Name: Luscious Mango Custard (Amrakhand)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 130 min
Ingredients: 4 cups thick Greek yogurt; 1/3 cup confectioners sugar (~ Sieved; more depending on how sweet your mangoes are); 1 cup mango purée (~ About 2 mangoes, or use canned mango); 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (~ Preferably toasted & freshly ground); 1 pinch saffron threads (~ Optional, more for garnishing); 1/2 cup cubed fresh mango; 2 tablespoons pistachios (~ Candied or toasted; roughly chopped); 2 tablespoons flaked almonds (~ Toasted); 1 pinch saffron threads

My favorite Indian dessert is a four-ingredient mango custard that is tempting whether mangoes are in season or not. Garnish with candied pistachios this pudding is company-worthy.

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Luscious Mango Custard (Amrakhand) Served in a scalloped blue bowl garnished with raisins, toasted cashews, chopped pistachios and wisps of bright red saffron. — Mango custard is all at once luscious and refreshing, and quick and easy. What’s not to like? Just 4 ingredients gives you a dessert that is company-worthy!

Luscious & Healthy

I bet you didn’t know that with just four ingredients, plain yogurt can turn into a luscious and refreshing dessert! Simple, creamy, (shush: healthy), and soul-satisfying, this mango custard is just what you'll want to eat after a big meal.

Serve some favorite shortbreads on the side, store-bought, or make cardamom cookies. I always look for a dessert that you can make ahead, especially when I have guests. This easy mango pudding takes 10 minutes to mix up, but it is best served chilled, so factor in a stopover in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Cardamom Cookies ~ Displayed side by side with a little bowl of candied rose petals.

Aka Amrakhand

Amrakhand, also called mango shrikhand, is a dessert especially popular in the Indian western coastal states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. No festival or holiday is complete without shrikhand on the table.

Mango custard tips

To help the saffron bloom put a teaspoon of yogurt with a pinch of saffron in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in your microwave for 10 seconds and set aside while you put together the rest of the ingredients.

Even with Greek-style yogurt, when sugar is added to yogurt, it tends to thin it out a bit. If you prefer a thicker final result put the yogurt in a fine strainer lined with cheesecloth, coffee filter, or a white paper towel over a bowl. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

Healthy snack or dessert

This easy mango custard also makes a perfect mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack. It is so healthy you won't feel guilty indulging. And it makes a great kid-friendly treat. You may like my creamy Indian rice pudding or chai pudding.

Happy cooking!

~ Alonna

See the Notes below before you cook.

Luscious Mango Custard (Amrakhand)

My favorite Indian dessert is a four-ingredient mango custard that is tempting whether mangoes are in season or not. Garnish with candied pistachios this pudding is company-worthy.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Cardamom, Egg-free, Gluten-free, Low Carb, Make ahead, No cooking, Quick, Sweet, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Chilling Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 40kcal

Author: MyIndianStove

Ingredients

4 cups thick Greek yogurt ~ Or see Notes below for straining, buy or make
1/3 cup confectioners sugar ~ Sieved; more depending on how sweet your mangoes are
1 cup mango purée ~ About 2 mangoes, or use canned mango
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom ~ Preferably toasted & freshly ground
1 pinch saffron threads ~ Optional, more for garnishing

Optional Garnishes

1/2 cup cubed fresh mango
2 tablespoons pistachios ~ Candied or toasted; roughly chopped
2 tablespoons flaked almonds ~ Toasted
1 pinch saffron threads

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Gather all your ingredients.
If using saffron, to help it bloom, put a teaspoon of yogurt with a pinch of saffron in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in your microwave for 10 seconds and set aside while you put together the rest of the ingredients.
Mix all the ingredients together except for the garnishes. If you are using regular yogurt strain as described in the Notes below.
If the yogurt is not perfectly smooth, either put it in a blender for a quick blitz or press through a sieve.
Chill for 2 to 4 hours before serving. Garnish just before serving so the nuts, if using, are still crunchy. Skip the cubes of mango if it isn’t mango season.
Keeping: will keep well in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

Notes

If mangoes are not in season and you don’t have access to good quality frozen mangoes, this mango custard will still be delicious with canned mango pulp. However, I suggest you try to find an Indian brand of puree, preferably one made from Alphonso mangoes. It will most likely be more flavorful.
Swap out 1 cup of yogurt for sour cream for a richer, tangier mango custard.
If you are using regular yogurt (as opposed to Greek-style yogurt) wrap yogurt in some cheesecloth, muslin, coffee filter, or white paper towel, and place in a strainer in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. You want to use very thick yogurt, similar to the texture of ricotta cheese.
Even with Greek-style yogurt, when sugar is added to yogurt, it tends to thin it out a bit. If you prefer a thick dessert, strain for an hour or two as described above.
If you are using homemade yogurt, use yogurt you’ve made recently, so that it is not too sour.
If you don’t have confectioners sugar (icing/powdered) on hand, place three tablespoons of white sugar in a blender or food processor, and blend for a few minutes until it becomes a fine powder. Shake and press through a fine sieve to remove any clumps of unprocessed sugar crystals.

Nutrition