Amrakhand (also called aamrakhand, mango shrikhand, or aam shrikhand) is hung curd blended with ripe Alphonso mango pulp, saffron, cardamom, and sugar. Hang 500 g full-fat curd overnight, whisk with pulp from two ripe Hapus mangoes, chill for one hour, serve cold.
· Alphonso season: February to June (peak March to May)
What is amrakhand?
Amrakhand is the mango version of shrikhand: thick hung curd (chakka) combined with ripe mango pulp, sugar, saffron strands, and ground cardamom. It is a traditional summer dessert in Maharashtra and Gujarat, where it is served after a meal or alongside puris. The Marathi word for shrikhand is shigran; the Gujarati equivalent is shikran or shikrani. Add Alphonso pulp and it becomes amrakhand or aamrakhand.
Shrikhand has ancient roots in the subcontinent. The mango variant came naturally once Konkan orchards began producing Alphonso at scale.
The reason Alphonso dominates every serious amrakhand recipe is simple: its pulp is almost completely fibre-free, dissolves into chakka without forming threads, and carries enough flavour intensity (Brix 18 to 24° at peak ripeness) to come through even after mixing with full-fat dairy. Totapuri is too tart. Langra leaves fibres. Kesar is the next-best option when Alphonso is not in season.
Buy Ratnagiri Alphonso Mango Online
Ratnagiri Alphonso Mango (GI Tagged) – Authentic Hapus Aam
₹1,849 – ₹5,399 by grade
Not available right now · season February to June (peak March to May)
Original Devgad Alphonso Mango (Export Quality Devgad Hapus) Order Now
₹1,849 – ₹5,499 by grade
Not available right now · season February to June (peak March to May)
Amrakhand — quick answer for one bowl (serves 4)
Hang 500 g full-fat curd in muslin overnight (6 to 8 hours minimum). Blend pulp from two ripe Alphonso mangoes. Soak 8 to 10 saffron strands in two tablespoons of warm milk for 10 minutes. Combine chakka, pulp, 4 to 5 tablespoons powdered sugar, saffron milk, and half a teaspoon cardamom powder. Whisk smooth. Refrigerate one hour. Serve chilled.
Active prep: 10 minutes. Drain time: 6 to 8 hours. Chill time: 1 hour. Serves: 4. Shelf life: 2 days refrigerated.
Ingredients
Core ingredients
- 500 g full-fat curd (for chakka)
- 2 ripe Alphonso mangoes or 150 ml Alphonso mango pulp
- 4 to 5 tablespoons powdered sugar (adjust to taste)
- 8 to 10 saffron strands
- ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder
- 2 tablespoons whole milk (to bloom saffron)
Optional toppings
- Chopped cashew nuts
- Slivered almonds or crushed pistachios
- Fresh mango cubes
How to hang curd for amrakhand (chakka method)
This step is where most home cooks go wrong. Skimping on drain time produces watery amrakhand. The mango pulp thins it further, and you end up with something closer to a smoothie than a dessert.
- Line a colander with clean muslin cloth. Double-layer the cloth if it is thin.
- Pour in 500 g full-fat curd. Low-fat curd will not give you firm enough chakka. Do not substitute.
- Tie the cloth and hang it over a deep bowl. Do this inside the refrigerator, not at room temperature. At room temperature the curd can turn sour in Indian summers, especially in cities like Chennai or Nagpur where ambient heat above 34°C accelerates fermentation.
- Leave overnight — 8 hours minimum, 10 hours is better. Six hours produces chakka that is still slightly loose. If you are making amrakhand for guests, start the night before.
- Check the chakka. Lift the cloth and press gently. It should feel like thick cream cheese: firm, not crumbly. The whey in the bowl should be mostly clear.
The whey you drain off is not waste. Use it in dough for rotis or add it to a dal. It carries protein and probiotics.
Step-by-step amrakhand recipe
- Bloom the saffron. Warm two tablespoons of whole milk to roughly 40°C, warm enough to feel on your wrist but not scalding. Drop in 8 to 10 saffron strands. Leave for 10 minutes. The milk turns deep amber. This step releases crocin, the compound responsible for saffron's colour and a good portion of its aroma. Skip it and add dry strands directly, and you get occasional yellow streaks rather than even colour throughout.
- Prepare the mango pulp. Peel and deseed two ripe Alphonso mangoes. Blend the pulp smooth in a small blender or use an immersion blender in a tall jar. You want roughly 150 ml of pulp. If the mangoes are Devgad-sourced and fully ripe, the pulp will already be the colour of turmeric. No food colouring needed, and none should be added.
- Combine in a cold bowl. Before you start, refrigerate your mixing bowl for 15 minutes. A cold bowl keeps the chakka stable during whisking and prevents it from warming up and becoming loose. Combine the chakka, mango pulp, saffron milk, powdered sugar, and cardamom powder.
