Indian Lassi Recipe
People always ask me for an Indian Lassi recipe. I mean, it’s not very complicated, but I realized it’s only easy if you’ve done it all your life. It’s embarrassingly simple, so to jazz it up I’ll show you several variations of Lassi, all of which are traditional. I know there are some phenomenal avocado lassi and blood orange lassi recipes out there, or ones that involve strawberries but those fruits aren’t widely available in India. So, I’m only including the various ways I grew up drinking it. For reference, I was raised on Punjabi Lassi. This is characterized by a full-fat, very filling salted lassi drunk ice cold with a layer of froth on it as it gets churned. I mention this because Lassi Recipes vary across India.
What Is Lassi?
Lassi is a simple yogurt-based beverage that’s very popular in Indian cuisine. And by simple, I mean really simple. It consists of just yogurt, water, and typically some spices and/or fruit. You can have either have some version of sweet lassi, or a salty lassi, spicy lassi, or savory lassi.
What Are The Benefits of Lassi?
Lassi is amazing for your immune system since it is rich in Vitamin D and lactic acid. Lassi is actually very beneficial to your digestive health as well. Since it is yoghurt based, it is rich in probiotics, which helps support bacterial balance in your digestive system. It’s also calcium-rich, which helps with bone health. It is very refreshing during the summer and is a smoothie that both kids and adults love.
Tips and Tricks for Making Indian Lassi
How To Make Indian Mango Lassi
- Add water.
- Throw in some ice cubes.
- Add cardamom seeds or cardamom powder to taste.
- Blend until smooth. One of the most popular versions is the Mango Lassi (pictured). It’s commonly found in India, and mango goes SO well with yogurt. It’s one of my favorite blends, and it’s super simple to make. You can use either frozen mango, fresh mango, canned mango, mango pulp, alphonso mango pulp, canned mango pulp, mango puree, the pulp of whatever mango you find at the grocery store. Aaalll of the mangoes are welcome. If you do use canned mango pulp or canned puree, reduce the sugar considerably as those are pre-sweetened. So if you’re tired of paying for expensive lassi or smoothies at restaurants, you know have a mango lassi recipe that will save you a few bucks.
Different Lassi Variations
I also included eight more variations for you to try in the recipe below. Print it off and hang it on the fridge so you can try them all and choose your favorites! I love them all, so I can’t tell you which to try first. Which one will you make first?
Sweet Lassi: Sub 2 teaspoons or more sugar/sweetener for salt. You could also use honey, agave nectar, or your sweetener of choice. Mango Lassi: Add I cup ripe mango cubes and 1/4 teaspoons cardamom. You could also use a few saffron strands if you’re feeling fancy. Sometimes people add a tinge of rose syrup to this but I find it overpowers the mango flavor a bit. Savory Lassi: Roast cumin seeds, grind, add 1/2 teaspoons whilst blending. This actually goes really well with Indian food, and you can serve it at the same time as the rest of the Indian feast you’ve made. Spicy Lassi: 2-3 thin ginger slices, 2 slices serrano chili and 1/8 cup chopped cilantro blended in. A squeeze of lime juice or lemon juice at the end is lovely. Banana Lassi: 1 banana blended in, with some additional sugar if needed. Ground cardamom is delicious with bananas. What The Heck Is This Yumminess Lassi: 1/2 teaspoons chaat masala (ready made) Mint Lassi: 1/2 teaspoons dried mint whilst blending Papaya Lassi: 1 cup papaya chunks and 1/4 teaspoons cardamom. The one thing you do NOT want to put in lassi is milk or any sort. It’s always homemade yogurt, water, and then whatever other yummy additions you want to make.
What is Curd or Buttermilk?
If you’ve read traditional Indian recipes, you see the word curd, or homemade curd used often. It really is just another word for yogurt. So when Little Ms. Muffet was eating her curds and whey, I guess she was just eating yogurt? Watery yogurt at that? Clearly her mom needed to learn how to make my Cold Start Yogurt recipe! As to buttermilk, the terms buttermilk and lassi are often used interchangeably in India, but in fact, those are not the same thing at all. I will write about buttermilk another day. But for now, use the word Lassi.
How to pronounce Lassi
Every single American friend of mine, wants to say Lassie like Lassi the dog. Don’t. It’s more like luh-ssi. Luh as in luscious. Got it?
Making Dairy-free Lassi
My experience in this area is limited. Technically yes, you can use coconut milk yogurt, or almond milk yogurt to make lassi, but you’d want to add a lot less water to it, since they tend to be thinner than dairy milk yogurts.
Looking For More Yummy Beverages?
Instant Pot Masala Chai- It’s a delicious low carb treat. Instant Pot Boba Tea! It’s an incredibly easy Instant Pot recipe. Keto Iced Caramel Macchiato- Way cheaper than the coffee shop! High Protein Milk shake- 32 grams of protein in one shake. Hibiscus Tea- a perfect summer drink made in your Instant Pot. Cherry Limeade- A homemade version of a Sonic classic.
With this Indian Lassi recipe being so simple and quick, and with there being so many variations, you should be pretty busy for the next few days trying them all! Let me know what your favorite variation is in the comments! This was originally published in March 2017
