Say goodbye to boring salads! Let me show you how easy it is to make this incredibly delicious Mango Dressing with fresh ingredients in 5 minutes!
This perfectly creamy and oh-so-sweet mango dressing is perfect for fruit salads and green salads alike! If you ask me, it's the salad dressing that literally makes or breaks a salad.
The way I see it is you can put pretty much anything in a salad, and it will taste amazing as long as the dressing is delicious. But, if you put everything you love in a salad and then top it with a dressing that you don't like, it's ruined. Just saying. 💁♀️
Once I realized how easy it was to make my own dressings, there was no turning back.
One of my favorite things about making homemade salad dressing is that I can make it just the way I like it, and I can make as little or as much as I want.
And if the thought of making your own salad dressings intimidates you, I get it. I held off making my own salad dressings for years. Then one day while I was at a restaurant ordering a salad that I loved, I asked what was in the dressing.
And guess what? The ingredients were so simple! So, I went home and started experimenting. I first made a strawberry dressing, and now I've created this mango dressing recipe that I know you'll just love.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Mango Dressing
- Easy Recipe Add all ingredients to a blender and blend. That's it! I prefer to use fresh mangos to make this dressing, but you can definitely use defrosted frozen mango chunks if that's easier for you.
- Simple Ingredients Fresh fruit (mango and lime), garlic, maple syrup, olive oil, salt, and water.
- Kid-friendly This delicious salad dressing has a wonderful sweet and tangy flavor. Not all kid like the taste of vinegar, so this dressing is made with lime instead.
- Vegan (dairy-free) and Soy-Free You definitely can't say this about most store-bought dressings.
- Easily customizable See flavor variations at the bottom of this post for ways to change it up.
Dietitian Tip
Sometimes the salad dressing served with a salad can be the one and only deciding factor that will determine whether or not a kid will eat a salad. So, it's important to know their flavor preferences well.
While most kids will prefer a sweet salad dressing, some do prefer a savory one, like Caesar dressing. For this reason, I like to offer my kids a few different salad dressing options when I serve salads.
As for how much dressing they put on a salad - I let them decide for themselves. As a dietitian mom, I'm all about deciding when and what we will be eating and then allowing them the freedom to decide how much of it they will eat. Salad dressing included 🙂
Ingredient Notes
- Mango I prefer to use fresh mango to make this dressing. Fresh ripe mango will be sweeter and create a smoother texture, but defrosted frozen mango will work just as well. Mangos are high in fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin A.
- Lime juice Use fresh squeezed lime juice. If you don't have lime juice, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar can be used instead. You can try using orange juice if that's all you have but it will definitely make this dressing sweeter.
- Maple syrup Use pure maple syrup. Honey can be used instead.
- Olive oil I use extra virgin olive oil. Avocado oil or other neutral flavored oil can be used instead.
- Garlic Use fresh garlic. I don't suggest using more than half of a clove of garlic.
How to Make This Easy Mango Salad Dressing
It doesn't get much easier or more delicious than this! I'll summarize the steps on how to make this mango vinaigrette salad dressing here. For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and full instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Place all ingredients in a small blender or food processor.
- Blend for one to two minutes, until a smooth consistency is reached.
- Taste the dressing and adjust the flavor by adding more salt or maple syrup if needed, according to your preference.
Helpful Tips
- This is a sweet salad dressing. Check out the recipe variations section for ways to make this dressing more savory.
- To thin out the dressing, add one tablespoon of water at a time and blend until your desired consistency is reached.
- You will get the best flavor and texture using fresh mango.
- If using frozen mango, defrost the frozen mango first. I have made this dressing using frozen mango and had to add extra water in order for it to all blend together.
- Store mango dressing in a mason jar or other air-tight container and refrigerate.
Recipe Variations
There is so much potential for mango salad dressing, especially if you have adventurous eaters! Here are a few different ways to change it up.
- Jalapeño or red pepper flakes can be added if your taste buds would prefer more of a spicy mango dressing.
- Cilantro could be added for more of a Tex-Mex flavor.
- You could try using ginger instead of garlic.
- Tajin would add incredible flavor to this dressing, because it has a little spice and tastes tropical.
Questions You May Have
Any type of mango will work for this dressing. No matter what kind of mango you buy, the size and ripeness of the mango will determine how much mango you get from it as well as how sweet the mango will be.
Alphonso mangos are the sweetest I have found in the States, but they are smaller than the more common Tommy Atkins mango. This recipe calls for one cup of mango, so if your mangos are on the small side, you may need two mangos for this recipe.
There are a few different ways to cut a mango. I prefer to use a knife to peel of the skin. Then, once the skin is removed, I use a knife to slice of pieces of mango, working around the pit.
Technically, this is not a mango vinaigrette because it is not made with vinegar. If you prefer a vinegar flavor in dressings, you can blend in a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar instead of or in addition to the lime juice.
This is a super flavorful dressing, so you can use it to top everything from your favorite salad to fish tacos!
If you'd like to make a 'mango salad,' just top leafy greens with sliced avocado, sliced mango, and slices of red onion, along with something crunchy like toasted and chopped walnuts, roasted chickpeas, or small chunks of plantain chips.
More delicious ways to serve mango dressing include drizzling it on top of avocado toast or a flatbread pizza, or to serve it alongside a veggie wrap.
More Easy Recipes
Did you make this mango dressing and love it? Please leave a 5-star rating and comment below to let me know!
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram! If you make this dressing and post a pic, tag me @carrots.and.cookies so I can see it!
📖 Recipe
5-Minute Mango Salad Dressing
Equipment
- 1 Food processor or small blender
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a food processor or small blender
- Blend for one to two minutes, until a creamy consistency is reached.
Notes
- To thin out the dressing, add one additional tablespoon of water at a time and continue to blend until your desired consistency is reached.
- You will get the best flavor and texture using fresh mango.
- If using frozen mango, defrost the frozen mango before blending. I have made this using frozen mango without defrosting it and needed to add extra water in order for it to blend.
- To add spice to this sweet dressing, try adding a small amount of jalapeño or red pepper flakes.
- For more of a Tex-Mex inspired flavor, blend a small amount of Tajin or jalapeño and cilantro into the dressing.
- For more of an Asian-inspired flavor, add a small piece of ginger when blending.
- Store in a mason jar with a lid and refrigerate. Use within 3-5 days.
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