Mango Sago

Mango sago, also known coconut tapioca pudding, is a popular dessert throughout East and Southeast Asian. It's creamy, refreshing, lightly sweetened, and topped with chunks of sweet mangoes. A quick and easy dessert to make for the summer using only 4 ingredients, and it's naturally vegan friendly, gluten free, and dairy free! For a healthier, low-carb alternative, try our mango chia pudding instead. If you're a pomelo fan, this mango pomelo sago drink is a must try!

Jump to:

• What is mango sago?
• Ingredient needed
• How to make mango sago
• How to cut mango (2 ways)
• Storage
• FAQ
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Feedback

What is mango sago?

Mango sago is a Southeast Asian tapioca dessert that's especially popular during the summer, since it's served chilled. It's made with sweet, ripe mangoes, sago pearls, coconut milk, and a sweetener of your choice (usually sugar or condensed milk).

Ingredient needed

Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!

• Sago pearls - Sometimes also labeled as tapioca pearls or have these two characters on the bag: 西米 (xī mí). Sago pearls are tiny (usually) white pearls, but sometimes you may find the rainbow colored sago pearls. Don't confuse them with boba pearls, which are much bigger but can also be labeled as tapioca pearls!

• Coconut milk - We recommend using full fat coconut milk for richer, creamier flavors.
• Sugar - We opted for regular granulated sugar because it's super accessible and can be easily dissolved. But you can use your preferred sweetener. Some alternatives are honey, rock/crystal sugar, palm sugar, and sweetened condensed milk.
• Mango - Champagne mangoes are our go-to because when they're ripe, they are much sweeter, juicier, and fragrant than regular mangoes. They're sometimes also known as yellow mangoes and can be found at the Asian markets and sometimes at Whole Foods and Costco.

How to make mango sago

Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!

1. Prepare the sweetened coconut milk. Combine the coconut milk with sugar (or your prefer sweetened) and mix until the sugar dissolves. Set aside or refrigerate until needed.

🌟 Pro tip: You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate it for a couple of hours so that your mango sago can be served chilled. Or, you can add some ice to the coconut milk, if you prefer it thinner and less rich.

2. Cook the sago. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the sago pearls into the water while stirring. Keep the water at a high simmer and cook the pearls for about 10 to 15 or according to package instruction, until most of the pearls only have a small white dot in the middle. Make sure to stir frequently.

🌟 Pro tip: Make sure to have at least 5 to 6 cups of water in a large enough pot. The sago pearls will expand as it cooks and also release starch, which will make the water thick and likely to boil over. You can add more hot water to the pot if the water looks low.

5. Drain and rinse. When the sago pearls are done cooking, drain the tapioca pearls with a mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly with cold water until completely cooled. Drain well.

6. Make the coconut sago. Place the cooked and rinsed sago pearls into the sweetened coconut milk. Stir to combine. Also loosen up any pearls that may have clumped together.

7. Assemble. Ladle the coconut sago into your serving cup/bowls and top it with ripe mangoes.

📝 Note: If you prefer a more pudding like consistency, refrigerate the coconut sago for about 2-4 hours or overnight.

Alternatively, you can achieve this layered presentation by placing some pureed mango at the bottom of the cup, add some coconut sago on top, and top it off with mango chunks. This version will be more mango forward.

How to cut mango (2 ways)

Diced mango:

Slice off the bottom of the mango (where the stem is) to create a flat bottom.

With the mango standing on the flat bottom side, cut the mango as close to the seed as possible. Repeat with the other side.

With the flesh side of the mango facing up, make vertical then horizontal cuts on the mango. Cut completely through the mango, but don't cut through the skin! Repeat with the other half, then use a spoon to scoop out the mango.

Rose shape:

🌟 Pro tip: To make it easier to work with, use a mango that is ripe but not too soft. An overripe mango can become mushy while handling which will make the rose look messy.

Slice off the bottom of the mango to make a flat bottom like the diced mango above. With the mango standing up, trim away the skin with a sharp knife. You can also use a sharp vegetable peeler.

Then cut the mango as close to the seed as possible on both sides.

With the mango flat side down, cut the mango into ⅛ inch slices. Then gently shingle out the mango.

Starting on one end of the shingled mango, roll it towards the other end to form a rose.

You can place the mango rose on top of your sago like this:

Storage

It is best to enjoy the mango sago within a few hours of making because the sago pearls will expand and absorb the coconut milk as it sits, turning it into more of pudding consistency. But you can alway add more coconut milk if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Otherwise, you can keep the mango sago refrigerated for up to 3 to 4 days, but if possible, we recommend cutting the mangoes fresh for best flavor and color.

FAQ

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