Mango Lassi Pancakes – (Hong Kong style mango pancakes)

These Mango Lassi Pancakes are a take on the Hong Kong style mango pancakes but with the flavours of cardamom, saffron, and rose within it.

As I’m writing this, it is most definitely (and finally) mango season over in London!

And after discovering these Hong Kong style mango pancakes all over social media, I knew I had to try it out. I’m a fan of mango anything, so this was calling my name from the very minute I saw it.

For anyone trying to find these pancakes in the Asian supermarkets, I will warn you now. They are always sold out, they’re so popular! That’s why I highly recommend making them instead.

What are Hong Kong style mango pancakes?

These are vibrant yellow crêpes that are filled with a a fluffy whipped cream and large chunks of mango. They’re then rolled up – almost like a burrito!

Contrary to the term ‘pancakes’, these are not your typical American Style Pancakes, but rather more French Crêpes.

From my research, these mango pancakes are incredibly popular in Hong Kong bakeries and dessert shops. And once you try this you’ll totally understand why!

They’re light, fresh, and super vibrant. Anything with whipped cream and fresh fruit is always going to be a winner in my books. If you enjoy the same, then this recipe is definitely meant for you.

Mango Lassi Pancakes

These pancakes are inspired by the Hong Kong style mango pancakes, but with flavours of mango lassi. These are also eggless and super easy to make vegan!

Mango lassi is one of the most famous South Asian drinks and is hugely popular in India and Pakistan. It consists of sweet mangoes blended with yogurt and cardamom. With occasional add ins like rose, saffron, and honey.

It’s sweet, thick, and incredibly refreshing.

How are these Mango Lassi Pancakes different from the Hong Kong style mango pancakes?

The traditional crêpe in the Hong Kong style pancake is kept rather plain and often made yellow with the use of food colouring. For the Mango Lassi Pancakes, the colour comes from Saffron. Which also adds a floral earthy flavour.

The whipped cream in the traditional Hong Kong mango pancakes is normally flavoured with vanilla. Whilst the Mango Lassi version also has cardamom and rose water in addition to the vanilla.

But other than that, the premise of these pancakes and the inspiration is exactly the same as the original Hong Kong version.

What if we just want to make the normal Hong Kong style version?

If you wanted to skip the mango lassi flavours and keep it the same as the original, you could absolutely leave out the additional flavours I’ve used.

Just make sure to use some yellow food colouring or perhaps even some turmeric in lieu of the saffron.

Yes these are EGGLESS and can be made VEGAN

Unlike the traditional version or traditional crêpes in general, these are eggless. Eggs normally play a huge role when making crêpes but it is totally doable without them.

I’ve actually used soy milk in my recipe here. I prefer the taste of soy milk and oat milk so those tend to be my day-to-day milks.

But in my testing, this recipe DID NOT work with oat milk. I tested this twice and the crêpes did not hold together and were impossible to flip. So stick to soy milk in my opinion.

You can also use any plant based butter or oil too. For the whipped cream, you could use a plant based alternative (there are plenty on the market now). A coconut whipping cream often works best.

What you’ll need

The full recipe can be found at the end of the blogpost

• Plain flour – also known as all purpose flour
• Milk – either dairy based or soy milk. Oat milk did not work in my testing (I tried twice)
• Butter – or plant based alternative
• Saffron
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Double cream – or a plant based alternative (coconut whipping cream works great)
• Icing sugar
• Vanilla
• Ground cardamom
• Rose water
• Mangoes – my personal preference are alphonso and kesar mangoes. But use whichever you like, the sweeter the better!

How to make these Mango Lassi Pancakes inspired by Hong Kong style mango pancakes

Let’s start with the crêpes, these have to be fairly thin and flexible

1) First start by infusing warm milk with saffron. Leave this to sit for at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better!

2) Then mix together all the pancake ingredients including the saffron infused milk

3) Whisk together until it forms a relatively smooth batter, a few small lumps are totally fine

4) The consistency should be pourable. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes before using

5) Pre-heat a pan over a medium low hear and lightly grease a with oil. Make sure this is a very light layer

6) Then pour a ladle of batter whilst swirling the pan to ensure a thin and even layer

7) Allow to cook for around 2 minutes, and then flip over. We don’t want any browning on these crêpes. We want to keep that bright and vibrant yellow colour

8) Flip after 2 minutes and only cook the other side for around 10-15 seconds. Then transfer to a plate

Next let’s make the rose, cardamom, and vanilla whipped cream!

1) Place the double cream, icing sugar (powdered sugar), ground cardamom, and rose water into a mixing bowl

2) Whisk until stiff peaks taking care not to over whisk. I find it best to whisk just past soft peaks and then to stop, as the cream will continue to set

Let’s assemble the Mango Lassi Pancakes

1) Place some mango slices in the centre of the crêpe

2) Top (generously) with some of the whipped cream

3) Fold the sides of the crêpe inwards

4) And then roll the end of the crêpe over it, almost like a burrito

5) Roll once more to complete

6) And that’s it, you’re done! These can be eaten immediately though I do prefer to place them into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill slightly

Frequently asked questions

Can these be made vegan?

They can indeed and very easily so. I’ve got a section dedicated to this just above (in the middle of the blogpost)!

Can the crêpes be made gluten free?

I haven’t tried so I can’t say for certain. It may be worth sourcing a gluten free crêpe recipe that is tried and tested, and adding in the saffron milk in the same way I have for my recipe here.

How long will these keep? And what is the best way to store them?

These will last for up to 5 days refrigerated. I recommend keeping them in an air tight container and in the refrigerator.

They taste best chilled (in my opinion) so you can eat these straight out of the fridge. Or alternatively let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before eating if you don’t want them totally cold.

If you enjoyed this recipe

Please do let me know! Leave a review and a rating below, I’d love to know how you got on.

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Until then, happy cooking!