Growing up, I always ordered a creamy mango lassi with dinner at my fam’s favorite Indian spot.

Until I realized just how much added refined sugar (not just sugar from the mangoes, mind you) can potentially be packed into one of those decadent fruity glasses.

Yikes.

Since I’d rather consume sugar in the form of ice cream or simply real dessert, I sadly stopped ordering the golden beverage and have stuck with a tall glass of ice water instead.

I know, so boring.

Traditional lassis contain dairy, so I figured I’d come up with a version containing less sugar and zero dairy…

And somehow still make it creamy dreamy while avoiding the icy factor.

That’s where coconut milk and sweet, very ripe banana come into play!

Because we don’t want to turn this into a super duper rich drink, I opted for lite coconut milk (by all means, go with the decadent stuff if you want), and I used some unsweetened original almond milk too. Throw in a handful of speckled banana slices, tropical frozen mango pieces, a pinch of ground cardamom, and a drizzle of pure maple syrup, then you’re good to go!

Pour your fruity beverge into a hippie recycled mason jar, boujee wine glass, or straight into your mouth from the blender if you don’t feel like washing any more dishes.

P.S. If you’re not a vegan individual, feel free to use honey instead of maple syrup. I suppose you could swap in low fat plain yogurt for the coconut milk too.

P.P.S. The banana isn’t completely necessary, although it does add natural sweetness and creaminess… since we’re on the topic of fruit, you can also used chilled fresh mango instead of frozen mango if you happen to have it sitting around.

P.P.P.S. Pick up just a pinch of cardamom from the bulk section of your grocery store if you don’t want to spend all of your allowance on an entire jar. Wheww. Also make sure your spices are always fresh! Old spices = minimal flavor.

P.P.P.P.S. I used 1 tablespoon of maple syrup because sadly, my frozen mangoes weren’t super sweet. You may need less, just try not to add more sugar… that kind of defeats the whole “healthy” thing.