How to Make Lassi

If you're looking for a fast and refreshing drink, try making a lassi. This yogurt-based beverage is a popular drink in India and Pakistan. Try a traditional lassi made sweet or salty. From there make the crowd-pleasing mango lassi. Use a variation featuring spices, fruits, or different liquids when you're ready to mix things up.

Ingredients

Traditional Salted Lassi

Serves 2 to 3

2 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon salt
ice, optional

Traditional Sweet Lassi

Serves 3 to 4

3 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk, cold
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
ice, optional or for serving

Mango Lassi

Serves 2 to 3

2 ripe medium-sized mangoes
2 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk, cold
1 cup crushed ice

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:
Making a Traditional Salted Lassi

1
Place all the ingredients in a bowl or blender. Add the yogurt, water, and salt to a bowl or blender. If you want to use ice for a colder, frothier drink be sure to use a blender.^{[1]
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2
Mix the ingredients. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients in your bowl. Or use the blender to blitz the ingredients and ice till they're combined.^{[2]
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3
Pour the lassi into glasses. Divide the lassi among glasses and serve them immediately.
- The lassi should be served cold, so mix it up right before you're ready to serve it.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:
Making a Traditional Sweet Lassi

1
Mix the yogurt and sugar. Place the yogurt and sugar in a blender and blitz for a minute until it gets foamy. Or you can whisk the yogurt and sugar in a bowl.
2
Add the milk, cardamom powder, and ice. Add the milk, cardamom powder, and ice to the blender and blitz until it's smooth. If using a bowl, whisk the milk and cardamom powder until they're smooth. Leave out the ice cubes.
3
Pour into glasses. Divide the lassi into glasses and serve immediately.
- If you mixed the lassi by hand and didn't include ice cubes, you can place ice cubes in the glasses and pour the lassi over them.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:
Making a Mango Lassi

1
Prepare the mangoes. Peel the mango and the flesh of the mangoes away from the center pits. Set the mango flesh in a blender.
2
Add the yogurt, sugar, milk, and ice to the blender. Once all the ingredients are in the blender, cover and blitz the mixture until it's smooth and frothy.
- If the mangoes are very sweet, you may not need as much sugar. You can always cut back on the sugar once you've prepared the mangoes.
3
Pour into glasses. Divide the lassi into glasses and serve immediately. Consider garnishing each glass with little slivers of mango.^{[3]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:
Mixing It Up: Trying a Variation

1
Add a spice. For a savory flavor, mix in 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, ground turmeric, or masala powder.^{[4]
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Research source} This works best when added to the traditional salty lassi. For a flavorful addition to the traditional sweet lassi, add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom powder or ginger, for some kick.
2
Blend in a fruit. Start with a traditional sweet lassi and blend in some of your favorite fruits. Consider mixing in strawberries, papaya, bananas, or coconut.^{[5]
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- Try chopping and freezing the fruit before blending it into the lassi. This will make your drink colder and frothier.
3
Flavor with a syrup or milk. While most lassi drinks are yogurt based, you can swap out the yogurt and water or milk for coconut milk. This will give a slightly tropical flavor to the drink. Or you could flavor the lassi with rose water syrup, vanilla extract, or honey.^{[6]
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- Don't choose too many flavors or they could make the drink too sweet. If you stick to one or two flavors, they'll be more pronounced.
4
Garnish. Top your lassi with any of the following for extra flavor and a more polished look:
- chopped pistachios
- sprigs of mint
- sprinkle of turmeric or cumin
- chopped almonds
- fruit sliver