Carrot Raita | Gajar ka Raita
Carrot raita recipe with step by step photos. This is one more simple, easy and tasty raita variety made with grated carrots, green chillies and a few spice powders. It makes for an excellent side dish and can also be served with pulao, biryani or any rice based dish.
Sharing a family recipe of gajar ka raita made in our Punjabi household. Simple and easy to prepare raita with an interesting tempering of asafoetida or hing added at the end.
This tempering with ghee perks up the flavor of carrot raita. However, its optional and you can skip it too. Since carrots are the hero ingredient in the dish. I suggest to use juicy, fresh and tender carrots. Avoid using fibrous or hard carrots.
It is good to have raitas, curd and fruit juices during summers as they are cooling as well as nutritious. If you have any leftover carrots then it is a good way to use that carrot to make this raita.
Carrots are a good source of Vitamin A and thus very good for eyesight. You can make a variety of recipes with them like gajar ka halwa, Carrot ginger soup, Carrot chutney etc.
Like all raita varieties, this gajar raita also goes well with roti-sabzi or dal-rice combination. You can also serve it with pulao or biryani or any Indian meal as a side dish. The recipe can be easily scaled to make a bigger or smaller batch.
Without much ado, let’s proceed to the recipe.
How to make Carrot Raita
1. Rinse 2 small to medium carrots in fresh water. Then peel and grate them in a plate or bowl.
Best to use the carrots that are tender, juicy and fresh. I avoid using carrots that are fibrous or have become hard. Juicy carrots are much easier to grate and taste good as well.
2. In another bowl, take 1 cup of fresh chilled curd (yogurt) and whisk it till smooth. Avoid using sour tasting curd.
3. Add the grated carrots (reserving a few for garnishing) and chopped green chilies. Green chilies are optional and you can skip them. You can also add ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder instead of green chilies.
If making for small kids then I suggest to skip the green chillies.
4. Stir and mix everything well.
5. Then add ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder, a pinch of garam masala powder and black salt as required. Add rock salt or regular salt if you do not have black salt.
Stir and mix again very well. The amount of spices can be altered as per your taste preferences.
Tempering for carrot raita
6. In a fireproof spoon or in a small pan, take ½ teaspoon ghee. We will be tempering the raita. This step is optional and you can skip it.
7. Heat ½ teaspoon ghee in a fire proof spoon or a small pan.
8. Then add a pinch of asafoetida (hing). Fry the asafoetida for a few seconds. For making the raita gluten free skip adding it or use gluten free asafoetida.
9. Then pour the tempering in the raita.
10. Mix well using a spoon.
11. Garnish with the reserved grated carrots and Serve gajar ka raita immediately or chill it and then serve later with dal fry + rice combo or roti-sabzi combo. You can also garnish the raita with some coriander leaves before serving.
It can also be served with pulao or biryani or any rice based dish as a side dish.
More Raita recipes
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
main ingredients
- 2 small to medium carrots – peeled and grated
- 1 green chili – finely chopped
- 1 cup Curd (yogurt)
- ½ teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder
- 1 pinch Garam Masala
- black salt as required
- coriander leaves for garnish (cilantro leaves) – optional
for tempering the raita (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
Instructions
- Rinse, peel and grate 2 small to medium carrots in a plate or bowl.
making carrot raita
- In another bowl, take 1 cup fresh chilled curd/yogurt and whisk it till smooth.
- Add the grated carrots (reserve a few for garnish) and chopped green chilies. Green chilies are optional and you can skip it. You can also add ¼ to ½ tsp red chili powder instead of green chilies.
- Mix everything well.
- Then add ½ tsp cumin powder, a pinch of garam masala powder & black salt as required. Add rock salt or regular salt if you do not have black salt. Mix again very well.
tempering for carrot raita
- In a fire proof spoon or in a small pan, take ½ tsp ghee. We will be tempering the raita. This step is optional and you can skip it.
- Heat the ghee. Then add a pinch of asafoetida. Fry the asafoetida for a few seconds.
- Then pour the tempering in the raita. Mix well.
- Serve the raita immediately or chill it and then serve later. You can also garnish with some coriander leaves before serving.
- It can be served as a side dish with dal-rice or roti-sabzi combo or with pulao and biryani.
Notes
- The recipe can be doubled or tripled.
- Best to use tender and fresh carrots. They should not be fibrous.
- To make the raita gluten-free either skip adding asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida.
- The amount of spices can be altered as per your preference.
- The tempering is an optional step but I usually add it as it brings a good flavor.
- If you are going to serve it to small kids also then I suggest reducing the amount of green chillies (or red chili powder) accordingly or skip altogether.
- You can also add 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves in place of coriander leaves.
Nutrition
This Carrot Raita Post from the blog archives, first published in May 2015 has been republished and updated on December 2022.
One of my favorite raitas. The recipe looks easy to follow, and the pictures are helpful. I’m excited to try this at home!
surely try and let us know how it was Fran? thankyou so much.
Can I grind the carrot
no. don’t grind the carrot.
Nice receipe
thanks sangeeta