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Raita is a traditional Indian condiment made with yogurt, cucumbers, onions, and spices. Serve it with your favorite Indian dish to balance the heat!
I was first introduced to Indian cuisine by my dear friend Meena. She is from India and when we first became friends she invited us over for dinner. She cooked the most amazing Indian dishes for us! I loved all the flavors, but since we are not used to eating a lot of spicy foods (some people in our family think ketchup is spicy), our mouths were on fire! Luckily, Meena also makes amazing Raita and she told us that you can use the cold, creamy yogurt sauce to cool things down a bit. Now, we eat enough Indian meals that we have developed more of a tolerance to spice, but we still like to order a side of this delicious sauce anytime we go out or make Indian recipes at home.
How to Make Raita
- To make this Raita recipe, you start with a base of curd or plain yogurt. You can use Greek yogurt and I have seen some recipes with sour cream, but for our recipe we use just plain regular yogurt.
- Then you add the cucumber and onion. I like to peel and seed the cucumber. You can also grate cucumber, but make sure to squeeze the moisture out with paper towels or a dish towel. I like to use red onion, but you can use white as well. I have seen some recipes with carrots too.
- Lastly, you add the fresh herbs and spices. Chopped cilantro is a must! It adds so much freshness. We also add ground coriander. The yogurt is salty so you don’t need to add salt, but you can add a dash of black pepper.
What is Raita?
Raita, like chutney, is a classic Indian condiment that cools down extra spicy dishes and tastes delicious on just about everything! The sweet, slightly salty flavors pair beautifully with veggies, flatbread, curries and more. I never order Indian food without a side of raita (and naan and biryani, don’t judge my Door Dash spending).
Variations to this Raita Recipe
There are a few different types of raita and some things you can add to make it your own!
- This recipe is a cucumber raita but there is also pineapple raita, onion raita, vegetable raita, boondi raita (a chickpea version), and mint raita.
- To our basic recipe you can add bell peppers, cashews, a teaspoon ground cumin, mint leaves, salt, pepper, mustard seeds, mango, lemon juice, red chili powder and curry leaves.
- To make it vegan, you can use a plant based yogurt instead of whole milk yogurt.
- Not all raita is meant to be cooling – you can also add green chiles to make it a spicy side!
Recipe Tip
Store Raita in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Raita is a traditionally Indian condiment, and Tzatziki is a traditionally Greek yogurt dip or sauce. However, both start with the same base – yogurt, cucumbers, and onions. The difference comes in the spice profile. This recipe has cilantro and coriander. Tzatziki has dill and lemon.
It can be eaten with all different kinds of Indian food like pulao, curries, vegetable dishes, rice dishes and naan bread, paratha, or roti. I also love to use it as a dip for pita chips or kebabs.
It tastes very fresh and cool with a little bit of salty and sweet. It is the perfect side dish to rich and savory Indian dishes.
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More Indian-Inspired Recipes
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Vegan Lentil Curry
- Chicken Panang Curry
- Mulligatawny Soup
- Indian Coconut Rice
- Grilled Coconut Curry Chicken
- Chicken Massaman Curry
- Chicken Coconut Curry
How to Make Raita
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 teaspoons red onion finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons cucumber peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cilantro finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients until combined.
- Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- There are a few different types of raita and some things you can add to make it your own! This recipe is a cucumber raita but there is also pineapple raita, boondi raita (a chickpea raita), and mint raita.
- To our raita you can add bell peppers, cashews, cumin powder, mint leaves, chili powder, salt, pepper, mustard seeds, mango, and curry leaves.
- To make raita vegan, you can use a plant based yogurt instead of whole milk yogurt.
I like you, love trying foods from all over! I will be making this again. It was a hit! Naan is perfect with it!
I don’t make a lot of Indian food, but this is something I can get used to making. Very flavorful! I am excited to try lots of things with it!
We love to dip crackers or Naan bread in this raita! The combination of flavors is perfections! So creamy and savory!