Raita Recipe: Easy 5-Minute Mint and Coriander Raita
Last updated on October 12th, 2026
Raita isn’t just a garnish for your curry: it’s what lets you keep eating a curry that’s too hot to enjoy on its own. The fat in the yoghurt coats your mouth and binds to the capsaicin doing the burning, which is the real mechanism behind why a spoonful cools you down far more effectively than water or bread ever could. It’s a close cousin of Greek tzatziki with drained cucumber, which uses yoghurt in much the same way.
This version takes five minutes: toasted cumin seeds ground down, then blended with coriander, mint, green chilli, garlic, lemon juice and natural yoghurt. Toasting whole spices is the same step behind my homemade garam masala. Skip the toasting if you’re in a hurry and use ground cumin instead, and you’ll have it done in two.
How to Make Raita
Start with the cumin. Put half a teaspoon of cumin seeds in a dry frying pan over a high heat and toast them until they smell fragrant and a few wisps of smoke come off the pan. That’s your sign they’re ready. Skipping this step costs you some flavour, but it’s the one step you can drop.
Grind the toasted seeds into a coarse powder in a food processor or blender before anything else goes in.
Add a handful of coriander leaves, half that amount of mint, one green chilli roughly chopped with the seeds removed, one whole garlic clove, a light pinch of salt, a little squeeze of lemon juice and 200 g of natural yoghurt.
Blend until you have a fine sauce with no large bits remaining, then taste and adjust the salt or lemon juice.
Why Raita Works With Curry, Biryani and Kebabs Alike
A spoonful alongside a rich curry, such as chicken tikka masala, butter paneer or a fragrant lentil dal, does more than cool things down. It’s also perfect with chicken tikka skewers at home. The tang of the yoghurt and the freshness of the herbs cut through heavier, spiced sauces, so the meal doesn’t feel like it’s only getting hotter the further in you get.
It works the same way with biryani and pulao, where the cool creaminess balances the warmth of the rice, and with grilled or tandoori dishes like kebabs and seekh kebabs, where it tempers the smoky char with something cold and tangy. Try it with my chicken biryani recipe and you’ll see how well the two balance. Raita goes well with just about anything, particularly with spicy things.
Getting the Right Consistency Without Watering Down the Flavour
- To get a drizzle-able consistency, use a blender. This causes the yoghurt to lose its thickness. A lot of recipes say to add water, but this just dilutes flavour.
- If you want a thicker raita then chop or blend all the ingredients excluding the yoghurt, then stir the yoghurt in at the end.
- Skip the chilli if you’re looking for a completely spice (heat) free raita.
Why is my raita too thin?
Blending the yoghurt to make a drizzle-able raita naturally loosens its thickness. This is expected and part of getting that pourable consistency rather than a fault.
How do I make a thicker raita?
Chop or blend all the other ingredients first, excluding the yoghurt, then stir the yoghurt in at the end rather than blending everything together.
Should I add water to thin out raita?
No. Adding water is a common shortcut but it dilutes the flavour. Use a blender on the yoghurt instead to loosen the texture without watering down the taste.
How do I make raita without any heat?
Simply skip the chilli and you’ll have a completely spice (heat) free raita while keeping all the other flavours.
What dishes does raita pair well with?
Raita is a versatile pairing for curries, biryanis, pulao rice, and grilled or tandoori dishes like kebabs and tikka, where its cool creaminess balances spice and smoky flavours.
What is raita made of?
Raita is a cooling yoghurt sauce served alongside curry. This version is made from natural yoghurt blended with toasted cumin, coriander, mint, green chilli, garlic, lemon juice and a light pinch of salt.
How do I make raita without cucumber?
This raita is already cucumber-free. It’s a blended sauce of natural yoghurt, toasted cumin, coriander, mint, green chilli, garlic and lemon juice, so the cooling comes from the yoghurt and fresh herbs.
Raita Recipe: Easy 5-Minute Mint and Coriander Raita
Equipment
- Food processor
- Chef’s knife
- Chopping board
- Digital scales
- Measuring spoons
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds toasted or 1/2 tsp ground cumin powder
- Handful 1/2 cup coriander leaves
- Half a handful 1/4 cup mint leaves
- 1 x green chilli deseeded (leave this out if you don’t want any spice/heat)
- 1 x garlic clove
- 1 light pinch salt
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 200 g / 1 cup yoghurt
Instructions
- Heat a small dry frying pan over a high heat.
- Add the cumin seeds to the pan and toast them, stirring and shaking the pan often, for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant and a few wisps of smoke come off the pan. The seeds will deepen in colour.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow the toasted cumin seeds to cool slightly.
- Transfer the toasted cumin seeds to a blender, spice grinder, food processor, or mortar and pestle, then grind them into a coarse powder.
- Then add the coriander leaves, mint leaves, chilli, garlic clove, salt, lemon juice and yoghurt.
- Blend the mixture, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed, until it reaches a fine consistency. The result should be a runny sauce.
- Taste the raita and adjust the seasoning, adding salt or more lemon juice if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
| Total Fat | 0.7g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.4g |
| Cholesterol | 2.6mg |
| Sodium | 24.2mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 1.6g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.1g |
| Sugars | 1.2g |
| Protein | 0.9g |
| Potassium | 56.1mg |
