Name: Cucumber Raita
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 cup plain yogurt (I used low fat); 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely grated; 1 green onion, thinly sliced (about 1- 2 tablespoons); 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves; 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 1 teaspoon zest and; 1 tablespoon juice); 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

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This cucumber raita recipe is a quick, refreshing Indian yogurt side dish. It's brightened up with fresh mint and lemon for a burst of flavor with minimal ingredients.

Perfect served alongside pullao and your favorite Indian main course, raita is always a welcome addition to the dinner table.

So many cuisines have their own spin on yogurt as a side dish. Whether it's Persian mast-o-khiar, Greek tzatziki, Turkish cacik, or Indian raita - I'm always going to want a side of yogurt sauce!

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🧡 Why we love this recipe
📝 Ingredients
🥒 Ingredient spotlight: cucumber
📌 Tips
🍽️ Still hungry? You may also like...
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🧡 Why we love this recipe

Raita is a great way to help tone down the heat of spicy Indian dishes.
It's quick and easy to put together.
There are only a few ingredients.
It can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for several days.
This recipe is easily scaled up if you want to make a larger batch.

📝 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make my favorite Indian raita (see recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full directions):

Plain yogurt - I used low fat, but use whatever you like. This is a great use for homemade yogurt if you make it!
English cucumber
Green onion
Fresh mint leaves
Lemon - we're using both the zest and the juice here
Ground cumin
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

🥒 Ingredient spotlight: cucumber

This recipe uses English cucumber which can be found in your grocery store's produce department, usually shrink-wrapped in plastic for protection.

This type of cucumber, also known as a seedless or European cucumber, is long and slender with a thin skin. They're typically less bitter than other types of cucumbers found in the U.S.

While the name "seedless" is thrown in the mix, they do still have some seeds inside. The seeds are just less developed and not as hard, making them easier to eat if you choose to do so.

The thin skin is also more easily digestible for those who tend to struggle with heartburn caused by their thicker-skinned counterparts.

Peeling a cucumber with a vegetable peeler.

Regardless of what type of cucumbers you buy, I have a handy tip for removing the seeds. Peel your cucumber, if desired, then slice it in half lengthwise.

Grab a vegetable peeler and look for a little loop or scoop type shape - often at the tip of the tool. You can use this to scrape straight down to remove the seeds in big strips.

Removing the seeds from a peeled cucumber with a vegetable peeler.

You can also use a small spoon or a knife to remove the seeds, but many vegetable peelers have this handy tool built right in. It makes it super easy to remove the seeds, if desired.

📌 Tips

Raita is so easy to put together - you just stir everything together in a bowl, cover it, and let it hang out in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it. I think it's helpful to let the flavors mingle for at least an hour, but it's by no means necessary.

Box grater with shredded cucumber collected in a measuring cup.

When shredding your cucumber, it can be handy to use a box grater that has a little cup attached so that it catches what you grated. It also has handy measurements on the cup (though for this recipe, you don't have to be super strict with the amount of cucumber you add).

I've noticed that some Indian restaurants serve raita that's quite liquid-y. If you prefer yours to be thicker, you can use a thicker yogurt like Greek-style yogurt or even Skyr. If you find it's too thick, you can add a splash of water to help thin it out.

Adding chopped green onions to a bowl of yogurt and cucumber.

Adding salt and pepper to a bowl of yogurt and cucumber to make raita.

Stirring together a bowl of ingredients for cucumber raita.

I personally love using my homemade Instant Pot yogurt for this recipe. I use low fat milk when making yogurt, but you can absolutely use full fat yogurt for a richer flavor.

Taste your raita for seasoning once you've added all of your ingredients. If it isn't feeling punchy enough, add more salt and/or lemon juice as needed.

Scooping a spoonful of cucumber raita from a bowl.

This raita is great served along Indian dishes like this pullao recipe. And I don't know about you, but I always finish the raita when we eat at Indian restaurants, so it comes in handy to be able to whip up a quick cucumber raita side at home to go with leftovers from previous meals.

There are also lots of fun packaged pre-made Indian meals available at stores, both frozen and shelf stable. Adding a little homemade raita on the side to those and maybe some naan can really stretch those meals and make them feel a bit more complete.