A delicious and refreshing dessert made of sweet mangos in a light creamy coconut milk with chewy tapioca. This quick and easy Coconut Mango Sago Dessert is simply made with only 4 ingredients if you don't count the mint! Great for the family.
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Coconut Mango Sago Dessert is a runnier version of the classic Mango Sago and it's made of sweet mangoes, light coconut milk, chewy tapioca, water and rock sugar. This chilled Chinese dessert originates from Hong Kong.
It's such an easy recipe made of 4 simple ingredients if you don't count the mint and the cooking process is swift! The great thing about this dessert is that it's dairy-free, vegan and gluten-free.
I personally prefer this over the creamier mango sago pudding as I love how runny it is making it easier to eat! My mother used to make this version all the time over the thick version and it brings back such fond memories!
You can actually substitute the mangoes for cooked taro too if you prefer it less sweet.
The best part about this Asian dessert are the contrasting textures! I love the taste of the ripe mango with the chewy sago in that cold sweet coconut milk. It's truly heavenly!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Ripe Mangoes: they need to be fully ripened mangoes or they won't be sweet or tender enough. Any breed of mango works for this. Mango season is between the months of May-September. To pick ripe mangos, look for ones that are mostly yellow or yellow with orange/red hues and avoid ones that have any green. Make sure they are tender to touch and smell sweet.
- Small Tapioca Pearls: avoid using large tapioca pearls as they will take much longer to cook but if you can't find the small ones, use the large ones. Tapioca starch originates from the cassava plant and it's gluten-free. When this is cooked, it's called sago. A common ingredient used in many Asian desserts for that chewy bouncy texture.
- Light or Lite Coconut Milk: not the whole fat kind. They sell this canned or in a box at many grocery stores.
- Yellow Rock Sugar: these are natural lumps of sugar made from cane sugar and has a yellow tint to it. It's less sweet than regular sugar and sold at many Asian grocery stores. You may substitute with granulated cane sugar but it's not a 1:1 ratio so please add this to taste.
- Fresh Mint: optional garnish
Expert Tips
- To choose ripe mangoes: first perform a smell test to check if they smell sweet, secondly if you can press your thumb into the fruit easily, it's ripe. Thirdly, they shouldn't be green in color, it's ok if they have small areas of green but they should be mostly yellow or reddish depending on the type of mango.
- To easily dice the mango, leave the skin on and slice the larger sides off of the mango as close to the pit as possible. Then glide a sharp knife into the mango flesh and dice them into cubes. Take a large steel spoon and glide it between the diced mango flesh and the skin to easily remove the cubes.
- Make sure to boil the tapioca through. If you still see a dot in the center of your cooked tapioca or sago, it's not ready. Leave it in the hot water for a few more minutes to become fully transparent.
- Leave the cooked tapioca submerged in cold water until you're ready to assemble the dessert. This prevents the tapioca from sticking together.
- Make sure to strain out as much liquid in the cooked tapioca as possible or it will dilute the sweet coconut milk.
- Allow the sweet coconut milk soup to cool completely by placing it in the fridge or freezer uncovered. Otherwise, it can cook the mango.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Coconut Mango Sago Dessert:
- In a small pot, add light coconut milk and rock sugar. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and then reduce to low heat and simmer for 5 minutes until sugar has completely dissolved, stirring occasionally. Do not cover. Transfer this to the freezer to cool down completely.
- In a medium size pot of water (about 5 cups of water), bring to a boil on high heat. Once the hot water reaches boiling point, add tapioca pearls. Reduce to medium heat or to a rolling boil, boil for 10 minutes uncovered. Stir occasionally. Then turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for another 10 minutes until the pearls have softened and are completely translucent. If you see a small white dot in the center of the pearls, let them sit in the hot water covered for another 2-3 minutes to become fully translucent.
- Strain cooked tapioca in a fine mesh strainer and rinse off with cold running water. Leave it submerged in the cold water until assembly, but make sure to strain out as much excess water as possible.
- Peel and dice mangoes into small bite-sized cubes.
