Classic Indian Boondi Raita Recipe

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Boondi raita is a North Indian raita variety made with curd (yogurt) and melt-in-the-mouth boondi (fried gram flour balls) together with a few ground spices and herbs. Making this raita is a breeze. Serve boondi ka raita with your favorite Indian mains as a tangy and delicious side.

boondi raita served in a bowl with a side of rice and brinjal curry.

About Boondi Raita

Boondi is the hero ingredient in this raita variant. Wondering what is boondi?

Boondi are tiny fried gram flour balls. They are round, spherical and hence the name boondi – derived from the Hindi word “boond”which means water droplets.

Making homemade boondi is easy or otherwise they are available in most grocery or sweets shops in India. They are crunchy, crispy and are generally sold in 2 variants:

  1. Salted Boondi or Plain Boondi
  2. Masala Boondi

Boondi raita is made with salted boondi or plain boondi. If you live outside India you can buy boondi from Indian grocery stores or online.

Boondi are often served with chaat recipes like Dahi Bhalla or Dahi Vada or added in Jal Jeera or mixed in the pani (spicy water) of the Pani Puri.

The unsalted boondi goes in the making of Boondi Ladoo or Motichoor Ladoo Recipe. They are also used in making fried snacks like Kara Boondi and Mixture Recipe.

In the below photo you see the fried and crispy boondi.

boondi in a wooden bowl with a few boondi pieces on a wooden board

To make this side dish the boondi is not directly added to the yogurt. These crisp tiny balls (boondi) are first soaked in warm water.

As a result, they swell a little in size and become so soft. Their entire crispiness is lost. They are squeezed off the excess water and then added to the spiced yogurt. So you have a spiced yogurt with the soft boondi melting in your mouth.

Cucumber raitaOnion raita and spiced boondi raita are three of the most sought after raitas in the Indian cuisine.

If you like to pair your meals with raita then do check this category of 27 Raita Recipes on the blog. I make raita almost every day in summers and I have shared many of them on the blog.

Boondi raita is very easy to make. You can serve it with any North Indian dish. But mostly this raita goes very well with rice dishes like biryani or pulao and they actually pep them more.

I served this spiced boondi raita with biryani rice along with an aubergine/brinjal curry. When hard pressed for time, you can just have the raita with some steamed basmati rice along with a side veg salad.

To make this raita you can use dairy curd or a plant based yogurt like cashew yogurt or almond yogurt.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Boondi Raita

Prep Boondi and Curd

1. First warm 1.5 cups of water in a pan on stovetop or in the microwave or in an electric heater. Take the warm water in a bowl.

warm water for boondi raita

2. Then add the boondi to the warm water.

add boondi to warm water

3. Allow them to get soaked for 9 to 12 minutes. Cover the bowl with a lid. Make sure not to soak them for a longer time or else they become pasty and mushy.

drained boondi

4. Meanwhile, whisk the curd (yogurt) in a bowl till smooth. Preferably use fresh homemade curd and ensure that the curd is not sour. The curd can be cold or at room temperature.

curd for boondi raita recipe

5. Drain all the water from the soaked boondi.

boondi for boondi raita recipe

Make Boondi Raita

6. Lightly press the boondi in your palms, to squeeze the excess water from them. However, don’t mash them up. Add the boondi to the whisked curd and mix gently with a spoon.

boondi added to yogurt

7. Add the following dry spice powders and seasonings mentioned below:

  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon chaat masala powder
  • ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder – optional
  • ½ teaspoon fennel powder – optional
  • black salt or regular salt or edible rock salt as required
add spices to boondi curd mixture

8. Stir and mix the ground spices evenly. Do a taste test and add more of the ground spices or salt according to your preferences.

stir boondi raita

9. Lastly mix chopped coriander leaves or mint leaves. You can add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves or 1 tablespoon of chopped mint leaves.

add mint leaves to boondi raita

10. The boondi raita can be served cold or at room temperature. You can also garnish the raita with sprigs of mint or coriander leaves. It also goes well with biryani or pulao or any rice based dishes like jeera rice or saffron rice or biryani rice.

You can also choose to serve boondi raita with stuffed paratha varieties like aloo paratha, gobi paratha or mooli paratha.

boondi raita served in a bowl with a side of rice and brinjal curry

Helpful Tips for Best Boondi ka Raita

  1. Curd: Use fresh homemade curd or yogurt. Make sure that the yogurt is not sour. If using packaged curd, check the expiry date.
  2. Consistency: If the curd is thick or if using greek yogurt, then add some water to thin the consistency.
  3. Soaking boondi: For a soft, melt-in-the-mouth boondi, always soak them in warm water. Soaking fried boondi in water also pulls out some of the oil from them in the water. If you add the crispy boondi directly to the yogurt, they won’t soften completely and you will get to taste their crunchy bits when eating. But if you like crispy boondi in the raita, then do not soak them.
  4. Spices: You can skip or alter the ground spices according to your taste preferences. Try to use roasted cumin powder as it gives a nice earthy, nutty aroma and taste to the raita.
  5. Boondi: Preferably use plain or salted boondi to make this raita. For a slightly spicy raita, add some finely chopped green chillies or increase the red chilli powder by a bit. You can also choose to add both green chilies and red chilli powder.

