Indian mango pudding is made by cooking milk, cornstarch and sugar into a light custard, folding in ripe Alphonso pulp and chilling it for four hours. It serves four. Use fresh Alphonso in season or pulp from a tin all year.
Indian mango pudding recipe
We are Powle Home Foods in Mumbai, and we sell Alphonso mangoes and Alphonso mango pulp at AlphonsoMango.in. This is a simple chilled pudding we recommend for ripe Alphonso, because the flesh is non-fibrous and the pulp blends smooth without straining. It serves four and takes about 20 minutes of work plus chilling.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 cup (about 250 g) ripe Alphonso pulp, fresh or from a tin
- 2 cups (500 ml) full-fat milk
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, to taste (ripe Alphonso is already sweet, so start low)
- 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- A pinch of freshly grated jayphal (nutmeg)
- A few saffron strands soaked in 1 tablespoon warm milk (optional)
- Chopped cashews or pistachios, and a spoon of pulp, to serve
Method
- Mix the cornstarch with a quarter cup of the cold milk to make a smooth slurry.
- Warm the rest of the milk with the cardamom over low heat for 5 minutes, then take out the pods.
- Whisk in the slurry and the sugar. Stir without stopping for 6 to 8 minutes, until the milk coats the back of a spoon like thin custard.
- Take it off the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Fold in the saffron milk and nutmeg.
- Fold in the mango pulp once the custard is no longer hot. Hot milk can split when it meets fruit acid, so cool first.
- Pour into glasses or small bowls, cover, and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Serve cold with a spoon of pulp and chopped nuts on top.
Keep the pudding covered in the fridge and eat it within a day or two. Nuts are an allergen, so leave them off the top if anyone at the table is allergic.
No-cook chia mango pudding
If you do not want to cook, use chia seeds as the setting agent. Whisk 3 tablespoons of chia seeds into 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 cup of Alphonso pulp and 1 tablespoon of sugar, and refrigerate overnight. Stir once after 30 minutes so the seeds do not clump. The result is thicker and a little grainy, in a pleasant way.
The pinch of grated jayphal (nutmeg) in the recipe adds warmth that cardamom alone does not. Grate it fresh and use very little; nutmeg is strong, and more is not better. See our chia seeds recipes for other uses of the seed.
Which mango to use: fresh Alphonso or pulp
Use fully ripe fruit. A ripe Alphonso smells sweet at the stalk and gives slightly at the shoulder. Underripe fruit makes a sharp pudding that needs a lot of sugar. The pulp is easy to scoop and does not need straining.
- Fresh Alphonso, in season. Our Ratnagiri Alphonso Mango and Devgad Alphonso Mango are from Rs 1,849 per dozen. They are the same variety under the same GI, and we do not rank one above the other. About two medium mangoes give the cup of pulp this recipe uses.
- Alphonso pulp tin, all year. The Alphonso Mango Pulp Tin comes in 850 g and 3.1 kg, from Rs 590. An 850 g tin covers about three batches of this pudding.
Alphonso is harvested about February to June, with the best supply from March to May, and the 2027 season opens on 1 February 2027. Fresh Alphonso is not sold outside the season. Alphonso from the Ratnagiri and Devgad belt is GI-tagged in India under GI No. 139, and we hold GI Authorised User certificate AU/5974/GI/139/260 (GI No. 139). We source across 55 villages of that belt.
We do not use carbide. Our Alphonso mangoes are ripened naturally on hay beds. Calcium carbide is prohibited for ripening fruit in India under Regulation 2.3.5 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011. We are an FSSAI-licensed seller.
Making it for a crowd, or ahead of time
The recipe doubles without trouble: use two cups of pulp, four cups of milk and six tablespoons of cornstarch, and cook in a wide pan so the custard thickens evenly. Make it the day before a dinner, because the flavour settles and the pudding sets firmer overnight. Pour it into individual glasses rather than one large bowl; it chills faster and looks better on the table.
Take the glasses out of the fridge ten minutes before serving, so the pudding is cold but not stiff. Add the pulp and nuts at the last moment, so they stay bright. For a buffet, set the glasses on a tray of ice in warm weather.
Variations and serving ideas
- Richer: replace a quarter of the milk with fresh cream.
- Dairy-free: use coconut milk in place of cow's milk. The flavour is coastal and works well with mango.
- Layered: alternate custard, pulp and crushed biscuit in a glass for a quick party dessert.
- Lower sugar: skip the sugar if the fruit is very ripe. Mango has natural sugar, and people managing blood sugar should ask their doctor about portions.
- Nuts: top with roasted cashew nuts for crunch.
If you like this, try our other chilled desserts: mango pudding, mango mousse, mango panna cotta and mango dessert recipes.
Troubleshooting a pudding that does not set
- Too runny: the custard was not cooked long enough. Return it to low heat for a few minutes, stir, cool and re-chill before adding more pulp.
- Lumpy: the slurry was not smooth or the heat was too high. Whisk hard, or blend the custard briefly.
- Split or watery: the pulp was added to hot custard. Cool first next time.
- Tastes flat: a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon lift the mango. Add them last, a little at a time.
The ripeness of the fruit changes how much sugar you need, so taste the mixture before it goes into the fridge. Our how to make mango pulp guide explains the pulp step if you are starting from whole fruit.
People also ask
What is Indian mango pudding made of?
Indian mango pudding is made from ripe mango pulp, milk, a setting agent such as cornstarch or chia seeds, and sugar. Cardamom, saffron or grated nutmeg flavour it. Alphonso pulp works well because it is non-fibrous and blends smooth, so the pudding needs no straining and sets with a creamy texture.
What is the recipe for Indian mango pudding?
Cook two cups of milk with three tablespoons of cornstarch, sugar and crushed cardamom until it coats a spoon, then cool for ten minutes. Fold in one cup of ripe Alphonso pulp, pour into glasses and chill for at least four hours. Serve cold with chopped nuts.
Can I use mango pulp for pudding?
Yes. Tinned Alphonso pulp makes a smooth pudding all year, and is the practical choice when fresh Alphonso is out of season. Use one cup of pulp for four servings and cut the sugar if the pulp is already sweetened. Fold it in only after the custard has cooled.
How long does mango pudding last in the fridge?
Keep the pudding covered in the fridge and eat it within a day or two. Use clean spoons and do not leave it out for long in warm weather. The no-cook chia version is best eaten within the same time, as the seeds keep absorbing liquid and the texture thickens further.
Related searches
- Mango pudding recipe
- Mango dessert recipes
- Mango mousse recipe
- Chia seeds recipes
- Alphonso mango pulp tin
- Mango recipes
- Aamras recipe
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia, Alphonso mango.
- Wikipedia, Mango.
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, Regulation 2.3.5 (compendium version of 2 April 2025).
- Geographical Indications Registry of India, public search record for application 379, Devgad Alphonso Mango (merged with application 139), accessed October 2026.
Written by Prashant Powle, founder of AlphonsoMango.in. Last reviewed October 2026.