Thandai (Holi Spiced Almond Milk)
The festive drink of Holi: chilled milk blended with a fragrant paste of almonds, fennel, melon seeds, black pepper, cardamom and rose petals. Cooling, rich and beautifully aromatic.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Soak
Put the almonds, melon seeds, fennel, poppy seeds, peppercorns, cardamom pods and most of the rose petals in a bowl, reserving a few petals for garnish later. Cover with the warm water and soak for at least 2 hours, until the nuts and seeds are soft.
- 40g almonds
- 2 tbsp melon seeds or cashews
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 6 cardamom pods
- 2 tsp (reserve 1 tsp for garnish) dried rose petals
- 120ml warm water
✅ Done when: nuts and seeds are soft and the water smells fragrant
Grind to a paste
Blend the soaked nuts, seeds and spices together with their soaking water in a blender or spice grinder until completely smooth.
- all the soaked nut and spice mixture with its water, from step 1
✅ Done when: the paste is very fine with no gritty bits
Mix with milk
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Strain and serve
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Soak
Put the almonds, melon seeds, fennel, poppy seeds, peppercorns, cardamom pods and most of the rose petals in a bowl, reserving a few petals for garnish later. Cover with the warm water and soak for at least 2 hours, until the nuts and seeds are soft.
- 40g almonds
- 2 tbsp melon seeds or cashews
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 6 cardamom pods
- 2 tsp (reserve 1 tsp for garnish) dried rose petals
- 120ml warm water
✅ Done when: nuts and seeds are soft and the water smells fragrant
Grind to a paste
Blend the soaked nuts, seeds and spices together with their soaking water in a blender or spice grinder until completely smooth.
- all the soaked nut and spice mixture with its water, from step 1
✅ Done when: the paste is very fine with no gritty bits
Mix with milk
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Strain and serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
Thandai — from 'thanda', meaning cold — has long been the drink of Holi, the spring festival of colours, and of Maha Shivaratri. Its cooling spices and nuts were believed to soothe the body as summer approached.
In Varanasi, it's sold in large clay cups from shops that have made it for generations.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Fragrant, cooling and festive, thandai is how India toasts the arrival of spring.
💡 Fun Fact
Despite its creamy richness, thandai contains no cream at all — the body comes from ground nuts and seeds.
Varanasi & Rajasthan
25.32°N, 82.97°E
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