Kokum sharbat

Name: Kokum sharbat
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 15 kokum, dried kokum rinds; 850 ml water; 80 g sugar; ½ tsp ground cumin, dry-roasted; ½ tsp black salt (kala namak); 150 g ice (optional)

Vegetarian

A tart, ruby-coloured summer cooler from the Konkan coast, made from soaked dried kokum sweetened with sugar and seasoned with roasted cumin and black salt.

Kokum sharbat is an Indian cold drink, ready in about 40 minutes and made with kokum and sugar. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep: 10 min
Cook: 0 min
Rest: 30 min
Total: 40 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 96

Ingredients

4 glasses

15 (30 g) Kokum (opens in a new tab), dried kokum rinds
850 ml Water (opens in a new tab)250 ml hot for soaking, 600 ml chilled for diluting.
80 g Sugar (opens in a new tab)Swap: Jaggery / palm sugar (Gives a darker, earthier sharbat.)
½ tsp (1 g) Ground cumin (opens in a new tab), dry-roasted
½ tsp (2.5 g) Black salt (kala namak) (opens in a new tab)Swap: Salt
150 g Ice (opens in a new tab) (optional)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Pour 250 ml hot water over the kokum (opens in a new tab) and soak for 30 minutes.
- 1 min
- Mixing bowl (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Squeeze and mash the rinds into the water, then strain, pressing hard. Stir the sugar (opens in a new tab) into the warm extract until dissolved.
- 4 min
- Sieve / strainer (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels
3
Step 3
Add the roasted cumin and black salt (opens in a new tab), then dilute with the 600 ml chilled water. Taste and adjust sugar (opens in a new tab) or salt.
- 2 min
- Measuring jug (opens in a new tab)
4
Step 4
Serve over ice.
- 1 min
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Konkan coast (Maharashtra and Goa), Maharashtra, India · Commonly attributedMore food from India
Dish: Snack · Lunch · Cold drinks
Cooking method: No-cook
Taste: sweet & sour, refreshing, fruity, salty
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
With the listed swaps: Whole-food focused, Paleo-styleWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Kokum · Sugar · Ground cumin · Black salt (kala namak)

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

96 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 241 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 1%
Carbohydrate 98%
Fat 1%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	96 kcal	40 kcal
Protein	0.3 g	0.1 g
Carbohydrate	24.8 g	10.3 g
Net carbohydrate	24.4 g	10.1 g
Sugars	22.9 g	9.5 g
Added sugars	20 g	8.3 g
Fibre	0.4 g	0.2 g
Fat	0.1 g	0 g
Saturated fat	0 g	0 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	270 mg	112 mg
Salt equivalent	0.7 g	0.3 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 52 mg
Calcium: 30 mg
Iron: 0.4 mg
Magnesium: 12 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 0 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 1 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: ice.
Kokum: Tamarind (FDC 167763) as a stand-in sour dried fruit; kokum is used in small amounts.
Black salt (kala namak): Table salt (FDC 173468) used as a stand-in; kala namak is mostly sodium chloride with sulphur compounds that give its eggy aroma.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Bottled kokum syrup (agal) is a shortcut: dilute about 1 part syrup to 5 parts water and season the same way.

Common mistakes

Not squeezing the rinds hard enough — most of the colour and sourness stays in them.

Storage

The sweetened concentrate keeps 1 week in a clean jar in the fridge; dilute just before serving.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 29 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & BlendCompare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

Kokum, dried kokum rinds15 piece · 30 g
Ground cumin, dry-roasted0.5 tsp · 1.1 g
Black salt (kala namak)0.5 tsp · 2.7 g

Used in steps 1, 3

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

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