Cucumber Raita, also known as Kheera Raita, is an easy and healthy raita made with yogurt (curd), chopped or grated cucumber, and a few Indian spice powders. It pairs beautifully with vegetable pulao, veg biryani, or any rice dish.
A full-fledged Indian meal is just incomplete without a bowl of cooling and refreshing raita, especially during the hot summer months. The best part? This accompaniment takes just a few minutes to prepare!
Just like onion tomato raita and boondi raita, another quintessential raita commonly made in Indian homes is cucumber raita, also known as kheere ka raita. Fresh homemade curd is mixed with cucumber and some spices that suit your taste buds.
You can give cucumber raita a South Indian twist by preparing a tempering of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, hing, and dry red chili, then pouring it over the cucumber-yogurt mixture. It's a great way to add a burst of aroma and spice to the dish!
If you like cucumber, then check out more Cucumber Recipes
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Ingredients
- Yogurt (curd): Use homemade or store-bought full-fat plain yogurt (a.k.a curd or dahi in India) for this raita. You can also use low-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt if that’s what you have.
- Cucumber: I used 1 medium Persian cucumber, peeled, and diced it. You can also grate it.
- Spices: I used roasted cumin (jeera) powder, red chili powder, chaat masala, and salt (black salt).
- Fresh Herbs: use fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) to enhance the flavors.
How to Make Cucumber Raita Recipe
Wash, peel, and then dice the cucumber into small pieces.
In a bowl, add 1 cup yogurt (curd) and whisk the curd until smooth. Add some water to thin it out if desired.
Then add ½ cup cucumber (diced), spices like ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon chaat masala, salt (or black salt), ½ teaspoon sugar (optional), and 1 tablespoon coriander leaves. Mix well
Serve the Indian Style cucumber yogurt raita recipe chilled.
What Can We Serve with Kheera Raita?
This easy cucumber raita recipe goes well with rice dishes like paneer biryani and veg pulao.
You can also pair it with Indian flatbreads like paratha, along with Indian curries, or dal.
Storage Suggestions
This cucumber raita tastes best when served fresh. However, you can store the leftovers in your refrigerator for up to 1 day in an air-tight container. After that, cucumber starts releasing water and does not taste good.
Variations
- Veggies: You can also add some grated carrots, chopped onions, and tomatoes to this recipe.
- Grated Cucumber: For this raita, you can use grated cucumber instead of diced cucumber or a combination of both.
- Consistency: If the cucumber raita becomes too thick, add milk or water to thin it out.
- Milk: Adding milk to the yogurt, prevents it from turning sour. If you are using fresh yogurt, then skip it.
- Herbs: Adding finely chopped mint leaves along with coriander leaves gives a nice flavor.
- Spicy: You can also add finely chopped green chilies for extra heat.
- Vegan: To make vegan cucumber raita, use soy, almond, cashew, or peanut curd.
Other Raita Recipes
Cucumber Raita (Kheera Raita)
Ingredients
- 1 cup yogurt (curd)
- ½ cup cucumber (1 medium sized persian cucumber)
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon powdered sugar optional
- salt (or black salt), to taste
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and then dice the cucumber into small pieces.
- In a bowl, add yogurt (curd) and whisk the curd until smooth.
- Then add the cucumber, spices, and coriander leaves. Mix well
- Serve the Indian Style cucumber yogurt raita recipe chilled.
Notes
Tips & Variations
- Veggies: You can also add some grated carrots, chopped onions, and tomatoes to this recipe.
- Grated Cucumber: Instead of diced cucumber, replace it with grated cucumber, or use a combination of both for this raita.
- Consistency: If the cucumber raita becomes too thick, add milk or water to thin it out.
- Milk: Adding milk to the yogurt, prevents it from turning sour. If you are using fresh yogurt, then skip it.
- Herbs: Adding finely chopped mint leaves along with coriander leaves gives a nice flavor.
- Spicy: You can also add finely chopped green chilies for extra heat.
- Vegan: To make vegan cucumber raita, use soy, almond, cashew, or peanut curd.
Nutrition
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Chitta Behera
How do you measure the nutrition of each recipe?
Bhavana Patil
We have a nutrition calculator in the recipe card thats calculates the value.
Renuka
Good