Namkeen lassi

Name: Namkeen lassi
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 7 min
Ingredients: 400 g yogurt; 250 ml water; ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp cumin seeds, dry-roasted and ground; 6 leaves mint, leaves picked (optional); 1 pinch black pepper (optional); 150 g ice (optional)

Vegetarian

نمکین لسی · Namkeen lassi

A frothy, savoury yogurt drink seasoned with salt, roasted cumin and mint — Punjab's classic hot-weather cooler.

Namkeen lassi is a Pakistani cold drink, ready in about 7 minutes and made with yogurt and cumin seeds. It serves 2 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 2 min
Total: 7 min
Serves: 2
Level: Beginner
Calories: 124

Ingredients

2 glasses

400 g Yogurt (opens in a new tab)Plain, full-fat.Contains milk
250 ml Water (opens in a new tab)Ice-cold.
½ tsp (3 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
½ tsp (1 g) Cumin seeds (opens in a new tab), dry-roasted and ground
6 leaves (0.5 g) Mint (opens in a new tab), leaves picked (optional)
1 pinch (0 g) Black pepper (opens in a new tab) (optional)
150 g Ice (opens in a new tab) (optional)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Dry-roast the cumin seeds (opens in a new tab) in a small pan, shaking, for about 1 minute until a shade darker and fragrant, then grind them.
- 2 min
- medium heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Blend the yogurt (opens in a new tab), cold water, salt, most of the cumin and the mint (opens in a new tab) until frothy (or whisk hard in a jug).
- 2 min
- Blender (opens in a new tab)
3
Step 3
Pour over ice and sprinkle with the remaining cumin and a pinch of black pepper (opens in a new tab).
- 1 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Punjab (Pakistan and India) · Commonly attributedAlso popular in Pakistan, India
Dish: Breakfast · Lunch · Snack · Cold drinks
Cooking method: Blended, No-cook
Taste: salty, tangy, refreshing
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Yogurt · Cumin seeds
Techniques: Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom yogurt

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

124 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 327 g · recipe makes 2

Where the energy comes from

Protein 22%
Carbohydrate 31%
Fat 47%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	124 kcal	38 kcal
Protein	7 g	2.2 g
Carbohydrate	9.6 g	2.9 g
Net carbohydrate	9.5 g	2.9 g
Sugars	9.3 g	2.9 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	0.1 g	0 g
Fat	6.6 g	2 g
Saturated fat	4.2 g	1.3 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	26 mg	8 mg
Sodium	678 mg	207 mg
Salt equivalent	1.7 g	0.5 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 320 mg
Calcium: 260 mg
Iron: 0.5 mg
Magnesium: 28 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 54 µg
Vitamin C: 1 mg
Vitamin D: 0.2 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.7 µg
Folate (DFE): 14 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: mint, black pepper, ice.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Dry-roast whole cumin seeds and grind them fresh — it makes all the difference.

Common mistakes

Using raw ground cumin — the roasted seeds give lassi its smoky, savoury flavour.

Serve with

Drink alongside a spicy lunch such as karahi or parathas.

Storage

Best fresh; keeps a few hours chilled.

Variations

Meethi lassi: Sweetened with sugar and a little rose water or cardamom.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & BlendCompare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Yogurt400 g

Used in step 2

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

Dahi baray
Pakistani · 1 h 45 min · 213 kcal · Vegetarian
Lahori fish fry
Pakistani · 1 h 5 min · 386 kcal
Lahori chargha
Pakistani · 5 h 5 min · 804 kcal
Halwa puri
Pakistani · 1 h 10 min · 721 kcal · Vegetarian