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It’s the last month of mango season and these creamy mango paletas are the perfect way to get the most out of it! These turned out incredibly delicious & creamy, and you won’t believe how easy they are to make. No cooking required!
Did you have a chance to see my creamy strawberry paleta recipe yet? Well this one is almost identical, swapping just the strawberries for mango.
Mango season is from May to September, and during this time I love making anything I can with mango or just eating it alone because they are SO good especially when they are super ripe!
If you prefer a water based mango paleta, I have a recipe for that too! Try my Mango & Chamoy Paleta! You can make them without chamoy if you prefer 🙂
Ingredients:
- Mango- you’ll need about 1.5 lbs of very ripe mango for this recipe. We will be turning it into a puree and we need around 2 cups of it.
- Sugar- to macerate the mangos
- Cream- a combination of heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, and crema (Mexican sour cream) worked very well for me. The sweetened condensed milk also works as the sweetener, but you are welcome to add more sugar if you want. Mexican sour cream is not as sour as American sour cream so don’t worry about that ingredient- just trust me on this!
- Cellulose gum (or corn starch)- This is the secret to making the paletas consistently creamy and NOT icy. More details about this below.
How to achieve a smooth, creamy texture
The cream portion of this recipe can be used as the base for almost any fruit flavor cream paleta!
Two Ways To Make A Creamy Paleta
- Use cellulose gum in your cream base. The cream base has heavy whipping cream, Mexican crema (creme fraiche), and sweetened condensed milk. If you don’t have cellulose gum, it’s totally fine to leave it out or see option #2. I highly recommend the cellulose gum because it really helps to stabilize ice cream so it’s super smooth and creamy.
- Heat the cream base and add cornstarch to thicken it. This activates the corn starch to absorb water and prevents icy crystals from forming, instead turning into a custard-like texture. The batch I made with this method was extremely creamy & smooth, but be careful not to undercook the cream base because you can end up with a starchy taste and texture if you don’t fully activate the corn starch.
Sweetness
I don’t like super sweet desserts so my recipe is a bit on the conservative side with the sugar. The amount will also depend on how sweet your mangos are already. The paleta is getting its sweetness from two sources in this recipe- sugar to macerate the mango, and sweetened condensed milk in the cream base. Make adjustments according to your taste.
Paletas, especially fruit based ones, tend to lose some of its flavor and sweetness when they are frozen, so keep that in mind before you freeze your mixture.
Equipment needed
To make paletas, you will need a popsicle mold, popsicle sticks, and plastic bags for storing. You will also need a blender and electric hand mixer.
I recommend a silicone popsicle mold because they are easier to remove the popsicles from. The exact one I have is no longer available on Amazon, but I found a similar one that you can purchase. It also comes with the popsicle sticks and baggies. Here is the link to purchase:
Popsicle mold, sticks, & baggies
What is the difference between a popsicle and a paleta?
Though very similar, paletas and popsicles do have some key differences that make paletas way better, in my opinion.
Popsicles are mass produced and have lots of additives and artificial flavoring. Paletas use natural ingredients like fruits and are made fresh, so they don’t require additives or preservatives to extend shelf life.
Paletas also have a rich history and are culturally important to Mexican street snacks. Nowadays, you will find plenty of brick and mortar paleta shops but it is still common to get your paletas on the street from paleteros (ice cream carts).
Two Types of Paletas
There are MANY paleta flavors & combinations, but there are generally 2 types of paletas made:
- Water based- these are typically fruit pops that have a water or juice base. These paletas are more true to the integrity of the fruits, and are also healthier (and vegan too!). Some popular water-based paleta flavors are strawberry, pineapple, mango & chamoy, and guava.
- Cream based- these are creamy paletas with a texture that is more similar to ice cream than a popsicle. They usually have some combination of heavy cream, milk, mexican crema, and/or sweetened condensed milk. These also tend to have more flavors available because it isn’t limited to fruits- some common popular flavors are coconut, coffee, pistachio, and arroz con leche.
Try some of my other paleta recipes:
Click here to see a list of ALL of my paleta recipes!
Creamy Mango Paletas
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs ripe mango
- 1/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup if you prefer very sweet
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema, (creme fraiche)
- 6-8 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 tsp cellulose gum, or 2 tsp corn starch
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Roughly chop the mango into bite sized pieces. Cover in sugar and mix well.
- Let it sit for 20-30 minutes to macerate. There will be a pool of mango syrup at the bottom.
- Add to a blender with a pinch of salt (to bring out the fruit flavor) and blend until you get a smooth puree. It should yield about 2 cups.
- Combine the heavy whipping cream, crema, sweetened condensed milk, and cellulose gum with an electric mixer. Mix for about a minute or until it starts to thicken a bit. The cellulose gum works as a stabilizer and gives you a paleta that is creamy, not icy.Alternatively: This is what I recommend if you're using cornstarch. Combine the heavy whipping cream, crema, and sweetened condensed milk in a small sauce pan. When combined (no chunks), turn on the heat to low. Stir and do not let it boil, but once it's hot add about 1/4 cup to a small bowl with the cornstarch and mix until smooth. Then add it back to the saucepan and continue cooking over low heat, stirring until it thickens. Let it cool completely before proceeding to the next step.
- Add the mango puree and mix until combined.
- Pour into your popsicle mold. *It depends on your popsicle mold, but be mindful about the popsicle stick placement when you're sticking them into the mold. You don't want to push them all the way down because it leaves very little room to hold the stick, but you also want to make sure its deep enough. Also make sure it is centered from all sides.
- Freeze for at least 8 hours. To remove the paletas from the mold, place it in warm water for about 20 seconds to loosen.
- With a little wiggling and force, the popsicles will slide out perfectly. I like to stretch the sides of the silicone mold to help loosen it up a bit more.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My lil nephew absolutely loves watching your videos on how to make these so we decided to make this for him last weekend and let me tell you – it was a hit! So refreshing so delicious. We all loved it! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
These are bomb.com! Mango anything is my favorite and these are a simple, quick go to when I am craving something sweet. Highly recommend!
This is literally my favorite recipe. I remember showing my mom this and she almost cried. When I asked her why she said it’s because it reminded her of her own mother when she was young making them for her and my aunts. So of course I had to make it for her using your recipe. SHE LOVED IT!
Super refreshing and easy to make! Thank you for sharing the recipe✨🥭
This is the recipe to the first reel I ever saw of you on Instagram. As a lover of mangoes, frozen dessert, and all things sweet, this has never ever failed to hit the spot every time! Tbh, this also got me interested in the wide variety of Mexican cuisine (turns out I love it beyond tacos and tortillas 😅). We have similar homemade desserts here in the Philippines, but your recipe made me realize how one ingredient could bridge my childhood with that of a culture from the other side of the world! (Said recipe would be Mexican crema/creme fraiche/sour cream). So 5⭐️ to this, & tysmmmm for this recipe! 💛✨
So gotta try this one. Loved the strawberry popsicles but mango is my love right now!🥭🥭🥭🥭
Sounds amazing! Think I can use frozen fruit for these?
Absolutely!