As the dry season gives way to the monsoon season in Southeast Asia, we get more mangoes that are sold while still green and unripe. It’s too late to leave them to ripen in the trees where they will rot and fall if left exposed to days and nights of torrential rains. For us, that means it’s the season for green mango juice.

The amount of sugar is unspecified for a good reason. How much sugar you need to create a good balance with the tartness of unripe mango depends on how unripe the fruit is.
Very unripe mango, with flesh the shade of the lightest green, is more tart than one that has started to soften and turn yellow-green. At the same time, because you need to add water to the shaved green mangoes to process them into a puree in the blender, the tartness will be diluted too by the amount of water you use.
So, my suggestion is that you add a minimal amount of sugar when you start processing. Add more only as needed.
Green Mango Juice
Recipe by
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 4 green mangoes peeled and stones discarded
- sugar
- ice
Instructions
- Cut the mango flesh into small pieces to give the blender an easier time to puree it.
- Dump the cut mangoes into the blender. Add two tablespoons of sugar. Pour in a cup of water.
- Pulse the blender a few times to start the pureeing process. If the motor gets stuck, add a little more water, no more than two tablespoons at a time. Turn up the speed and process the mangoes until the mixture is smooth.
- Taste the green mango juice. Add more sugar if it is too tart. Pulse a few times to blend in any sugar added. Repeat until you get the desired sweet-tangy balance (see notes after the recipe).
- Drop ice cubes into flour glasses.
- Pour the green mango juice into the glasses and serve immediately.