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An authentic Raita Recipe– an Indian yogurt sauce with cucumber, mint and cilantro. Cooling and refreshing, serve this with spicy Indian dishes to help cool the palate. Video!

Love Indian Food? Check out 35+ Mouthwatering Indian Recipes to Make at Home!

A delicious Raita Recipe- an Indian yogurt sauce with cucumber, mint and cilantro. Cooling and refreshing, serve this with spicy Indian dishes to cool the palate. #raita #yogurtsauce #cucumberraita #indianrecipes

Our work (career) is the excuse by which we get to love people. We are put in exactly the place we need to be, to love the people we are around. ~Panache Desai

Here’s a very simple Indian sauce or condiment called Raita that pairs deliciously well with spicy Indian dishes to help refresh and cool the palate. It comes together in about 5-10 minutes – very quick and easy!

I know many of you won’t need the recipe, the experienced cooks out there can probably make this in your sleep! But thought I share this Raita Recipe with the new chefs out there, or those of you who are new to Indian cooking. It’s a basic Indian staple that I find often comes in handy and can be paired with many dishes! Another easy sauce to add to your growing repertoire.

Raita was the one condiment I was so thankful for in India, to help balance out all the incredible heat and spice! It allowed me to keep eating… ahaha!  Like a cool breeze on the palate. 😉

How to Make Raita! | 45-second video

A delicious Raita Recipe- an Indian yogurt sauce with cucumber, mint and cilantro. Cooling and refreshing, serve this with spicy Indian dishes to cool the palate. #raita #yogurtsauce #cucumberraita #indianrecipes

Ingredients in Raita

This version of Raita is made with plain yogurt, fresh cucumber, fresh mint and cilantro and spices. There are many variations in India and many other kinds of Raita, not just Cucumber Raita, but here is a basic recipe that most are familiar with.

How to Make Raita in 2 easy steps!

Prep the ingredients (cut the onion, cucumber & herbs) and place in a bowl with the yogurt and spices.  Stir!

Riata will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

What to serve with RaitA?

Raita is delicious served alongside most spicy Indian dishes, cooling the palate.  We also love it with:

More recipes you may enjoy!

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A delicious Raita Recipe- an Indian yogurt sauce with cucumber, mint and cilantro. Cooling and refreshing, serve this with spicy Indian dishes to cool the palate. #raita #yogurtsauce #cucumberraita #indianrecipes

Raita Recipe

  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: sauce, condiment
  • Method: Stirred
  • Cuisine: Indian

Description

Raita Recipe- an Indian yogurt sauce with cucumber, mint and cilantro. Cooling and refreshing, serve this with spicy Indian dishes to cool the palate.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3/4 cup whole milk plain yogurt ( or sub coconut yogurt)
  • 1/2 cup finely diced or grated cucumber (removed seeds first)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion (optional, sub chives or green onion)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice, more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted, crushed ( or use ground)
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted, crushed ( or use ground)
  • 23 tablespoons chopped mint
  • 23 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • for heat, add 1-2 teaspoons finely minced serrano peppers- optional
  • garnish with fresh herbs, chive blossoms or chili flakes

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir.

Refrigerate until  ready to serve.


Notes

If you like ginger, feel free to add 1/2 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger.

Using toasted whole seeds (cumin and coriander) really elevates this! 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 43
  • Sugar: 3.8 g
  • Sodium: 85.9 mg
  • Fat: 2.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 4.9 g
  • Fiber: 0.3 g
  • Protein: 0.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 3 mg

Keywords: Raita, raita recipe, raita sauce, indian yogurt sauce, what is raita?, how to make raita

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Comments

  1. I substituted in green chili pepper and used ground garam masala to season because I’m out of coriander. Very nice recipe; delicious and easy to make. Thank you.

  2. I thought this raita was the best I’ve ever had. Making it again this weekend, but one guest cannot eat cilantro. Would you omit it altogether or substitute something else (like parsley)?

  3. Oooh, what lovely food photography. Are the purple flowers you feature in the photos edible? If so, what kind are they? And how do they affect the flavor of the dish? Love me an edible flower 🙂

    1. Really liked this 🙂 I used Greek yogurt. Very tasty and refreshing. Thanks for sharing the recipe 👍😃

  4. I raita this recipe a 5 out of 5!

    (i know – it’s pronounced rye-ta. Leave me to my dad joke!)

  5. This recipe is delicious!! I squeezed the water out of the cucumber and added more lemon juice to taste, as suggested. We had it with warm naan bread and tandoori chicken. I’ll definitely make it again. Thanks so much Sylvia!

  6. Great recipes…pity though that you refer to adding animals to some of them..why not go completely cruelty free?

    1. Hi Linda- thank you, and I hear you and it would take an essay to explain my reasoning here. But it has mainly to do with regenerative farming.

  7. Excellent dish! I accidentally added a little cumin to it and that tasted great too. Happy mistake. Thank you for sharing.

  8. I lived in India for 3 months, and this recipe as well as your Naan and tikka masala have been the closet recipes I have tried that taste like authentic Indian food! It’s a family staple and my little kids love it! If you do any more Indian recipes I would love a dosa with some good chutneys to dip it in. 😋

Hi, I'm Sylvia!

Chef and author of the whole-foods recipe blog, Feasting at Home, Sylvia Fountaine is a former restaurant owner and caterer turned full-time food blogger. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest and shares seasonal, healthy recipes along with tips and tricks from her home kitchen.

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