Thandai is a traditional Indian drink made with milk, nuts, seeds, and aromatic spices. It is a refreshing drink popular during festive occasions like Holi and Mahashivratri. This homemade Thandai recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian, flavorful, and so delicious!
I am sharing how to make the best thandai recipe with homemade thandai powder.
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If you have ever seen a Bollywood Holi song, two things that symbolize the Holi festival are colors and the Thandai drink.
In movies, the bhang thandai is usually intoxicating, but today, I'm sharing this super delicious nonalcoholic thandai drink recipe that all age groups can enjoy and is super nutritious, too!!
If you love thandai, make some extra thandai masala and try Thandai Cake, Thandai Ice cream, and Thandai Truffles. These are delicious!!
Here is another delicious and nutritious milk recipe that is also a favorite - Masala Milk (doodh)
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What is Thandai
Thandai is a refreshing Indian summer drink enjoyed chilled during Holi, Maha Shivratri, and hot weather in North India. It's also called Shardai.
Thandai gets its name from the Hindi word "Thanda," which means "cold." This chilled-flavored milk is known to have a cooling effect on the body and provide relief from the heat, hence the name.
To make Thandai, the thandai powder is mixed with warm milk. It is then set to cool and refrigerate overnight, allowing the milk to soak up all the flavors. It is then served chilled.
Thandai powder, or Thandai Masala, is made with nuts (usually almonds and cashews), seeds (such as white poppy seeds, fennel seeds, and watermelon seeds), and aromatic spices (such as green cardamom, saffron, peppercorns, and rose petals).
This Thandai mix is also available in stores, but making it at home allows you to customize the nuts and spices to your liking, making this Holi drink fresh and best!
You can also make this delicious, sweet, and spiced Holi special drink by mixing thandai paste in milk. This paste is made by soaking the nuts overnight or in hot water and grinding them to a smooth paste.
But I prefer the instant method, which doesn't involve any soaking. I grind nuts and spices to a fine powder and add it to milk. That way, I can store the mix and use it longer.
Thandai is also known for its other health benefits, such as boosting energy and immunity, improving digestion, and preventing constipation.
Many use Bhang and Thandai interchangeably, but they are not the same.
Bhang is also made during Holi celebrations and is made from buds, leaves, and flowers of the cannabis that are added to thandai, which is known to cause feelings of euphoria, a.k.a makes you high.
We prefer the regular refreshing Thandai, which everyone, including kids, can enjoy. It's super customizable and so nutritious!
Recipe Ingredients
Thandai Powder - For the thandai masala powder, we will need
- Nuts: I prefer almonds and cashews; you can also add pistachios.
- Seeds: white poppy seeds (khuskhus) and fennel seeds (saunf). You can also add 1 tablespoon of melon seeds.
- Spices: Use whole spices like black peppercorns and green cardamom. If you do not prefer any warming spices, skip black pepper.
- Flavor: saffron and dried rose petals. You can substitute rose water instead of rose petals.
Milk: It forms the base of this recipe, so I prefer using whole milk, which gives it a nice, creamy texture.
Saffron: I like to add a pinch of saffron strands for that nice yellow color, but you can skip this step.
Sugar: I use regular white granulated sugar to sweeten this traditional drink. Some prefer to drink sugar-free thandai, so this is optional and to your taste. You can use sweeteners of choice, like jaggery powder or maple syrup, but note that these will change the flavor slightly.
Please refer to the recipe card for exact measurements for all the ingredients.
How To Make Thandai Powder (Stepwise Photos)
1 to 3 - Transfer almonds, cashews, cardamom seeds, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, black peppercorns, dry rose petals, and saffron (optional) to a grinder or spice jar grinder.
4 - Grind in intervals of 10 seconds each to get a fine powder consistency. Do not grind longer, as this will cause the nuts to release their oil. Keep aside.
The Best Homemade Thandai Powder is ready!! You can make this thandai masala powder ahead of time and keep it refrigerated in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks.
How to Make Thandai (Stepwise Photos)
5 - In a heavy bottom pan, bring milk to a boil on medium heat, stirring intermittently to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
6 - While the milk is heating up, add some warm milk to the bowl of saffron and mix. Let it soak for 10 minutes for that nice yellow color.
7 - Once the milk comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low. Stir in the soaked saffron milk, white sugar, and thandai powder. Mix well until lump-free. Use a whisk if needed. Take it off heat.
8 - Allow it to cool completely and then transfer to a pitcher to refrigerate it further for 2-4 hours (or until chilled) or overnight (best).
Serving Suggestions
Thandai is best served chilled! To serve, add some ice cubes (optional) to a glass and pour the chilled mixture in. You can strain it through a sieve if you prefer it smooth. We like ours as is.
If you prefer to strain, use a fine-mesh sieve and press the remaining solids with the back of the spoon to get the maximum flavor.
