3 Easy Homemade Indian Raita Recipes

Indian cuisine is famous for its chutneys, pickles, and salads, and literally, all of them are flavor bombs that can take any simple dish to the next level. 

The famous Indian Raitas are no less! They can turn out to be the perfect subtle and cooling accompaniment to most Indian curries and meals, and can also be used as a healthy dip. 

Jump to:

• What is Indian Raita?
• Ingredients For the Indian Raita
• Useful Kitchen Tools
• How to Make Cucumber Raita
• How to Make Beet Raita
• How to Make Boondi Raita
• How Do I Store the Raita
• Tips for Making Homemade Raita
• Easy Indian Raita Recipes - Cucumber, Beetroot, and Boondi Raitia

What is Indian Raita?

Raita is basically a yogurt-based side dish that you’ll find all across India, and in almost all Indian restaurants. It is served alongside any meal and is supposed to be cooling, yet flavorful.

Raitas usually have fresh yogurt as the hero ingredient, and, depending on the kind of Raita, it can have freshly chopped vegetables, fruits, and some spices and herbs added in.  

Ingredients For the Indian Raita

You’ll be surprised at how you need just a handful of ingredients to whip up these delicious Raitas.  

For the Cucumber Raita

• Plain yogurt
• Red onion
• Cucumber
• Salt
• Green chile
• Cumin powder
• Coriander leaves
• Water

For the Beetroot Raita

• Plain yogurt
• Beetroot
• Salt
• Green chile
• Red pepper flakes
• Water

For tempering

• Ghee
• Mustard seeds
• Curry leaves
• Asafoetida/Hing

For the Boondi Raita

• Plain yogurt
• Boondi (chickpea flour snack)
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Cumin powder
• Coriander leaves
• Water

Useful Kitchen Tools

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Whisk

How to Make Cucumber Raita

In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, cucumber, red onion, green chile, coriander leaves, ground cumin, and salt.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes before serving to chill.

How to Make Beet Raita

In a small bowl, whisk together the plain yogurt, shredded beet, salt, green chile, red pepper flakes, and water.

Cover loosely and refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes.

While the beetroot raita is cooling, in a small skillet, over medium heat, add the ghee, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Stir together for 1 to 2 minutes until the mustard seeds crackle.

Remove the beetroot raita from the refrigerator and stir in the tempering ghee you just made before serving.

How to Make Boondi Raita

In a small bowl, combine the plain yogurt, boondi, salt, black pepper, cumin powder, coriander leaves, and water. Stir to combine well.

Cover loosely and refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes to chill before serving cold.

How Do I Store the Raita

Raita is actually super simple and easy to whip up, but, on the downside, it doesn’t do too well when it is stored for later. You can store the cucumber raita or the beetroot raita in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

The boondi raita tastes best when consumed immediately, due to the boondi texture. Freezing any of these raitas will cause them to lose their texture and flavor, so it is not recommended.

Just remember to store your Raita in an airtight container to preserve its freshness and flavor. 

Tips for Making Homemade Raita

And of course, you can never go wrong with some tips and tricks. Here are a few of the best ones to help you get the Indian Raita recipes right. 

• For the cucumber raita recipe, always make sure you give the cucumber a good taste before you use it. Some cucumbers can taste a bit bitter, and you don’t want to find that out after you’re done using it for the recipe. 
• Always use fresh and preferably whole milk yogurt. Avoid using yogurt that has turned sour, because it won’t give you that perfect flavor and taste you’re looking for. If you’re using store bought yogurt, make sure you use the unflavored variety. 
• Looking to add a little tangy flavor to your Raita? Add in a pinch or two of chaat masala powder right before you serve. 
• You can make any of these Raitas even more flavorful by adding in some freshly chopped mint leaves. 
• Don’t have the ground cumin that these recipes call for? You can actually make it yourself. It is pretty easy. All you need to do is dry roast cumin seeds for a few minutes on an open pan until they start to release their flavors. Then, allow them to cool down before you blitz them nicely into a coarse or fine powder, depending on the kind of texture you prefer. 
• If your Raita tends to turn runny, you can use hung curd too. 
• Another great idea to thicken your raita naturally and give it a nice creamy texture is to add in some fresh cream.
• You can also make the cucumber raita healthier by adding in some chopped tomatoes and chopped onions. These will add a nice crunch factor to the raita and obviously, be a healthier version of the original recipe.
• While the chunkiness of the raita is actually the exact texture you'd want it to have, you can also blitz all the ingredients together (for the beetroot or cucumber raita) and turn it into a smooth paste. This can then be enjoyed as a healthy dip too!

The best part about these raitas is that they're versatile and there's a lot of opportunities for you to play around with the recipe and try making them your way, depending on the ingredients you have.

Serving Ideas & Suggestions 

These Raitas are so versatile, you can team them up with almost anything. Here are a few ideas to get you started. 

• Serve them alongside your morning breakfast of aloo parathas or sabudana vadas. 
• Pair them with a nice biryani or an Indian curry that’s spicy (like some spicy chicken vindaloo) and needs something subtle to balance everything out. 
• If you’re looking to try out a simple Indian meal, you can pair any of the Raitas with some hot and spicy lemon rice too. Super easy to make and classic flavors that you can never go wrong with!