Thandai 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 good ingredients like dry fruits, seeds and saffron. Here is how to make thandai drink recipe at home (Step by Step).
Thandai is a traditional drink popular in UP and some parts of Rajasthan. It was traditionally made into a Bhang Thandai with a dose of Bhang (Weed) in it. Even today, some people add the weed in it to make it intoxicating. This drink is very refreshing, and a perfect summer cooler.
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 with friends and family.
There are many readymade version of thandai drink available in market like Guru Ji Thandai mix, Patanjali Thandai Powder and Haldiram have it too but nothing beats the taste that homemade one gives. Infact the taste of these readymade mixes is quite far from the real stuff and I highly suggest you making it from scratch at home.
It is best served chilled, so make sure to make a few hours before you plan to serve it. You can also add a few ice cubes in the glasses just before serving.
“Thandai and bhang have become synonymous over the year. Laced wih bhang, thandai was offered to Lord Shiva. It was first used in India around 1000 B.C. It has developed to be an integral part of the cultural celebration of holi. Thandai was consumed as a refreshment when people got tired playing holi and throwing each other in pond filled with color water.” – Food.Tv
Benefits of Thandai
Apart from it’s delicious taste, thandai has some great benefits for the body. I am listing a few here
- Boost Immunity
- Gives instant energy
- Cool down the body
- Aids in digestion
Thandai Ingredients
To make thandai, you will need seeds and nuts like almonds, cashew nuts, poppy seeds and melon seeds.
Lot of spices like cardamom, black peppercorn, fennel etc go into this drink.
Adding saffron is optional but it makes the drink even more richer.
Milk is added at last. For a vegan version, you can add almond milk or soy milk to it.
How to make Kesar Thandai Drink?
To make this recipe, dry fruits like almonds, cashew nuts etc are soaked over night along with seeds like khus khus, fennel seeds and black peppercorns and whole spices like black peppercorns.
These are then ground to make a fine paste and mixed with milk. It is then garnished with slivered nuts and rose petals just before serving.
How to make Thandai 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.
How to make Bhang Thandai at home?
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 in your drink. Here you go.
You might also like these Holi recipes
How to make Thandai Step by Step
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.
Thandai Video Recipe
Thandai Recipe
Thandai
Thandai is a popular Indian drink often associated with Mahashivratri and Holi. It is made using dry fruits, spices and saffron.
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.
Recipe Notes
You can add vegan milk instead of regular milk to make this a vegan drink.
Make sure to measure the ingredients properly as the proportions makes a lot of difference in the final taste.
Use a fine mesh strainer to strain the thandai. We don't want pieces of spies or dry fruits coming in our mouth while drinking.
Are you making this recipe? I LOVE to see your creations so snap a photo and tag Whiskaffair on Instagram with the hashtag #Whiskaffair and please give a star rating below ★. You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for more such easy recipes.
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 🙂