Easy Mango Bars are easy to make with a golden buttery shortbread crust and sweet, tangy mango filling. Bake these tropical bars for summer!
This sweet and fruit filled Bar Recipe is perfect for serving at a potluck, bake sale, or party especially in the summer! For more fruit bars, try my Easy Lemon Bars, Blackberry Crumb Bars or Peach Crumb Bars.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Mango Bars Recipe
My easy Mango Bars are made with a buttery pastry crust and topping surrounding a sweet, gooey mango filling with real mangoes and preserves. The mango squares are similar to Apricot Shortbread Bars but have a distinctly tropical flavor thanks to the fresh mango filling. Enjoy these sweet crumbly fruit bars poolside for the ultimate summery treat.
Dessert bars like this one are great for an easy dessert to serve to a crowd. It’s a fuss-free dessert that you can bring out for a special occasion or as an after-dinner treat. Just bake the Mango Bars beforehand and give them enough time to cool. Then, the bar recipe is easy to slice into clean squares and let everyone enjoy the buttery, fruity treat.
Ingredients
- Butter: To make a flaky, buttery pastry crust, you’ll need ¾ cup unsalted butter. Dice the butter into small pieces so that it easily distributes throughout the dry ingredients without having to cream it. Use cold butter for the best results.
- Flour: Mix the butter with 2 cups of flour to make the crust base and the crust topping. Pastry flour or regular all-purpose flour will work well for this recipe.
- Sugar: This recipe calls for 1 ¼ cups sugar divided between the crust and the mango filling. Because the mango mixture is already naturally sweet, you’ll only need ½ cup of granulated sugar reserved for the filling. The other ¾ cup is used to sweeten the pastry crust for a sweet dough mixture.
- Fresh Mango: For the perfect, flavorful mango filling, use ripe mango. Peel and dice the mango flesh into small pieces before mixing it with the other ingredients so there are no large chunks in the filling. If you prefer a smoother fruit filling, you can always blend the ingredients to make a sweet mango puree.
- Mango Preserves: These are an excellent addition to the mango filling, adding extra sweetness, fruit flavor, and moisture to the recipe.
- Cornstarch: Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the fruit filling to help it set into a jelly-like consistency.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- 9 X 13 Baking Dish: The 9×13 baking dish is a kitchen staple due to its size and versatility, making it suitable for a wide range of baked and cooked dishes
- Food Processor: The food processor combines the ingredients into pea-sized crumbs.
- Large Mixing Bowl: Use a bowl large enough to combine the mango-filling ingredients.
How to Make
Time needed: 50 minutes.
- Prep
Preheat the oven temperature to 375 degrees and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick baking spray.
- Prepare Crust
Add the diced butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt to your food processor. Then pulse until the flour and butter mixture turns into pea-sized crumbs.
- Press into Pan
Press ¾ of the dough into the bottom of the baking dish.
- Bake the Crust
Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes so the crust barely starts to brown.
- Prepare Mango Filling
Add diced mango, cornstarch, granulated sugar, fresh lemon juice, and mango preserves to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Then, pour the mango mixture evenly over the crust.
- Add Crumb Topping
Crumble the pie mixture over the mango filling.
- Bake
Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.
- Serve
Take the Mango Bars from the oven and let them cool before slicing them into squares.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Crust:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter , diced
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 3 cups fresh mango diced finely
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup mango preserves , (mixed mango flavor okay too)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with baking spray.
- In a food processor add the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Pulse until the mixture is pea sized.
- Press ¾ of the mixture into the bottom of the pan firmly.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until just barely browning.
- In a bowl add the mango, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and preserves and mix together well.
- Put the mango mixture evenly onto the crust.
- Crumble over the remaining crust mixture.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
- Cool completely before cutting.
Nutrition
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Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, if you want to prep this recipe in advance, you can make the crust dough beforehand. Prepare the simple dough, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to put in the fridge for 3 days, or package it carefully to store in the freezer for up to 3 months before baking. When you’re ready to make the dessert, let the crust thaw and prepare fresh mango filling. Then, bake according to the recipe instructions.
