If you are looking for a cooling summer drink, then look no further than a glass of Lassi. Most popular in northers parts of India, lassi is a yogurt drink which can either be sweet or salty. There are so many ways to flavor it, but for me nothing beats the classic!

It gets really hot in summers in Delhi. I am talking about temperatures like 115 F degrees and back in the 90s, we also used to have frequent power cuts in that crazy heat. It’s amazing how we adapt to life situations. Now, I can’t imagine being able to withstand that heat but back then, it was just fine. We were fine even when we didn’t get electricity for days.

We would go to my nani’s (grandma) house every summer and it was a small village in eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh. There it was common to have no powder for months (like 2-3 months)! So crazy that we all thought it was absolutely normal back then. I still remember the celebrations we would have when that single bulb on the door would light up one fine day in that scorching heat!

During those hot days, what gave us respite were cooling drinks like bel ka sharbat (it’s a drink made with wood apple/stone apple) and lassi! The simplicity of lassi and ease of making it always made it a summer favorite! We would often chug down glasses of it during those hot summer days.

I have to say though that the most delicious lassi that I have had was at Amritsar. It was so filling and creamy! In fact the glasses would be so tall there that we would always ask to divide the glass into 4 and even then me and Sarvesh would struggle to finish the whole glass!

There in Amritsar, there’s also a layer of malai (cream) on top of the lassi, that’s what makes it so rich!

What is Lassi?

Lassi is a yogurt drink especially popular in norther parts of India. It’s super simple to make, so simple that you actually need only yogurt and water to make it.

It’s flavored in different ways and can be sweet or salty. Lassi is made of yogurt so it’s rich in probiotic making it good for your gut health. During summers, it keeps you hydrated and has a cooling effect on body.

In my house, lassi was often made with mathani (a wooden churner) which was used to churn/whisk the yogurt. However, these days an immersion blender, wire whisk or regular blender are also commonly used to make lassi.

Ingredients

Making a glass of lassi needs only 2 basic ingredients!

Yogurt: lassi is made with yogurt so you need plain yogurt to make it. In India, we made lassi with homemade yogurt which was made with whole milk. You can definitely use low fat yogurt or Greek yogurt too. But lassi is supposed to thick and creamy so whole milk yogurt is preferred.

Water: you need a liquid to thin out the yogurt a little and I like using water for that. You can also use milk but personally I prefer water for a lighter lassi.

Rest of the ingredients would depend on the type of lassi you are making.

For Sweet Lassi– you would also need sugar and for additional flavors you can use cardamom, rose water, saffron, nuts.

For Salty Lassi– you would need salt and spices like roasted cumin powder, kala namak, fresh mint etc.

Types Of Lassi

Lassi can be made and flavored in several ways. I am sharing the most basic sweet and salty version here but you can make it in many ways!

Mango Lassi: one of the most popular lassi is Mango Lassi where yogurt is blended with mango puree and sugar to make a refreshing lassi. It’s my favorite during summers!

Masala Lassi: you can add ginger, black pepper, herbs like cilantro and mint to make masala lassi.

Fruity Lassi: you can make lassi with fresh fruits like Strawberry Lassi, Raspberry Lassi etc.

Check out this post on summer lassi for more lassi flavors like rose lassi, pineapple ginger lassi!

Step by Step Instructions for Sweet Lassi

1- To a large bowl add plain yogurt (make sure it isn’t sour), Then mix it well using a wire whisk until smooth.

2- Add in the sugar, you can adjust the amount of sugar to taste. It will also depend on how sour the yogurt is.

3- Again using a wire whisk, mix it well until the sugar is mixed well with the yogurt.

4- Now add water to thin out the lassi a bit. You can adjust the amount of water depending on the consistency of lassi you prefer. For thicker lassi, add 1/2 cup water, for thinner lassi, you can add 1 cup water or even more.

5- Now using an immersion blender (or regular blender or the traditional mathani) blend everything together.

6- Then add cardamom powder, rose water and few saffron strands. If you don’t have saffron or rose water, feel free to skip. I will recommend keeping the cardamom for sure.

7- Again, using your immersion blender, mix it all together until the lassi is all frothy on top.

8- Pour into serving glass, top with saffron strands, crushed pistachios and serve!

Step by Step Instructions for Salty Lassi

1- Add plain yogurt to a bowl and whisk it using a wire whisk until smooth.

2- Add cumin powder and black salt (kala namak) and mix until it’s well combined with the yogurt.

3- Now add water to thin out the lassi a bit. You can adjust the amount of water depending on the consistency of lassi you prefer. For thicker lassi, add 1/2 cup water, for thinner lassi, you can add 1 cup water or even more. Using an immersion (or regular blender or the traditional mathani) blend everything together. You want the lassi to be nice and frothy on top.

4- Transfer to serving glass, garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve. You can sprinkle some roasted cumin powder on top before serving.

Tips & Notes

• Make sure that the yogurt you are using for sweet lassi isn’t sour. If using homemade yogurt, make sure it’s fresh.
• Whole milk yogurt works best for lassi. Low fat yogurt can be used but I recommend using whole milk for best results.
• You can flavor the lassi is several ways, adding fruits like mango, strawberry, rose syrup are some common versions.
• It’s best to consume lassi as soon as you make it. But if you want, you can store it in the refrigerator for up tp 2 days.
• Milk can also be added to thin out the lassi in place of water but I prefer water here. Milk makes it quite heavy.
• Consistency of lassi can be adjusted to preference. I perfer neither too thin nor too thick so using the amount of water given in the recipe will result in a medium consistency. Adjust water amount to preference.

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