This spiced turmeric buttermilk is a cooling, probiotic-rich drink made with yogurt, cumin, mint, and black pepper. Ready in 10 minutes — great for digestion, gut health, and hot summer days. A traditional Indian haldi chaas recipe.
This turmeric buttermilk is one of those drinks that’s been part of Indian kitchens forever — and for good reason. It’s cooling, light, and genuinely good for your gut. Made with yogurt, fresh mint, cumin, black pepper, and turmeric, it comes together in about 10 minutes and tastes infinitely better than any store-bought probiotic drink.
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In Hindi it’s called haldi chaas — haldi means turmeric, chaas means buttermilk. It’s traditionally served after a heavy meal to help with digestion, but honestly I drink it anytime I want something refreshing that isn’t just water or juice.
Why Turmeric Buttermilk is Good for You?
Buttermilk is naturally rich in probiotics and lactic acid, which makes it great for digestion and gut health. It’s also a good source of calcium and B vitamins. Turmeric adds curcumin — a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. And the black pepper in this recipe isn’t just for flavor — it actually helps your body absorb curcumin more effectively, which is why the two are traditionally paired together in Indian cooking.
As I mentioned in my spiced buttermilk post, here I am sharing yet another refreshing buttermilk recipe with turmeric and mint. When we can make turmeric milk, why not turmeric buttermilk?
Turmeric, an everyday Indian ingredient has become the superfood of the west and people are adding turmeric to all the recipe left and right. So what’s the big deal about this turmeric. Even though I have mentioned this on my turmeric milk post, let me repeat it. I use organic turmeric powder for this recipe — any good-quality organic brand works well.
Curcumin, the key ingredient in turmeric, gives the spice the bright yellow color, and it is a powerful antioxidant. It has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties also. You can find the usage of turmeric in a lot of traditional Indian medicines. The benefits of turmeric are proven and have backed by science too.
Whole Pepper – It is hard for our body to absorb the curcumin, but we can always enhance the absorption by combining it with pepper. That’s the reason behind adding turmeric in curries with other spicy and pungent ingredients.
I have included some whole peppers in this buttermilk recipe as well. All you need to do is – dry roast some cumin seeds and whole pepper along with turmeric powder. Then blend the roasted spices with mint, yogurt, salt, and water. That’s all. Delicious buttermilk is ready. I love to pack this for my lunch as well.
You may wonder why I am roasting and grinding cumin seeds and pepper when I can use the cumin powder and pepper powder. Folks, I need to tell you, fresh ingredients create magic. So whenever possible, I try to use fresh ingredients. :-) Check my recipe notes if you are using store-bought buttermilk or if you want to use cumin powder.
Exclusive Turmeric-Based Recipes!
I have some exclusive turmeric-based recipes that you don’t want to forget to check it out.
How to Make This Spiced Buttermilk at Home
- Heat a pan over medium heat and when the pan is hot add the cumin seeds and whole pepper and dry roast it for about a minute or until the aroma of cumin seeds come out.
- Turn off the heat and add turmeric powder to the pan.
- And mix it. Allow it to cool. (This step is optional. But heating turmeric powder increases the solubility of curcumin. You don’t need to mix it and heat it again, just adding it to the hot pan is sufficient.)
- In a blender, add the roasted spices along with turmeric powder and mint. Pulse a few times.
- Then add the yogurt, water, and salt. Blend it smoothly.
- I usually don’t strain the buttermilk mixture. But you can strain it and serve it chilled.
Recipe Notes
- Instead of cumin seeds and whole pepper, you can add ¾ tsp of cumin powder and ½ tsp of pepper powder. But as always adjust according to your preference.
- If you are using store-bought buttermilk, I would recommend diluting it with water. For two cups of buttermilk, you can add 1 cup of water and dilute it. The buttermilk drinks are usually thinner in consistency, but if you prefer thick consistency, you can skip diluting it. You can use 2.5 cups of buttermilk for the spice measure.
- Adjust the water according to your consistency preference and also the spices and salt according to your taste preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Haldi chaas is a traditional Indian spiced buttermilk drink. Haldi means turmeric in Hindi and chaas means buttermilk. It’s a cooling, probiotic-rich drink commonly served after meals to aid digestion.
Yes! If using store-bought buttermilk, dilute it with water — about 2 cups buttermilk to 1 cup water works well since store-bought buttermilk is thicker than homemade. You can skip diluting if you prefer a thicker consistency.
Yes. If you don’t have a blender, use cumin powder and pepper powder instead of whole spices, and whisk everything together by hand. The texture will be slightly different but the flavor is just as good.
Yes — this is actually one of the main reasons it’s been a staple in Indian cooking for centuries. The probiotics in yogurt support gut health, cumin aids digestion, and turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties. It’s traditionally served after a heavy meal for exactly this reason.
You can try it with coconut yogurt thinned with water. The flavor will be different — slightly sweeter and less tangy — but it works as a dairy-free alternative. Avoid using thin plant-based milks as a direct substitute since you’ll lose the probiotic and creamy base.
It’s best served fresh or within a day. After that the mint can start to taste a bit bitter and the spices settle. Give it a good stir before serving if it’s been sitting in the fridge.
More Buttermilk-Based Recipes
📖 Recipe
Turmeric Buttermilk (Haldi Chaas) — A Probiotic Spiced Drink
Ingredients
- 2 tsps cumin seeds
- ½ tsp whole pepper
- 1 tsp Jiva Organics turmeric powder
- 5 fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat a pan over medium heat and when the pan is hot add the cumin seeds and whole pepper and dry roast it for about a minute or until the aroma of cumin seeds come out.
- Turn off the heat and add turmeric powder to the pan and mix it. Allow it to cool. (This step is optional. But heating turmeric powder increases the solubility of curcumin. You don’t need to mix it and heat it again, just adding it to the hot pan is sufficient.)
- In a blender, add the roasted spices along with turmeric powder and mint. Pulse a few times. Then add the yogurt, water, and salt. Blend it smoothly.
- I usually don't strain the buttermilk mixture. But you can strain it and serve it chilled.
Notes
- Instead of cumin seeds and whole pepper, you can add ¾ tsp of cumin powder and ½ tsp of pepper powder. But as always adjust according to your preference.
- If you are using store-bought buttermilk, I would recommend diluting it with water. For two cups of buttermilk, you can add 1 cup of water and dilute it. The buttermilk drinks are usually thinner in consistency, but if you prefer thick consistency, you can skip diluting it. You can use 2.5 cups of buttermilk for the spice measure.
- Adjust the water according to your consistency preference and also the spices and salt according to your taste preference.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Update Notes: Earlier posted on 2019. Now updated with FAQ and recipe card with nutrition information.
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