice recipe
- Only 3 primary ingredients - Mangoes, sugar, and lemon are all you need to make the juice. All the other spices and herbs are optional add-ins to enhance the flavor.
- No juicer needed - A blender, food processor, or immersion blender will work to make the juice. No fancy kitchen gadgets are required for this recipe.
- No additives & preservatives - This juice is as fresh as it gets, the lemon juice and sugar act as natural preservatives, so nothing artificial is needed.
- Pairs perfectly with spicy food - Sweet and refreshing, this juice is perfect to take the edge off spicy snacks like aloo pakora, aloo chaat, or sweet corn masala chaat.
Ingredients for the mango juice recipe
- Mangoes - Depending on where you reside and what is available to you, here are my recommendations for the best mangoes for this recipe; Pakistani Varieties – Langra, Chanusa, or Anwar Ratol; Indian Mangoes – Alphonso or Kesar; Mexican Varieties – Ataulfo, Honey or Champagne. Check out the Mango Board website for more information on the best mangoes to use for this recipe.
- Simple syrup - This is a mixture of sugar and water that have been cooked together. Detailed instructions on how to make this are in the recipe card.
- Lemons - These help keep the mangoes from browning, add flavor, and are also a natural preservative.
- Chaat masala - This is a spice blend made of ingredients like cumin, amchur powder, and black salt to name a few. It works as a delicious flavor enhancer in this recipe but is not essential.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
Substitutions & variations
- Mix in another fruit - Make this a blend by adding other seasonal fruits. Pineapple, orange, and passion fruit are some suggestions.
- Use coconut water - Use coconut water versus plain water to fortify the juice.
- Make it a mocktail - Add some sparkling water or soda to make this a refreshing mocktail.
- Turn it into a slushie - Blend it with some ice and enjoy it as a slushie on a hot day.
- Substitute the sugar - Use honey, agave, or even some brown sugar instead of regular sugar. Just be aware that brown sugar can change the color of the juice a little.
- Try different add-ins - Add some ginger, crushed mint leaves, or basil seeds to this recipe instead of, or in addition to the chaat masala.
Step-by-step instructions
First step - Start with raw green mangoes that are firm to the touch. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, place the mangoes in a roasting pan, and bake for 20 minutes.
Second step - The baking process will change the color of the mangoes, but the taste should still be sour. As the mangoes cool to room temperature you will see them shrivel up a little bit.
Third step - Once cooled, you’ll find that the pulp is so soft that the skin just peels off.
Fourth step - Remove all the pulp and discard the skin and pits.
Fifth step - Blend all of the pulp in a food processor till you have a smooth consistency.
Sixth step - Prepare a simple syrup and add this blended mango mixture to it. Mix the two well, using an immersion blender if needed.
Seventh step - To freeze the concentrate, I highly recommend using Soupercubes. I freeze the concentrate in ½ cup and 1 cup blocks and then mix these with water as needed to make the mango juice.
Eighth step - Once I’m ready to serve my fresh mango juice, I add the concentrate to a glass, and mix it with some water, chaat masala, and ice.
Expert Tips
- Add the lemon Juice - This helps prevent oxidation and discoloration so your juice won't discolor. In addition to this, lemon juice is a natural preservative that, along with the sugar extends the life of the mango juice in your freezer.
- Adjust the sugar - The mangoes you source may be more, or less, sour than the ones I used for this recipe. Adjust the sugar as needed based on this and your personal preference.
- Batch the juice - With a long freezer life, this recipe is ideal for batching. It barely takes 10 extra minutes to extract the pulp from a larger quantity of mangoes, making it well worth the effort.
Recipe FAQS
The mango juice can be refrigerated for up to 5 days and frozen for up to 3 months. I freeze the concentrate in portions in airtight containers, defrost the quantity needed, and then just add water and the add-ins and garnish.
Raw, green mangoes have thick skin and hard pulp. Once roasted, the skin peels right off and the pulp is very easy to remove. Also, the fibers don’t need to be strained and removed, simplifying the whole process. A quick pulse in the blender yields a smooth mango puree which is then mixed with a simple syrup and some lemon juice. The delicious mango concentrate is now preserved and has a long shelf life.
A nectar is pureed fruit mixed with sugar, while a juice is a strained mixture that has no pulp or fibers in it. This recipe is for nectar.
Other mango recipes you may like
For more Pakistani recipes like this, check out 20 popular Pakistani recipes. If you decide to try this recipe, Please don't forget to leave a rating and comment below! If you take a picture then tag me on Instagram! Thank You!
Mango Juice Recipe (Green Mango Juice)
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Ingredients
- 20 mangoes (see notes)
- 2 lemons (see notes)
- 2 teaspoon chaat masala (see notes)
- 8 cups water
Simple Syrup
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
Glass Rim
- ½ lemon
- 2 teaspoon tajin
- 4 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Place the mangoes on a baking sheet or roasting pan and bake for 20 minutes.
- Cool the mangoes to room temperature and then peel and remove the pulp.
- Squeeze the lemon juice on the mango pulp.
- Puree this mixture in a food processor, blender or using an immersion blender.
- Prepare the simple syrup. (see notes)
- Blend the pulp with the simple syrup.
- Mix ½ cup pulp with water, ice, and ½ teaspoon chaat masala and serve in a rimmed glass. (see notes)
- Freeze the remaining mango juice concentrate for future use.
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