Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or snacks, these small batch dairy-free dried mango muffins are packed with flavor. They are also the perfect way to use up that dried mango (or any fruit, really) that’s been sitting in your pantry for way too long.
A few months ago, I picked up a bag of dried mango from our local BJ’s because it’s seriously the best. Like, better than any other brand I’ve tried. The first time I had gotten a bag, it was gone in two days flat. I was telling The Little about how excited I was to have some again, and asked her if she would be interested in trying some, too.
Of course she said yes. Who can resist such a delicious treat?! So I ripped open the bag when we got home, handed The Little a piece for herself, and took a bite. It wasn’t as good as I remembered it, but maybe my tastebuds were a little off that day… The Little took a bite a few seconds later and instead of oohing and ahhhing about it, she made a funny face.
I picked up the bag to see if something had changed, but everything looked the same. And that’s when I noticed it. The small lettering on the top of the package that said unsweetened.
Face. Palm.
The unsweetened variety was most definitely not the same and most definitely not very good. It just wasn’t for me. (That’s a fancy way of saying it was effing disgusting and not at all what I had hoped it would be.)
So instead of throwing it directly in the trash and feeling cranky with myself for wasting $14 on a bag of dried mango, I tucked it into the back of our pantry and told myself that I’d find something to make with it. Eventually. I’m pretty sure I even went so far as to look up ideas on Pinterest to see if there was anything that was of interest. There wasn’t, so it sat. And sat and sat and sat in our pantry.
Until today.
Our theme for our food+fun week is USE IT UP. And I was determined to use up that bag of dried mango. So I took to Pinterest again, and this time found an interesting recipe for dried mango muffins by Yummy Tummy. The Little was super excited to help, and I was super excited to have found a way to use up that dang mango. I also loved that the recipe only made 6 muffins, making it even easier to USE UP what we had and not let any muffins go to waste.
Sadly, the first batch we made was a bit lackluster. I ended up not having one of the ingredients (mango extract) and the lack of sugar coating the mango made for a somewhat bland muffin. They are definitely edible, though, and The Little said she really liked them. So, there’s always that.
I was wracking my brain to think of a way to add more flavor to the muffins and remembered we had a jug of mango nectar hanging out in the fridge. I like to use it to make peach mango green smoothies and the girls just like it because it’s sweet. I swapped out the milk in the recipe and replaced it with the mango nectar and then patted myself on the back for being resource and using up yet another thing that’s been sitting in our fridge.
Holy wow, was this a good idea. It made a huge difference in the final recipe and added in some much needed sweetness with an extra mango kick.
These may be my new favorite muffins and one that I will be returning to over and over again. Mostly because they taste good, but also because the muffin base makes 6 muffins and they would be super easy to customize with different dried fruit add-ins and flavor combinations. (Mango-strawberry, anyone?)
Dried Mango Muffins (Dairy-Free)
Equipment
- 1 muffin pan
- muffin liners
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup mango nectar
- 3/4 cup sugar plus extra for sprinkling on top
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup dried mango (unsweetened or sweetened) chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a muffin tin with 6 muffin liners and set aside. If you have a 12 muffin tin, make sure to only line the spaces in the middle so that they cook evenly.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine egg, mango nectar, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Sprinkle in baking powder and then flour. Stir until just combined. Fold in the dried mango pieces.
- Spoon batter evenly between the muffin liners. OPTIONAL: sprinkle the tops with a little extra sugar if you’re feeling it. Otherwise, don’t.
- Transfer to oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Remove and let cool before enjoying!
