Cucumber Raita, that refreshing and cooling staple of Indian cuisine, is the perfect finishing condiment for an Indian meal. Serve it with spicy food like curries, drizzled over biryani, with tandoori cooked meats like Air Fryer Lamb Chops, as a dipping sauce for Butter Garlic Naan, Chicken Pakora, or Paneer Pakora, and more.
What is raita
Raita is an Indian yogurt sauce or condiment that often accompanies spicy dishes. Because it is made with yogurt, it has a cooling effect. It is super refreshing and can put out the fire from hot chiles. This makes it the perfect accompaniment to many fiery Indian dishes.
This sauce is typically a combination of yogurt, grated cucumbers or other vegetables, fresh herbs like mint or cilantro, and sometimes dried spices like cumin and paprika.
Whenever I make Indian food, I make a batch of refreshing Cucumber Raita.
What do you serve raita with?
Cucumber raita is a cool, refreshing Indian condiment, usually served alongside spicy dishes. It can also be served as an appetizer, with Chicken Pakora, Paneer Pakora, Cilantro Mint Chutney, poppadom, paratha, or Garlic Naan.
Raita is also commonly served with biryani, like this Instant Pot Chicken Biryani, Instant Pot Shrimp Biryani, Tandoori Chicken, Palak Paneer or Instant Pot Palak Paneer, Chicken Tikka Masala, or any spicy Indian dishes.
It is actually very similar to the Greek yogurt sauce called tzatziki, which is also made with yogurt, vegetables like cucumber, and fresh herbs. That said, this raita makes a perfect topping or yogurt dip for Instant Pot Falafel, on top of a Chickpea Burger, or as part of a mezze platter with Instant Pot Hummus and Homemade Pita Bread.
Honestly, Indian raita is so delicious that it hardly matters what you choose to use as your delivery vehicle!
What ingredients do you need to make Cucumber Raita?
The ingredients for this Cucumber Raita recipe are simple and easy to find in any market.
- Cucumber (you can use one large cucumber, like an English cucumber, or a few smaller ones like Persian cucumbers)
- Whole-milk plain yogurt
- Fresh mint
- Ground cumin or cumin powder
- Salt
- Paprika (optional)
- Radishes (optional)
How do you make it?
The key to really good cucumber raita is to be sure to squeeze as much of the water as you can out of the cucumber. This will ensure that your raita is creamy, not watery.
- Seed the cucumber using a spoon to scoop the seeds from the center.
- Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater.
- Put the grated cucumber in a clean dishtowel and squeeze it to get out as much of the water as you can.
- Combine the yogurt with the cucumber, mint, cumin, salt, and radishes if using and stir to mix well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- To serve, garnish with paprika if desired.
What are some raita variations?
Variations
There are lots of different variations of raita. Here are some of my favorites:
- Add seeded, chopped tomatoes
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Julienned radishes
- Substitute chopped fresh cilantro leaves or dill for the mint
- Add toasted cumin seeds, coriander powder, garam masala, or even red chili powder
- Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- Try garnishing it with Indian black salt
- You can even make it with fruit, like Pineapple Raita!
Frequently asked questions about raita
You definitely don’t have to, but this is one of those dishes that gets better as the flavors meld. Letting it chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes just makes it that much better. You can even make it a day ahead and store it, covered, in the fridge until serving time.
Yes, you can substitute sour cream for the yogurt in this recipe. It will be richer and a bit tangier, but still delicious!
The two sauces are very similar. Both are made by combining yogurt, fresh vegetables like cucumber, fresh herbs, and spices. Raita is usually made with regular yogurt that is a bit thinner and creamier, while tzatziki is made with Greek yogurt, giving it a thicker consistency.
You can use any plain, full-fat yogurt to make raita. For a more traditional Indian raita, use regular whole-milk yogurt, which has a runny consistency. You can use Greek-style yogurt, which will make a thicker raita, if you like.
More indian recipes you’ll love
Cucumber Raita
Indian cuisine, is the perfect finishing condiment for an Indian meal. It's a cooling additional spicy food like curries, a dip for flatbread, biryani, tandoori, and more. It’s easy to make, too!
Ingredients
- 1 medium cucumber peeled and halved lengthwise
- 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater.
- Wrap grated cucumber in a clean dishtowel and squeeze to remove as much of the excess water as you can.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, salt, mint, and cumin and stir to combine. Garnish with radishes and/or paprika if desired.
- Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
