Thandai is a traditional Indian drink made with nuts, seeds and flavored with fragrant spices. This refreshing drink is popularly made on the festive occasion of Mahashivratri and Holi. It is gluten-free, vegetarian, and super addictive!!
I am sharing how to make the best thandai recipe with homemade thandai powder using a stovetop and Instant Pot!
If you have ever seen a Bollywood Holi song, there are two things that symbolize the Holi festival are colors and thandai.
In movies, it is usually the bhang thandai that is intoxicating but today I'm sharing this super delicious nonalcoholic thandai drink recipe that all age groups can enjoy and is actually super nutritious too!!
If you love thandai, make some extra and try Thandai Cake, Thandai Ice cream, and Thandai Truffles.
These are delicious!! Also here is another favorite delicious and nutritious milk recipe that is also a favorite - Masala Milk (doodh)
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What is Thandai Drink
Thandai is a refreshing summer drink made especially during the festive season of Holi and Shivratri. It is also known as Shardai.
It is made with a masala powder made of almonds, cashews, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, watermelon seeds, and flavored with spices like peppercorn, green cardamom, saffron, and rose petals.
This Thandai Powder or thandai masala is then mixed in warm milk and set to cool and refrigerated overnight allowing the milk to soak all the favors.
This chilled flavored milk is known to have a cooling effect on the body which can be super helpful during the harsh summers, especially in North India. Hence it is also known as “Thandai” which means cooling.
Thandai is also known for its benefits like boosting energy and immunity and helping improve digestion and preventing constipation.
We usually make Thandai without Bhang. Many use Bhang and Thandai interchangeably but they are not the same.
Bhang is also made during Holi but 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 that we all can enjoy including kids and it's super customizable and so nutritious!
There are a couple of ways Thandai is made one of which is soaking the nuts overnight and then making a paste of the nuts and spices and adding it to milk.
But I prefer the instant method which is doesn't involve any soaking. Just grind nuts and spices to a fine powder and add it to milk. That way I can store and use it longer.
So let's see how to make the most delicious homemade Thandai recipe!!
Recipe Ingredients
Thandai Powder - For the powder, we will need
- Nuts - almonds and cashews, you can aslso add pistachios.
- Seeds - poppy seeds (khuskhus) and fennel seeds (sauf). You can also add 1
- tablespoon melon seeds.
- Spices - black peppercorns, and green cardamom pods.
- Flavor - saffron, and dried rose petals. You can substitute rose water instead of rose petals.
Milk - Milk forms the base of this recipe, so I prefer using whole milk as it gives a nice and creamy texture.
Saffron - I like to add a pinch of saffron for that nice yellow color. Feel free to skip.
Sugar - to sweeten things up. 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, note these will change the flavor slightly.
Please refer to the recipe card for exact measurements for all the ingredients.
How to make Thandai (Step By Step Method)
Make Thandai Powder
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 it will make the nuts release their oil. Keep aside.
Best Thandai Powder is ready!! You can make Thandai masala powder ahead of time and keep refrigerated in an air-tight container for 2-3 weeks.
Make Thandai Drink (stovetop method)
5 - In a heavy-bottomed pan, on medium-low heat, bring milk to a boil, 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 mins for that nice yellow color.
7 - Once the milk has boiled, turn the heat off. Stir in the soaked saffron milk, sugar, and thandai powder. Mix well until lump-free. Use a whisk if needed.
8 - 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 (best).
Instant pot Method
You can also make Thandai in Instant pot. I prefer the Pot in Pot method as the chances of milk scorching or splitting are reduced.
But you can also make it directly in the main stainless steel pot. Just make sure the lid and the pot are well sanitized.
For the PIP method, add water 1.5 cups of water to the Instant Pot stainless steel insert and place a trivet.
In another stainless steel pot that fits in Instant Pot, add milk, thandai powder, saffron, and sugar. Mix well to combine.
Place this milk pot on the trivet. Close lid with vent to sealing. Press manual for 5 mins or Steam for 5 mins. Allow natural release. Do not do a quick release.
Once the pin drop, open the lid and mix to combine. Allow to cool and then refrigerate until chilled.
Serving Suggestions
In the serving glass, add some ice (optional), and pour in the chilled thandai as is or 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 in the sieve with the back of the spoon to get the maximum flavor.
Optional - Garnish with sliced almonds, pistachios, and dry rose petals and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
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.
You can make Thandai powder in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
I prefer to keep thandai masala powder sugar-free and instead add it to the warm milk as that way everyone can adjust the sweetness to their preference.
You can use sweeteners of choice like jaggery powder or maple syrup
I find, adding thandai powder to boiled (hot) milk, helps milk soak the flavors better. So highly recommend it.
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.
You can make Thandai in advance too and store covered in the refrigerator.
It tastes best when served chilled.
You can easily double the recipe!!
Frequently asked questions
Yes, simply replace whole milk with almond milk or vegan milk of choice.
No, Thandai does not contain bhang. Thandai is a refreshing cooling drink made with nuts, seeds, and spices making it healthy and safe to drink 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.
More Holi Recipes
Hope you enjoy this Homemade Thandai recipe!! If you give this recipe a try, please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ on the recipe card. Thank you ❤️! You can also follow me on Facebook | Instagram to see what’s cooking in my kitchen!!
Recipe Card
Thandai Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot optional
Ingredients
For Thandai powder (masala) (makes ¾ cup)
- 40 almonds
- 2 tablespoon cashews
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds khus khus
- 20 peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds sauf
- 15 green cardamom pods
- 1 tablespoon dried rose petals
- 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
Instructions
Making Thandai Powder (masala)
- 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.
Making Thandai (on Stove top)
- In a heavy-bottomed pan, on medium-low 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 has boiled, turn the heat off. Stir in the soaked saffron milk, sugar, and thandai powder. Mix well until lump-free. Use a whisk if needed.
- 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.
Making Thandai (Instant Pot - Pot in Pot)
- For the PIP method, add water 1.5 cups of water to the Instant Pot stainless steel insert and place a trivet.
- In another stainless steel pot that fits in Instant Pot, add milk, thandai powder, saffron, and sugar. Mix well to combine.
- Place this milk pot on the trivet. Close lid with vent to sealing. Press manual for 5 mins or Steam for 5 mins. Allow natural release. Do not do a quick release.Once the pin drop, open the lid and mix to combine.
- 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.
Serving
- In a glass, add some ice (optional), and pour in the chilled thandai as is or strain it through a sieve if you prefer it smooth.
- If you prefer to strain, use a fine-mesh sieve and press the remaining solids in the sieve with the back of the spoon to get the maximum flavor.
- Optional - Garnish with sliced almonds, pistachios, and dry rose petals and serve chilled. Enjoy!!
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 preferred vegan milk of choice.
- You can make Thandai powder in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
- Similarly, you can also make Thandai in advance too (1-2 days) and store covered in the refrigerator.
- Thandai tastes best served chilled.
- 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.
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