While the Mango Lassi is probably the most well know sweet Lassi to westerners, many variations exist.
By Nancy Lopez-McHugh
A Lassi is a very popular yogurt based drink that originates in the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. They somewhat resemble a milkshake or smoothie and are made the same way, by blending the ingredients. There are savory or salted Lassi and sweet Lassi made with fruits. The salted Lassi are made with yogurt, water, salt and can have some spices and even rose water can be added. The sweet versions are made the same way as the salted versions just omitting the salt and adding fruit and a sweetener. You may have noticed that at most western Indian restaurants Mango Lassi is typically found in these restaurants. And it’s no surprise or coincidence, The reason is that they are the perfect drink to have when eating spicy dishes. The yogurt neutralizes the acid and heat in the spicy dish and so your mouth will feel completely cooled after biting into your Vindaloo. Trust me I know from experience about this because even if I don’t drink a Lassi with dinner and instead have a yogurt for dessert after a spicy meal I feel completely cooled down.
While the Mango Lassi is probably the most well know sweet Lassi to us in the west, variations of all sorts do exist. I think the Lassi is one of those drinks or recipes that is about customizing it to your own palette. (If any Indian readers or Lassi experts out there think otherwise leave me a comment and educate me a little. ) With that in mind I have experimented with both the amounts and with different fruits. So feel free to experiment and have a little fun with your Lassi. I’m no Lassi expert but I do know that they taste phenomenal and are also a great thirst quencher. Don’t feel so “guilty” about the calories ( if you are a calorie counter) a Lassi is still lower in calories than a chocolate Milkshake. Oh and don’t forget Banana’s are nature’s perfect food and extremely good for your body. 
Banana Lassi, Indian Yogurt Drink
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
A Lassi is a very popular yogurt based drink that originates in the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (245g) plain unsweetened white yogurt
- 2 large banana,peeled and sliced
- pinch ground cardamom
- cold water (optional)*see note
- honey to taste (optional)
- ice cubes (optional)
Instructions
- Peel and roughly slice the banana then place in a blender. Next add the yogurt, cardamom and the honey if using, blend until the banana is completely broken down and ingredients are well blended. At this time you can check the consistency of the Lassi and see if you would like to add water to thin out, then blend again for a minute. Serve straight away with a few ice cubes.
Notes
You can add some cold water to thin out the Lassi if you like and that’s if you are using full fat yogurt. But I suggest if you are using fat free or thinner yogurt that you skip the water or the Lassi will be too watery.
Another way I’ve experimented is on a really hot Summer day I use the ice cubes by adding them at the beginning of the blending so they break down and blend well with the other ingredients. This makes a very cold and refreshing Lassi too.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
This is absolutely delicious, thank you Nancy for a great simple recipe!
I made a half batch since I had only one banana. It was delicious! I didn’t have cardamom, so I used a pinch of allspice instead. I wasn’t 100% satisfied with the taste, so I also added rosewater*. The banana was very ripe (lots of brown spots), so it didn’t need any sweetening.
Thank you very much for this recipe!
*In my limited experience, when people don’t flavor lassi with cardamom, they often flavor it with rosewater instead.
Lassi is my favourite drink but, until now, I have only tasted the already made drink, so I was keen to try a home recipe. Thought your recipe looked straight forward but wondered a the idea of having to pinch some cardamom.
I would have thought buying some cardamom would have been just as good.
But, hey, I’m not one to argue so off I trot to the local Supermarket to pinch some cardamom but unfortunately the Supermarket didn’t appreciate me pinching it and wouldn’t accept that I needed to pinch it in order to make a really good Lassi.
Can you now suggest a really good recipe to get me out of the mess I’ve gotten myself into and will the Lassi lose too much of its quality if I take the easier road and buy the cardamom in future? Thanks
Thank you so much for the recipe. The carmadom really adds a kick to this drink. It taste exactly like the drinks at the restaurant!
this is soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good
Made this one with banana. Can’t wait to try with cantaloupe. Thanks much – putting it on my site!
Hi Blender Dude, Glad you like it!
I always grind up the ice first, then add the yogurt and fruit, will try adding cardamom next time for a true Lassi!
That is also a great way of enjoying a Lassi in the summer heat. Definitely give the cardamom a try.
I absolutely love smoothies made with yogurt and fruit, and the addition of cardamom in this one is perfect
Glad you agree then and thanks Tamara!
I have had yogurt shakes, meaning from frozen yogurt but never a Lassi…I love that these can be spiced up a bit :) Very refreshing!
They are refreshing and I’m sure you’d love them. Would love to see your own version with all those great ingredients you use.