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An authentic recipe for Raita- a creamy Indian yogurt sauce with cucumber, mint and cilantro. Cooling and refreshing, serve this with spicy Indian dishes to help cool the palate. Vegan-adaptable. With a Video. Plus 35+ Mouthwatering Indian Recipes to Make at Home!
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
Raita Ingredients
- Plain yogurt – use a thick yogurt for a thicker, richer consistency.
- Fresh cucumber- use thinned skin cucumbers like English, Turkish or Persian and leave the skin on. Or feel free to peel waxy cucumbers. Scrape out the seeds!
- Onion– or sub-green onions or chives.
- Fresh herbs- mint, cilantro, or chives.
- Salt and spices– cumin & coriander
- Fresh Chilies– optional, but add a nice heat!
- Olive oil– I love adding a little olive oil for extra richness, this is not traditional, but it is tasty!
How to Make Raita (in 3 easy Steps)
- Prep the ingredients (cut the onion, cucumber & herbs) and place in a bowl with the yogurt and spices.
- Stir until combined.
- Garnish with fresh herbs or chive blossoms!
- Riata will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
What to serve with RaitA?
Raita is very cooling to the palate, therefore, it’s perfect served alongside many spicy Indian dishes. We also love it paired with:
- Naan Bread
- Grilled Tandoori Chicken
- Quick Chickpea Biryani
- Sheet Pan Tandoori Bake
- Indian Butter Chicken,
- Basmati Rice
Enjoy the raita and please let us know what you think in the comments below!
xoxo
More Indian recipes you may enjoy!
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Raita Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 ½ cups 1x
- Category: sauce, condiment
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
An authentic recipe for Raita- a creamy Indian yogurt sauce with cucumber, mint and cilantro. Cooling and refreshing, serve this with spicy Indian dishes to help cool the palate.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt (whole milk is best, or sub vegan coconut yogurt)
- 1/2 cup cucumber, finely diced or grated
- 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 ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 2–3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 2–3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir.
- Garnish with fresh herbs.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Raita will keep 4-5 days in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 tablespoons
- 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, raita video
Recipe looks great but I haven’t made it yet.
It took three pages of paper to print the recipe and I wasn’t expecting that. Should only need one page. Seems a waste.
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Did you use the print button in the recipe card?
This recipe is great! I did substitute the fresh mint for a sprinkle of dried mint and it worked! I pair this with our falafel’s. Mmmm!
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Perfect! Love it.
This recipe crushed! I left out the cilantro(just not a fan overall) and used ground cumin and coriander.
Super solid recipe, would absolutely make again.
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I followed your Raita recipe and was very happy with the results.
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Your website is not phone friendly – there is no back button, only complete shut down. I will play along for the previous recipe I was on but will not come back to your site out of sheer frustration.
Sorry about that. Can you tell me what browser you are using?
Many thanks for this!
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Loved this! Lots of flavor and went great with my homemade naan.
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Awesome! Thanks for sharing! Totally hit the spot!
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Is there a substitute for clilantro? Or is it a must?
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Not at all, leave it out, use mint or even Italian parsley.
Made this last night and served with Garlic Naan, Chicken Tikka Masala and brown basmati rice. So delicious. Your suggestions for adding more lemon and herbs to taste were spot on. Also, I had only Greek yogurt on hand, so I also added a bit of cream to get it to more of a traditional yogurt consistency. So happy to have leftover raita to enjoy this weekend!
I made this with coconut yogurt as I don’t eat do dairy. I used Cocojune , it’s the best brand I’ve tried by far. It has a nice creamy consistency. I also added a pinch of marash pepper for a subtle heat.
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Very nice and MUCH better than the plain yoghurt we had been eating as I experimented with various chicken curry recipes. I liked the touch of mint. Definitely will make this again.
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Thanks, glad it worked for you! 🙌
So yummy
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Is it possible to make this a day in advance? Looks amazing!
Totally!
Best raita I’ve made yet! Nailed it.
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Haven’t made it yet.but it looks like a good recipe
Sylvia. Sorry for all the comments, but I can’t figure out how your site works.
Thank you for the feedback on the photo and flowers. The raita in the photograph looks absolutely delicious. A sigh for the senses as well as the palate.
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Hi James, no worries! Usually, the comments don’t post until evening or the next day.
Delicious!! Thanks so much.
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Exactly the flavour I was looking for, it’s delicious!
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Great to hear, thanks!
Misplaced my old recipe and so was excited to find this one, which is very similar (and what gorgeous photography! Absolutely delicious. Signed up for the newsletter because I really love the vegetarian-focused global flavours here. So much looks delicious!
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Thanks Carrie Lyyn, so happy you are here and glad you enjoyed this!
Made this tonight. What a winner! Even the teenager came back for another scoop!
Thank you!!
Just made this tonight…delicious and refreshing!
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A great recipe.
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Love your flowers and spices in this simple recipe
Awww, thanks!
This looks great! Can I use coconut yogurt to make dairy free?
You can try it- I have not personally tried …so very curious how it will taste!Let me know!
I used Greek-style almond milk yogurt and it worked perfectly.
Ok that is awesome…will have to try! Great to hear, thanks!