Mango Sago. A delicious popular Asian dessert with sweet mango flavor with creamy coconut tapioca pudding! Â An easy 30-minute, 4-ingredient dessert.
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What is Mango Sago?
Mango Sago is a chilled Cantonese dessert from Hong Kong. It is made of sweet mango purée, condensed milk, coconut milk and tapioca with fresh mango chunks!
A popular treat that makes everyone happy because it's naturally sweet, creamy and packed with contrasting textures thanks to the bouncy tapioca pearls!
I love making this refreshing dessert on summer days or when it’s mango season! It satisfies my sweet tooth and it's packed with tropical flavors!
Ingredients
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Fresh Ripe Mangoes: must be fully ripened. I like using Ambika mangoes or ataulfo mangoes but use what you have
- Small tapioca pearls: not the large kind
- Condensed milk: or substitute with condensed coconut milk for a vegan version
- Room Temperature Whole Fat Coconut Milk
- Fresh Mint Leaves: optional garnish for aesthetics
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon. ​
How to Make Mango Sago
Boil Tapioca
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 high heat or to a rolling boil, boil for 10 minutes uncovered. Stir occasionally.
Let the Tapioca Rest in the Hot Water
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, they will need another 2-3 minutes to sit in the hot boiling water covered to become translucent.
Strain & Rinse
Strain the cooked pearls in a fine mesh sieve and rinse off the excess starch with cold running water or in a bowl of cold water, until cool to touch. Then strain out excess water. Transfer cold tapioca to a large bowl. ​
Mix the Coconut Milk
Open canned coconut milk with a can opener and give it a thorough mix inside the can so the fats combine with the coconut water.
Mix Coconut Milk with Tapioca
Add coconut milk into the bowl with tapioca and mix well. This is your sago mixture. Set aside.
Peel & Slice Mangos
Meanwhile, peel and slice 2 large mangos (reserve the remaining mango for later).
Blend Mangos with Condensed Milk
Place mango pieces into a blender or food processor. Add condensed milk into blender. Blend until smooth. You may need to stop the blender and move the contents around with a spatula or blender stick for a smooth mango puree.
Divide Mango Mixture
Divide mango mixture among 4 dessert bowls or glasses.
Dice Mango for Topping
Peel the last mango and dice it into small cubes. Set aside.
Assemble Mango Pudding
Divide the coconut sago mixture into 4 equal portions and pour the portion on top of the mango layer in each of the dessert bowls. Top it off with the cubed mangos. Optional: garnish with a fresh mint leaf for aesthetics. Enjoy!
Alternatively, you can mix everything together in a large bowl and divide into small portions.
Storage
​To store, you can keep the components separate or mix everything altogether in a large airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To serve, allow the mixture to soften at room temperature, specifically the coconut sago component as coconut milk tends to go hard when cold.
FAQ
To tell if your mango is ripe: you should be able to easily leave a thumbprint in the meat of the fruit. If you're pushing down too hard, it's not ripe. Also, ripe mangoes are vibrant in a yellow, orange or red color depending on the type of mango. If you spot any green color in the skin, it's most likely not fully ripe. If you use unripe mangoes, the mango sago dessert will be too tart in taste.Â
Yes, feel free to substitute the mango for fresh strawberries. Follow my strawberry sago recipe for full details.Â
Yes! I suggest keeping the finished components separately in airtight containers and storing them in the fridge. When you're ready to serve, you can divide them into serving bowls as instructed. Or mix everything together in a large bowl and serve.Â
Other Asian desserts you may enjoy!
- Easy Mango Pudding
- Coconut Mango Jelly
- Mango Coconut Chia pudding
- Mango Sago Coconut Drink
- Mango Pancake
- Coconut Mango Pitaya Dessert
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy 4-ingredient Mango Sago
Ingredients
- 3 large mangos fully ripe (about 750 grams or 1.7 lbs worth of mangos)
- ½ cup small tapioca pearls uncooked
- â…“ cup condensed milk (for a vegan alternative, replace with condensed coconut milk)
- 13.5 floz coconut milk whole fat at room temperature
Optional Garnish
- Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- In medium pot filled halfway with water (about 5 cups of water), bring to a boil on high heat. Once the hot water reaches boiling point, add small tapioca pearls. Reduce to medium high heat or to a rolling boil, boil for 10 minutes. Do not cover and stir occasionally. Turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for another 10 minutes until the pearls have softened and are completely translucent. Note: If you see a small white dot in the center of the pearls, they will need another 2-3 minutes to sit covered in the hot water to become translucent.
- Strain the cooked pearls in a fine mesh sieve and rinse off the excess starch with cold running water or in a bowl of cold water, until cool to touch. Strain out excess water. Transfer cold tapioca to a large bowl.
- Open canned coconut milk (and remove the lid for safety measures). Give it a thorough mix inside the can so the fats combine with the coconut water. Add coconut milk into the bowl with tapioca and mix well. This is your sago mixture. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, peel and slice 2 of the mangos (reserving the third mango for later). Place mango pieces into blender or food processor. Add condensed milk into blender. Blend until smooth into a mango puree. Divide and pour mango mixture into 4 dessert bowls or glasses.
- Peel the last mango and dice it into small cubes. Set aside.
- Divide the coconut sago mixture into 4 equal portions and pour each portion on top of the mango layer in the dessert bowls. Top it off with the cubed mangos. Optional: garnish with a fresh mint leaf for aesthetics. Enjoy!
- (Alternatively, if you prefer to serve this dessert without the layers, mix everything together in a large bowl and divide into small portions.)
Wendi
Can I make this ahead by a couple of hours? I have guests coming and I don't want to be assembling this when they are here, so I was hoping to do it right before they came. Will it 'collapse' and run together if I do that? I want this beautiful presentation to stay intact.
christieathome
I would recommend making each component separately on the day of but in advance. Then chilling each component in the fridge. When before your guests arrive, you can layer each component just before. Hope this helps.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
So I already have a soft spot for tapioca pudding, but you really take tapioca to the next level with this amazing single serve Coconut Mango Sago! 💕
Sherri
This is the perfect dessert for springtime! So refreshing and such a pretty color too! 🙂
Molly
Not only is this beautiful but it was so tasty! I love the flavours of the coconut and mango with sago! Will be trying this again!
Rebecca Dillon
What a great dessert idea for spring entertaining!