Strawberry lassi is a perfect spring or summer drink made of only three ingredients- strawberries, yogurt and honey.
It is a fruity twist to the popular Indian drink ‘lassi’.
Easy to make and so refreshing for those warm afternoons, especially when strawberries are in season.
Try it out this season.
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I make lassi (sweet or salted) regularly as an evening snack or a pre-workout drink especially during summer.
My other favorite drinks are watermelon rose sharbat and chatpata watermelon juice.
A few weeks back when I had strawberries at home, I used it in lassi and it tasted delicious.
The first time I made this, I used cardamom also.
Although it was great, the flavor of the strawberries was not prominent enough for my taste.
The next time, I used only strawberries, yogurt and sugar, and it was perfect for my taste.
I swapped sugar with honey this time, to make it a little more nutritious.
So basically, with or without cardamom, sugar or honey, this strawberry lassi is surely a treat!
Just customise it the way you like. 🙂
What is Lassi
Lassi is a popular Indian drink from Punjab, a north Indian state of India.
It is made of thick yogurt, traditionally by churning it manually with a wooden churner until it gets frothy.
These days, a blender/juice maker is used to blend the yogurt with some water or milk.
Lassi can be savory, with salt and spices, or sweet with sugar and cardamom.
Additionally, saffron or rose water is used for the sweet version.
The other popular version is the mango lassi, which I tasted only after moving to Germany, at Indian restaurants!
Funny, but little did I know mango lassi was so popular especially outside India!
Lassi can also be flavored with other fruits such as lychee, strawberry, grapes, or mixed fruits.
Health Benefits of Yogurt
Yogurt is a good probiotic (if it has live culture), making it a gut friendly food.
It aids in digestion, prevents bloating or stomach burns especially after a spicy meal.
It is nutritious, containing vitamins and minerals like calcium, potassium, manganese, vitamins B6 and B12.
And not to forget, the protein in it which is every fitness enthusiast’s favorite topic these days!
Ingredients required to make Strawberry Lassi
Strawberries-
You can use fresh or frozen strawberries here.
While I love the fresh juicy ones, frozen strawberries make the lassi thicker and creamier.
If you prefer, you can wash, chop the stalk of the fresh strawberries and freeze them for a few hours.
If you are using fresh strawberries, you will have to blend them firstly to get a nice puree, and then add yogurt.
If you are using frozen strawberries, you can blend them directly with yogurt.
Use well ripened and sweet strawberries. A slight sourness is fine, since we will be adding honey.
Yogurt-
If you have fresh and thick homemade curd/yogurt, it would be great.
However, store bought full-fat yogurt works perfect too.
Just ensure that the yogurt is not sour.
Since I have used fresh strawberries, their juice thins down the thick yogurt, so I did not use milk or water to thin it down further.
You can, however, add a splash of milk if you like.
Honey
Use good quality organic honey without added sugar, preferably.
The quantity you will need depends on how sweet the strawberries are, and how sweet you like your strawberry lassi to be.
Alternatively, you can use sugar, powdered jaggery, maple syrup as sweeteners.
Either of them work perfectly fine.
You can of course choose to skip the added sweetener, if you like to.
Strawberry Lassi Recipe: Step by Step
Step 1:
Wash around 350 gm strawberries well and remove their stalk.
Cut them into pieces.
Transfer these to a blender and blend fine without adding water.
Step 2:
Then add in 2 cups (500 gm) of full fat yogurt.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey or any other sweetener of choice.
Blend well without adding water so that it is frothy.
It might be a little thin soon after blending, depending on the yogurt.
Refrigerate the strawberry lassi before serving as it gets thicker on refrigeration.
Variations
I always love writing this part in my blog posts.
As I sit down in peace to write, the ideas just come flowing in, giving me alternatives when I get bored of a dish!
You might want to check out what variations I have suggested for a popular recipe like pav bhaji.
Coming back to the strawberry lassi, there is a scope for so many exciting variations to the recipe.
Strawberry Rose Lassi
You can add in some rose syrup along with the other ingredients to blend.
Just imagine the beautiful color of the drink, so good!
Mixed berries Lassi
A combination of strawberries and raspberries work well.
You can also use other berries you like.
The taste would surely vary from that of strawberry lassi.
Strawberry Vanilla Lassi
Just add in a few drops of vanilla essence while blending the yogurt, and voilà !
Your strawberry vanilla lassi would be ready.
With Almond and Cashews
To make your strawberry lassi more nutritious, creamier and delicious, add in some almonds and cashews.
Soak them (or either of them) in warm water for some time to help them soften up.
Peel the skin of the almonds before blending it.
Plain Sweetened Lassi
If for some reason you want to skip adding the strawberries, you can also make a plain sweet lassi.
Just blend the full fat yogurt, honey and crushed cardamom until frothy.
This will then not be strawberry lassi, just good old sweet lassi.
What other variations can you think of?
Let me know in the comments if you come up with something, I would love to give it a try. 🙂
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we use Greek Yogurt in Lassi?
Yes, definitely. I use low fat or no fat Greek yogurt to make lassi at times.
It makes the lassi super thick and creamy.
If you like it that way, use just a tablespoon or two of milk or water while blending the ingredients.
If you like it thinner, use more water or milk.
Keep in mind that strawberries thin down the yogurt too, so add accordingly.
Can we make this Vegan?
Yes, you can. However, I have never tried vegan yogurt in this, so I cannot guarantee the taste.
You can use coconut yogurt or soy yogurt or almond milk yogurt, depending on your preference.
Can we make lassi without a blender?
If you have a hand blender, you can use that in place of a stand blender.
Follow the same method, blend the strawberries first and then blend again with yogurt and honey.
If you don’t have this either, use a wooden churner.
However, you might not be able to puree the strawberries fine with this.
If you don’t mind biting into small pieces of strawberry while drinking the lassi, you can go ahead with this method.
Can we freeze the lassi?
Yes, absolutely possible!
If you want to make a big batch and freeze it, you can.
You can divide it into portions and freeze too, to make it more convenient when you want to just grab a serving of it.
Thaw it before consuming.
How long does it stay in the fridge?
We usually consume it within a day since it will be fresh, but it can be stored upto 2 days.
Store it in a clean container closed with a lid.
Serving Suggestions
Be it as a breakfast smoothie, mid-morning snack, pre-workout drink, or an evening snack, this drink fits all of these categories.
You can also serve it with lunch or dinner, especially with Indian meal.
So soothing on your stomach after all the spices and condiments that go in!
Serve the drink as is, or top it with some fresh cream or ice cream if you want to get fancy and indulgent.
It can make a fruity dessert too.
You can also chop some strawberries finely and garnish on top before serving.
Strawberry Lassi
Ingredients
- 350 grams strawberry - fresh or frozen
- 500 grams yogurt - 2 cups, full fat
- 3 tablespoons honey - or sweetener of choice, adjust quantity
Instructions
- Wash the strawberries well and remove their stalk. Chop them into small pieces.
- Transfer them to a blender (mixer jar/juice maker) and blend fine without adding water.
- Add in 2 cups of full fat yogurt.
- Add honey as required, depending on how sweet the strawberries are. I used 3 tablespoons.
- Blend everything well without adding water until smooth and frothy. It can be a little thin in consistency immediately after blending, but gets thick on refrigerating it. Serve chilled.
Nutrition
I hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as I enjoyed preparing it and writing it down for you all. 🙂
If you have any questions about the recipe, kindly post them below under comments.
If you try this recipe, do share a picture and your feedback with me under the comments section below or on Instagram / Facebook.
I would love to see your recipe recreations. 🙂