🥤 Lassi
Also known as: mango lassi
A drink of dahi (yogurt) and water, sweet or salty; the FSSAI standard requires at least 40% fermented milk.
Lassi is a cool drink from India and neighbouring countries: dahi, or homemade yogurt, is stirred with a little water and drunk chilled, sweet or salty. It is most loved in the north of the Indian subcontinent, in Punjab and Haryana. Under the FSSAI standard, a drink with at least 40% fermented milk belongs to this group.
The base of lassi is dahi: soured cow’s or buffalo’s milk that is boiled and set with a spoonful of yesterday’s dahi. Sweet lassi is sweetened with sugar and salty lassi is seasoned with salt; the FSSAI standard also allows fruit and purée, such as mango. India now also has an aseptically packaged long-life drink.
Lassi is easy to confuse with chaas. According to FAO, chaas is the buttermilk left after churning dahi, usually with 1–2% fat, while lassi is simply stirred dahi. However, the FSSAI standard places lassi, chaas and buttermilk in one group of fermented-milk drinks, so the line between them is blurred.
The contents depend on the recipe. One lab sample in an Indian study from 2026 had 2.33% fat, 2.42% protein and 0.61% acidity; this is only an example, not a norm.
Lassi or buttermilk? Lassi comes close to a yogurt drink: it is dahi, soured cow’s or buffalo’s milk set with a spoonful of yesterday’s dahi, stirred with a little water. Chaas is different by process: it is the buttermilk left after dahi has been churned, usually with 1–2% fat. Lassi is also not a smoothie, because the FSSAI standard requires at least 40% fermented milk in such a drink, while fruit is only an addition. Even so, the standard puts lassi, chaas and buttermilk in one group.
On a shelf, look for “lassi”, often with a flavour such as “sweet”, “salted” or “mango”. For a ready-made drink the FSSAI standard expects at least 40% fermented milk and live starter microorganisms until the end of the shelf life, so read the label for the share of fermented milk and the use-by date. Keep it chilled as the pack says. You will find it in the chilled aisle of a supermarket, in an Indian or Asian grocery, and in shops with long-life packs in the ambient section.
Why it matters to you. On the label of ready-made lassi, look for the share of fermented milk: under FSSAI it is at least 40%, and the rest is water, sugar or salt, and fruit. The standard requires live starter microorganisms until the end of the shelf life, so keep the pack as the packaging says and serve the drink chilled.
Facts
| Main use | A drink of dahi and water, sweet or salty 1 |
|---|---|
| Region | Punjab and Haryana (north of the Indian subcontinent) 1 |
| Country | India: FSSAI standard, at least 40% fermented milk 2 |
How it connects to milk
Links
- Made from
- 🥣 Yogurt
- Where it is traditional
- 🌍 South Asia
- Which peoples make it
- 🧑🤝🧑 Punjabis, 🧑🤝🧑 Indians
- Product type
- 🏺 Traditional dairy products
- Part of
- 🥣 Fermented milk products
Frequently asked questions
Is lassi the same as buttermilk (chaas)?
Not quite. According to FAO, chaas is the buttermilk left after churning dahi, usually 1–2% fat, while lassi is simply stirred dahi; the FSSAI standard groups lassi, chaas and buttermilk together.
What share of fermented milk should a ready-made lassi have?
Under the FSSAI standard, at least 40%; the rest is water, sugar or salt, and fruit.
Is lassi always sweet?
No. Sweet lassi is sweetened with sugar and salty lassi is seasoned with salt.
Is a mango lassi from a UK café still real lassi?
Yes: the FSSAI standard allows fruit and purée such as mango, as long as the base is dahi.
Should a ready-made lassi be kept chilled?
Yes: the standard requires live starter microorganisms until the end of the shelf life, so keep the pack as the packaging says and serve it chilled.
What to read next
- 🌍 South Asia — The Indian subcontinent between the Himalayas and the Indian Ocean: a third of the world's milk, buffaloes and zebu, ghee, dahi, chhena.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Indians — The people of India in South Asia, the world’s largest milk producer; dahi, ghee and paneer are everyday foods, and a mixture of milk, yoghurt and ghee is offered to the gods in Hindu rituals.
- 🏺 Traditional dairy products — Products made for centuries to folk recipes: fermenting, cheesemaking, slow baking, drying. Tied to regions and peoples.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Punjabis — The people of the historical region of Punjab, now divided between India and Pakistan; Punjab is regarded as the home of lassi.
Similar
🥣 Dahi · 🥣 Viili · 🥣 Kashk · 🥛 Filmjölk · 🥣 Skyr · ⚪ Jameed
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.
Sources
- FAO. The technology of traditional milk products in developing countries (Animal Production and Health Paper 85), розд. 5.6.3 Lassi
- FSSAI. Food Products Standards and Food Additives Regulations, ch. 2.1.13 Fermented Milk Products (2023)
- Sojitra H.A. et al. Indian Journal of Dairy Science 79(1), 2026