Sweet, nutty, and spicy Thandai is a chilled Indian drink recipe made with homemade Thandai powder. It's mainly served during the Holi festival.
It's a crowd favorite and can be made ahead of time and in less than 30 minutes!
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What is Thandai
Thandai also known as Sardai is a North Indian traditional, festive drink made with whole milk and a special Thandai masala that's prepared with nuts and whole spices.
All the spices used to make this drink help in digestion and boost immunity. Thandai comes from the Hindi word 'Thanda' which means cold.
I read online that Thandai recipe was invented by a Hakim (a physician using traditional remedies in India) way back in the 1890s.
One of its popular variants is called Bhaang (a potent alternative to the Thandai). Contrary to popular belief, Thandai and Bhaang (cannabis) aren't the same.
When is it made
Traditionally, this heavenly sweet, nutty, and little spicy Indian drink is served during the Maha Shivaratri and Holi festival.
This seasonal drink is best when served cold, especially during summers because of its health benefits. This drink not only cools down the body but also refreshes it.
My memories with this drink
Growing up, my next-door aunty would make Thandai masala and stock it during the start of spring. She would mix it with warm milk and give it to her children.
We too would get to have it occasionally. She would say that it helps induce hunger and sleep. I remember drinking Thandai with my friends and laughing over our milk mustaches.
Warm Thandai and Haldi Ka Doodh (Turmeric Milk) are two Indian drinks that we had pretty much regularly, growing up. Such fond childhood memories stay with you forever!
Why make this
There are many benefits to drinking this sweet but nourishing seasonal drink.
- A perfect non-alcoholic drink for spring and summer
- Can easily be made vegan
- It takes just 30 minutes of your time
- Can be made ahead of time
- Helps soothe the body from all the excess summer heat
- Rich in antioxidants, and also restores your hormones to a state of balance
- Recipe is easily scalable
- It's a crowd favorite
Ingredients needed 🧾
Thandai masala - This is a very special aromatic spice blend that's prepared by grinding a variety of spices together.
It should be stored in an airtight container and used in different dessert recipes like this milkshake or Yogurt Thandai Bark.
You can either make it at home or buy it from the store. To make it at home, you will need these ingredients:
Unsalted nuts like cashews, almonds, pistachios.
Spices like peppercorns, cardamom, poppy seeds, saffron, fennel seeds, dried edible rose petals, and pumpkin or melon seeds.
Optionally, you can add raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg to this mix if you have them lying around.
Each ingredient has a role to play (cooling effect, digestion, immunity, etc) and they all come together to make this drink nourishing.
- Nuts like the almonds, cashews, pistachios and pumpkin/melon seeds help provide energy
- Spices like peppercorn, and cardamom boost immunity
- Fennel seeds, saffron, and rose petals have a cooling effect on the body
- Cardamom helps detoxify the body
- Poppy seeds aid in digestion
To make the Thandai drink, here's what you will need besides the Thandai masala.
Milk - You can either use full-fat whole milk or any other dairy-free unsweetened milk depending on what lifestyle you follow.
Heavy cream to give the Thandai milkshake a rich and creamy texture. Read notes below for substitutions.
Sweetener - I have used brown sugar here. But you can use white sugar or even jaggery.
Spices and nuts - saffron, dried rose petals, and pistachios give this drink a festive feel.
Rosewater or Kewra - Adding this will instantly lift up the flavor, and make it aromatic.
How to make it 🔪
- Arrange all the spices and nuts that you will need in their exact proportions, on a plate.
- Transfer them all to the blender and grind it to a coarse powder. You can also crush them using a mortar and pestle.
- There is no need to roast them prior.
- Do not grind them for long else the consistency will become paste-like.
- Store this Thandai powder in an airtight container.
- Add 4 tablespoons of milk to a small bowl and warm it up in the microwave. Soak saffron in it for 10 minutes. This is called blooming the saffron.
- To a thick bottomed pan, add milk and heavy cream.
- Then add Thandai powder and sugar. Cook over a medium flame and bring to a boil. Simmer the milk mixture for 12-15 minutes.
- Take it off the flame and add the saffron milk along with rose water and dried rose petals. Mix it all together.
- Cover the pan and let it steep for an hour on the kitchen counter.
- Strain the mixture if you prefer thandai to be clear of all the small particles. This is an optional step. Then chill this drink in the refrigerator till its time to serve.
Serving suggestions 🍽
Once the milk mixture cools down completely, you can do one of the 3 things at this stage:
- Pour this in an ice cream container and freeze it overnight. Thandai Ice Cream is ready.
- Pour in Popsicle molds and make your own Thandai Ice Pops
- Or pour in serving glasses and serve it chilled. That is Thandai Milkshake for you. Garnish it with saffron and sliced pistachios/almonds. Ice cubes can also be added.
Despite the name 'Thandai', there are some who prefer to enjoy this drink warm. It's based on personal preference.
Thandai drink is served during Mahashivratri and during the Holi festival. It can also be served as a prasad or holy drink during other festivals.
