Mouthwatering

Mango Dessert

Recipes Featuring June Mango Varieties

Mango season in India lasts only a few months, with the ‘King of Mangoes’, Alphonso, peaking from April to early June, Kesar carrying over into June as well, and varieties like Himsagar, Dasheri and Langra that take you way beyond summers into monsoons. June is the sweet spot where several of the country's finest mangoes overlap on the market shelves at once. Each variety has its own flavour profile, texture, and best use in the kitchen. Here’s mapping the top June mango varieties to the desserts that showcase them best.

Often referred to as the Queen of Mangoes, Kesar mangoes are prized for their saffron-like hue and sweet taste. Grown in Gujarat, particularly in the Girnar Hills near Junagadh, they are in season from May to July. They have a sweet flavour and slight tanginess, making them perfect for creating any dish that needs mango pulp. Alphonso mangoes, on the other hand, are the King of Mangoes that are oval and medium-sized with vivid yellow-orange skin, a thin skin, rich, juicy flesh with minimal fibres.

The Himsagar mango is one of West Bengal's most famous mango varieties, grown in the districts of Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia and Hooghly. It is prized for its exceptionally sweet flavour, intense aroma and completely fibreless pulp. Its skin tends to be greener, even the ripe varieties, and its season peaks during the monsoon, especially in late June. Himsagar has a shelf life of only a few days after ripening, making it difficult to transport over long distances and helping preserve its status as a regional delicacy.

Recognisable by its greenish-yellow skin even when ripe, Langra mangoes are a favourite for their juicy texture and unique flavour, grown in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Bihar, and available in June and July. Langra is juicy and slightly tart but sweet with a unique taste, and works beautifully in chutneys, pickles, and lassis. Its tartness also makes it ideal for use in mango dessert recipes like mango shrikhand.

Originating in Uttar Pradesh, and named after the hamlet Dasheri near Kakori in Lucknow. The mango season lasts from May to June, and when ripe, the skin is brilliant yellow with a pleasant scent, with juicy, fiberless flesh of thick, creamy texture and a sweet, acidic flavour. Dasheri is often enjoyed fresh or in desserts like mango pudding, mango custards, and mango kheer, and its unique flavour makes it a favourite among mango connoisseurs.

Not to be confused with amrakhand or mango shrikhand, this is the simplest and best way to sample the best of sweet and juicy mangoes. Aamras is simply pureed ripe mango pulp mixed with sugar and cardamom powder. It is eaten chilled with a refreshing flavour of mangoes, for which Alphonso or Kesar mangoes are perfect. Their thick pulp is sweet enough to not need any added sugar. You can enjoy one of the simplest mango dessert recipes out there with puris.

Mango shrikhand, also called aamrakhand, is believed to be the oldest mango dessert in the world. It is a creamy dessert made with thick strained yoghurt mixed with mango pulp, sugar, cardamom, and nuts. It has a tangy sweetness and a smooth texture that feels refreshing on a humid monsoon day, when the rains give a brief respite. Kesar mangoes are especially suited for amrakhand because of their sweetness, which means you need less added sugar. Garnish generously with nuts like pistachios and almonds, and serve chilled.

A desi dessert made tastier with mango pulp is something you should try making at home, this monsoon. This is perhaps the most heartiest and richest mango dessert recipe in here, that does not need any ice-cream maker, nor too many complicated steps. It is made with reduced milk, which is chilled and cooled and then mixed with condensed milk, mango pulp, cardamom, and chopped nuts, before chilling for at least four hours or overnight. Use Himsagar, Dasheri or Kesar mangoes for a striking kulfi and ultimate sweetness.

Falooda is the ultimate summer refresher, and adding mangoes into the mix makes an already sweet dessert even sweeter. Falooda consists of layers of vermicelli or sev, basil seeds (sabja), mango puree, and chilled milk, which is topped with ice cream or kulfi. It is both a drink and a dessert that can be enjoyed with any June mangoes. This mango dessert is perfect for those lull days during monsoons when the humidity makes it hard to function.

It is that time of year again, when peak summer mangoes fade out, and other mango varieties take their place, like Dasheri. As the ripe smell of mangoes refuses to leave the markets and your kitchen, stock up on June mangoes and make the best mango dessert recipes out there with them. It can be the simplest ones, like aamras or amrakhand, to mango cheesecake that can be baked or not baked.