Sweet Lassi

Name: Sweet Lassi
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: indian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup full-fat plain whole-milk yogurt, well chilled; 3/4 cup ice-cold water; 3 tbsp granulated sugar, plus more to taste; 1/8 tsp ground green cardamom; 1 pinch fine sea salt; 1/4 tsp rose water (optional); 6 ice cubes; Pinch of ground cardamom or crushed dried rose petals; 1 tbsp pistachios, slivered (optional)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

⏱ 5 min🍽 Serves 2👨‍🍳 easyindian

VegetarianPescatarianGluten-Free

Worked out from this recipe's ingredients. If you're cooking for an allergy, always read the full ingredient list.

The frothy, cooling yogurt drink poured alongside curries in Indian restaurants everywhere — and it takes 5 minutes in a blender. The trick is full-fat yogurt thinned with ice-cold water rather than milk, which keeps the tang bright and the body light instead of milkshake-heavy. A pinch of cardamom and a whisper of rose water finish it.

Ingredients

Lassi

1 1/2 cup full-fat plain whole-milk yogurt, well chilled
3/4 cup ice-cold water
3 tbsp granulated sugar, plus more to taste
1/8 tsp ground green cardamom
1 pinch fine sea salt
1/4 tsp rose water (optional)
6 ice cubes

To serve

Pinch of ground cardamom or crushed dried rose petals
1 tbsp pistachios, slivered (optional)

Instructions

Chill two tall glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes while you work — lassi is at its best ice-cold and it separates less in a cold glass.
Add the yogurt, 1/2 cup of the ice-cold water, sugar, ground cardamom, and salt to a blender. Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds, until the mixture is completely smooth and visibly foamy with a pale, aerated cap. This long blend is what builds the froth; don't cut it short.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup cold water, the rose water if using, and the ice cubes. Blend another 20 to 30 seconds, just until the ice is broken down. The lassi should coat a spoon lightly but pour freely — like heavy cream. If it's thicker than that, blend in cold water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Taste and adjust: add sugar 1 teaspoon at a time if your yogurt is very tart, blending 5 seconds to dissolve. It should taste a touch sweeter than you think you want, since the cold mutes sweetness.
Pour into the chilled glasses, letting the foam settle on top. Dust with a pinch of cardamom or a few crushed rose petals, scatter pistachios if using, and serve immediately with a spoon or a wide straw.

Chef's tips

Use a thick, tangy full-fat yogurt — Indian-style dahi or a plain whole-milk yogurt like Dannon or Straus. Greek yogurt is strained too thick and tastes chalky here; if it's all you have, use 1 cup Greek yogurt plus 1 1/4 cups water.
Skip the milk. Water is the traditional thinner and it keeps the drink refreshing; milk turns it into a dull, heavy shake.
For the best cardamom flavour, crack 3 green cardamom pods, discard the husks, and grind the black seeds in a mortar right before blending.
Mango lassi variation: replace the water with 1 cup of ripe Alphonso mango pulp plus 1/4 cup cold water and cut the sugar to 1 tablespoon.
Lassi separates as it sits. Make it to order, or refrigerate up to 6 hours and re-blend for 15 seconds before serving.