You can also make this for potlucks, parties, family brunches, or if you want a quick energy boost.
Holi party menu
If you are hosting a Holi party in your home, be sure to check out these awesome recipes that are just fit for a crowd!
For finger foods, Moong Dal Toast, Cheese Corn Balls, and Puff Pastry Samosa is always a HIT idea! Of course, any party is incomplete without Dahi Vada.
You can make Sweet Potato Masala Puri and serve it with Tawa Chole. Spinach Rice Pilaf, Mint Pistachio Rice, or Soya Chunks Biryani are great choices for rice dishes.
For desserts, besides this Indian Thandai drink, you can also serve Rose Sandesh, Gulkand Shrikhand Tarts, Gulab Jamun Malai Kulfi, or/and Paneer Gujiya Shells!
Besides the food, obviously plan to keep lots of organic colors, water balloons, and pichkaris (water guns) for your guests to enjoy this beautiful festival of colors!
Top recipe tips 💭
When making thandai powder, do not grind it for long else it will become like a paste. The powder should be of coarse consistency.
In place of heavy cream, you can also use half and half or evaporated milk to get that creamy texture in this Thandai recipe.
If certain spices or nuts are not available to you, you may swap them with the closest ingredient or choose to skip them altogether. This will however alter the final flavors.
In case you find the thandai very thick, add some ice cubes or water to thin it. You can use leftover thandai powder in your oatmeal, smoothies, milkshakes, etc.
Recipe FAQs 📖
Instead of raw sugar, you can also use white granulated sugar, maple syrup, honey, jaggery, or even dates. The color may change depending on what you use.
Thandai drink stays well in the fridge for 5-6 days. Leftover thandai powder can be stored in an airtight container. It stays good for 2 months. If you want to store it longer, refrigerate it.
I would suggest you make the thandai masala in small batches. The measurements provided in the recipe yield about half a cup of thandai powder.
Add natural food color to Thandai to make it in different Holi colors. You can also add alternate flavors like gulkand, rose, mango, or badaam to the milk mixture.
Another alternative is to soak all the nuts and spices overnight and then grind them with milk the next day to make a smooth paste. Use this paste form instead of the powder.
Use unsweetened almond or oat milk along with dairy-free creamer to make this Thandai recipe vegan.
Milk-based Indian drinks
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Recipe 📖
Thandai Milkshake
Ingredients
To Make the Thandai Powder
- 10 cashews
- 10 almonds
- 7 pistachios
- 15 peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon saffron
- 2 tablespoon dried rose petals
To make Thandai Milkshake
- 1 teaspoon saffron
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 tablespoon thandai powder
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon rose water
- 2 tablespoon dried rose petals
- 2 tablespoon chopped pistachios
Instructions
To Make the Thandai Masala
- Arrange all the spices and nuts that you will need in their exact proportions, on a plate.
- Transfer them all to the blender and grind them to a powder consistency. Store this Thandai powder in an airtight container.
To make Thandai Milkshake
- Add 4 tablespoons of milk to a small bowl and warm it up in the microwave. Soak saffron in it for 10 minutes. This is called blooming the saffron.
- To a thick bottomed pan, add milk and heavy cream.
- Then add Thandai masala and sugar. Cook over a medium flame and bring to a boil. Simmer the milk mixture for 12-15 minutes.
- Take it off the flame and add the saffron milk along with rose water and dried rose petals. Mix it all together.
- Cover and let it steep for an hour on the kitchen counter.
- Strain the mixture if you prefer thandai to be clear of all the small particles.
- Then chill this drink in the refrigerator till it's time to serve. Pour in serving glasses, garnish it with saffron and sliced almonds. Serve.
I love this milk shake. So when people drink this at holi time apparently they get drunk. So do you know what do they put in it. Seen in the movies. Is it the poppy seeds. Thanks
Thank you. The one you are talking about is called Bhaang (its a type of Thandai) and that is made from cannabis. My milkshake recipe is does not contain this. 🙂 Hope this helps.
What a delicious milkshake. And it's so beautiful too with the hints of color from the saffron and rose petals. I love that you can make it into ice cream and popsicles as well. How perfectly refreshing!
This milkshake sounds delicious! I do not remember when I tried a milkshake for the last time... I am gonna make it tonight!
I've just thought how I needed to make myself a milkshake as it has been a long time since I had one. And here you go - your recipe is on my screen. Can't wait to try it now 🙂
What a delicious sweet treat! Perfect after a long hot day; delish!
I wish computers had scratch and sniff right now.. This Thandai sounds marvelous.
This looks like my kind of milkshake! What delicious and exotic flavors!
Wow! This looks and sounds so good! Perfect kind of summer drink! Thanks for the tips about the milk, I need to look into that!
The flavour profile in this sounds absolutely delicious! My kinda milkshake 🙂
This sounds so good! Love that it is spiced!
I love the look and sound of this thandai milkshake. I've not heard of it before or tried it! But, I definitely want to make it for myself! Going to pin for later!