Instant Thandai Powder Recipe | How to make Thandai | Thandai Masala Powder | Thandai Indian Drink – Loaded with nuts and with the flavours of cardamom, saffron, fennel & rose, this powder is a great way to flavour your milk or use in desserts.
Thandai, as the name suggests, comes from the Hindi word ‘Thanda’ (cool). This versatile spice mix is so easy to make at home & store. The traditional way to make this flavourful Thandai is by soaking the nuts and spices in water overnight and then grinding to a fine paste. I already have a detailed post about its history & making thandai using the traditional method….Hop on to THIS post for the other variation.
Most people have a busy lifestyle and sometimes it becomes difficult to plan ahead to make it the traditional way. That’s when this Instant Thandai Masala Powder comes to your rescue and you can whip up the chilled drink in no time. You can not only flavour the milk with it and make thandai. But, you can also add it several Indian desserts like kulfi, rabdi, kheer or you can make fusion desserts by adding this even to cakes, cheesecake, cupcakes, tarts, ice cream, frozen yogurts, etc.
Ingredients Used:
Nuts – I have used almonds, cashew nuts & Pistachios. You can skip or include in any other nuts of your choice. Tweak & play around with the ratio of the nuts to suit your needs.
Spices – Green cardamom adds a beautiful flavour, whereas black peppercorns give a hint of heat to thandai along with a spice kick.
Seeds – You will need melon seeds, white poppy seeds, and fennel seeds. These seeds are readily available at most Indian grocery stores. If poppy seeds are unavailable where you live, you can skip adding them to the recipe.
Saffron – Saffron strands add richness along with giving a mild flavour and also a hint of yellow colour.
Dry Rose Petals – This is optional, but if you love its flavour, definitely include them. They give a unique flavour & aroma to the Thandai drink.
Turmeric & Cinnamon Powder – They are completely optional but I like to add them because of their medicinal properties.
How to make Thandai Powder
- Dry roast the ingredients on low flame for 3-4 minutes before grinding to enhance their flavour. But, you can also grind them directly without roasting!
- Grind the spices and nuts in two different batches to prevent the nuts and spices from over-grinding and releasing their oils.
- Do not over-grind… otherwise, the nuts will release their oil, and the powder will become sticky. Just pulse a few times cooling the mixture in between. Pulse until a coarse powder is formed.
- Mix everything well and let the powder cool down completely.
- Store the powder in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to a week. You can refrigerate and use up to 6 months.
How to make Thandai Drink
- To make Thandai drink using homemade Thandai powder, heat full-fat milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Once the milk comes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of Thandai masala powder per cup and cook for 2-3 minutes for the flavours to seep into the milk.
- Add sugar or any other sweetener to taste and cook for another minute for it to dissolve.
- Refrigerate the milk for 1-2 hours or until chilled. Strain it using a fine-mesh strainer & serve. You can also drink it as it is if you wish to.
- Stir in a few drops of rose water (optional), garnish with dried rose petals and serve chilled.
Click HERE to check out the traditional method of preparing Thandai by soaking the nuts and spices in water overnight and then grinding to a fine paste. Rest of the process to make thandai drink remains the same.
Thandai Variations to Try:
Paan Thandai: Grind 2-3 paan leaves and 1 tablespoon of gulkand (rose paste) along with 2-3 tablespoons of milk. Add this to warm milk along with other ingredients.
Coconut Thandai Recipe: Add 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut & grind along with the other ingredients. A refreshing glass of coconut thandai is ready.
Vegan Thandai: Make it vegan by replacing dairy milk with almond milk or any other vegan milk.
Instant Thandai Powder Recipe | How to make Thandai Drink
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Whole Almonds
- 1/4 Cup whole Cashew Nuts
- 1/4 Cup Pistachio
- 1 tbsp black Peppercorns
- 10 Whole green Cardamom
- 2 tbsp White Poppy Seeds
- 1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
- 2 tbsp Melon Seeds
- 15 Strands of Saffron
- 1 tbsp dried rose petals
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder Optional
- 1 tsp Cinnamon Powder Optional
FOR THANDAI DRINK:
- 2 Cups Milk
- 2 tbsp Thandai Powder
- 1 tbsp Sugar/Jaggery Or any sweetener
Instructions
- Dry roast the ingredients on low flame for 3-4 minutes before grinding to enhance their flavour. But, you can also grind them directly without roasting!
- Grind the spices and nuts in two different batches to prevent the nuts and spices from over-grinding and releasing their oils.
- Do not over-grind... otherwise, the nuts will release their oil, and the powder will become sticky. Just pulse a few times cooling the mixture in between. Pulse until a coarse powder is formed.
- Store the powder in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to a week. You can refrigerate and use up to 6 months.
Making Thandai Drink:
- Heat full-fat milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Once the milk comes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of Thandai masala powder per cup and cook for 2-3 minutes for the flavours to seep into the milk.
- Add sugar to taste and cook for another minute for it to dissolve.
- Refrigerate the milk for 1-2 hours or until chilled. Strain it using a fine-mesh strainer & serve. You can also drink it as it is if you wish to.
- Stir in a few drops of rose water (optional), garnish with dried rose petals and serve chilled.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Adjust the ratio of the nuts to your liking.
- Reduce the black peppercorns if you don’t like spice kick. Increase for more spice kick.
- Instead of rose petals, you can also use rose water while making Thandai
- If making it as a summer drink to enhance its cooling effect, increase the fennel seeds.
- For best results, chill thandai overnight or atleast 6-8 hours, which gives it enough time for all the flavours to blend. Then, strain it and serve!
- The leftover pulp after straining the thandai can be used in curries.
- Instead of rose petals, you can also use rose water while making Thandai
CHECK OUT A FEW IMMUNE BOOSTING RECIPES:
- Turmeric Ginger Tea Recipe
- Turmeric Tea Powder Recipe
- Golden Turmeric Milk
- Kashayam
- Fresh Turmeric Pickle
Do check out other Beverages and Drinks from blog!!
Many more to come!!…..STAY TUNED!!
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Happy Cooking 
Cheers!!
Padma.
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