This lassi is smooth, creamy, sweet and super delicious. It is a popular yogurt-based, traditional North Indian drink for the summer months.
You’ll need 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to make this sweet lassi recipe.
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❤️About This Recipe
Traditional Method:
- Lassi is made by hand-churning homemade yogurt with sugar (or salt & spices to make salted lassi) and water until it is smooth and frothy.
- The hand churner is like a whisk, made from wood and is called madani (or valonu), as you can see in the pics below.
- Nowadays, you can use a handy (immersion blender) or regular blender to make it in a jiffy.
- Traditionally, the sweet lassi is topped with malai (cream) or makhan (cultured white butter) and sometimes khoya or rabri. These toppings are added especially when serving to the guests. But when made for day-to-day consumption then it is kept light without any toppings.
Variations: There are many different versions of lassi like fruity, salty, sweet, flavored with mint or rose, masala lassi, etc. But sweet lassi and salted lassi are the classic versions. Mango lassi is more popular outside India.
🧾Ingredient Notes
Yogurt:
- Most Indians make yogurt at home, this fresh yogurt is not sour and makes the best lassi. Though you can use store-bought yogurt as well.
- Highly recommend using full-fat yogurt to get the best creamy texture. However, you can use fat-free or low-fat yogurt but you’ll see the texture difference.
- Always use chilled yogurt.
Sugar: White sugar is used. You can go for the healthy route like maple sugar, coconut sugar or honey.
Water: Use chilled water.
Cardamom powder: It adds a nice aroma as well as a good flavor.
Rose water (OPTIONAL): It adds a fresh floral flavor and aroma.
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
Traditional Method (Using Wooden Churner):
- Take yogurt and sugar in a large bowl.
- Beat it using a churner until sugar dissolves and the yogurt gets smooth.
- Add cardamom powder and rose water.
- Add the chilled water.
- Beat it again.
- It should be frothy and that’s the perfect lassi texture.
Alternatively, you can add all the ingredients into the blender, blend until frothy, pour into the serving glass and enjoy.
💭Expert Tips
- Lassi tastes best when served chilled.
- Always use chilled yogurt and chilled water to get an instantly chilled lassi. Otherwise, make a few hours before serving and chill in the refrigerator.
- Adjust the amount of water depending on how thick your yogurt is.
- It can be stored in an airtight jar (bottle) in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
🍽 When To Serve Lassi?
- Lassi can be served as a stand-alone drink for a refreshing and cooling effect on your body on sunny, hot days.
- It can be served along with the meal. When spicy Indian dishes make you sweat that time this drink helps you cool down and also soothes your palate. It also helps in digestion.
Check Out Other Cooling Indian Drinks
Did you try this sweet lassi recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review.
📋 Recipe Card
Sweet Lassi Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Plain Yogurt (Dahi or Curd), chilled and not sour
- 3-4 tablespoons Sugar
- ½ cup Water or Milk (chilled)
- ¼ teaspoon Green cardamom seeds powder
- ½ teaspoon Rose water
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth and frothy.
- Pour into the glass and serve.
Notes
- Lassi tastes best when served chilled.
- Always use chilled yogurt and chilled water to get an instantly chilled lassi. Otherwise, make a few hours before serving and chill in the refrigerator.
- Adjust the amount of water depending on how thick your yogurt is.
- Storage: It can be stored in an airtight jar (bottle) in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Juho Song
Thanks you for your good explanation. And do you have a recipe for making a malai? I saw indians have a malai topping on lassi
Kanan
True, traditionally lassi is topped with malai.
to get malai, boil milk and then let it cool down completely. Once cooled, a thin layer of fat will float on top. Collect that in a small bowl. Whip it slightly to make it smooth. This is called malai.
Raj
What is the difference between this and buttermilk
Kanan
Buttermilk aka chaas is usually savory and has thin consistency. While this lassi is sweet and is thick like smoothie.