If you’ve been following along lately, you already know I’ve essentially turned into an ice cream factory this summer. It has been relentlessly, aggressively hot, and at this point making homemade vegan ice cream has become less of a hobby and more of a survival strategy. Last week it was peanut butter. This week it’s mango. I have no regrets and I will not be taking questions.
This one is even easier than the last, which I didn’t think was possible, but here we are. Three ingredients in a blender, one thing stirred in at the end, done. If you can operate a blender and open a can of coconut flakes, you can make this ice cream. I’m including myself in that category on a hot day when the motivation to do anything more complicated simply does not exist.
The base is mango yogurt, dates, and banana — that’s it. The dates bring natural sweetness and that slightly caramel-y depth that makes everything taste a bit more considered than it actually is, and the banana does its usual trick of creating a creamy, scoopable texture without needing a churner. The mango yogurt carries most of the tropical flavor, and honestly it’s more intense than you’d expect — properly fruity and bright, not the watered-down mango flavor you sometimes get from store-bought ice creams that list mango about seventh on the ingredient list.
The coconut flakes stirred in at the end are non-negotiable as far as I’m concerned. They add a little chew and crunch that breaks up the creaminess and leans even further into the tropical thing. It makes the whole thing feel a bit like a piña colada decided to become an ice cream, which is exactly the energy I want in July.
I do want to be transparent about one thing: I made this with mango yogurt rather than fresh mango because it was extremely hot, I was extremely lazy, and the yogurt was already in the fridge. I am almost certain this would be even better with fresh or frozen mango blended in — more texture, more intensity, more of that bright mango flavor that you only really get from the fruit itself. I will absolutely be trying that version. Just not today. Today I needed ice cream in the fastest way possible, and this delivered.
Same rules as always apply: it will freeze hard, so give it ten to twenty minutes on the counter before you try to scoop it. And if you somehow manage to exercise patience and wait the full freezing time before eating it, you are a stronger person than I am.
Tropical Mango Ice Cream
Print RecipeIngredients
Instructions
- Add the mango yogurt, pitted Medjool dates, and ripe bananas to a blender.
- Blend until completely smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Stir in the coconut flakes.
- Transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe container and smooth the top.
- Freeze for 4–6 hours, or until firm.
- Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 10–20 minutes before scooping, as it will freeze quite hard.
- Scoop and enjoy!
