Sweet Lassi (Yogurt Drink)

Lassi is a popular yoghurt-based drink in India and Pakistan. This recipe is for the traditional sweet lassi (meethi lassi) made from yoghurt, milk, sugar and ice. This refreshing summer drink is best served chilled.

What is a lassi?

A lassi is a traditional Indian and Pakistani drink made from yoghurt. It is made by blending yoghurt with milk or water, and then adding your flavoring of choice.

Lassi can be sweet (known as meethi lassi) or salty (known as namkeen lassi).

It can also be flavored with various spices, herbs and fruits, mango lassi being the most popular variant.

As popular as mango lassi is around the world, the lassi of choice in the Indian sub-continent is always the traditional, yoghurt-based lassi. Usually, the sweet lassi, which is the recipe I am sharing today.

Lassi can be enjoyed year-round, but it is super popular during the hot summer months due to its cooling properties.

The main ingredient of lassi is yoghurt, which is a probiotic known to help with digestion, building immunity, and lowering blood pressure. It is also rich in calcium and vitamin B12.

This creamy and refreshing drink not only gives a much needed burst of energy during the scorching summer heat, but it is also the perfect complement to Indian and Pakistani food which are normally quite rich and spicy.

How to make a lassi

The traditional way of making a lassi is in a large pot using a wooden churner called a madhani or mathani. Yoghurt, water and/or milk are whisked vigorously using the churner, resulting in a creamy froth rising to the top.

Depending on the type of lassi being made sugar, salt, or other flavorings are also added to the pot.

Lassi that is available at street food vendors (particularly in the province of Punjab) will also sometimes have freshly churned butter added on top. This particular lassi is super rich and creamy, and is honestly a full meal on its own.

If you want to try making lassi in the traditional manner, you can get the wooden lassi churner at Indian and Pakistani grocery stores or you can use a steel whisk to blend the ingredients.

I prefer to use the blender though, as it is more convenient. Just add all the ingredients in the blender jug and blend till frothy.

It is also possible to use an immersion blender or an electric hand whisk – just blend in a suitable container.

What are the ingredients for a sweet lassi?

Making a lassi is super simple and requires only a few ingredients.

Yoghurt – It’s best to use plain, whole milk yoghurt (also known as pot set yoghurt or natural yoghurt) to make a lassi. If you have Greek yoghurt, you can use that too, but you will need to add more water or milk to thin it out to the right consistency.

Water – Adjust the amount of water as per personal preference. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add more water. If you prefer a thicker lassi, add less water.

Milk – My personal preference is to use a combination of milk and water to make a lassi, but you can skip the milk if you want. Just add more water. If the yoghurt you have is a little sour, adding a little milk will reduce the sourness.

Sugar – You can adjust the amount of sugar based on personal taste.

Cardamom – Optional but it gives a lovely aroma and flavor to the lassi. It’s best to use crushed cardamom seeds, but if not available you can also use cardamom powder.

Ice cubes – You can use ice cubes directly or crush them in the blender (if your blender is able to crush ice). But, make sure you add the ice cubes just before serving. Lassi is best enjoyed chilled.

Other flavoring options – It is possible to use other ingredients to flavor sweet lassi. For instance, you can use saffron or rosewater. Instead of cardamom you can also use cinnamon or nutmeg. If you prefer a fruit-flavored lassi, you can add fruit puree of your choice such as mango or strawberry.

Garnish – Top the lassi with crushed nuts, such as almonds and pistachios. You can also garnish with rose petals or saffron threads if you are making a rose lassi or saffron lassi respectively.