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Indian

Thandai

Vegetarian

ठंडाई · ṭhaṇḍāī

A chilled festive milk drink flavoured with a ground paste of almonds, fennel, black pepper, poppy seeds and cardamom, finished with saffron and rose water.

Thandai is an Indian cold drink, ready in about 3 hours 20 minutes and made with milk, almonds and fennel seeds. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
5 min
Rest
3 h
Total
3 h 20 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
263

Ingredients

4 glasses

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the almonds (opens in a new tab), pistachios (opens in a new tab), fennel, poppy seeds (opens in a new tab), peppercorns (opens in a new tab) and cardamom (opens in a new tab) in the warm water for 2 hours (or overnight in the fridge).

    • 2 min

  2. Step 2

    Bring the milk (opens in a new tab) to the boil with the sugar (opens in a new tab) and saffron (opens in a new tab), stirring until the sugar dissolves, then cool and chill.

  3. Step 3

    Peel the almonds (opens in a new tab) if you like, then blend everything in the soaking water with a splash of the milk (opens in a new tab) to the finest paste you can manage.

  4. Step 4

    Stir the paste into the chilled milk (opens in a new tab), leave for 30 minutes or more, then strain through a fine sieve or muslin, pressing hard on the solids.

    Liquid being strained through a sieve
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Stir in the rose water (opens in a new tab) and serve very cold.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
North India, especially Varanasi and Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India · Commonly attributedAssociated with Holi and Maha Shivaratri. Some festive versions add bhang (cannabis); this recipe does not.More food from India
Dish
Snack · Cold drinks · Shakes & lassis
Cooking method
Blended, Boiled
Taste
nutty, aromatic / warmly spiced, sweet, peppery, creamy
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Milk · Almonds · Fennel seeds · Pistachios · Poppy seeds · Black peppercorns
Techniques
Boiling · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom milk
  • Contains: Tree nutsfrom almonds, 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

263 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 252 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 13%
  • Carbohydrate 46%
  • Fat 41%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy263 kcal104 kcal
Protein8.9 g3.5 g
Carbohydrate31.1 g12.4 g
Net carbohydrate28.7 g11.4 g
Sugars27.8 g11.1 g
Added sugars17.5 g7 g
Fibre2.5 g1 g
Fat12.3 g4.9 g
Saturated fat4.2 g1.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol19 mg8 mg
Sodium86 mg34 mg
Salt equivalent0.2 g0.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
390 mg
Calcium
298 mg
Iron
1 mg
Magnesium
58 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
90 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
2.5 µg
Vitamin B12
0.9 µg
Folate (DFE)
16 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.
  • Rose water: Water (FDC 174158); rose water is a distillate with negligible nutrients.
  • “—” 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

  • Melon seeds (magaz) and dried rose petals are classic additions to the paste if you can find them.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the straining, which leaves the drink gritty.

Food safety

  • Keep the milk chilled once cooled and do not leave it out for more than 2 hours.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days in the fridge; stir before serving.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & Blend

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

  • Milk, full-fat750 ml · 773 g
Used in step 2

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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