🔑 Quick Answer: A strawberry lassi is a blended Indian yogurt drink made with fresh strawberries, buttermilk or yogurt, honey, rose water, and ground cardamom. It comes together in one blender in about five minutes and pours out frothy, tangy, and lightly floral. Serve it cold, topped with chopped pistachios and fresh strawberries.
This strawberry lassi is my California take on the drink I grew up loving. I was raised around a lot of friends with Indian backgrounds, so a cold, frothy mango lassi was a regular treat, and it’s still the flavor that says summer to me.
Naturally, when I finally made it to India, a real one was at the top of my list. I found it in Jaipur. My friend and I were wandering the streets hunting for shoes when we stumbled on a sidewalk stall so packed it was practically a traffic hazard.
We elbowed our way to a table and ordered pakora, aloo kachori, and two lassis. The snacks were crisp and just spicy enough to make my cheeks flush, but the lassis were what really got me: ice cold, frothy, and just sweet enough to send me straight back to childhood.
This strawberry version is how I chase that glass at home, with local berries at their peak standing in for the mango. Buttermilk or Greek yogurt gives it a tang and froth a smoothie never gets, and a little rose water and cardamom do the heavy lifting.
Best for: anyone who wants a five-minute treat on a hot day, a bright addition to a brunch or mezze spread, and families (kids go for the color and the sweetness).
Why Trust Us
I’m a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, cookbook author, and longtime recipe developer, and I’ve spent years dialing in recipes so they work at home every time. My time on the Food Network was spent sharing California-inspired recipes that are reliable but inspired and this lassi is a perfect example. It takes minutes to put together but brings the the tang, sweetness, and spice land in the right place.
Between a childhood spent drinking mango lassi and tasting my way across India as an adult (mango, salted mint, saffron, all of it), I know what a great one should taste like. At Salt & Wind we’re a food-focused travel company, so every recipe we share is one we’ve actually eaten our way through and tested at home.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Lassi Recipe
There’s a lot packed into one small glass.
- Five minutes, one blender: no cooking and barely any cleanup.
- Frothy and tangy, not flat, thanks to the buttermilk.
- Floral and warm from the rose water and cardamom, which take it well past basic smoothie territory.
- Endlessly riffable: change the fruit or the flavoring and it still sings.
- Naturally vegetarian and gluten free.
Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients needed for this strawberry lassi form a short list, so let each one pull its weight. Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Fresh strawberries: the star of the show, so get them ripe and in season (frozen work in a pinch and make a thicker pour).
- Buttermilk: my pick over yogurt for the signature tang and froth. Plain whole-milk yogurt works if that’s what you’ve got.
- Coconut milk: rounds out the body and adds a subtle richness.
- Honey: the sweetener, and how much you need depends on your berries, so add it to taste.
- Rose water: the floral note that makes it a lassi and not a smoothie. Use a light hand, or swap in orange flower water.
- Ground cardamom: the warm, aromatic backbone. Freshly ground is best.
- Ice: for that frosty, blended chill.
- Pistachios: a salty, crunchy finish on top.
How To Make This Recipe
Making a strawberry rosewater cardamom lassi is really just blend, taste, and pour.
- Taste a strawberry. If the berries are sweet and ripe, start with two tablespoons of honey; if they’re tart, work up to four.
- Blend the base. Add the strawberries, buttermilk, coconut milk, honey, rose water, and cardamom to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Add the ice. Drop in the ice cubes and blend just until they break up and the drink is frosty and smooth, not watery.
- Taste and adjust. Add a little more honey for sweetness or a touch more rose water for perfume, keeping a light hand.
- Pour and top. Divide the strawberry rosewater cardamom lassi between two glasses and finish with chopped pistachios and a few strawberry slices. Serve cold.
Tips for Success
A few things I’ve learned after making a lot of lassis.
- Hull the strawberries first. Follow the photos above and use a paring knife to cut out the green tops and the pale core so you don’t get bitter, stringy bits in the blend.
Taste your berries first. Sweet, peak-season strawberries need only two tablespoons of honey; tart ones can take up to four. - Keep everything cold. Cold buttermilk and plenty of ice keep it frothy instead of watery.
- Go easy on the rose water. Start with one teaspoon. A heavy hand tips it from floral into perfumey, and there’s no walking that back.
- Toast the pistachios for a minute until they smell nutty before you chop them, for more crunch and aroma on top.
- Add the ice last and blend just until it breaks up, so the lassi stays thick.
Variations and Adaptations
The beauty of a lassi is how easily it bends to whatever you’ve got.
- Mango lassi: the original of my childhood. Swap the strawberries for ripe mango and skip the rose water.
- Salted lassi: leave out the fruit and honey, add a pinch of salt and a little toasted cumin for the savory version.
- Saffron lassi: steep a pinch of saffron in a spoonful of warm milk, then swirl it in.
- Vegan: use a plain plant-based yogurt and coconut milk, and sweeten with maple.
- Thicker pour: reach for frozen strawberries and cut back on the ice.
What to Serve With This
I treat this lassi as the cool, frothy drink to balance something warm and spiced. Here are a few recipes you’ll love that it would pair fabulously with:
Frequently Asked Questions
A lassi is built on cultured dairy, traditionally yogurt or buttermilk, which is where its tang and frothy body come from. A smoothie is usually just blended fruit with juice or milk. That cultured dairy is the whole difference, and it's why I reach for buttermilk here.
It's best fresh, when it's coldest and frothiest. You can blend it a few hours ahead and keep it refrigerated, then give it a quick re-blend or a hard stir before serving, since it settles as it sits.
Yes. Use a plain plant-based yogurt plus coconut milk for a dairy-free version. It lands a touch less tangy, so add a small squeeze of lime to bring the brightness back.
Strawberry Rosewater Cardamom Lassi Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound strawberries hulled and halved (about 3 cups), plus a few more for garnish
- 2/3 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
- 1/3 cup lite or regular coconut milk
- 2 to 4 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon rose water (can substitute orange flower water)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 cup ice cubes
- Finely chopped pistachios for garnish
Instructions
- Taste the strawberries to see how sweet they are — if they’re very sweet use 2 tablespoons honey and if they aren’t that sweet use up to 4 tablespoons. Combine strawberries, buttermilk, coconut milk, honey, rose water, and cardamom in the carafe of a blender and process until smooth. Add ice and process until broken up and smooth. Taste and add more honey or other flavoring as desired. Pour into glasses and serve topped with pistachios and a few slices of strawberries.
