Love Thandai but don’t have time to make it? Then try this 5-minute Thandai Powder and make a glass of your favorite beverage instantly.
Here are some more homemade powder recipes, that you can make with simple ingredients – Sambar Powder, Dry Mint Powder, Garam Masala Powder, Bisi Bele Bath Powder, and Cumin Powder.
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About This Recipe
Prepared with a combination of spices, nuts, and seeds, Thandai Powder (Thandai Drink Mix) comes together in just 5 minutes. It is used to make the popular North Indian cooling beverage, Thandai which is made during the festival of Holi and also Maha Shivratri.
Making thandai is a little bit of a tedious process. Traditionally, it was made by soaking the nuts and spices in milk or water overnight and then grinding them to a fine paste. This paste was then mixed with more milk along with a few other ingredients.
With time becoming a big constraint in most people’s lifestyles and the availability of machines that can do an awesome job with grinding, this Thandai masala powder comes in very handy when you like to sip on a chilled glass but have a time crunch.
Making thandai powder at home is easy and quick and homemade powder is definitely better than the store-bought one. The homemade powder is made using high-quality ingredients and there are no added colors or preservatives added to it.
This recipe can be scaled up or down as per your requirement.
Ingredients
Nuts – I have used almonds and cashew nuts. You can use pistachios and walnuts too.
Spices – Green cardamoms add a beautiful flavor, whereas black peppercorns give a hint of heat to thandai.
Seeds – We will need melon seeds, poppy seeds, and fennel seeds. These seeds are easily available at Indian grocery stores. If poppy seeds are not available where you live, you can skip adding them to the recipe.
Saffron – Saffron adds richness and also a hint of yellow color.
Dry Rose Petals – This is optional, but I love the flavor they give to the Thandai drink mix. Not only taste, but they also add to the aroma.
How to Make Thandai Powder
Add ½ cup whole almonds, ½ cup whole cashew nuts, 25-30 whole black peppercorns, 20-25 whole green cardamoms, 2 tablespoon white poppy seeds, 2 tablespoon fennel seeds, 2 tablespoon melon seeds, 15-20 strands of saffron and 2 tablespoon dried rose petals to the medium jar of a grinder or a food processor and grind to make a smooth powder.
Do not over-grind otherwise, the nuts will release their oil and the powder will become sticky. Just pulse a few times. Then let the mixture cool down for 5 minutes. Pulse again and keep cooling the mixture in between. Pulse until a powder is made.
Store the powder in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
To make Thandai using Thandai powder, heat milk in a pan over medium heat. Once the milk comes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of Thandai masala powder per cup of milk and cook for 2-3 minutes for the flavors to seep into the milk. Add sugar to taste and cook for another minute for it to dissolve. Refrigerate the milk for 1-2 hours or until chilled. Strain it using a fine-mesh strainer or a muslin cloth. Garnish with dried rose petals and serve chilled.
Usage Suggestions
You can obviously add it to a glass of milk with sugar and enjoy this drink chilled.
You can use it to make Indian desserts such as kheer, rabdi, kulfi, yogurt, etc.
Not only Indian desserts, but you can make fusion dessert by adding this Thandai drink mix in cakes, ice creams, cheesecake, frozen yogurts, cupcakes, tarts, etc.
Instead of dairy milk, you can use almond milk or any other vegan milk to make yourself a vegan thandai.
Storage Suggestions
Store the powder in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator for about 4 to 6 months. Make sure you put on the lid tightly, after using the powder.
Also, make sure your spoon is dry while putting it inside the jar to take out the powder.
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Recipe Card
Thandai Powder Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole almonds
- ½ cup whole cashew nuts
- 25-30 whole black peppercorns
- 20-25 whole green cardamoms
- 2 tablespoons white poppy seeds (skip if not available)
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoons melon seeds
- 15-20 saffron strands
- 2 tablespoons dry rose petals (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Add almonds, cashew nuts, black peppercorns, green cardamoms, white poppy seeds, fennel seeds, melon seeds, saffron strands and dried rose petals to the medium jar of a grinder or food processor and grind to make a smooth powder.
- Do not over-grind otherwise, the nuts will release their oil and the powder will become sticky. Just pulse a few times. Then let the mixture cool down for 5 minutes. Pulse again and keep cooling the mixture in between. Pulse until a powder is made.
- Store the powder in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- To make Thandai using Thandai powder, heat milk in a pan over medium heat. Once the milk comes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of Thandai masala powder per cup of milk and cook for 2-3 minutes for the flavors to seep into the milk. Add sugar to taste and cook for another minute for it to dissolve. Refrigerate the milk for 1-2 hours or until chilled. Strain it using a fine-mesh strainer or a muslin cloth. Garnish with dried rose petals and serve chilled.
