Lassi recipe | How to make lassi at home | Sweet & salted lassi recipes

Lassi is a thick yogurt drink very popular in India and neighbouring countries. It is often consumed as a refreshment and even at the end of a meal. Traditionally lassi was made using a wooden churner or whisk known as mathani. In the modern times, most people use a steel whisk or blender.

Traditionally lassi was a savoury drink made with fresh set curd and salt. As cumin or jeera is a cooling spice, a small quantity of it is roasted, powdered & used. This enhances the digestive and cooling properties of the lassi.

To make lassi, most people use homemade curd. It tastes best when made with fresh set curd and not sour one. If you are new to kitchen basics, then you can check this post on How to make curd at home.

Lassi gets the best texture by whisking curd and not by blending. You can use a handheld whisk, milk frother, a electric mixing rod or even a fork.

There are other popular variations like rose, sweet, Mango lassi and many more. One can find very unusual varieties of it on the restaurant menus.

Most restaurants serve North Indian thali with a salted or sweet lassi or chaas. I am sharing 3 varieties of lassi in this post.

How to make lassi

1. Add chilled curd to a bowl. Do note that using sour curd may need addition of milk and more sugar. I do not prefer the combination of curd and milk together. So I ensure to use fresh curd.

2. Whisk it well until smooth.

3. Next add sugar, saffron or rosewater.

4. Add cardamom powder. I powdered cardamoms with little sugar.

5. Whisk everything well.

6. Add water or whey. Adjust water as desired. If you are not serving it right away then you can also use boiled and cooled milk.

You can garnish with any of these – saffron, chopped nuts or cardamom powder.

Making salted lassi

1. On a low heat, dry roast jeera or cumin until it smells good.

2. Cool and powder this in a spice jar.

3. Whisk the chilled curd in a bowl or jug.

4. Add salt and cumin powder. Whisk everything well.

5. Pour water and whisk again.

Making mint lassi

Among all the varieties, this is one of the best during summers. Fresh mint keeps the body cool and stimulates the digestion. Consuming this after a heavy meal helps in digestion. Lemon juice is another key ingredient in this, do not skip it.

1. Chill the curd well and transfer to a blender jar.

2. Pour chilled water.

3. Add sugar to suit your taste. I do not make it too sweet.

4. Next salt too add to suit your taste.

5. Clean pudina leaves and wash them well in a pot of water. Drain and add them here. I also use a tiny bit of chilli just for mild heat. Squeeze in lemon juice.

6. Blend until frothy and smooth.

Pour it to serving glasses.

Tips to make lassi

• Avoid using sour yogurt and preferably use homemade curd.
• Use full fat curd to make a thick, tasty & creamy lassie.
• Lassi is usually thicker than chaas or the Indian buttermilk. So add chilled water only as needed to bring the yogurt to consistency.
• For a low fat version, use low fat yogurt but it does not yield the real taste of lassi.
• Adding mint leaves, jeera powder, lemon juice & salt to your lassi helps to beat the summer heat.
• I do not add milk to my lassi instead prefer to use fresh curd. Usually milk is used to reduce the sourness from the curd and bring in a creamy flavor.

Flavored lassi

Here are some fruit lassi varieties I have tried

1. Add 1 cup cubed ripe mangoes, along with 3 tbsps sugar, ¼ tsp cardamom powder, ¾ cup yogurt and ¾ cup water to a blender jar. Blend until smooth to have a delicious mango lassi.

2. Blend together 2 tbsps rose syrup with 1 cup yogurt, 2 tbsps sugar & half cup water to have a delicious rose lassi.

3. Add 1 cup strawberries to a blender along with 2 tbsps sugar, 1 cup yogurt & half cup water. Blend until smooth & frothy to make strawberry lassi.

More Summer beverages
Thandai recipe
Dry fruits milkshake
Badam milk
Cold coffee
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