Piyush

Name: Piyush
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 200 g greek yogurt, or hung curd (chakka); 50 g sugar, powdered; 300 ml buttermilk, chilled, or thin plain chaas; 100 ml milk, chilled; 1 pinch saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk; ¼ tsp ground cardamom; ⅛ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated; 5 g pistachios, slivered (optional)

Vegetarian

पियूष · piyūṣ

A thick, sweet Maharashtrian drink of saffron-cardamom shrikhand (sweetened strained yogurt) whisked with buttermilk and a little milk.

Piyush is an Indian cold drink, ready in about 40 minutes and made with greek yogurt, buttermilk and saffron. It serves 3 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep: 10 min
Cook: 0 min
Rest: 30 min
Total: 40 min
Serves: 3
Level: Beginner
Calories: 192

Ingredients

3 glasses

200 g Greek yogurt (opens in a new tab), or hung curd (chakka)Contains milk
50 g Sugar (opens in a new tab), powdered
300 ml Buttermilk (opens in a new tab), chilled, or thin plain chaasContains milk
100 ml Milk (opens in a new tab), chilledContains milk
1 pinch (0 g) Saffron (opens in a new tab), soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
¼ tsp (0.5 g) Ground cardamom (opens in a new tab)
⅛ tsp (0.5 g) Nutmeg (opens in a new tab), freshly grated
5 g Pistachios (opens in a new tab), slivered (optional)Contains tree nuts

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the strained yogurt (opens in a new tab) with the sugar (opens in a new tab) until completely smooth; this is the shrikhand base.
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels
2
Step 2
Whisk (opens in a new tab) in the saffron (opens in a new tab) with its milk (opens in a new tab), the cardamom and the nutmeg (opens in a new tab).
- 1 min
3
Step 3
Gradually whisk (opens in a new tab) in the buttermilk (opens in a new tab) and milk (opens in a new tab) until thick, smooth and pourable.
- 3 min
4
Step 4
Chill for 30 minutes and serve topped with pistachios (opens in a new tab).
- 1 min

About this dish

Origin: Maharashtra (also Gujarat), Maharashtra, India · Commonly attributedMore food from India
Dish: Snack · Lunch · Cold drinks · Shakes & lassis
Cooking method: No-cook, Whipped
Taste: sweet, creamy, sour, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium
Without the optional extras: No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with: Greek yogurt · Buttermilk · Saffron · Sugar · Milk · Ground cardamom
Techniques: Emulsification

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom greek yogurt, buttermilk, milk
Contains, can be adapted: Tree nutsfrom pistachios

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

192 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 221 g · recipe makes 3

Where the energy comes from

Protein 21%
Carbohydrate 53%
Fat 26%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	192 kcal	87 kcal
Protein	10.5 g	4.8 g
Carbohydrate	26.1 g	11.8 g
Net carbohydrate	26 g	11.8 g
Sugars	26.6 g	12 g
Added sugars	16.7 g	7.5 g
Fibre	0.1 g	0 g
Fat	5.6 g	2.5 g
Saturated fat	2.9 g	1.3 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	16 mg	7 mg
Sodium	191 mg	86 mg
Salt equivalent	0.5 g	0.2 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 298 mg
Calcium: 226 mg
Iron: 0.1 mg
Magnesium: 23 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 32 µg
Vitamin C: 1 mg
Vitamin D: 0.4 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.9 µg
Folate (DFE): 10 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: pistachios.
“—” 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

Ready-made shrikhand works too: whisk 250 g with the buttermilk and milk and skip the sugar.

Common mistakes

Adding the buttermilk all at once, which leaves lumps of the thick yogurt base.

Storage

Keeps 1 day in the fridge.

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

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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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.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Greek yogurt, or hung curd (chakka)200 g
Buttermilk, chilled, or thin plain chaas300 ml · 309 g
Milk, chilled100 ml · 103 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

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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