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The smoothie recipes in this post are similar to one of the most popular drinks in India, Lassi^. Their similarity lies in their base ingredient, yogurt, which is full of probiotics and is good for overall health. Preferably, whenever I can, I use Greek or Bulgarian yogurt, as its texture and health benefits make it an excellent option for making smoothies.
I’d like you to please take a look at this YouTube video comparing both types of yogurt in my previous post about lassi origins and recipes.
As I mentioned, lassi is very popular in India; in North America, we’ve seen increased demand for it. Many companies are actively promoting the drink on the market. Lassi is known worldwide under names such as ayran, leben, and Tan.
The notes below are regarding the addition of fruits, the amount of water and ice being used, and how that might affect the final result, especially if one is after making a smoothie or lassi.
Smoothie Recipes
Ice, Water, and Puree
Note: The amount of ice determines the thickness of the smoothie. The ice can be skipped during the mixing and added to all the smoothies before serving in a glass, in fact making Lassi type of mixture.
Note: Water in smoothies (Ayran, Lassi) can be substituted with liquid vanilla ice cream or milk.
Note: To make puree such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries; wash the fruits, cut, blend, and passe through a sieve. The resulting puree is sweetened with honey, or sweetener of choice.
Grape Smoothie
1 cup grapes
1 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
3 oz water
few ice cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla
Blend everything with ice and pour into a tall glass. Garnish with grapes.
Raspberry Yogurt
1 cups yogurt
1 oz raspberry syrup or 1/2 raspberries
pinch of cinnamon
scoop of ice
Blend yogurt, raspberries, and ice. Pour into a chilled glass and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Strawberry Ayran
2 cup yogurt
1 cup water
2 oz strawberry puree or 1/2 fresh strawberries
1 spoon honey
few ice cubes
Blend everything and pour it into a chilled glass.
Strawberry Banana
2 cups of yogurt
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of strawberries
1/4 cup sliced banana
2 tablespoons of sugar or honey
few ice cubes
Blend with ice and pour into a chilled glass. Garnish with a slice of banana.
Liquid Strawberry Ice Cream
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup of yogurt
1 cup of liquid vanilla ice cream
1 tbsp of honey – optional
1 cup of ice
Blend with ice and pour into a chilled glass. Garnish with a strawberry.
Raspberry Smoothie Ice Cream
1/2 cup sliced raspberries or raspberry puree
1/2 cup of yogurt
1 cup of liquid vanilla ice cream
1 tbsp of honey – optional
1 cup of ice
Blend with ice and pour into a chilled glass. Garnish with a raspberry.
Note: Use the same recipe for blueberries, bananas, mangoes, and pears.
Chocolate Banana
2 cups yogurt
1/2 banana
2 teaspoons cacao powder or 1 oz chocolate syrup
3 oz cream
2 tablespoons honey
Ice – optional
Blend all ingredients except ice. Pour over ice into chilled glass.
Note: To make a smoothie, blend with ice.
Savoury Lassi with Cumin
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup water
1/4 oz lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin
pinch of salt
few ice cubes
Toast the cumin in a dry pan over low heat and, if using whole spice, grind it, similar to the masala.
Mix everything in a blender and pour it into a chilled glass.
Ayran – Lassi
1 1/2 cups yogurt
3/4 cup water
1/2 oz lemon juice
a bunch of fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon salt
few ice cubes
Beat all ingredients except the ice. Add ice cubes and blend again until you see foam in a blender.
Pour into a chilled glass and garnish with mint.
Cardamon Rose Lassi
2 cups yogurt
1 cup cold water
2-3 tablespoons sugar or 2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon rose water
1/4 teaspoon ground green cardamom
few ice cubes
Blend until foamy. Pour into a chilled glass.
Carrot Ayran
1 cup of yogurt
1 cup of carrot juice
1 oz of lemon juice
2 tbsp honey
few ice cubes
Blend everything and pour it into a chilled glass.
Cold Soup – Drink
Tarator – Ayran Drink
1 cup cold yogurt
3/4 cup finely chopped cucumbers
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp finely chopped dill
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped walnuts
Peel the cucumbers and cut them into cubes. Blend everything except the walnuts. Pour over ice into a chilled glass. Garnish with walnuts.