Garnish with sliced almonds, pistachios, and dry rose petals, and serve immediately.
Storage Instructions
Thandai powder: You can make it in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
Thandai: You can also make it in advance (1-2 days) and store it covered in the refrigerator.
Recipe Tips
Grind the nuts, seeds, and spices in 10 to 15-second intervals to get a fine powder consistency. Do not grind longer, as that will cause the nuts to release their oil.
I prefer to keep the masala powder sugar-free and add it to the warm milk so everyone can adjust the sweetness to their preference.
You can use sweeteners like sugar, jaggery powder, or maple syrup.
Adding thandai powder to boiled (hot) milk helps milk soak the flavors better. So, I highly recommend it.
Add rose water instead of dry rose petals (1-2 tablespoons or more). Add this once the milk has cooled, and adjust to your taste.
You can easily double the recipe!!
Frequently asked questions
You can make a vegan thandai by substituting dairy milk with plant-based milk such as almond or cashew milk.
No, Thandai does not contain bhang. Thandai is a refreshing, cooling drink made with nuts, seeds, and spices, making it healthy and safe for all age groups. Bhang, on the other hand, is a cannabis-infused drink that may be added to Thandai to make it intoxicating, especially during the festival of Holi.
To make Thandai in the Instant Pot, use the Pot in Pot method to prevent milk from scorching. Add 1.5 cups of water to the stainless steel insert and place a trivet inside. In another pot, mix milk, Thandai powder, saffron, and sugar. Set this pot on the trivet, seal the lid, and pressure cook for 5 minutes. Allow natural release, mix, cool, and refrigerate.
Yes, it can be prepared a few days in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Stir or shake it well before serving to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed.
More Holi Recipes
I hope you enjoy this Homemade Thandai Recipe as much as we do!! If you try it, please rate it by clicking stars ⭐️ on the recipe card. Thank you ❤️! You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see what's cooking in my kitchen!!
Recipe Card
Thandai Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot optional
Ingredients
For Thandai Masala powder (makes ¾ cup)
- 40 almonds
- 2 tablespoons cashews
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds khus khus
- 20 black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds saunf
- 15 green cardamom pods
- 1 tablespoon dried rose petals
- 1 pinch saffron optional
For Thandai
- 1 litre whole milk 4 cups
- ¾ cup Thandai powder as per listed above
- ¼ cup sugar + 2 tablespoon adjust to taste
- pinch saffron optional
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Instructions
To Make Thandai Powder
- Transfer almonds, cashews, cardamom seeds, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, black peppercorns, dry rose petals, and saffron (optional) to a grinder or spice jar grinder.
- Grind in intervals of 10 seconds each to get a fine powder consistency.
- Thandai Powder is ready!! You can make this powder ahead of time and store it airtight in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
To Make Thandai
- In a heavy bottom pan, on medium heat, bring milk to a boil, stirring intermittently to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- While the milk is heating up, add some warm milk to the bowl of saffron and mix. Let it soak for 10 mins for that nice yellow color.
- Once the milk comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low. Stir in the soaked saffron milk, white sugar, and thandai powder. Mix well until lump-free. Use a whisk if needed. Take it off heat.
- Allow the thandai to cool completely and then transfer to a pitcher to refrigerate it further for at least a minimum of 2-4 hours (or until chilled) or overnight.
- To serve, In a glass, add some ice cubes (optional), and pour in the chilled thandai as is or strain it through a sieve if you prefer it smooth. Garnish with sliced almonds, pistachios, and dry rose petals, and serve chilled. Enjoy!!
Video
Notes
- Grind the nuts, seeds, and spices in 10-15 seconds intervals to get a fine powder consistency. Do not grind longer as that will cause nuts to release their oil reducing the shelf life of this powder.
- I prefer to keep masala sugar-free and instead add sugar to the warm milk as that way everyone can adjust the sweetness to their preference.
- You can easily double the recipe!!
- You can use sweeteners of choice like jaggery powder or maple syrup, note these will change the flavor slightly.
- Instead of dry rose petals, you can add rose water (1-2 tablespoons or more). Add once the milk has cooled. Adjust to your taste.
- Melon seeds (1 tablespoon) can also be added while making powder.
- To make it vegan, replace whole milk with almond milk or the preferred vegan milk of choice.
- To make Thandai directly in the main Instant Pot insert, sanitize the Instant Pot steel insert, lid, and sealing ring thoroughly otherwise, there are chances of milk splitting. Preferably use an extra sealing ring for sweet foods.
- While the instant pot is switched off, add 2 tablespoon water, milk, thandai powder, sugar, and saffron, and mix well. Close the lid with vent to sealing and cook on manual at high pressure for 2 mins followed by natural release i.e. once the pin drops, open the lid and stir well to combine.
- You can also make it with pot in pot method.
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