- Whisk until smooth and uniform. A hand whisk takes about 2 to 3 minutes of steady work. A stand mixer on low does it in 45 seconds. Either way, stop when the colour is even and the texture is glossy. Do not over-whisk — the chakka can become grainy if you go too long.
- Add sugar last, taste, adjust. The natural sweetness of the Alphonso varies by week. Fruit picked in late March is slightly less sweet than fruit from the peak April window. Taste before adding the full measure of sugar. Sometimes three tablespoons is enough.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour. This is not optional. The chill firms the texture, deepens the saffron colour, and allows the cardamom to permeate the chakka evenly. Serve straight from the refrigerator.
- Plate and top. Spoon into small earthen bowls if you have them. The clay keeps the amrakhand cold for longer at the table. Add a small mango cube, a pinch of crushed pistachio, and one more saffron strand on top. Done.
Which mango makes the best amrakhand?
The mango determines the outcome more than any other variable. Here is an honest comparison.
| Parameter | Ratnagiri Alphonso | Devgad Alphonso | Kesar (Gir) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brix at ripeness | 18 to 24° | 18 to 24° (typically upper range) | 18 to 24° |
| Season window | Late March to May | April to June | April to June |
| Pulp texture | Butter-cream, minimal fibre | Butter-cream, minimal fibre | Smooth, saffron-coloured |
| GI certification | GI No. 139 | GI No. 139 | Separate GI (No. 185) |
| Best use in amrakhand | Intense sweetness, deep colour | Slightly higher yield, equally sweet | Good aroma, milder sweetness |
Ratnagiri Alphonso arrives slightly earlier in the season, from late March depending on the harvest in villages like Pawas, Nachane, and Golap. Devgad fruit, from talukas across Sindhudurg, peaks in April and May. In practice, both produce excellent amrakhand. Our repeat-order data from over 47,000 customers shows Mumbai households lean toward Devgad; north India leans Ratnagiri.
Kesar is the right fallback when Alphonso is not available. Its pulp is smooth and the natural saffron hue means your amrakhand looks stunning with very little effort. It is just perceptibly milder in flavour. Fine for most palates, but you notice the difference if you have made it with Hapus before.
Totapuri and Langra: do not bother. Both have fibrous pulp that does not blend smoothly into chakka.
If you want GI-certified Alphonso delivered to your door, the Ratnagiri Alphonso Mango (GI Tagged) — Authentic Hapus Aam and the Original Devgad Alphonso Mango (Export Quality Devgad Hapus) are available between February and June (peak March to May). Outside that window, fresh Alphonso simply does not exist. We will not dispatch it, and no honest seller should.
How to make amrakhand with mango pulp (off-season method)
When fresh Alphonso is not at hand, outside the March to June window, good-quality Alphonso mango pulp is a reasonable substitute. The method is identical to the fresh-fruit version.
- Prepare chakka as described above.
- Measure 150 ml of Alphonso pulp from the pack.
- Combine chakka, pulp, powdered sugar, saffron milk, and cardamom powder.
- Whisk smooth. Taste and adjust sugar.
- Chill for one hour. Serve topped with nuts.
Pulp gives more consistent colour and uniform texture. That is its main advantage. But it lacks the slight floral top-note that fresh Alphonso carries, a scent that fills the kitchen when you peel the fruit, and that note carries through to the finished amrakhand. Made with pulp, the dessert is good. Made with fresh Hapus in April, it is in a different category entirely.
How to make vegan amrakhand
Replace dairy curd with full-fat coconut milk yoghurt or cashew curd. The hanging process is identical: muslin cloth, overnight in the refrigerator. Coconut yoghurt chakka is slightly softer than dairy chakka. Add one extra tablespoon of powdered sugar to balance the coconut's neutral base flavour. Soak saffron in warm water instead of milk.
Honest limitation: vegan amrakhand lacks the slight tang of dairy shrikhand. That tang is structural to the authentic flavour, the counterpoint to the mango's sweetness. The vegan version is pleasant. It is not the same dessert. Worth knowing before you serve it to someone who grew up eating the traditional version.
Variants of mango shrikhand
- Kesar amrakhand: Kesar mango pulp instead of Alphonso. Naturally saffron-gold colour, milder sweetness.
- Mixed fruit shrikhand: Alphonso pulp combined with chikoo or banana. The banana adds body but can overpower the mango.
- Dry fruit shrikhand: Plain shrikhand without mango, heavily loaded with saffron and finely chopped nuts.
- Mango shrikhand ice cream: Freeze the finished amrakhand in kulfi moulds for four hours. Serve as an ice cream — denser than kulfi, less sweet than commercial mango ice cream.
