Cucumber Raita
This cucumber Raita is creamy, refreshing, tangy, and packed with the cooling flavor of fresh mint. Made with thick yogurt, crisp cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, and roasted cumin, it's a simple Indian side that takes just minutes to put together- just like my mixed veg Raita.
The best part? There's no cooking involved. Just whisk, chop, mix, and chill. If you have some plain yogurt sitting in the fridge, this is one of the easiest ways to turn it into something delicious.
If you love mint Chutney, you’ll relish every bite of this delicious and easy cucumber mint Raita - it’s a promise. While there’s quite a bit of Raita variety out there, this yogurt dip stands out for its incredible flavors.
Whenever I have some plain yogurt at hand, I always end up making this or my favorite Dahi Boondi, or some yogurt soup when I’m in the mood for something extra.
Quick Look: Cucumber Raita
- 🔪 Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 0 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 4.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Hung curd, cucumber, mint leaves, garlic, lemon juice, roasted cumin powder, black pepper, and salt.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Whisk yogurt → chop cucumber and mint → season → combine → chill → serve.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Very easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Pair with Biryani, Pulao, Indian curries, Kebabs, grilled meats, cashew Pakoras, or baked potato Samosas.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- This is a no-cook recipe that barely takes 5 minutes to put together, and yet, the result is so flavorful and versatile!
- This restaurant-style mint raita is actually a great teammate to not just Indian rice recipes, but almost any Indian curry too! I love pairing it with my all-time favorite goat Paya curry.
Recipe Ingredients
Yogurt: I used fresh, full-fat yogurt for this recipe. Since I used homeset yogurt, I drained off all the excess liquid and used the creamy, thick portion.
Cucumber: I used ripe, firm cucumbers for the Raita. You can choose to de-seed and core them if you want to.
Garlic: This one's optional, but I would highly recommend adding it. Fresh garlic lends such a beautiful savory depth to this yogurt side.
Lemon juice: A dash of lemon juice lends a nice tangy, freshness to the Raita.
Mint leaves: Fresh mint leaves work best, but feel free to use dried mint if that's what you have at hand.
Cumin: Ground cumin lends an incredible aroma and flavor, which balances out the creaminess of the raita.
Seasonings: I used simple seasonings of crushed black pepper and some pink Himalayan salt to make Pudina Raita. You can also use citrus salt or any other infused salt if you want a deeper flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don’t have homeset yogurt, you could also use Greek yogurt for this recipe. Just remember to use the unsweetened, unflavored version.
- To bring more flavor to the cucumber Raita, add half a teaspoon of homemade Chaat Masala into the mix.
- Don’t want the bits of mint leaves in the raita? You can blend the leaves together with a splash of water in a small blender to create a mint paste, and then add it into the yogurt base.
- You could also use a mortar and pestle to do this for that authentic Indian flavor and texture.
How to Make Cucumber Raita
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt until smooth.
Step 2: Dice the cucumbers into bite-sized pieces.
Step 3: Add the spices and lemon juice to the yogurt.
Step 4: Finely chop the fresh mint leaves.
Step 5: Add the mint leaves and cucumber to the yogurt.
Step 6: Mix well and let chill for 10-15 minutes.
Step 7: Serve and enjoy!
💭Top Tip
If you don’t have fresh mint leaves that the recipe calls for, you can use dried mint too! It is actually pretty easy to make dried mint from a huge batch of mint leaves and store it for later.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Whisk the yogurt well before adding the other ingredients. A smooth yogurt base makes a big difference to the final texture. I always do this when I make my Turkish yogurt dip too.
- Use fresh, firm cucumbers for the best crunch. If your cucumber is particularly watery, you can remove the seeds before chopping it.
- Make your own roasted cumin powder by dry roasting cumin seeds until fragrant, cooling them, and grinding them into a coarse powder.
- Add cilantro along with the mint if you want an extra fresh, herby flavor.
- For a spicier raita, add finely chopped green chili.
- Chill the raita before serving. It's much more refreshing when served cold.
- Use leftover cucumber Raita as the yogurt base for your bowl of Dahi Chana Chaat.
How to Serve Cucumber Raita
The creamy, cooling flavors of the raita make it the perfect teammate for your grilled meats and veggies. I love serving it with some Malai chicken Tikka, tandoori aloo, tandoori chicken, and any kebab for that matter.
The classic, authentic way to serve this mint dip is to pair it with any spicy Biryani and Pulao dishes, but you can also pair it along with white Karahi chicken or Aloo Methi and a side of spicy bullet Naan.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
If you have any leftover cucumber mint raita, you can refrigerate it for 2 days. I would recommend using a food-safe airtight container to preserve its freshness, and not storing it beyond 2 days, as the yogurt can start to turn sour.
If you don't like pieces of mint in your raita, blend the mint leaves with a splash of water to create a smooth paste before mixing it into the yogurt.
Cucumber naturally releases water as it sits, which can make raita thinner over time. Using thick yogurt and removing excess moisture from the cucumber can help. You can also simply stir the raita well before serving.
More Indian Sides
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this cucumber raita or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Cucumber Raita
Ingredients
- 1 cup hung curd
- 1 cucumber cut into cubes
- ground pepper
- Pink Himalayan salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 garlic grated
- 8-10 mint leaves chopped
- ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt until smooth.
- Dice the cucumbers into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the spices and lemon juice to the yogurt.
- Finely chop the fresh mint leaves.
- Add the mint leaves and cucumber to the yogurt.
- Mix well and let chill for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t have homeset yogurt, you could also use Greek yogurt for this recipe. Just remember to use the unsweetened, unflavored version.
- If you don’t have the Himalayan salt that I used, you can totally stick to using regular salt too.
- Don’t want the bits of mint leaves in the raita? You can blend the leaves together with a splash of water in a small blender to create a mint paste, and then add it into the yogurt base.
- You could also use a mortar and pestle to do this for that authentic Indian flavor and texture.
