Masala Milk Recipe (Masala Doodh)
Masala Milk (also known as Masala Doodh) is a traditional Indian beverage made with milk, dried nuts, and a blend of Indian spices. Make it in under 20 minutes using my easy recipe.
If you enjoy flavored milk, try these options as well: Saffron Milk, Carrot Milk, and Badam Milk.
Masala Doodh is one of the very few milk-based drinks that I enjoy. It has all my favorite Indian flavors – Nuts, saffron, cardamom, and sugar.
In winter, I enjoy sipping a cup of this drink after breakfast. Mohit and I sit on our porch, which overlooks the garden. That’s our 15 minutes of calm time before his office meetings start, and I am off to work.
Since I drink it mostly every day in winter, I make a big batch of the masala doodh powder and refrigerate it. It comes in very handy when making the drink. The ready drink can also be refrigerated for 2-3 days.
About Masala Milk
Masala Milk (also known as Masala Doodh) is a warm and comforting Indian beverage. Milk is cooked along with dried nuts, saffron, cardamom, rose petals, and nutmeg, and infused with these delicious flavors, making it a delight to sip.
It is easy to make and needs just a handful of ingredients, which are mostly available in any Indian kitchen.
Masala doodh is typically made in winter, as it provides warmth to the body. It is also popularly made for the festival of Kojagiri Poornima in Maharashtra.
You can also serve it as a side dish with your festive meals or drink it on a cold winter or monsoon day to warm the body and prevent getting a cold.
In summer, you can chill it for a few hours and serve it chilled over a few ice cubes.
This recipe serves 8, but you can easily adjust the serving size by halving, doubling, or tripling the recipe.
Ingredients
Milk – I use whole milk (full-fat milk) to make masala doodh because it makes my drink rich and creamy. But if you want to make it low-calorie, then you can use low-fat or skim milk.
To make vegan masala milk, simply replace the dairy milk with a plant-based alternative, such as almond milk, soy milk, or oat milk.
Nuts – This milk has a nice crunch from dried nuts, such as almonds, pistachios, and cashews.
Sugar – You can adjust the sugar according to your taste. Sugar can also be replaced with maple syrup, honey, or sugar-free options such as stevia or monk fruit.
You can also use date puree as a natural sweetener.
Saffron lends the dish a beautiful yellow-orange hue and amplifies its rich flavor.
Milk Powder is optional but highly recommended, as it makes the drink slightly thicker and creamier.
Others – You will also need chirongi, fennel seeds (saunf), dried rose petals, green cardamom powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, kewda essence, and nutmeg powder (jaiphal powder).
Pepper and nutmeg add a slight hint of spiciness that complements the beautiful flavor of cardamom and creamy milk.
You can replace kewra essence with rose water (gulab jal) to adjust your taste.
If you want to make the milk in Maharashtrian style, skip adding kewra essence.
How To Make Masala Doodh Recipe – Step By Step
Make The Nuts and Seeds Powder
Step 1: Add the following ingredients to a blender or food processor. Grind to make a fine powder.
- ¼ cup cashew nuts
- ¼ cup almonds
- ¼ cup pistachios
- 1 tablespoon chironji
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon dried rose petals
Make The Milk
Step 2: Add 8 cups of whole milk and 1 pinch of saffron strands to a nonstick pan. Keep the pan over medium-high heat and cook until the milk starts to boil. Stir continuously while cooking to prevent the milk from scorching at the bottom of the pan.
Step 3: Once the milk starts to boil, add the following ingredients to the pan and mix well.
- nut powder
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoon milk powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder
Step 4: Now reduce the heat to a low setting and cook the milk for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 5: Check for sugar and add more if required.
Step 6: Add 2-3 drops of kewda essence and mix well. Serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Grind the nuts and seeds as mentioned in the recipe. Add saffron, sugar, green cardamom powder, turmeric powder, milk powder, black pepper powder, and nutmeg powder, and blend once again. Your masala milk powder is ready. You can store it for upto a month in the refrigerator.
Add 1 tablespoon of the powder per cup of milk. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Add kewda essence and serve.
No, badam milk primarily consists of almonds and saffron, while masala milk contains a mix of nuts and spices. Check my badam milk recipe here.
Yes, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat and serve.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve masala milk hot or chilled. I garnish it with dried rose petals, slivered almonds, pistachios, and some saffron strands.
Provide a spoon along with the cups, as some masala settles at the bottom, which can be scooped up with the spoon once the milk is finished.
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Masala Milk Recipe (Masala Doodh)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cashew nuts
- ¼ cup almonds
- ¼ cup pistachios
- 1 tablespoon chironji
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
- 1 tablespoon dried rose petals
- 8 cups milk
- 1 pinch saffron
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons milk powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 2-3 drops kewda essence
Instructions
Make The Nuts And Seeds Powder
- Add cashew nuts, almonds, pistachios, chironji, fennel seeds, and dried rose petals to a grinder. Grind to make a fine powder.
- Note – This powder can be stored in the refrigerator for upto a month.
Make The Masala Milk
- Add milk and saffron strands to a pan. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir continuously to prevent the milk from scorching at the bottom of the pan.
- Once the milk comes to a boil, add nut powder, sugar, cardamom powder, turmeric powder, milk powder, black pepper powder, and nutmeg powder to the pan and mix well.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook the milk for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Check for sugar and add more if required.
- Add 2-3 drops of kewda essence and mix well. Serve hot.