Drink · indian cuisine

Festive Thandai

Name: Festive Thandai
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 cups full-fat chilled milk; 3 tbsp almonds, soaked and peeled; 1 tbsp cashews; 1 tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus), soaked; 1 tbsp watermelon seeds (optional); 1 tsp fennel seeds; 4 black peppercorns; 4 cardamom pods; ½ tsp dried rose petals; 2 tbsp sugar; Pinch of saffron

Soak the nuts and spices, grind fine, mix into chilled milk. Pepper should whisper, not shout.

By Hasnain Khan · Tested in a home kitchen · Updated 2026-08-16

⏱ 10 min 👤 2 glasses 🔥 Easy ⭐ 4.8 / 5

Recipe card

Prep10 min

Cook10 min

Total10 min

Yield2 servings

Rating4.8 / 5

Calories140

CuisineIndian

CourseDrink

Jump to ingredients Jump to method Nutrition

Why this recipe works

Thandai tastes like Holi mornings: nuts, fennel sweetness, a surprising kick of pepper, and saffron gold. Blending a smooth paste and straining it is worth the effort. Overnight infusion in the fridge deepens everything.

Serve very cold. Thandai is meant to cool the body and slow the afternoon.

Expert kitchen tips

Soak nuts and seeds for easier blending.
Strain well for a silky drink without grit.
Infuse overnight for the best festival flavour.

Ingredients

2 cups full-fat chilled milk
3 tbsp almonds, soaked and peeled
1 tbsp cashews
1 tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus), soaked
1 tbsp watermelon seeds (optional)
1 tsp fennel seeds
4 black peppercorns
4 cardamom pods
½ tsp dried rose petals
2 tbsp sugar
Pinch of saffron

Step-by-step method

Soak almonds, cashews, poppy seeds, fennel seeds and watermelon seeds in water for 2–3 hours.
Drain and blend everything (soaked nuts, seeds, peppercorns, cardamom, rose petals, saffron) with a little milk into a very smooth paste.
Strain the paste through a fine sieve, pressing to extract all the liquid.
Mix the strained paste with chilled milk and sugar. Whisk well.
Taste and adjust sweetness.
Serve in glasses over ice, garnished with saffron strands, chopped pistachios and rose petals.

💡 My tip from testing this at home: thandai is the traditional drink of Holi festival. For the best flavour, prepare the nut-spice paste the night before and let it infuse in the milk overnight in the refrigerator.

Estimated nutrition

About 140 calories per serving (based on 2 servings). Values are estimates for home cooks and vary by brands, oil used, and portion size — not lab-analysed.

Chilled glasses only

I strain thandai into a jug, chill it hard, and pour over ice with a pinch of crushed saffron or almonds on top. Holi or not, it is our go-to when the afternoon heat hits.

Keep the concentrate in the fridge up to two days; shake before topping with cold milk. Do not leave dairy thandai out on a warm counter. Leftover paste (before diluting) freezes in ice-cube trays for a quicker next batch.

This recipe is original CookMe editorial content for home cooks. Nutrition varies by brands and portions. If you have allergies, check every label. CookMe may display ads via partners such as Mediavine; see our Privacy Policy and Advertising Disclosure.