Mango pancakes

The ultimate dessert to serve guests: mango pancakes

If you’re after a lighter dessert to finish off a long lunch or dinner party, this delicate Chinese mango pancake recipe is the one for you. Inspired by the Hong Kong-style mango pillow-shaped pancakes you may have eaten at yum cha establishments, this dessert is all about putting mango at the front and centre. The pancake, which is more like a French crepe instead of the traditional cakey pancake at breakfast diners, is thin and soft with a mild and sweet flavour. It cradles the juicy chunk of sweet mango that sits atop a bed of marshmallowy vanilla cream. Each bite into the pancake and you get an ooze of mango juice and sweet cream bursting in your mouth. 

Not only do these easy mango pancakes make great desserts, but they are also perfect to take along to a potluck, shower, party or picnic because they are easily carried and eaten with one hand. For other recipes that honour this tropical fruit, try our mango mousse with coconut crumble and frozen mango layer cake. 

Selecting the perfect mangoes for Chinese mango pancakes

Any sweet mango that you enjoy will work well for these Asian mango pancakes. It’s best to choose a mango that only has a slight give when you press it gently and is still overall quite firm. The reason for this is that ripe mangoes may not hold their shape well after you cut them up and insert them in the pancakes. Give a stem area a short sniff – if it smells nice and sweet, take that mango home! If you plan on making these pancakes a few days later, get mangoes that are more firm and leave them in a paper bag to ripen.

To prepare the mango for the pancakes, slice them into 1.5cm x 10cm strips and let them firm up in the fridge for around 30 minutes. Remember to taste test the mango during this time, so you can assess whether you need to make the cream slightly sweeter later on. 

Tips for how to make the mango pancake batter and cream filling

To make the pancake batter for these pancakes with mango, choose full-fat milk instead of low-fat to prevent cracks in the pancakes. We recommend using natural food colouring to give the pancakes that canary yellow colour, and avoid using mango puree in the batter because it can affect the batter consistency. 

After mixing all the batter ingredients, place the mixture in the fridge for 1 hour to rest. This allows the liquid to be absorbed into the flour, softening the pancakes and preventing cracks when you roll them up later.

To make the cream filling, be sure to chill your cream beforehand so that it becomes stiff when beaten. 

The best way to assemble fresh mango pancakes

You’ll want to use a non-stick frying pan, otherwise, you’ll end up with pancakes that tear and stick to the pan. After pouring and swirling the batter around the pan, let the pancake cook until the middle feels like it has set when you touch it. When it is halfway done, use a rubber spatula to slide under the edges and loosen them. Make sure you only cook one side of the pancakes. The cooked side will end up facing the inside of each mango-cream pancake. Quickly flip the pancake onto a clean surface once cooked. If they wrinkle upon landing, don’t fix them yet. Let them cool down, then smoothen them. 

Only fill the pancakes with cream when the pancakes are completely cool, to avoid melting the cream. Place a spoonful of cream on the pancake and spread it so it is 1cm thick and slightly bigger than the mango piece that you will lay on top of the mound of cream.

Now that you know how to make mango pancakes at home, make these fresh and light pillows of mango magic for your next of round entertaining guests or to satisfy a craving. Looking for more mango ideas? Try this refreshing mango and coconut tapioca pudding or check out our collection of easy mango recipes for more inspiration.