Beetroot Raita (Beet Raita, Chukandar Ka Raita) is an Indian accompaniment made using yogurt, beet, and a few spices. This raita tastes great with any Indian food and comes together in under 20 minutes using simple ingredients. Here is how to make it (vegetarian, gluten-free).
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About Beetroot Raita
Beetroot Raita (Beet Raita, Chukandar Ka Raita) is an Indian accompaniment made using fresh beetroot, plain yogurt, and a few mild spices.
It is a cooling side dish that pairs very well with any Indian food or can be served as a refreshing salad.
Beet Raita has a mildly sweet and tangy taste to it and is very cooling and soothing for the gut.
This bright pink and vibrant beetroot raita recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian, and can be easily made vegan.
There are multiple ways in which you can make this raita. You can make it with cooked beets or uncooked ones. You can either grate, chop, or puree the beetroots. It can also be made with or without tempering.
In this post, I am sharing all these methods and a few other variations too.
You can easily scale the recipe if making it for a crowd. Do check my other raita recipes (20+) and try them soon too.
If you want to include beetroot in your diet, then do try these beetroot recipes too
Here are some more raita recipes for you
Ingredients
For The Raita
To make the beet raita, you will need fresh red beetroots, plain yogurt (dahi, curd), green chilies, salt, and roasted cumin powder.
Adjust the green chillies as per your taste.
You can also use Greek yogurt in place of plain yogurt.
To make it vegan, replace plain yogurt with any vegan yogurt of your choice. All the other ingredients are vegan-friendly.
Add some chaat masala powder, black salt (kala namak), a pinch of hing (asafetida), and black pepper powder to spice up the raita.
For The Tempering
Tempering is optional but highly recommended. The peanuts add a lovely crunch to beet raita.
You will need oil, brown mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilies, and raw peanuts to temper this raita.
You can also add a teaspoon of white urad dal to the tempering for a nice crunch. Cumin seeds are also a great addition to tempering.
Garnish the raita with some cilantro (fresh coriander leaves) or mint leaves.
How To Make Beetroot Raita
Preparation
Wash 4 oz (100 g or 1 medium-sized) beetroot and peel it using a vegetable peeler. Chop off ½-inch pieces from the top and bottom and cut the beetroots into ½-inch cubes.
Tip – Be careful while handling the beets. They leave permanent marks on the clothes and color the surfaces that come into their contact. Use an old chopping board and knife and wear an apron.
Chop the green chilies.
Gather the remaining ingredients.
Make The Beetroot Raita
Heat 2 cups of water in a pan over medium-high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, add the beetroots. Cover the pan with a lid and cook until they are softened (8-10 minutes).
Note – You can also cook the beetroot in a traditional pressure cooker or instant pot. I am sharing the methods below just in case you want to check.
Drain the water and add the beetroot to a blender or a food processor along with ¼ cup of cold water. Blend to make a smooth puree.
Tip – You can use the leftover water from boiling the beets to make curries or knead the dough.
Add 2 cups of chilled plain yogurt to a bowl and whisk it until it is smooth and creamy.
Add
- beetroot puree
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped green chilies
to the bowl and mix well.
Note – You can add some water to thin the raita if it is thick for your liking. The ideal consistency should be like that of custard.
Note – Instead of cooking the chopped beet and then pureeing it, you can first cook the whole beetroot until it is tender and then either chop, grate, or puree it, to add to the raita.
Temper The Raita (Optional)
Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds and 10-12 curry leaves and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
Add 2 whole dry red chilies and 2 tablespoon lightly crushed raw peanuts to the skillet and fry until they are crispy and golden brown in color.
Pour the tempering over the beet raita and stir well. Serve chilled.
Tip – Save some tempering for garnishing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wash the beets well with water and chop off ½-inch pieces from the top and bottom. Add 1 cup of water to the inner insert of the instant pot. Keep a trivet and keep the beets over the trivet. Secure the lid and set the valve to the sealing position. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 15 minutes at high pressure. Once the timer goes off, release the pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position (Use the back of a spoon to move the valve). Open the lid and take out the cooked beets using a tong. Let them cool, then peel off the skin. Grate, chop, or puree and use to make the beet raita.
Wash the beets well with water and chop off ½-inch pieces from the top and bottom. Add them to a pressure cooker along with 1 cup of water. Pressure cook for 1 whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 8 minutes. Remove the cooker from heat and release the pressure. Open the lid and take out the cooked beets using a tong. Let them cool, then peel off the skin. Grate, chop, or puree and use to make the beetroot raita.
No, not necessary at all. You can peel the raw beetroot and grate them using the small hole of a box grater. Then mix the grated beetroot with the yogurt and spices and your raita with uncooked beets is ready.
Variations
To make the raita healthier, use fat-free yogurt.
You can cook the beets ahead and refrigerate them for up to 4-5 days.
Add chopped onions, tomatoes, and cucumber to this raita to make it more filling and healthier.
You can even add raw grated carrot or shredded cabbage to this raita for a change of taste.
Tempering is optional. You can serve the beet raita without it as well.
Replace peanuts with almonds or cashew nuts for a taste change.
Add beetroot powder instead of fresh beets to this raita to make it quicker.
Serving Suggestions
Beetroot Raita tastes best when served chilled. You can serve it as a chilled salad on hot summer days or pair it with any Indian food.
Serve it for your everyday Indian meal of Dal Roti Sabji, or Dal Rice.
You can serve it with Biryanies like Chicken Biryani, Mutton Biryani, Egg Biryani, or Veg Biryani.
Beet raita also tastes great with simple pulao like Peas Pulao, Veg Pulao, Gucchi Pulao, or Yakhni Pulao.
Serve it as a side dish with stuffed parathas like Aloo Paratha, Gobi Paratha, Keema Paratha, or Paneer Paratha.
It can also be served as a yogurt dip with veggie sticks or chips.
Storage Suggestions
You can refrigerate beet raita in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Freezing is not recommended as yogurt might split after thawing.
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Recipe Card
Beetroot Raita Recipe (Beet Raita)
Ingredients
For The Raita
- 4 ounces beetroots (100 g or 1 medium-sized, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes)
- ¼ cup water (plus 2 cups for boiling the beets)
- 2 cups chilled plain yogurt (dahi, curd)
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped green chilies (or to taste)
For Tempering
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 10-12 whole curry leaves
- 2 whole dry red chilies
- 2 tablespoons crushed raw peanuts
Instructions
Cook The Beetroot
- Heat 2 cups of water in a pan over medium-high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, add the beetroots. Cover the pan with a lid and cook until they are softened (8-10 minutes).
- Note – You can also cook the beetroot in a traditional pressure cooker or instant pot. I am sharing the methods in notes, just in case you want to check.
- Drain the water and add the beetroot to a blender along with ¼ cup of cold water. Blend to make a smooth puree.
- Tip – You can use the leftover water from boiling the beets to make curries or knead the dough.
Make The Raita
- Add yogurt to a bowl and whisk it until it is smooth and creamy.
- Add the beetroot puree, salt, cumin powder, and green chilies to the bowl and mix well.
- Note – You can add some water to thin the raita if it is thick for your liking. The ideal consistency should be like that of custard.
Temper The Raita
- Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and curry leaves and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Add dry red chilies and lightly crushed peanuts to the skillet and fry until they are crispy and golden brown in color.
- Pour the tempering over the beet raita and stir well. Serve chilled.
- Tip – Save some tempering for garnishing.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!