Sweet lassi is the perfect summer drink that comes together in less than five minutes.
Hello! I hear it’s hot in the U.S. As an act of public service, I’m sharing the recipe for the perfect sub-continent summer drink, sweet lassi. Plain lassi is easy to forget but every time I have it, I am reminded of how satisfying it is during a hot day. While most people outside South Asia only know mango lassi, I grew up with plain yogurt lassi. It’s lighter, serving as an actual refreshment rather than a dessert. The recipe I share here is my mother’s who is Punjabi with roots in Ludhiana in eastern Punjab.
As a kid, I was more of a Milo shake kind of girl but as we grew older, my mother realized that lassi can pretty much serve the same purpose. When I made it for the first time a few weeks ago, I was reminded how it is exactly the drink you need on a humid day. Here are a few things to keep in mind when making it for the first time.
The Rules of Making Lassi
- Lassi should be foamy. My mother emphasized that point when sharing the recipe. In this sweet lassi recipe, the trick is to blend the ice and yogurt together before adding the water and sugar.
- You can have sweet or salty lassi. I mostly lean towards sweet lassi but if you feel like you need a Gatorade substitute, try substituting salt for sugar in this recipe.
- There is no real fixed yogurt to water ratio. I played around with the proportions to figure out what I liked. I don’t want my lassi to be too thick but that’s just me. See what you like!
- You can use this lassi recipe as a base to make mango lassi. Just add some mango pulp with the water and sugar. It’s totally fine to use mango pulp from a can.
More Pakistani Drinks
Sweet Lassi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup yogurt
- 3 cups water
- 6 ice cubes
- 4 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Add ice cubs and yogurt to a blender, and blend on low speed for 20 – 30 seconds until frothy.
- Add water and sugar to the yogurt and ice cube mixture and blend on low speed until well-mixed.
Dennis Yannakos says
Healthy, easy and tasty. That's all I need, thanks for the recipe!
Utensils for Cool Kitchen
Izzah says
Such a relatable post, Maryam! What a great tip for making it frothy. I never knew that!!
pakistaneats says
Thank Mama Jillani for the tip 🙂
Samina says
It's one of my favorite summer drinks!