Maharashtrian Koshimbir is the ultimate cool, refreshing Indian cucumber salad - crisp, tangy, and mildly spiced, it's the kind of side you reach for on a hot day without even thinking twice.
Traditionally made with just cucumbers, my Maharashtrian neighbor taught me to add tomatoes, onions, and carrots too, turning it into a fuller, more colorful vegetable salad recipe. Tossed in a cool yogurt dressing, this cold vegetable salad is crunchy, creamy, and just spicy enough to wake up your palate - easy on the belly, but never boring.
Koshimbir is served alongside the main dish, like rice or curry - one of the best veg salad options for a summer thali, since it's raw, no-cook, and ready in just 20 minutes. Skip the onions and it doubles as a genuine fasting-day recipe too.
🔍 Quick Look: Maharashtrian Koshimbir
- 🌍 Cuisine: Maharashtrian
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 10 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 20 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 6 people
- 📊 Calories: ~ 59.5 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: No-Cook Recipe
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Savory, mildly spiced, and delicious
- ⭐ Difficulty: Simple and easy to make
Jump to:
- 🔍 Quick Look: Maharashtrian Koshimbir
- Kakdi Koshimbir - Maharashtrian Cucumber Salad
- Koshimbir - With yogurt or without yogurt
- Koshimbir with Tadka
- Why Make It
- 🧾 Ingredients Needed
- 🔪 How To Make Indian Cucumber Salad
- 🍽 Serving suggestions
- 💭 Priya's Recipe Tips
- 📖 Indian Cucumber Salad FAQs
- More Yogurt Recipes
- Recipe 📖
Kakdi Koshimbir - Maharashtrian Cucumber Salad
Kakdi means cucumber in Hindi and Marathi, and Koshimbir is the Marathi name for a traditional side salad - so Kakdi Koshimbir literally translates to cucumber salad. It's one of the simplest Indian salad recipes, made with just a handful of ingredients: mainly cucumber, a few spices, and either with or without yogurt, depending on how you were taught to make it. This Maharashtrian koshimbir recipe (the version with tomatoes, onions, and carrots added in) is really a fuller take on this same base, built the way my neighbor taught me.
Love cooking with cucumbers? Try my Cold Cucumber Soup (Gazpacho), refreshing Cucumber Lemonade, or Cucumber and Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches for something completely different.
Koshimbir - With yogurt or without yogurt
There are two ways to make this koshimbir, and it really comes down to personal preference and what you grew up eating. I learned this version from my Maharashtrian neighbor, who always made it with dahi (yogurt). It's a great way to sneak in some protein while the veggies get gently masked in the creaminess, and the yogurt helps cool you down after a heavy meal - especially in the summer.
That said, you can also make this Indian salad more like a raw vegetable salad recipe, without any yogurt at all. In that case, I'd add roasted and crushed peanuts and a pinch of sugar - the peanuts give the cucumber salad a nice crunch, and the sugar helps balance out the flavors. Finish it off with a squeeze of lemon juice. Made this way, without yogurt, it has some overlap with Kachumber - a similar no-yogurt vegetable salad popular in northern India.
I also have another Asian-style cucumber salad on the blog, very different from this Maharashtrian style. My Red Onion Salad makes a great side with biryanis and pulavs, and if you love croutons in your salad, try my Tomato Salad. And if you're into trying viral recipes, this easy vegan Dense Bean Salad is a must-try!
I grew up with Maharashtrian neighbors my whole childhood, and my own cooking style has always been a mix of South Indian and Maharashtrian because of it. We were so close that we'd freely ask each other's moms to make our favorite dish, and it was always delivered with a smile.
My neighbor friends loved my mom's Arachuvitta Sambar, Indian Coconut Rice, Paruppu Sevai, South Indian Filter Coffee, Arsi Upma (Rice Upma), and Adai Dosa the most - while I couldn't get enough of their mom's Patra, Veg Kolhapuri, Masale Bhat, Kande Pohe, Matki Usal, and Maharashtrian Kokum Amti.
Koshimbir with Tadka
In some homes, koshimbir is finished off with a quick tempering (tadka). Mine is a more rustic-style koshimbir recipe, so I don't usually bother with it - but it's always an option if you want to. To make it, temper a teaspoon of black mustard seeds, 5-6 fresh curry leaves, and a pinch of hing in a small tadka pan, and once the seeds splutter, pour it straight over the koshimbir.
Why Make It
- 🥗 A nutritious Indian veggie salad - packed with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and carrots in one bowl
- ⏱️ Ready in just 20 minutes - no cooking required, just chop and mix
- 🌱 Zero oil, high protein - the yogurt does the work, and any tempering is optional
- 🌶️ Pairs well with spicy dishes - a cooling side for pulao, biryani, or any rich curry
- ❄️ A genuinely cold vegetable salad - perfect for hot summer days
- 🙏 Easy to make fasting-friendly - just skip the onions
- 🥒 A true Indian cucumber salad at heart - traditional, simple, and endlessly adaptable
🧾 Ingredients Needed
Vegetables - I like to add more veggies in my Indian cucumber salad recipe just to make it more wholesome and nutritious. Add cucumber, onion, tomatoes, and carrots. You can also add bell peppers.
Yogurt - To make this summer veg salad protein-rich, I prefer using Greek yogurt. But you can also use regular Indian dahi (homemade or store-bought).
Spices and aromatics - Black salt (kala namak), freshly crushed black pepper, roasted cumin powder, green chillies, and cilantro give this cool and refreshing cucumber salad it's unique flavor.
