Are you making a dessert, smoothie, or ice cream recipe that calls for mangos but they aren’t in season or you ran out? No worries, it’s happened to the best of us. And I will let you know the best alternatives for mangos no matter what you are making.
So what are the best substitutes for mangos?
The best flavored fruits to use in place of mango include the following.
- papaya
- nectarine
- peaches
- banana
- cantaloupe
- apricot
- kiwi
- pineapple
You can use almost any fruit but make sure the consistency is similar enough to mango to work in your particular recipe. Read on for more on each mango replacement and how to use them in your recipe.
Mango Alternatives
Papaya
The papaya is a tropical fruit that is shaped like a teardrop. The taste of papaya is similar to the sweet taste of mango. And it also has a refreshing fragrance, like a mango.
You can use a ripe papaya for best flavor. There are many varieties available, but most are pale orange in color. Although some varieties will have red or salmon coloring on the skin and flesh of the fruit, this does not indicate ripeness.
Nectarine
This is a type of peach. It has a texture similar to that of a firm mango, and it has a similar sweet flavor. Nectarines include white-fleshed, yellow-fleshed, red-fleshed, with skin colors ranging from orange to red.
Peach
Peaches can be used as a replacement for mangoes in all recipes. They are available in white, yellow and red flesh. The peach is high in fiber and vitamins A and C.
Banana
The Banana is another tropical fruit that tastes great in mango recipes. It has a crescent shape and is easy to incorporate into most recipes. It is also high in vitamin C.
Cantaloupe
The cantaloupe is a large melon. It has a smooth exterior and a sweet flavor. It is usually available in white, yellow or red flesh. The Cantaloupe is good for making fruits and vegetable purees, and it can be used to make ice cream and popsicles, too.
Apricot
The apricot has a tart taste that blends nicely with mango recipes. The peach-shaped fruit has a smooth skin with a spicy background, so it also makes different fruit and vegetable purees, popsicles and ice creams.
Kiwi
The kiwi is a bright green in color fruit with a soft flesh. It can be served fresh or canned in homemade jams and many popular mango desserts and recipes. The kiwi is ripe when it is slightly soft. An unripe kiwi is quite tart and not suitable as a mango substitute.
Pineapple
Choose organically grown pineapple if possible.
Serve pineapple in fruit salads, as fresh fruit, or canned in desserts and smoothies. To use pineapple in a recipe, you can substitute fresh pineapple or canned pineapple for mango. However the canned pineapple products have added sugar whereas fresh pineapples don’t have sugar content added.
Bottom Line
If you need a mango replacement, use one of these tropical fruits. You can replace mango with any of these tasty fruits in any recipe you want. They’re great alternatives in smoothies, ice cream and so many more recipes!
You can also substitute mango with a mixture of fresh or canned fruit. As long as the consistency, color, and flavor will be in line with the desired recipe.