Makhana Raita

Makhana raita recipe with step by step pics. This is a spiced cooling raita variety made with phool makhana or fox nut, spices and coriander leaves. You can serve it as a side dish with any North Indian meal or pulao or biryani.

Our summer meals are comforting meals like a simple sabzi or dal, sambar with rotis and steamed rice. I also make Punjabi gravies, but mostly during the weekends. Whenever I make a sabzi or dal, I often pair it with a raita in the summers. So I make different types of raita just to have some newness and variety in the food.

This makhana raita is interesting raita. I did not know raita can be made with makhana too. It was only when I was browsing web, that I came to know about this healthy raita. I have made this makhana raita, the way I make regular raita. I have not tempered this one. If you want, you can temper it with a pinch of asafoetida or some cumin seeds to make it more flavorful.

The raita really tasted good. I first felt it would have a similar taste like Boondi raita. but it did not taste like boondi raita. It tasted even better than boondi raita. Do give it a try.

Makhana is also known as fox nut or eurayle ferox. They are rich in nutrients like calcium, protein, carbohydrates, phosphorous, iron, thiamine and zinc. Thus making them a healthy food. 

No fertilizers or pesticides are used in the entire cultivation of makhana. Thus making them naturally organic. They are so good that I make it a point to include makhana in our food. You can know more about them in this Roasted makhana post.

How to make Makhana Raita

1. Heat a small frying pan or kadai (wok) and add ⅔ cup of phool makhana to it.

2. On a low heat dry roast the phool makhana till they become crunchy and crisp. Stir at intervals while roasting. Take them on a plate and allow to cool.

3. Then coarsely crush them with a rolling pin in a zip lock bag. You can also crush them in a mixer or dry grinder.

4. Whisk 1 cup fresh chilled curd (yogurt) in a bowl.

5. Spice the curd with ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder and a pinch of garam masala powder. Also season with black salt as needed.

6. Stir and mix very well.

7. Then add the coarsely crushed phool makhana in the spiced curd. Stir again and mix well.

8. Add 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves (cilantro).

9. Stir and Serve makhana raita immediately as a side dish with your favorite North Indians meals. It will go very well with pulao or Biryani or any rice based dish. In below photo I serve the raita with Veg Pulao.

If you chill the raita further, it thickens slightly. So you can add some water to thin the raita.

If you are looking for more Raita recipes then do check:

• Fruit raita
• Lauki raita
• Onion tomato raita
• Cucumber raita
• Vegetable raita

If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it in the recipe card or leave a comment below – I’d love to hear your feedback. For more vegetarian inspiration, sign up for my email updates or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or X.

Makhana Raita

By Dassana Amit

Makhana raita is a healthy raita made with phool makhana, yogurt, spices and coriander leaves.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Cuisine North Indian

Course Side Dish

Diet Vegetarian

Difficulty Level Easy

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Servings 3 to 4

Units

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup fresh chilled yogurt (curd)
• ▢ ⅔ cup makhana (phool makhana or fox nut or eurayle ferox)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Red Chili Powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder
• ▢ 1 pinch Garam Masala
• ▢ 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
• ▢ black salt or rock salt or regular salt as required

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Instructions

 

preparation

• Heat a small frying pan or kadai/wok and add 2/3 cup phool makhana in it.
• On a low flame dry roast the phool makhana till they become crunchy and crisp. Stir at intervals while roasting. Take them in a plate and allow to cool.
• Then coarsely crush them with a rolling pin in a zip lock bag or in a mixer or dry grinder.

making makhana raita

• Whisk 1 cup fresh chilled curd (yogurt) in a bowl.
• Spice the curd with 1/4 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder & a pinch of garam masala powder. Season also with black salt. Stir very well.
• Then add the coarsely crushed phool makhana in the spiced curd.
• Add 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.
• Stir and serve phool makhana raita immediately. If you chill the raita further, it thickens slightly. So you can add some water to thin the raita.

Notes

• The recipe can be easily scaled to make a bigger or smaller batch.
• You can adjust the quantity of spices as per your taste.

This Makhana Raita Post from the blog archives, first published in May 2015 has been republished and updated on December 2022.