Are you looking for a refreshing and healthy drink that is easy to make using ingredients you have at home? Well, we have just the treat for you!
Today we are making a Strawberry Lassi, which is a yogurt drink of Indian origin. I like sweet lassis, which are made with fruit but there are also savory lassi which have salt added. The best things about this drink is that you can mix up the ingredients and make it your own. For my lassi, I used some strawberries that were about to go bad (I hate wasting food!) but most commonly, lassis are made with mango. I encourage you to make a lassi with whatever fruit you have at home. Some fruits that would work best other than strawberry and mango would be blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, or kiwis. It is best to use very ripe, on-the-verge-of-going-bad, fruit to get the most flavor!
Other than fruit, the next important ingredient is yogurt. I used a non-dairy yogurt because I don’t eat dairy. You can use whatever yogurt you like and have on hand. Plain yogurt works best though to give you that tart, lassi taste.
After getting creative with your fruits and yogurts, you can make this drink extra special by adding some spices. Traditional fruit lassis usually have a dash of cardamom, which is a warm, fragrant spice that comes from ground seed pods and is very common in Indian cooking. Sadly, I didn’t have any cardamom on hand so I added nutmeg to my strawberry lassi. Nutmeg adds an earthy, sweet flavor that made my drink taste exotic and special. I encourage you to try a dash of any spice you have on hand such as cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, or even chili powder (which works really well with mango flavors!).
The consistency of your lassi is totally up to you. I like mine thinner, so I add milk. If you like yours thicker, more like a milk shake, you can add half as much milk and you can add in a handful of ice too.
Lastly, adding a sweetener is totally up to you. I try to avoid refined sugar so I used a bit of honey in my lassi. You can skip adding any sweetener altogether to enjoy a stronger fruit flavor. If you like your drinks more on the sweet side, you can add in sugar instead of honey.
I hope you will enjoy this fun, fruity drink and I can’t wait to read all about what flavor combinations you try at home!
Recipe:
½ cup plain yogurt (dairy or nondairy)
½ cup milk (dairy or nondairy), use less for a thicker consistency
½ cup strawberries or fruit of your choice.
Optional- 1 teaspoon honey (or sugar)
Dash (1-2 shakes) of nutmeg, or spice of your choice
Add milk, yogurt, fruit, honey, and nutmeg to a blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!
