Mango-Chili Paletas

These mango-chili paletas burst with bright, juicy mango chunks, and mango nectar. Spicy chili flakes speckle the frozen delight offering bursts of heat to counteract the sweet juicy mango flavors.

I love making paletas during the warm months. It’s healthier and less expensive than buying ice cream and my kiddos enjoy helping me make them. You can’t beat the taste of fresh seasonal fruit compared to artificial flavors.

These paletas are intense as the flavor of a perfectly ripe mango. If you have access to Champagne mangos I’d highly recommend them for this recipe. Champagne mangos are sweeter and less fibrous with a wafer-thin pit. They are also called Ataulfo mangos.

If you close your eyes you might think you’re in the streets of Mexico purchasing this paleta from a paletero (one who sells paletas). This paleta is a refreshing little slice of Mexico heaven right in your home.

These paletas remind me of the mangos on a stick with chile powder we would buy from street vendors in Juarez, Mexico.

For more delicious paleta inspiration, follow the #PaletaWeek hashtag.

Yield: 6 popsicles

Paletas de Chili con Mango (Mango-Chili Popsicles)

These paletas reminds me of the mangos on a stick with chile powder we would buy from street vendors in Juarez, Mexico.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 mango, peeled, seeded, and sliced
• 1 (11.3-ounce) can mango nectar
• 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar or honey
• 1 mango, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder (recommend Tajin Fruit and Snack Seasoning)

Directions:

1. In a blender add sliced mango, mango nectar, and sugar or honey. Blend until smooth. Add chili powder to mixture and stir, do not blend.
2. Spoon diced mango into 6 popsicle molds.
3. Pour 2 ounces of mixture into each mold.
4. Insert a popsicle stick into each mold and freeze until pops are solid, about 6 hours or overnight. To release ice pops from molds, run the bottom of the molds briefly under cold water.
5. Sprinkle chile powder to popsicles and enjoy.

Photography by Jenna Sparks