The Best Authentic & Easy Hong Kong Mango Pudding

Have you ever finished a delicious dim sum meal and been treated to that beautiful, jiggly, and incredibly refreshing mango pudding? That silky-smooth, intensely tropical dessert that acts as the perfect, sweet finale? What if I told you that you can recreate that authentic, iconic Hong Kong-style Mango Pudding at home with just a few simple ingredients?

This isn’t just a recipe; it’s a ticket to one of the most beloved desserts in all of Asia. This classic treat is famous for its impossibly smooth, creamy, and custard-like texture and its pure, unadulterated mango flavor. The secret to the authentic Hong Kong cafe (tong sui) style is the use of evaporated milk, which gives the pudding its signature creaminess. Get ready to master this simple, elegant, and utterly delicious dessert.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Refreshing Dessert

What makes this Hong Kong-style Mango Pudding a timeless classic is its celebration of the mango. The recipe is designed to let the pure, sweet, and floral flavor of ripe mangoes shine through. The texture, achieved with a simple gelatin set, is incredibly smooth, silky, and delicate. It’s a surprisingly easy, light, and refreshing make-ahead dessert that is perfect for serving after a rich meal or as a cool treat on a warm day.

Metric	Time / Level
Total Time	4 hours 20 minutes (includes chilling)
Active Prep Time	20 minutes
Difficulty Level	Easy
Servings	4-6

The Essential Ingredients for Authentic Mango Pudding

This recipe uses a handful of simple but specific ingredients to achieve its signature taste and texture.

• Fresh, Ripe Mangoes: This is the most important ingredient, and the success of the entire dish hinges on their quality. You need the sweetest, most fragrant, and least fibrous mangoes you can find for the smoothest, most flavorful purée.
  • Best Varieties: Yellow-skinned Ataulfo mangoes (often sold as Honey or Champagne mangoes) are the absolute best choice for their sweet, honey-like flavor and creamy, non-stringy flesh. Large, round Kent or Keitt mangoes are also fantastic, sweet, and non-fibrous options.
  • How to Choose: A perfect, ripe mango will have a wonderful, fruity fragrance at its stem and will yield to firm, gentle pressure (like a ripe peach). Don’t just judge by color!
• Evaporated Milk: This is the secret to the authentic Hong Kong style. Evaporated milk is simply fresh milk that has had about 60% of its water removed through a heating process. This gives it a slightly thicker consistency and a subtly caramelized, concentrated milky flavor that is distinct from fresh milk or heavy cream.
• Unflavored Gelatin: This is what gives our pudding its beautiful, smooth, and jiggly set. We “bloom” the gelatin powder in cold water first, which allows it to dissolve perfectly without lumps, creating a flawless, silky texture.
• Granulated Sugar: Just enough to enhance the natural sweetness of the mangoes. You can easily adjust the amount depending on how sweet your fruit is.

Step-by-Step to Perfect Mango Pudding

Follow these simple, detailed steps to create this elegant and delicious dessert.

Step 1: Bloom the Gelatin

First, let’s prepare our setting agent. Pour the 100g of cold water into a small, heat-safe bowl. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of gelatin powder evenly over the surface of the water.

Let the bowl sit, undisturbed, for 5 to 10 minutes. During this time, the gelatin granules will absorb the water and swell, or “bloom,” becoming a firm, jiggly, gel-like puck. This is a crucial step for a smooth final product.

Step 2: Create the Smooth Mango Purée

While the gelatin is blooming, prepare your mangoes. Peel the mangoes and cut the sweet, orange flesh away from the central pit.

Place the 450g of mango chunks into a blender. Blend on high speed until the mango is a completely smooth and vibrant purée.

Pro Tip: If you had to use a mango variety that is a bit stringy or fibrous, it’s a great idea to strain the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any fibers. This will guarantee an ultra-silky smooth pudding.

Step 3: Gently Heat to Dissolve the Gelatin

Pour the smooth mango purée into a small pot. Add the 350g of evaporated milk and the 100g of granulated sugar. Stir everything together well.

Now, add the entire bloomed gelatin puck to the pot with the mango mixture.

Transfer the pot to your stovetop and heat the mixture over low-to-medium heat. Stir the mixture occasionally until the gelatin has completely dissolved.

Crucial Pro Tip: Do not let the mixture boil or even get too hot! High heat can weaken or “kill” the proteins in the gelatin, which will prevent your pudding from setting properly. You only need to warm the mixture gently, just enough to fully dissolve the sugar and the gelatin.

Step 4: Chill to Perfection

Once the gelatin has dissolved, remove the pot from the heat. Let the mixture cool slightly at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes.

Carefully pour the mango pudding mixture into your serving containers. You can use small, individual glass bowls, ramekins, or even decorative silicone molds.

Place the pudding cups in the refrigerator and let them chill for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, until the pudding is completely firm and set.

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Serving Your Hong Kong-Style Pudding

This classic dessert is all about a simple, elegant presentation that lets the beautiful mango flavor shine.

Serve the puddings chilled, directly in their cups. The traditional and most delicious way to garnish is to drizzle a little extra evaporated milk over the top of each pudding and then add a few small cubes of fresh, diced mango. A single fresh mint sprig also adds a lovely pop of color.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

This Mango Pudding is the perfect make-ahead dessert for a dinner party or a week of sweet treats.

• Make-Ahead: You can prepare this pudding completely up to 3 days in advance. Keep the individual cups covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. For the best presentation, wait to add the fresh mango garnish until just before serving.
• Storage: Store any leftover pudding, covered, in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh and delicious for up to 5 days.
• Freezing: Due to the gelatin set, this pudding does not freeze well. Freezing can damage the delicate protein structure and cause the pudding to become watery upon thawing.

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Creative Recipe Variations

This simple and delicious pudding is a wonderful base for other tropical fruit flavors.

1. Add a Creamy Coconut Twist: For a more Southeast Asian flavor profile, you can substitute half (or all) of the evaporated milk with an equal amount of full-fat, canned coconut milk. The combination of mango and coconut is a classic and is absolutely delicious.
2. Make it a Mango Sago Pudding: For a fun, chewy texture, you can prepare 1/2 cup of small, cooked sago (tapioca pearls). After you have heated and dissolved the gelatin into the mango mixture, let it cool slightly, then gently fold in the cooked sago pearls before pouring the mixture into your serving cups.
3. Use a Different Tropical Fruit: This simple pudding method is also fantastic with other tropical fruits that can be puréed easily. Try making a passion fruit pudding or a guava pudding for a different but equally refreshing treat.

Enjoy a Taste of Hong Kong!

You’ve just created one of the most beloved and refreshing desserts from the vibrant world of Cantonese cuisine. This authentic Hong Kong-style Mango Pudding is a perfect harmony of pure, sweet fruit and creamy, silky texture. It’s a simple, elegant, and surprisingly easy dessert that is sure to transport you to a bustling Hong Kong dessert shop with every spoonful.

We hope you love this cool, creamy, and delightful treat!

If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves mango!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)