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boondi raita recipe

Classic Indian Boondi Raita Recipe

This spiced Boondi raita is a flavorful North Indian raita variety made with curd, boondi (crisp fried gram flour balls), herbs and spices.
4.91 from 11 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Cuisine Indian
Course Side Dish
Diet Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Easy
Servings 2
Units

Ingredients

  • ½ cup boondi – plain or salted
  • 1 cup Curd (yogurt) – dairy or plant based
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon chaat masala
  • ½ teaspoon saunf powder (fennel powder) – optional
  • ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder – optional
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) or 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
  • a few coriander leaves or mint leaves for garnish
  • black salt or edible rock salt or regular salt as required

Instructions
 

Preparation

  • First warm water in a pan on stovetop or electric heater or in the microwave.
  • Take the warm water in a bowl. Add the boondi in the warm water. Cover the bowl with a lid. Let them get soaked for 9 to 12 minutes.
  • Drain all the water and lightly press the boondi in your palms, to squeeze the water from them. Don't mash them up.

Making boondi raita

  • Whisk the curd in a bowl.
  • Add the boondi and mix gently.
  • Add all the dry spice powders, chopped mint leaves or coriander leaves, including salt as required. Mix and stir the raita well.
  • Check the taste and add more salt or ground spice powders if needed.
  • Garnish the raita with mint leaves or coriander leaves.
  • The boondi raita can be served cold or at room temperature. They go well with biryani or pulao or any rice based dishes like cumin rice.
  • You can also serve boondi raita with stuffed paratha variants like gobi paratha, aloo paratha, paneer paratha or mooli paratha.
  • Refrigerate the raita if not serving immediatedly. I would recommend to eat the raita in the same day or at the most you can store for 1 day in the fridge.
  • If in case after refrigeration the raita has become thick then add a few teaspoons of water to thin the consistency slightly.

Notes

  • If the yogurt is thick, then whisk with some water to make a slightly thin consistency.
  • The spice powders can be adjusted as per your taste.
  • You can also add finely chopped green chilies and a bit of finely chopped ginger to get some spice and pungency.
  • Make sure to use fresh curd which has not become sour. I would suggest to use homemade curd.
  • You can also temper the raita by frying cumin seeds, green chilies or dry red chilies (seeds removed) and a pinch of asafoetida (hing) in a bit of oil.
  • Use salted or plain boondi to make this raita. If you live outside India you can buy them from Indian grocery store or online.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Classic Indian Boondi Raita Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 139 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 16mg5%
Sodium 653mg28%
Potassium 345mg10%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 237IU5%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg5%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin B12 1µg17%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Vitamin D 1µg7%
Vitamin E 1mg7%
Vitamin K 4µg4%
Calcium 168mg17%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 75µg19%
Iron 1mg6%
Magnesium 44mg11%
Phosphorus 170mg17%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This Boondi Raita post from the archives (April 2013) has been updated and republished on 22 October 2021.

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Meet Dassana

Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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30 Comments

  1. Hi Dassana
    Can you post a recipe for veg enchiladas. I have wanted to try them since I saw that one episode of Schitt’s Creek but all the recipes I have seen have all these inaccessible ingredients that I will never get in my city. Please help.

    1. Hi Bhavya, the recipe is in the drafts but I do not have enough time to work on the photos or post. But keeping your request in mind, I will try to post the recipe in some time.

  2. Hi Ma’am,

    Thanks for so wonderful recipes… I have been trying most of the recipes. I would like your help for how may I be able to keep the raita fresh if it is long made… And also need to travel. Like I will be making the raita at home and take it to friends house after 2-3 hours.
    Please help.
    Your honest recipe follower
    Dipti5 stars

    1. thanks a lot dipti. boondi raita will stay well for a couple of hours without fridge, especially in a cold season you can keep raita for a few hours at room temperature. however onion raita or onion-tomato raita or cucumber raita are best refrigerated.

  3. Hi dassanaa
    Hope u doing well.
    I m just a big fan of u…and any new recipe I think of making ….if the recipe I get is the one from vegrecipesofindia then I m damn sure if will be a sure shot success.
    Thanks a ton..as you have given us immense confidence to try out new things and bring a smile on sooo many faces…God bless you and keep doing the good work ☺
    Just wanted to ask you whether we can add pineapple or apple…just a variety

    1. thanks a lot vidhi for this encouraging comment. felt nice reading your comment. of course you can add pineapple or apple. you can even adding veggies in the raita.

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