Amrakhand calories and nutrition
A 100 g serving of amrakhand made with full-fat chakka, Alphonso pulp, and a moderate amount of sugar will vary in calories depending on your chakka-to-pulp ratio and how much sugar you add. As a general guide for a typical home recipe (equal parts chakka and pulp, four tablespoons powdered sugar per 500 g curd): expect moderate calories from dairy fat and natural fruit sugars, meaningful protein from the hung curd, and useful calcium. These are approximate values for a typical home recipe and will shift with your specific proportions.
The Alphonso component contributes roughly 30 to 36 mg of vitamin C per 100 g of pulp — a figure consistent with verified canonical data for ripe Alphonso. In a serving of amrakhand, the mango component delivers meaningful vitamin C alongside the calcium and protein from hung curd. Saffron's antioxidant properties have been documented in cell studies, including Govindappa et al., 2011 (mangiferin anti-inflammatory activity) — this is not a therapeutic claim.
A higher chakka ratio with less sugar lowers overall energy and raises protein. That is the version worth making if you are eating amrakhand daily through the season, which many households in Ratnagiri do.
Tips for better amrakhand — from experience
- Full-fat curd only. Low-fat curd produces watery chakka. The amrakhand will not hold.
- Overnight hanging in the fridge. Six hours is the stated minimum. In practice, overnight gives you meaningfully firmer chakka.
- Chill the mixing bowl. 15 minutes in the refrigerator before you start whisking keeps the texture stable.
- Add sugar last. Sugar draws moisture from the chakka. Add just before whisking and serve within two days.
- Use ripe, not overripe, Alphonso. The test: press gently near the stem. Firm-soft with a strong fragrance is right. Fruit that has gone too soft turns fermented and sour in the finished amrakhand.
- Saffron is not optional. Even four strands bloom into the milk and change the colour, the aroma, and the depth of the final flavour. The difference between amrakhand with and without saffron is visible, not just tasteable.
- Serve in earthenware if you have it. Clay keeps the amrakhand cold longer at the table. A mild mineral note from the clay is a bonus.
Where to buy Alphonso mangoes for amrakhand
Alphonso is a seasonal fruit. The season runs February to June with peak availability from March to May. Ratnagiri fruit from villages like Pawas, Nachane, and Mirya arrives from late March; Devgad fruit from Jamsande, Vijaydurg, and Kunkeshwar peaks through April and May. Outside that window, fresh Alphonso is not available anywhere. If a seller is offering it in August, question what you are actually buying.
We source from 55 villages across Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. Every fruit is weighed, graded by weight (Small 150 to 180 g through Jumbo 275 to 300 g), and scanned with an AI/ML-assisted system that checks for internal defects like spongy tissue before packing. Each box ships in a 5-ply corrugated fibreboard carton with a hay bed and foam-net sleeve per fruit, dispatched via BlueDart, Delhivery, Ekart or XpressBees depending on your pin code. Most metro cities receive delivery in one day; most other cities in one to two days.
GI Authorised User certificate: AU/5974/GI/139/260, GI No. 139, Registry Certificate 4163, issued 16 October 2019. FSSAI Licence 10020022011783. All fruit is naturally hay-bed ripened — no carbide, no ethylene chambers at any stage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the price of Alphonso mangoes for making amrakhand?
Alphonso mango prices vary by grade, box size, and within the March to June season. Check alphonsomango.in for current pricing during the season. Kesar mangoes are typically available at a lower price point.
When is the best season to make amrakhand with fresh Alphonso?
The Alphonso season runs February to June, with peak quality from March to May. Ratnagiri fruit arrives from late March; Devgad peaks April to May. Fresh Alphonso is not available July to January — no exceptions.
How long to hang curd for amrakhand?
Minimum six hours, preferably overnight (8 to 10 hours) in the refrigerator. Shorter drain times leave excess whey in the chakka, which the mango pulp thins further. The result is runny amrakhand rather than a firm, spoonable dessert.
How quickly are mangoes delivered for amrakhand preparation?
Orders dispatch via BlueDart, Delhivery, Ekart or XpressBees depending on pin code. Metro cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Delhi typically receive delivery in one day. Most other cities in one to two days; remote pin codes up to three days.
Is Alphonso mango GI certified?
Yes. Alphonso from Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts carries GI Tag No. 139, issued by the GI Registry of India. AlphonsoMango.in is an authorised user under certificate AU/5974/GI/139/260, issued 16 October 2019.
Can I use Greek yoghurt instead of hung curd for amrakhand?
Yes. Full-fat Greek yoghurt is already strained and can be used directly as chakka, skipping the overnight hanging step. The texture will be slightly denser and less tangy than home-hung curd, but the result is a good amrakhand with significantly less prep time.
Source: Powle Home Foods (AlphonsoMango.in), GI Authorised User AU/5974/GI/139/260; FSSAI 10020022011783; APEDA 225579; natural hay-bed ripening, no carbide.