Dry Fruits Thandai Drink is a traditional Indian beverage popular in North Indian states of UP and Rajasthan and made especially for the festival of Holi. It is quite refreshing to drink and is loaded with some rich ingredients like dry fruits, seeds, and saffron. Here is how to make it at home.
Holi is one of those festivals that I really enjoy!
Playing with natural colors, dancing on old Holi songs, meeting friends and family and relishing on some delicious food, what is not to love about it?
As always I get excited about the food and my preparation for the same starts 4 to 5 days prior to the festival, so that I can keep everything ready and enjoy the festival on the day.
Gujiya, Dahi Vada, Punjabi Samosa, Cornflakes Namkeen, these are some of the snacks that I make every time on Holi with a few mocktails and cocktails.
I keep making different variations of these recipes so that my menu has some varieties and is also different from the last time.
But there is one drink, that never changes, is this Thandai.
As Holi comes in March and it is the month when the summer officially starts, this drink really helps to satisfy your thirst and even keeps you hydrated when you are playing Holi out in the sun for hours.
This is a very easy recipe and therefore you should try making it too.
About the recipe
It is a traditional drink popular in UP and some parts of Rajasthan.
It has a cooling effect on the body and hence the name Thandai.
This drink is very refreshing, and a perfect summer cooler.
It was traditionally made with a dose of Bhang (Weed) in it.
Even today, some people add the weed in it to make it intoxicating.
My mom used to make this drink every Holi and her recipe was appreciated every time.
I am sharing her recipe of making this drink today with you all and hope you make it this Holi and enjoy it with friends and family.
There are many readymade versions of this drink available in the market, but nothing beats the taste that the homemade one gives.
In fact, the taste of these readymade mixes is quite far from the real stuff and I highly suggest you make it from scratch at home.
Serving Suggestions
Dry Fruits Thandai is best served chilled, so make sure to make a few hours before you plan to serve it.
You can serve it with some snacks such as Cornflakes Mixture, Corn Cheese Balls, Aloo Tikki Chaat, Papdi Chaat etc.
You can also add a few ice cubes in the glasses just before serving.
Health Benefits
Apart from its delicious taste, Thandai has some great benefits for the body. I am listing a few here
- Boost Immunity
- Gives instant energy
- Cooldown the body
- Aids in digestion
Ingredients
To make this drink, you will need seeds and nuts like almonds, cashew nuts, poppy seeds, and melon seeds.
A lot of spices like cardamom, black peppercorn, fennel, etc go into this drink.
Adding saffron is optional but it makes the drink even richer.
Milk is added at last.
How to make it Vegan
For a vegan version, you can add almond milk or soy milk instead of normal milk.
Making it into a powder
For those who don’t want to go through the process of preparing it, but have it instantly, making the Thandai Powder that can be added to milk, and enjoyed also works.
All you have to do is add some powder in chilled milk and give it a good stir and your drink is ready to be served.
I have another post on the blog to make this Powder. You can check it here.
Variations
Apart from plain thandai and bhang thandai, you can also try the below-mentioned variations.
Kesar Thandai – Add some saffron strands soaked in water or milk to the plain version.
Rose Thandai – Add some rose syrup-like rooh afza to the thandai.
With Fruits – You can puree your choice of fruits and add in the Thandai for more flavor such as Guava, Mango etc.
With Bhang – To make Thandai with Bhang, just soak 12-15 cannabis along with the remaining ingredients as mentioned below and follow the same process.
However, I would like you to read this article before you decide to add it to your drink. Here you go.
Step by Step Recipe
Soak the nuts and seeds in water for 5-6 hours.
Strain the water and grind the ingredients until smooth.
Add the milk.
Strain the mixture.
Add sugar, saffron and rose water and mix well.
Dry Fruits Thandai Recipe
Ingredients
- 10-12 Almonds
- 10-12 Cashew Nuts
- 25-30 Black Peppercorns
- 10-12 Raisins
- 10-12 Cardamom
- 1 tsp Poppy Seeds
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 1 tsp Melon Seeds
- 3 cups Milk
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 pinch Saffron (Soaked in 1 tbsp milk)
- 1/2 tsp Rose water
Instructions
- Soak almonds, cashew nuts, peppercorns, raisins, cardamom, poppy seeds, fennel seeds and melon seeds in ½ cup water for 5-6 hours.
- Strain the water and grind the soaked ingredients in a blender to make a smooth paste.
- Add little milk if required.
- Add the remaining milk.
- Pass the mixture through a soup strainer.
- Add sugar, saffron soaked in milk and rose water and mix till sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the thandai in serving glasses.
- Garnish with rose petals and dry fruit slivers.
- Serve chilled.
Kitchen Rhythms
Beautiful Presentation..
Neha Mathur
Thnx 🙂
Manjula Bharath
wow awesome presentation and thandi looks mindblowing 🙂
Neha Mathur
Thnx 🙂
pranita deshpande
An easy way of making gujiya thandai
Puneet
Amazing recipe! I used freshly made almond milk in the place of regular milk and the thandai was YUM! Reminds me of the thandai my mom made in summers! Thanks a lot!
Neha Mathur
Thnx a lot 🙂
Jyotica Gupta
Can i make it without melon seeds? Will it make lot of difference in the taste?
Neha Mathur
Yes sure. You can just skip them.