From the roundup: 12 Easy Non Alcoholic Drink Recipes: Mocktails, Smoothies, and Lemonades

This mango coconut smoothie is the drink I make when someone asks for breakfast and I have exactly five minutes before we need to leave. Frozen mango goes straight from the bag into the blender with a can of full-fat coconut milk, a squeeze of lime, and a little honey. Sixty seconds later it is done, thick enough to coat a spoon, and nobody is complaining.

The frozen mango does two jobs here: it keeps the smoothie cold and it gives it that creamy, almost sorbet-like body without any ice watering it down. I learned that the hard way the first time I tried to stretch the recipe with a handful of ice cubes and ended up with something closer to a slushy. Skip the ice and let the fruit do the work.

It makes two generous glasses, which in my house means one for me and one for whoever is standing closest to the blender asking if it is ready yet.

Why you will love this

Full-fat coconut milk makes it genuinely thick without any yogurt or banana filler
Frozen mango means you can make this any time of year, not just when mangoes are in season
Two servings are ready in under two minutes of actual blending time
Naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, so it works for dairy-free and vegan households
The lime juice keeps the flavor bright instead of flat and overly sweet

Tips for success

Shake the can of coconut milk hard before you open it. The cream settles to the top and if you skip this step you will pour in mostly fat and the smoothie will be uneven in texture.
Hold off on the water until after the first blend. The mango releases liquid as it breaks down, and most of the time you will not need the full quarter cup. Add it one tablespoon at a time if the blender is stalling.
Start the blender on low before going to high. Dropping straight to high speed with frozen chunks just sends them bouncing around. Ten seconds on low to break them up first makes a real difference.
Serve it immediately. This smoothie thickens fast once it sits, especially in the fridge. If you pour it and walk away for ten minutes it will be noticeably denser by the time you come back.

If it turns out too thick or too thin

Too thick to blend: add water one tablespoon at a time and run the blender for another 15 seconds. Stop as soon as it moves freely.
Too thin after adding water: your coconut milk may have been light instead of full-fat. There is no fixing it in the blender, but it still tastes good over ice.
Mango chunks stalling: stop the blender, scrape down the sides with a spatula, and try again. A tamper helps if your blender has one.
Tastes flat: a small extra squeeze of lime usually fixes this faster than adding more sweetener.

Substitutions

Light coconut milk works if you want a thinner, lower-fat version, but the texture will be closer to a juice than a thick smoothie. For vegan households, maple syrup swaps directly for honey in the same amount. If you are out of mango, frozen pineapple or frozen peaches both blend well here, though pineapple is sharper and peaches are milder. A splash of orange juice can stand in for lime if that is what you have.

For a smoothie that holds up longer as a meal, blend in a scoop of vanilla protein powder before the final blend. It thickens the texture a little more and adds staying power without changing the flavor much.

Make-ahead and storage

If you want to speed up the morning routine, pre-measure the mango into individual portions in zip-top bags and keep them in the freezer. When you are ready, everything goes straight from the freezer to the blender with no measuring. Portions keep well for up to three months.

Leftover smoothie can go into a sealed jar in the fridge for up to one day. It will thicken considerably as it sits, so stir in a splash of coconut milk or water and give it a quick blend before drinking. Freezing the finished smoothie is not recommended because the texture turns grainy once it thaws.

Brittany Stage