Honey Spice Lassi (Paleo, Keto, Vegan option)

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Honey Spice Lassi is tart, refreshing and nutritious. This healthful drink from India can be made in your home kitchen in just 5 minutes — perfect alongside meals or as a healthy snack. Lassis are Paleo, Primal, Keto, Low Carb, GAPS diet-friendly and can even be made dairy-free for Vegan, AIP, Whole30 and most diets.

What are Lassis

Two kinds of lassis are served in India — savory and sweet. Both versions are made with thinned yogurt.

Savory lassi recipes include sea salt, herbs or savory spices. Sweet versions include various fruits.

Yogurt provides probiotics, protein and helps with digestion. For this reason, lassis are traditionally enjoyed alongside meals.

Honey Spice Lassi aids digestion

Lassis are functional as well as delicious.

In Indian and Ayurvedic tradition, lassis are used as digestives. Probiotics with meals have many benefits.

Ginger, also found in this Honey Spice Lassi recipe, is prized for its digestive benefits. Ginger helps the stomach and intestines to digest and assimilate nutrients with greater ease.

Ayurvedic wisdom does not condone cold drinks for digestion. Try something different — drink your lassi at room temperature, or cool, but not cold.

Many gut-healing practitioners don’t recommend a lot of liquids during meals (other than bone broth). But lassis are one drink you do want to enjoy with your meal!

Sip it, enjoy it, even chew it. The goals for best digestion include: slow down, be calm, chew each solid bite of food many times (like 30!), and have the correct pH in your stomach.

Yogurt or kefir-based, lassis support digestion and good general health in these ways:

• Yogurt and kefir are antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and anti-oxidant in nature.
• Lassis help to balance the gut microbiome.
• Yogurt digests slowly, benefiting blood sugar levels with a gradual yield of energy.
• Lactobacillus bulgaricus promotes healthy bowel movements.
• The lactic acid in yogurt prevents H. pylori and other invasive bacteria.

How to serve Honey Spice Lassi

Making lassis with your meals ensures more yogurt or kefir in your diet in such a delicious way.

You can serve a small pitcher or little glasses for everyone with any meal. Imagine: breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner. Lassis fit every meal.

If you make them just a bit sweet with honey (or maple syrup, dates or low carb option) and spices, so much the yummier and more exciting to your eaters. (Savory lassis also have great appeal. See savory lassi suggestions under the recipe.)

Which yogurt to choose (including non-dairy options)

Homemade yogurt is the best, because you can choose the best quality milk — ideally raw and A2A2… as well as control all the ingredients.

For those who can not access heritage quality, raw and grass-fed milk, it’s encouraging that yogurt does put life back into pasteurized milk.

Learn how to make homemade thick raw yogurt here.

Lassis can also be made dairy-free:

• Make the yummiest Oat Yogurt here.
• Learn how to make homemade coconut milk yogurt here.
• Find homemade cashew yogurt here.
• Tiger nut yogurt recipe here.
• Fermented nut or seed milks here.

How to make Honey Spice Lassis for different diets

Follow the variations below to meet your dietary needs:

• GAPS diet — Choose honey to sweeten your lassi. Use fully fermented (24 hour) yogurt or homemade non-dairy yogurt.
• AIP — Use homemade coconut milk or tiger nut yogurt.
• Whole30 — Use non-dairy yogurt. Omit liquid sweeteners. Instead, blend in 1 to 2 soaked dates. Delicious!
• Vegan — Use non-dairy yogurt, such as coconut milk or cashew milk recipes. Choose maple syrup, dates or stevia/monkfruit to optionally sweeten.
• Keto/Low Carb — Choose your favorite low carb sweetener. I’ve listed some options below.

Print Recipe

4.91 from 10 votes

Honey Spice Lassi

This nutritious beverage aids digestion when eaten alongside a meal. Also a wonderful snack. With variations (including non-dairy), this healthy treat is perfect for Paleo, Primal, GAPS, AIP, Whole30, Keto, Low Carb and Vegan diets. Naturally gluten-free and full of probiotics.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course: Beverage, Dessert, lunch, Snack

Cuisine: American, Indian

Keyword: aip, gaps diet, honey spice, lassi, low carb, probiotics, vegan, whole30

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 126kcal

Author: Megan

Cost: $2

Equipment

• blender

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups yogurt or kefir, fully cultured OR non-dairy yogurt for AIP, Vegan, Whole30
• ¼ cup filtered water and more, as needed, to create a pourable texture
• 2 Tablespoons honey (optional), or maple syrup for Vegan, 1 to 2 softened dates for Whole30 (Place dried dates in hot water for 10 minutes prior to using, or soak them in room temperature water overnight.) (See Keto version in Recipe Notes.)
• 1 heaping Tablespoon fresh ginger root , freshly grated or minced (peeling the ginger isn't necessary)
• ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg , and more to garnish (omit for AIP)

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in the blender. Purée until completely mixed. Add a small amount of extra filtered water if your lassi is too thick, to create a pourable texture. Blend again.
• Serve in pretty glasses.

Notes

Keto & Low Carb versions

• To make this recipe Keto/Low Carb, use your favorite liquid low carb sweetener of choice (this one's a prebiotic) in place of honey. The rest of the recipe stays the same. 7g net carbs in this recipe with a low carb sweetener used in place of honey.

Nutrition

Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 237mg | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 152IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 185mg | Iron: 1mg

Variations on Honey Spice Lassi

1. Lassis can be blended with nutritious herbs to create a green smoothie of sorts:

• Blend in fresh basil, fresh mint or fresh cilantro. Each of these greens contributes vitamins, minerals and digestive benefits. Fresh herbs make a lovely addition.

2. Fresh mango (+ cardamom), papaya, banana or berries are all wonderful blended with yogurt.

3. Traditional lassis often include flavors that are unusual for most American palates. Try adding these savory ingredients:

• sea salt
• roasted ground cumin seeds
• serrano chili slices