Saffron Milk

This Healthy Saffron Milk as the name mentions is a warm, thickened milk-based drink that is infused with the flavors of saffron and is enriched with dry fruits. Make this Indian Kesar Milk for a soothing winter drink.

About This Recipe

Saffron Milk as the name suggests is milk infused with saffron or kesar. I also add dry fruits to it to make it richer, but it’s totally optional. You can make it with just 3 ingredients, saffron, milk, and sugar. Other ingredients are optional.

This Milk Drink is a favorite among Indians and apart from drinking it hot, you can serve it cold too. It is fairly simple to make and just a few minutes of stirring the milk is all you need to make it.

The best part is that it definitely turns out to be a royal drink, owing to the usage of dry fruits, saffron, hence, it can be served to your guests or during parties as well as a welcome drink – trust me, they all would love it!

And, I am glad that winter is still around as it still gives me umpteen reasons to serve my family enriching beverages like Turmeric Milk,  Turri Drink, Badam Milk, and many more.

This Drink is

• Gluten-Free
• Healthy
• Quick & easy to make
• Can be made vegan by using vegan milk
• Best for all age groups

Ingredients

Saffron – Use the best quality saffron to make this drink. Saffron is a very expensive ingredient and a lot of adultration happens with it. So make sure to buy it from a trusted source only.

Milk – I used full fat milk to make to this recipe but you can always use low fat milk. Vegan dairy free milk like almond milk or soy milk also works great in this recipe.

Sugar – I normally use organic brown sugar in my cooking. But you can use whichever you have at hand. You can also replace it with honey or any other sweetener. If you are a diabetic use stevia instead.

Khoya – Khoya is totally optional in this recipe. It makes the drink richer but if you don’t have access to it, add a few table spoon of milk powder instead.

Dry Fruits – These add  a nice crunch to the drink and also makes it healthier. Instead of crushing them, you can also powder these and use. I have used almond, cashew nuts, pistachios, chironji and dates. You  can skip or add according to your preference.

Poppy Seeds – Poppy seeds have many health benefits and they taste great in this drink. However, if you don’t have access to these, feel free to skip.

Step By Step Recipe

Soak the saffron strands in 2-3 tbsp of milk for 2 hours. Heat milk in a pan.

Add khoya and cook for 5 mins.

Add saffron along with the milk, almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios, poppy seeds, chironji and dates and cook on low heat for 40-45 minutes.

Keep stirring in between. Add sugar and mix well.

Pro Tips by Neha

You can make a lighter version of this milk by not adding khoya.

You can choose the dry fruits that you want to add in your milk.

I sometimes like to make a powder of dry fruits and add it in my saffron milk instead of adding the slivers. You can try it too.

Adding a little bit of ginger powder , black pepper powder and clove powder also makes this milk more nutritious and is good to drink in winters as it keeps the body even warmer.

This recipe is very adaptable and you can adapt it to your liking and preferences.

Health Benefits

• It improves memory
• Helps treat insomnia
• It has anti inflammatory properties and is rich in anti oxidants.
• It treats sore throat and cold.
• Keeps blood pressure under control.
• Saffron Milk reduces menstrual cramps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it good during pregnancy?

Saffron is great as a muscle relaxant and apparently makes the baby fairer in color. Older people in India always advise to drink a glass of kesar milk while pregnancy for all its health benefits.

Can I serve it cold?

This drink tastes delicious when served chilled or piping hot. 

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