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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!

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. 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)

  1. Prep the ingredients (cut the onion, cucumber & herbs) and place in a bowl with the yogurt and spices.
  2. Stir until combined.
  3. Garnish with fresh herbs or chive blossoms!
  4. Riata will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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.

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:

Enjoy the raita and please let us know what you think in the comments below!

xoxo

Sylvia

More Indian recipes you may enjoy!

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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.

Raita Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 31 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 1 ½ cups 1x
  • Category: sauce, condiment
  • Method: Stirred
  • Cuisine: Indian
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe

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

Units Scale
  • 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

  1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir.
  2. Garnish with fresh herbs.
  3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  4. Raita will keep 4-5 days in the fridge.

Notes

Optional: add 1-2 teaspoons of finely minced serrano peppers for a little heat!

If you like ginger, add 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger.

Whole Spices: Using toasted whole seeds (cumin and coriander) really elevates this! Toast in a dry skillet until frgarnt, and then grind into a fine powder.

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

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Comments

  1. 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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  2. 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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  3. 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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  5. 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.

    Reply

  10. 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!

    Reply

  11. 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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  12. 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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  17. 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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  20. 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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    1. You can try it- I have not personally tried …so very curious how it will taste!Let me know!

      Reply

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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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