Sweet Plain Lassi
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What do you do when it’s scorching hot outside? Whip out a tub of ice cream? Gulp down ice cold water? Make a smoothie? Let me know your favourite way to cool down in the summer!
Unfortunately the days are numbered for really hot days here in Canada. However, if you’ve been here for awhile, you know that my motto is that there is no “right” time of year to enjoy your favourite food and drink!
A Plain Sweet Lassi is probably one of the most simple yet extremely refreshing drinks you’ll ever try. You can make it whenever you want and it’s ready in literally 30 seconds, and it’s bound to be a new favourite! If you’re ever feeling hot and want to cool down instantly, this lassi recipe is for you!
Watch the video at the bottom of this post to see just how easy it is! It would mean a lot to me if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you’re not already, and don’t forget to press the bell button to be notified when all of my new recipe videos are live! Let’s get mixing!
What is a Lassi?
A lassi is an Indian and Pakistani yogurt-based cold drink. Lassis are consumed in both India and Pakistan because they originate from the Punjab region of India, which is now separated between India and Pakistan. Lassis are the most famous cold drink in India, comparable in popularity to the hot chai! Lassis can be sweet, salty, or fruity. You may be familiar with the famous Mango Lassi, but there are many others that I’ll describe later on in this post!
Lassi is typically enjoyed as a summer treat since it is super refreshing. However, nothing stops you from having a lassi whenever you’d like! Once you see how simple it is to make this basic lassi recipe and how delicious it is, you may want to have a lassi every day!
Health Benefits of Indian Lassi
Yogurt contains probiotics, making it good for digestion and to boost immunity
Light on the stomach
High in calcium
Protein-packed
Why you’ll Love lassi!
Cools you down on a hot day
Super fast to make
Two ingredients needed
Minimal kitchen tools needed
Awesome for children!
Do I need a Blender for lassi?
For this Basic Lassi recipe, you won’t need a blender, since you’ll just need to mix water and sugar with the yogurt. If you want to crush the ice with these ingredients, then of course use it. More “advanced” lassi recipes may require a blender if you need to break things down to add to the texture of the drink, such as dried fruits.
Equipment Needed to make a basic sweet lassi
Ingredients for Sweet Lassi
You’ll only need TWO ingredients that you most likely already have to make Sweet Lassi, meaning you can make it whenever you’d like! If you want to make a large amount of lassi for a crowd, check out the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD for all ingredient quantities and to scale the recipe based on how many portions you want to make!
Plain yogurt: My favourite type of yogurt is the Balkan yogurt. It’s very thick and creamy and not overly sour. However, pretty much any yogurt you have on hand will work! As I describe in my free guide to motivate you to get creative in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!, I always suggest to use up ingredients that you already have before rushing to the store to get new products, unless a specific ingredient is actually crucial to the recipe. If you have Greek yogurt, then you can just add more water to thin out the yogurt. Greek yogurt will also contain more protein. If you have vanilla yogurt on hand, then you can add less sugar. If your yogurt is fat-reduced, then you won’t need much water, or you can mix with milk or half and half cream to increase the creaminess.
Granulated white sugar: Regular table sugar is the perfect sweetener for this classic lassi recipe. It’s cheap and a staple household ingredient. If you want, you can certainly try other sweeteners! Play around with brown sugar, honey, cane sugar, agave syrup or maple syrup for natural sweetener options. If you want zero calorie sweeteners, try Splenda or Stevia.
Water: As required to thin out the yogurt.
Ice: Ice cubes are optional if you want an even colder drink.
Ground green cardamom: I love to add this to my Indian sweet recipes, such as Rice Kheer (pudding) or Gajar ka Halwa (carrot pudding). This is optional, but if you want to enhance the flavour of your lassi a little more, then I definitely recommend it!
Garnish: Optional. As you can see, I left my lassi plain, but if you want to dress up this simple lassi a little more, garnish with some chopped almonds or pistachios, rose petals, or strands of saffron.
Variations of Lassi
Salty: You could do sweet and salty or just salty. Add some salt (Himalayan pink salt is my preference), or black salt.
Mango: One of the most famous lassi options that you’ll see on pretty much any Indian restaurant menu! See how to make Sweet Mango Lassi in just a few minutes! This is my favourite lassi recipe as well!
Fruit: There are plenty of fruits you can make lassi with! Popular ones include strawberry, raspberry, pineapple, blood orange, or banana.
Chocolate: If you’ve followed me for awhile, you know I love chocolate! However, believe it or not I’ve never tried a chocolate lassi! I’m so ashamed to say this! But this is probably what I would try next! You can make it with cocoa powder and a chocolate bar.
Masala: If you want a spicier lassi, try throwing in some freshly ground spices like, green cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise and black peppercorns. You could even roast and grind some cumin seeds.
Dry fruits: In India, nuts are also referred to as “dried fruits.” You can make lassi with almonds (known as Badam lassi), pistachios, cashews, figs, or raisins.
Herb: Some savoury lassi recipes include cilantro, and some sweet and savoury have mint. A super refreshing combination for the hottest of days is mint and cucumber.
Kesar: This lassi is made with saffron threads soaked in warm milk, sugar, and ground green cardamom.
Rose: Prepared with rose syrup.
How to Make Sweet Plain Lassi
Add your yogurt into a mixing bowl or directly in your serving glass. Add some water to thin out the yogurt and whisk well.
Then, add in sugar and more water and whisk.
Enjoy!
Tips for A really REfreshing Lassi
Use ice cold water or room temperature water depending on how cold you want the drink.
If you want to have the best lassi, be ambitious and use homemade yogurt, made with boiled milk and some yogurt.
I encourage you to whisk the yogurt and sugar so that it’s whipped and smooth. Mixing with a spoon instead of a wire whisk can result in the sugar being grainy.
Enjoy your lassi immediately for best results.
Use milk instead of water to thin out the lassi for an even richer drink.
Experiment with different lassi flavours to see what your favourite is!
Add a dollop of cream or butter on top to truly bring your lassi together and enhance the creaminess and flavours!
Serving Suggestions for lassi
You can enjoy lassi whenever you want! It’s perfect to enjoy during dinner, such as Homestyle Chole or Rajma Masala to cool you down from the heat or spiciness of the food! It’s also a great dessert to sip on for a light treat. It’s also awesome to have in the afternoon on a hot summer day.
Can You Make Lassi in Advance?
You could make this Plain Lassi in advance! Simply store extra lassi in an airtight container, tall glass jar or bottle, or in a mason jar. I wouldn’t keep this Sweet Lassi in the fridge for longer than two days due to the yogurt splitting. If your yogurt has split from the water, simply give your glass or bottle a shake to bring everything together.
Other Easy Summer Drinks!
WATCH HOW TO Make Sweet Plain Lassi Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!