Thandai Recipe

4.86 from 14 votes

Thandai is a traditional cooling drink, popular in the northern parts of India. It is made with a mix of nuts, seeds and a few spices.

Prep Time1 hr 30 mins

Total Time1 hr 30 mins

Course: Beverages

Cuisine: North Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Easy

Servings: glasses

Calories: 260kcal

1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons almonds - 30 grams, rinsed
2 heaped tablespoons pistachios - 20 grams, unsalted and rinsed
2 tablespoons poppy seeds white, (khus khus)
¼ cup melon seeds - 30 grams
2 tablespoons dried rose petals or 2 tablespoons rose water or 2 tablespoons gulkand
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon whole black pepper
3 to 4 green cardamoms - husks removed and seeds kept
1 pinch saffron - optional
½ cup sugar - 100 grams
8 cups cold milk or as needed
ice cubes as required
few rose petals or chopped almonds or pistachios for garnish

In a bowl, pour 1 cup warm water.
Then add almonds, pistachios, poppy seeds (khus khus), melon seeds, dried rose petals, fennel seeds and black pepper.
Mix very well. Cover and keep aside for minimum one hour or two hours. If you use water at room temperature, then you can also keep overnight or for 4 to 5 hours.

After 1 to 2 hours, pour the whole mixture including the soaking water in a grinder or blender jar. Do make sure to use a good grinder or blender.
Add ½ cup sugar, seeds from 3 to 4 green cardamoms and 1 pinch of saffron.
Blend the mixture to a very smooth and fine paste. Remove in a bowl and keep aside. You can cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.

To prepare thandai, take about 4 tablespoons of the thandai paste in a glass. You can add less or more thandai paste as needed.
Add chilled milk. You can also use half-half combination of milk and water.
Mix very well.
Add a few ice cubes.
Garnish with rose petals. You can also garnish with some chopped almonds or pistachios.
Serve thandai immediately. Alternatively, you can prepare the thandai drink in a large mug or jug. Refrigerate and then serve.

Nuts: Traditionally almonds and pistachios are included. Swap cashews with pistachios. For pistachios do not use the salted ones.
Rose flavors: If using gulkand (rose petals preserve), then reduce the sugar to ⅓ cup. Or add 2 tablespoons rose water.
Thandai paste consistency: Grind the paste very finely, especially if preparing for kids. You can even strain the thandai paste if you want.
Peeling almonds: You can use peeled almonds if you want. Just blanch the almonds separately and then peel them.
Vegan option: Use almond milk, cashew milk or lite coconut milk. Almond milk is a better choice for this recipe.
Seeds: Skip poppy seeds and melon seeds if they are not available in your country. You can replace melon seeds with unsalted peeled pumpkin seeds.

Mango Thandai: Add ¼ to ⅓ cup mango pulp with the thandai paste and milk. Mix well. Taste and add more milk if needed.
Strawberry Thandai: Mix in ¼ to ⅓ cup of crushed or pureed strawberries.
Litchi Thandai: Include ⅓ to ½ cup of litchi puree. To make litchi puree simply blend peeled litchi in a blender.
Chocolate Thandai: Dissolve 1 to 2 tablespoons of drinking chocolate with the milk and thandai paste. Taste and add more sugar if needed.