Alternatively, you can bake Mango Bars as usual and then package the dessert to keep them frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Facts
Chef’s Note: Picking Mangoes
When picking fruit for this recipe, the most important thing is selecting ripe, firm mangoes. Press gently on the skin to test if the mangoes you purchase are fresh. A ripe mango will be tender enough to give a little without sinking all the way in when you press the skin. Regarding the variety of mangoes to pick for baking, I find Palmer, Manila, and Alphonso are wonderfully sweet and smooth, perfect to make a delicious filling for this dessert bar recipe.
How to Store
- Serve: Let the Mango Bars cool before you slice them into squares. Don’t leave this dessert sitting uncovered for more than a few hours, or it will start to dry out.
- Store: To keep leftover bars fresh, cover the whole pan in plastic wrap or transfer them to an airtight container. Then, keep the bars in the fridge for up to one week.
- Freeze: You could also freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. Put the bars in a freezer bag with wax paper or parchment paper to keep the squares from freezing together. When ready to serve the recipe, let the bars thaw at room temperature.
Topping Ideas for Mango Bars
- Berries: Fresh strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries add a burst of color and complementary tartness.
- Coconut: Shredded coconut or fresh coconut flakes can amplify the tropical feel.
- Pineapple: Pineapple chunks or pineapple salsa can enhance the tropical flavor profile.
- Whipped Cream: A dollop adds a light and airy contrast.
- Greek Yogurt: A spoonful of plain or vanilla Greek yogurt can add a tangy and creamy touch.
- Toasted Coconut: Adds a crunchy texture and enhances the tropical flavor.
- Chopped Almonds or Pistachios: These can provide a nice contrast in texture and a nutty flavor.
- Cream Cheese: A small dollop of cream cheese or a cream cheese glaze can add richness.
- Mascarpone: A bit of mascarpone cheese offers a smooth, creamy complement.
Frequent Questions
If mangoes aren’t in season, you can always pick up a bag of diced mangoes from the frozen section of your local grocery store. However, it’s better to let the mangoes thaw before you add them to the mango filling for this bar recipe. Otherwise, the frozen mangoes will thaw during baking, releasing excess water and ruining the texture of the filling.
These mango bars are even more delicious and are made with perfectly ripe mangoes. The tropical fruit is in peak season from May to September, but it’s imported to grocery stores from warm locations year-round.
Yes. This recipe’s main non-vegan ingredient is the butter in the crust. However, you can always replace the regular butter with a dairy-free butter alternative. To keep the recipe 100% vegan, swap the white sugar for a vegan sweetener like coconut sugar, beet sugar, agave nectar, or certified vegan cane sugar. You’ll also want to check the mango preserve label to ensure you get a jar without animal products.
Variations
- Mango and Strawberry Bars: Add another layer of fruity flavor to the filling by mixing fresh strawberries with the sweet mango filling. Add 1 ½ cups sliced and pitted strawberries to the mixture and reduce the amount of fresh mango to 1 ½ cups. Combine the rest of the ingredients and bake the mango dessert as usual.
- Pineapple Mango and Papaya Squares: To make the ultimate tropical treat, add pineapple and papaya to the mango squares. For this version, you’ll use 1 cup fresh mango, 1 cup chopped, peeled, and seeded papaya, and 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple. Mix the fruit ingredients with the mango filling and add a spritz of fresh lime juice to highlight the sweet, tropical flavors with the sour citrus notes.
- Crumble Topping: Instead of the warm crust topping, you can finish this dish with a delicious crumble topping. To make the crumb topping, use a fork or pastry cutter to blend ¾ cup of flour, ½ cup of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and 4 tablespoons of butter together. Cut the ingredients together until they form coarse crumbs to sprinkle over the mango bars.
- Toppings: To add a finishing touch to your mango dessert, you can top the bars off with sweetened coconut flakes, chopped nuts, or a dusting of powdered sugar.
More Fruity, Buttery Crumb Bars