- Once the coconut milk mixture has cooled, add in cooked sago and diced mango and mix well. Garnish with mint and serve chilled!
Storage
- This dessert is best enjoyed fresh. But leftover coconut mango sago dessert can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. There's no need to reheat anything. If possible, I recommend storing the sago, mango and coconut milk in separate containers or the sago will become soggy.
- Freezer-friendly? I don't recommend freezing coconut mango sago dessert as the mangos and sago will change in texture.
Pairing Suggestions
Coconut mango sago dessert serves well with:
- fresh fruits like lychee, star fruit, guava, watermelon, dragon fruit, rambutan, melons or berries
- cakes or cookies
- pastries or danishes
- coffee or tea
FAQ
This dessert is best enjoyed fresh. However, it can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend storing the different components in separate containers so the fruit and sago don't go soggy. Note: cooked tapioca will become less chewy overtime.
Yes, feel free to substitute the mangos with strawberries, lychee, dragon fruit, or melons like watermelon.
Yes, just make sure to prepare the boba according to the package directions.
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📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Coconut Mango Sago Dessert
Ingredients
- 2 ripe mangoes peeled and diced
- 2 ¼ cups light coconut milk (not whole fat coconut milk)
- ¼ cup tapioca pearls small uncooked kind (do not use minute tapioca)
- 3 tablespoon Yellow Rock Sugar or sub with cane sugar and add to taste
- fresh mint optional garnish
Instructions
- In a small pot, add light coconut milk and rock sugar. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and then reduce to low heat and simmer for 5 minutes until sugar has completely dissolved, stirring occasionally. Do not cover. Transfer this to the freezer to cool down completely.
- In a medium size pot of water (about 5 cups of water), bring to a boil on high heat. Once the hot water reaches boiling point, add tapioca pearls. Reduce to medium heat or to a rolling boil, boil for 10 minutes uncovered. Stir occasionally. Then turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for another 10 minutes until the pearls have softened and are completely translucent. If you see a small white dot in the center of the pearls, let them sit in the hot water covered for another 2-3 minutes to become fully translucent.
- Strain cooked tapioca in a fine mesh strainer and rinse off with cold running water. Leave it submerged in the cold water until assembly, but make sure to strain out as much excess water as possible.
- Peel and dice mangoes into small bite-sized cubes.
- Once the coconut milk mixture has cooled, add in cooked sago and diced mango and mix well. Garnish with mint and serve chilled!
Thomas BeBroker
Hey, Christie! This Coconut Mango Sago Dessert sounds delightful - love how simple and fresh it is! Just a quick question, with rising grocery prices, do you think using canned mango instead of fresh could work as a cost-effective substitute? Or does that impact the flavor too much? Thanks for this recipe, excited to try it!
Christie Lai
Hi Thomas! Good question. Yes, you can definitely substitute with canned mango for a more budget friendly version. It will slightly alter the taste but it'll still taste great! Hope this helps.
Lisa
Love this dessert, so easy to make and everyone loves it. I'm definitely going to make it again and again.
christieathome
Thank you so much Lisa! I am so happy to read this. I appreciate your kind review and for making my recipe!
Destina Mattrasingh
Where do you buy small tapioca pearls in Ontario? Having a hard time finding anything other than large
christieathome
They're usually available at most Asian grocery stores. Good luck finding them!
Brian
This was incredibly tasty and surprisingly very easy to make!
Molly
This was soooo delicious! I absolutely loved the taste of how light and perfectly sweet it was with the mango. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
candace
This looks like such an amazing dish. Great recipe.
Christie
Thank you so much Candace!
Jaclyn
This looks so refreshing, I love mango and coconut milk so this is right up my alley! Happy Chinese New Year Christie!
Christie
Thank you so kindly Jaclyn!
Tanya
I am so looking forward to trying this! Love the lightness of this recipe and the flavours you used!
Christie
Ohh thank you so much Tanya!! That's so kind. In Asian culture, we love to combine exotic fruits with coconut milks 🙂