Shaved Mango Yogurt Bowl

I hit a breakfast rut about every six weeks with my plant-based diet, but recipes like this shaved mango yogurt bowl pull me right out. It’s an especially fun thing to eat on a hot day. This nutrient-rich dish comes from recipe creator Tam To, who layers ube-tinted chia seed pudding with chopped fresh fruit and a dollop of coconut yogurt.

Shaving frozen mango over chia pudding turns breakfast into something like a snow cone—the fruity colors alone are enough to wake you up. One warning from experience: Grating rock-hard frozen fruit will hurt your fingers if you hold the mango bare-handed, so wrap it in a clean tea towel before you start. You’ll thank me. And while I personally cook with honey, strict vegans skip it, so feel free to swap in agave nectar to make it a fully vegan breakfast.

Ingredients for Shaved Mango Yogurt Bowl

• Coconut yogurt: Dairy-free coconut yogurt does double duty, forming the creamy base of the chia pudding and acting as a tangy layer between the pudding and the shaved fruit topping. Cocojune is my favorite brand for recipes like this one. Its clean, rich flavor and satiny texture are unmatched in the plant-based yogurt category.
• Soy milk: The plant-based milk thins the yogurt just enough to allow the chia seeds to swell and gel properly overnight. Choose an unsweetened version to keep the pudding from becoming cloying, especially since the mango and honey add plenty of natural sweetness. You could sub any nondairy milk you prefer.
• Chia seeds: These tiny seeds are the magic behind the pudding’s spoonable texture, absorbing liquid and forming a gel as they sit.
• Purple sweet potato powder or ube extract: Either option will lend the chia pudding a lavender hue. Ube extract is more concentrated, so a little goes a long way. Both can be found at Filipino or Asian grocery stores, at well-stocked natural foods markets, or online through specialty baking retailers.
• Mango: Mango is used two ways in the bowl. frozen mango is shaved into delicate, snow-like shards over the pudding, while fresh, chopped mango adds a juicy bite and bright tropical flavor. Pick fruit that yields slightly to gentle pressure and smells sweet at the stem end. Champagne mangoes are especially silky and delicious here.
• Strawberries: Freezing the berries firms them up enough that they can be grated into a fluffy, fuchsia snow. Choose small to medium berries with bright red color all the way to the stem.
• Sliced almonds: A scattering of almonds adds a welcome crunch against all the soft, creamy elements in the bowl. Toasting them briefly deepens their flavor. Just watch carefully, as sliced almonds go from golden to burnt in seconds.
• Coconut flakes: Large, unsweetened coconut flakes add chewy texture and a hint of tropical flavor that echoes the coconut yogurt and drizzle. Look for flakes rather than shredded coconut for a more dramatic garnish, and toast them alongside the almonds for extra nuttiness.
• Coconut milk: Canned full-fat coconut milk serves as the base for the silky drizzle, adding richness that ties the whole bowl together. Give the can a good shake or stir before measuring it, since the cream tends to separate and rise to the top during storage.
• Honey: Just a spoonful of honey sweetens the coconut drizzle and helps it cling to the shaved fruit and pudding below. A mild, light-colored honey, like clover or orange blossom, won’t compete with the tropical flavors. Substitute agave nectar to make the recipe fully vegan.

Directions

Step 1: Make the chia pudding

In a small bowl, combine the coconut yogurt, soy milk, chia seeds and purple sweet potato powder. Stir them until they’re well combined. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least four hours or overnight.

Step 2: Assemble the bowls

Divide the chia pudding into two bowls. Top it with the fresh mango and coconut yogurt. Using a grater or peeler, grate the frozen mango and strawberries over the chia pudding.

Editor’s Tip: Make sure the mango and strawberries are frozen solid before grating them. This is what produces those delicate, snow-like shavings rather than a slushy puddle. A rasp grater like a Microplane produces the finest shave, while a sharp vegetable peeler will give you thicker, ribbon-like curls.

Step 3: Add the coconut drizzle and garnish

In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and honey. Drizzle the mixture over the bowls. Garnish the bowls with the sliced almonds and coconut flakes.

Shaved Mango Yogurt Bowl Variations

• Make it matcha: Replace the purple sweet potato powder with 1 to 2 teaspoons of culinary-grade matcha to make a green chia pudding. The grassy, pleasantly bitter matcha is good with the sweet mango and honey drizzle.
• Add a crunchy granola layer: Sprinkle a few tablespoons of granola between the chia pudding and the shaved fruit for extra texture. This turns the bowl into more of a breakfast parfait.
• Make it chocolate: Stir a tablespoon of cocoa powder into the chia pudding base in place of the purple sweet potato powder, and finish the bowls with shaved frozen banana instead of mango. The chocolate-banana-coconut combination tastes like a riff on a chunky monkey sundae.
• Add more protein: Stir a scoop of vanilla-flavored or unflavored protein powder into the chia pudding mixture before refrigerating it, and add an extra splash of soy milk to maintain the right consistency. This transforms the bowl into a more substantial post-workout breakfast without changing the flavor much.

How to Store Shaved Mango Yogurt Bowl

The chia pudding base is the only make-ahead-friendly component, and it actually benefits from time in the fridge. Store it in an airtight container for up to four days, giving it a quick stir before serving it since the seeds tend to settle. Hold off on assembling the bowls until you’re ready to eat. The shaved frozen fruit melts almost immediately, and the almonds and coconut flakes lose their crunch once they hit the yogurt.

Shaved Mango Yogurt Bowl Tips

Can you use precut frozen mango?

Yes, store-bought frozen mango chunks work just fine here, and they save you the step of peeling and freezing your own. Look for bags labeled “unsweetened” with no added syrup, and choose pieces that are roughly 2 to 3 inches across—any smaller and they’ll be tricky to hold while grating.

What other types of yogurt can you use in a shaved mango yogurt bowl?

Any yogurt you love will work in this bowl, whether it’s plant-based (almond, cashew, oat or soy) or traditional dairy. The coconut yogurt does reinforce the tropical theme and ties in nicely with the coconut milk drizzle, but a thick Greek-style yogurt will give you an even creamier, tangier result. If, like me, you choose plant-based foods for heart-health reasons, Kite Hill Greek-style plain is the way to go. Made with almond milk, it has less than a gram of saturated fat, no added sugar and 17 grams of protein per serving.