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Mango Bango or Mango Sago Dessert is the dessert you didn’t know you needed! It’s a creamy coconut milk-based pudding with tapioca pearls, coconut jelly, and freshly diced mangoes—the most delightful spoonable dessert!
If only it was mango season year-round!
Maybe it’s my Asian roots, but I honestly could eat a mango a day and never get tired of it.
Especially when said mango is diced up and put on top of a cup of the most delicious condensed milk-sweetened coconut tapioca pudding, studded with coconut jelly pieces and, of course, bursting at the seams with extra-sweet mango cubes.
Mango Bango, aka Mango Sago, is sure to become your new favorite dessert!
Ingredients for Mango Sago
- Tapioca Pearls: You can use mini sago or small tapioca pearls for this recipe. Larger tapioca pearls would also work, but the pudding is much easier to eat when the pearls are on the smaller side. You can purchase small tapioca pearls online here.
- Mangoes: For this recipe, you’ll want fresh mangoes. Manila mangoes are a common variety used for this recipe. However, they can be hard to find in the United States unless you visit an Asian specialty store. For this reason, Honey mangoes or Champagne mangoes are your best option. Honey mangoes are very similar to Manila mangoes!
- Nata de Coco: This is a chewy coconut food product made with fermented coconut water. It has a jelly-like texture that adds a nice variation to this mango tapioca pudding. You can find coconut gel in most Asian specialty stores or order it online here.
- Milk products: You can certainly play around with the type of base you like to use for this recipe. I usually like a blend of full-fat coconut milk (or I’ll use a big dollop of coconut cream) and then thin the pudding out with half and half. I’ve seen this dessert made with evaporated milk and a combination of coconut milk. All this to say, you can certainly make this your own! Dairy-free and vegan friends – use soy half and half with coconut milk and this dairy-free condensed milk to make this recipe.
- Condensed Milk: provides the sweetness in this recipe. Feel free to use regular condensed milk or a nondairy variety. I suggest using condensed milk rather than sugar, as the water content of sugar thins out the pudding too much. Condensed milk provides the sweetness while keeping the mango bango at the right consistency!
Tips for Success!
Have leftover condensed milk and looking for ways to use it? Try these recipes: Classic Banana Pudding, Coconut Popsicles, Lemon Squares, Key Lime Pie Bars, and Homemade Fudge.
How to make Mango Bango
- Prepare the tapioca. Start by adding a few cups of water to a sauce pan. Add the tapioca pearls and let them cook for 10 minutes or medium-high heat until they come to a boil. Stir the tapioca pearls frequently to that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Then remove the pot of heat, cover with a tight fitting lid and let the pearls sit for 15 minutes. This will allow the rest of the pearls to plump up.
- Dice the mango. While the tapioca is resting, peel the mangoes with a peeler then remove the smooth flesh from the mango. Dice into small cubes.
- Rinse the tapioca. This is the part where we take out most of the starch from the tapioca. Gently drain the tapiocain a colander and rinse under cold water. You want to wash away the excess starch so that you are left with jus the pearls. Keep washing until the pearls start to take a spearicle shape, the water starts to run clear, and the pearls are room temperature.
- Make mango bango. Transfer the tapioca pearls to a big bowl. Add the coconut get, coconut milk, half and half, and condensed milk. Stir to combine. You’ll want to taste the mixture to see if it needs to be sweeter. Add more condensed milk as desired to sweeten it to your preference.
- Cool down the mango sago. Once the pudding it to your liking, stir in the mango mixture and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dessert chill in the refrigerator for several hours before serving! This is the idea make ahead dessert!
- Serve it up. Serve mango sago in your favorite dessert cups once cooled! Top with mango chunks, mint sprig, or coconut flakes for a bit of garnish!
FAQs about this recipe
Mango Bango or Mango Sago is a popular dessert made with tapioca pearls, nata de coco, cream, and diced ripe mangoes.
There are claims that it originated in Hong Kong from a popular restaurant called Lei Garden. It is also said to have South African roots and is a popular Filipino dessert.
Sago or tapioca pearls do not have much of a flavor of their own, but rather they take on the flavor of the liquid they are suspended in. The texture is lightly chewy and delightful.
If you like this dessert, you might also like:
- Berry Fruit Salad with Mangoes
- Creamy and Sweet Mango Lassi
- Sweet and Tangy Green Thai Mango Salad
- Mangonadas ( Mango Sorbet with Chamoy)
- Tropical Breakfast Smoothie Bowl
Mango Bango (or Mango Sago Dessert)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup tapioca pearls see notes
- 2 cups mangoes diced
- 1 10.5 ounce Nata de Coco (coconut gel) drained
- 1 14 ounce coconut milk full fat
- 1 cup half and half
- ¾-1 cup condensed milk
Instructions
- TAPIOCA: Add 4 cups of water to a saucepan along with the tapioca pearls and bring to a boil, once boiling, cook for 8-10 minutes (see note) on medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Lower the heat if the tapioca starts to boil too rapidly. Remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
- MANGOES: While the tapioca rests, peel the mangoes using a peeler. Remove the smooth flesh and dice the mango into small cubes.
- DRAIN: the tapioca in a strainer and run under cold running water until the tapioca cools to room temperature. And most of the starch drains away. You’ll notice the tapioca pearls take shape once the excess starch drains from the strainer.
- COMBINE: In a large bowl, coconut gel, cooled tapioca pearls, ¾ cup coconut milk, half and half, and condensed milk. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust with 1-4 more tablespoons of condensed milk to taste. Stir in the mango pieces.
- COOL IT DOWN: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally 6-8 hours, so that the mango bango thickens.
- SERVE: In bowls or dessert glasses, once cooled; enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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