🔪 How To Make Indian Cucumber Salad
- Step 1: Prep the vegetables. Finely chop the onion and tomato. Peel and grate the carrot and cucumber. Mince the green chilies and chop the cilantro. Set everything aside.
- Step 2: Whisk the yogurt. In a large bowl, add the yogurt and water. Whisk until smooth and lump-free.
- Step 3: Adjust the consistency. Add more water if you'd like your koshimbir thinner. Keep in mind the cucumber and tomato will release moisture too, thinning it out further as it sits.
- Step 4: Add the onion and tomato to the whisked yogurt.
- Step 5: Add the grated cucumber and carrot to the bowl.
- Step 6: Add the green chilies and half the cilantro, reserving the rest for garnish.
- Step 7: Season it. Add black salt, regular salt, freshly crushed black pepper, and cumin powder. Mix everything together well.
- Step 8: Taste, adjust, and serve. Add salt as needed - a few extra tablespoons of water too, if you like it thinner (I prefer mine thick). Garnish with the remaining cilantro and serve chilled.
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🍽 Serving suggestions
Koshimbir is always served chilled. Some rice recipes that pair especially well with this Indian cucumber salad are Soya Pulav, Matar Pulao, Lahsuni Palak Rice, South Indian Style Tomato Rice, Tendli Masale Bhat, Paneer Biryani, Masala Khichdi, or Quinoa Khichdi. Beyond rice, it also pairs beautifully with roti and sabzi, a simple dal-rice meal, or even as a cooling dip alongside fried snacks like Sabudana Vada. If you're keeping a fasting day, pair it (without onions) with Sabudana Khichdi for a complete vrat-friendly meal.
The reason koshimbir is always served alongside rice like this is to balance the meal - the rice dish is usually hot and spicy, while the koshimbir brings a cooling contrast. Traditionally, it's served on the left side of a Maharashtrian thali, alongside the chutneys and pickles, and shows up especially often at festive spreads for Gudi Padwa, Ganesh Chaturthi, and weddings.
💭 Priya's Recipe Tips
- You can either grate all the veggies or chop them fine - it's personal preference.
- Instead of Greek yogurt, use regular homemade dahi or any plain unsweetened yogurt.
- You can also make this Indian salad with just cucumbers if you'd rather keep it simple.
- Add salt only right before serving, not while prepping - salting too early draws water out of the cucumber and tomato, leaving you with a watery, diluted salad instead of a crisp one.
📖 Indian Cucumber Salad FAQs
Small Persian or Indian cucumbers work best here since they're mostly seedless and don't release too much water. English cucumbers work too, just scoop out the seeds first if they're large.
There are 2 ways you can make this Indian cucumber salad dairy-free. One - skip adding yogurt altogether; the rest of the ingredients are naturally vegan. The other option is to use a dairy-free, plain unsweetened yogurt made from almond milk, coconut milk, or any other variety.
You can either mix all the ingredients except the whisked yogurt ahead of time and store it in the fridge, add the yogurt just before serving. You can also store the fully mixed koshimbir in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, giving it a quick mix before serving. This salad doesn't freeze well - the cucumber loses its crunch and releases excess water once thawed, so fridge storage only.
Koshimbir and raita overlap quite a bit - koshimbir is the Marathi word for salad generally, and when yogurt is added, it essentially becomes a raita. Some households use the terms interchangeably, and that's exactly how this vegetable salad recipe works too: make it with or without yogurt depending on what you're in the mood for. This Indian cucumber salad is really just as much a raita, similar to my Beetroot Raita or Boondi Raita - so if you love raitas, this is a great one to add to the rotation.
Yes, this recipe of Indian salad is naturally gluten-free as written - just double check your yogurt brand if using a store-bought one, since some flavored or thickened varieties can contain gluten-based stabilizers.
This koshimbir is easy to customize based on what you have on hand or your personal preference. A pinch of sugar helps balance the tang from the tomato and yogurt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end adds extra brightness if you want it. Some households also add grated coconut for extra texture and a slightly sweet, nutty finish, or a handful of soaked and drained yellow moong dal for extra protein. Bell peppers can also go in alongside the usual vegetables for more color and crunch. If you're making Kakdi Koshimbir without yogurt, add roasted, crushed peanuts instead - they give the salad a nice crunch in place of the creaminess yogurt would otherwise add.
More Yogurt Recipes
Recipe 📖
Koshimbir (Indian Cucumber Salad)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 11 oz Greek Yogurt
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup onions, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 cucumber, peeled and grated
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 2-3 green chillies
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon black salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper
- Salt
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion and tomato. Peel and grate the carrot and cucumber. Mince the green chilies and chop the cilantro. Set everything aside.
- In a large bowl, add the yogurt and water. Whisk until smooth and lump-free.
- Add more water if you'd like your koshimbir thinner. Keep in mind the cucumber and tomato will release moisture too, thinning it out further as it sits.
- Add the onion and tomato to the whisked yogurt.
- Add the grated cucumber and carrot to the bowl.
- Add the green chilies and half the cilantro, reserving the rest for garnish.
- Add black salt, regular salt, freshly crushed black pepper, and cumin powder. Mix everything together well.
- Add salt as needed - a few extra tablespoons of water too, if you like it thinner (I prefer mine thick). Garnish with the remaining cilantro and serve chilled.
Notes
- You can either grate all the veggies or chop them fine - it's personal preference.
- Instead of Greek yogurt, use regular homemade dahi or any plain unsweetened yogurt.
- You can also make this Indian salad with just cucumbers if you'd rather keep it simple.
- Add salt only right before serving, not while prepping - salting too early draws water out of the cucumber and tomato, leaving you with a watery, diluted salad instead of a crisp one.
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