Beetroot Raita is a colorful, vibrant raita or yogurt dip made with healthy beets, crunchy onions, bell pepper, carrots, tangy curd (yogurt) and seasonings. The lovely dark pink colored raita has a mildly sweet and tangy taste pairing nicely with most Indian meals.
About This Recipe
So when you have some leftover beets, why not make this raita. You will be in for a surprise. Made with fresh earthy and juicy beets, this raita is a winner every time.
To make it more healthier and add some crunch, I also include some carrots, green bell pepper (capsicum) and onions. But do feel free to skip either of these veggies.
Making this beet raita is easy as you don’t need to cook anything. Simply grate the beets, carrots and finely chop the capsicum and onions. To make things more easier, use your food processor.
The raita tastes very different from the other raita varieties that we usually make. It is so flavorful, that you can simply eat it as is.
It also pairs greatly with the staple Indian meal of dal (lentils) and steamed rice. You can also serve it as a side with pulao or biryani.
Bonus is the lovely dark pink color of the raita. Somewhere I read that the entire meal should be colorful. A meal full of different colors is not only balanced in the nutrition aspect, but also subtly affects our nadis and chakras.
How to make Beetroot Raita
1. First you need to prep the raita ingredients. Rinse the veggies first thoroughly in water. Then peel them. Grate 1 medium-sized beetroot and 1 small to medium-sized carrot.
Finely chop 1 medium-sized onion and 1 small capsicum. Set aside the seasonings as well.
2. Whisk or beat 2 cups of curd (yogurt) in a bowl until smooth with the help of a wired whisk. The yogurt can be cold or chilled.
3. Add the finely chopped onions and capsicum. Note that including both onions and capsicum is optional. But they adds a good amount of of crunch in the raita and also make it flavorful.
4. Add the grated beetroot and grated carrot.
5. Mix the veggies with the curd. Add 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder and salt according to taste.
6. Mix again.
7. Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves (cilantro). You can swap coriander leaves with mint leaves.
8. Serve the Beetroot carrot raita with pulao, biryani or with dal and rice. It goes well with most Indian meals. Garnish with a few coriander leaves while serving.
The raita goes well with most rice based dishes and also with biryani or pulao. It tastes so good that you can just have it as is.
It is best to enjoy this raita as soon as you make it. If there are any leftovers, then refrigerate in a covered container for a couple of hours only.
Helpful Tips and Variations
- Veggies: Ensure that the beetroot and carrots are fresh, tender and juicy. You can opt to skip the carrots, onions and capsicum. If skipping carrots, then add some more grated beetroot if you like.
- Seasonings and spices: Instead of regular salt, you can also use black salt. Opt to add chaat masala if you like. To make a slightly spicy version of the raita, add about ¼ to ½ teaspoon of red chilli powder or add about ½ teaspoon finely chopped green chillies.
- Curd: I recommend to use fresh homemade curd that is not too tangy. If using packaged curd, make sure it is within its shelf-period and has not become very sour.
- Tempering: Please note, I have not tempered the raita as I did not think it was necessary. If you would like to add more flavor to the raita, you could temper it. By tempering I mean frying spices like mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chilies or dried red chillies, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida (hing) in a bit of oil.
- Fasting: If you are making this raita for fasting or religious vrat, then add edible rock salt (sendha namak) instead of regular salt. Also avoid adding onions when making for religious vrat or fast as onions are usually not allowed for most religious vrat.
- Vegan options: Swap the curd with a plant based yogurt like cashew yogurt, almond yogurt or coconut yogurt.
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Beetroot Raita
Ingredients
- 2 cups Curd (yogurt)
- 1 beetroot medium-sized, grated
- 1 carrot small to medium-sized, grated – optional
- 1 onion medium-sized, finely chopped – optional
- 1 capsicum small-sized, finely chopped (green bell pepper) – optional
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- salt as required
Instructions
- First prep your vegetables. Rinse them very well in water. Peel and set aside. Grate the beetroot and carrot. Finely chop the onion and capsicum.
- Take the curd in a bowl and whisk it until smooth.
- Add all the chopped veggies together with the roasted cumin powder and salt according to taste.
- Mix to combine evenly.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro or coriander leaves.
- Serve the beetroot raita with pulao, biryani or with dal and rice or with any Indian meal of your choice.
- It is best to enjoy this raita as soon as you make it. If there are any leftovers, then refrigerate in a covered container for a couple of hours only.
Notes
- Make sure that the beetroot is fresh, juicy and tender.
- You can choose to skip the carrots, onions and capsicum. If omitting carrots, then add some more grated beetroot if you prefer.
- Instead of regular salt, you can also use black salt. Opt to add chaat masala if you like.
- For raita, it is always better to use fresh homemade curd. If using packaged curd, make sure it is within its shelf-period and has not become too sour.
- To make a vegan variation of the recipe, replace the curd with a plant based yogurt like cashew yogurt, almond yogurt or coconut yogurt.
Nutrition Info (Approximate values)
This Beetroot Raita post from the archives (June 2011) has been republished and updated on 8 October 2021.
Hi dassana
Awesome receipe…..my child has become fond of beetroot n carrots……thanks a ton …..with your recipies it’s easy to make children fond of vegetables…..
A happy mother
thanks nidhi and thats so nice to know. i know kids can be very picky at times. there are many carrots and beetroot recipes on the blog which can be liked by kids. you can try them too.
Tried the above raita. Turned delicious. Thanks for sharing.
do you have a recipe for the curd/raita yogurt that you use? I would like to make Indian style yogurt from the beginning with milk for my raita, but I don’t know how.
you can check the method here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/how-to-make-curd-dahi-homemade-curd-dahi/
Hii i have gone through all of your recipes for navratri fast. Some of them are really useful but how can u use onion in food for fast? And also you have used cornflour in one of your fast dish…Isn’t it a grain? which is not used in fast. Pls reply
onions are not used in fasting. in this recipe i have mentioned in the notes in the recipe details about not adding onions if making for fasts. this raita was not even made nor posted during navratri. i have linked it in the navaratri recipes, so that people can make it with the omitting of the onions. its the same for aloo paneer kofta. i have mentioned in the notes section about using singhare ka atta or kuttu ka atta for binding instead of corn starch.
ohh ok.. thanks for the reply 🙂
welcome nishtha
hi i tried the beetroot carrot raita and it came out so good it looks and tastes equally wow! thank you so much.
thanks ritu. you are kind enough to come back and share your experience. It not only encourages me to share or write more recipes, but it also encourages the other visitors to try the recipes. if you try any other recipes, then do let me know your feedback.