Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Ashley Moore.

Mango Paletas

Name: Mango Paletas
Total time: 6 h 10 min
Yield: Makes 6 paletas
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 very ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and chopped (about 3 cups); ¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) sugar; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; Pinch table salt

By David Yu

Published on June 27, 2026

Time

10 minutes, plus 6 hours freezing

Yield

Makes 6 paletas

Ingredients

Ingredient check list

2 very ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and chopped (about 3 cups)

¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pinch table salt

Why This Recipe Works

Paletas, Mexico’s ubiquitous ice pops, are made from simple ingredients, take minutes of work, and are endlessly customizable. For our mango version, we puree fresh fruit with enough sugar (plus a touch of lemon juice and salt) to ensure that the pops have vibrant flavor and a solid but biteable texture. Then we divide the mixture into molds and freeze the pops until they’re solid.

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Before You Begin

This recipe was developed using 3-ounce ice pop molds. For a tangy-spicy version, fill molds one-third full with mango mixture, add 1 teaspoon of chamoy and lightly swirl into mango using toothpick or ice pop stick; repeat until molds are filled. Chamoy is a popular Mexican condiment that’s sweet, salty, spicy, and sour and is available in most Latin American markets.

Instructions

Process 3 cups chopped very ripe mango, ¼ cup (1¾ ounces) sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and pinch table salt in blender at high speed until mixture is completely smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of blender jar halfway through processing. (If mango mixture is too thick to pour, add 1 tablespoon water while blender is running).

Divide mango mixture evenly among six 3-ounce molds. Insert ice pop stick in center of each mold; cover; and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours or up to 5 days. To serve, hold mold under warm running water for 3 seconds if using metal mold or 30 seconds if using plastic mold, to thaw.