Namkeen Lassi Recipe

Name: Namkeen Lassi
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: 2 cups Yogurt (dahi), chilled; 1½ cups Water, ice-cold; ¾ tsp Salt, adjust to taste; ¼ tsp Black salt (kala namak); 1 tsp Cumin seeds (zeera), dry-roasted and crushed; 2 tbsp Fresh mint (podina), fresh leaves, crushed; ½ cup Ice

نمکین لسی بنانے کا طریقہ

Cooling Punjabi namkeen lassi of yogurt whisked thin with cold water, salt, roasted cumin and mint, the classic summer drink alongside a heavy lunch.

Prep

5 min

Cook

0 min

Total

5 min

Serves

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Mild

Namkeen lassi is what Punjabi farmers drank in the fields through the summer: thin, salty, very cold and full of roasted cumin. It is lighter than sweet lassi, settles the stomach after rich food, and is a sensible sehri drink because the salt helps you through a long fast in the heat.

Ingredients

3 servings

For 3 servings

Cups & chamachGrams & ml

2 cups Yogurt (dahi), chilled≈ 490 g
1½ cups Water, ice-cold
¾ tsp Salt, adjust to taste
¼ tsp Black salt (kala namak) (optional)
1 tsp Cumin seeds (zeera), dry-roasted and crushed
2 tbsp Fresh mint (podina), fresh leaves, crushed
½ cup Ice

Method

Dry-roast the cumin seeds in a small pan on low heat until fragrant and a shade darker, then crush them coarsely.
⏱ 2 min
Whisk or blend the yogurt with the cold water, salt, black salt, most of the cumin and the mint until smooth and frothy.
Taste for salt, pour over ice in glasses and sprinkle with the remaining cumin.

Tips for the best result

Slightly sour yogurt actually works well here, unlike in sweet lassi.
For a fragrant twist, temper a few curry leaves and cumin in a teaspoon of hot oil and pour over the top.

Common mistakes

Using raw cumin powder. Unroasted cumin tastes dusty; roasting is what gives the flavour.
Making it too thick. Namkeen lassi should be thin enough to drink in long gulps.

How to serve

Serve very cold with daal chawal, biryani or a heavy summer lunch, or at sehri.

Storing and reheating

Keeps a few hours covered in the fridge; stir before pouring as it separates.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories: 105kcal
Protein: 6g
Fat: 5g
Carbs: 8g
Fibre: 0.1g
Sodium: 660mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 42

Whole dish ≈ Rs 125 · 99% of ingredients by weight priced

Prices in

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works