Thandai – The nutty, sweetly spiced aromatic drink made during the Festival of Holi.

‘Thandai’ is a take on the word ‘thand’ which means cold, and taking that meaning Thandai means something that is cooling. Traditionally, Thandai is served during the festival of Holi with milk and cream as its base. But this Thandai recipe is dairy free and processed sugar free and it’s certainly as good as the traditional one if not better!

As with all things related to traditional Indian cuisine, the health benefits of Thandai are numerous. This Ayurvedic formula of almonds (badam), magaz seeds, (melon seeds, pumpkin seeds, cucumber seeds), Poppy seeds (Khaskhas), peppercorns (Kali mirch) rose petals (Gulab), hollyhock (Banafsha), fennel seeds (saunf), cashews (kaju), Saffron ( zafraan/kesar) and green cardamom (choti ilaichi) has a cooling ‘taasir’ (effect) on the body.
Although you will find numerous recipes for Thandai powder, which is a short cut method to make the drink, I always soak the nuts and seeds first. This increases the digestibility of the drink and if you spend so much time on making something that is good for your health, why go only half way?
This drink will keep in the fridge for at least 5 days. So technically you will have a refreshing supply of the drink for each day of the work week and then you can make more on the weekend.

The process to make this drink is quite similar to making almond milk at home. Just soak all the nuts and seeds, blend with the spices and flowers and then serve with a topping of rose petals and saffron.
In this recipe of thandai I have not used hollyhocks because I didn’t have any on hand. But if you do, add them in.

Thandai Recipe
A dairy free version of the traditional thandai recipe
Ingredients
- 1 c almonds shelled
- 1/4 c cashews
- 2 tbs poppy seeds
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp black pepper corns
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 tsp edible rose petals
- 6 strands saffron
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 4 c water
Instructions
Put almonds, poppy seeds and cashews in a medium bowl and cover with water
Leave to soak for at least 12 hours
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the nuts and poppy seeds.
Put the nuts, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, cardamom, black pepper, and half of the rose petals in a blender.
Add in the water and blend until smooth and creamy
Strain this through a fine mesh strainer and add the maple syrup
Allow to stand for an hour in the fridge before serving.
Add crushed saffron just before serving along with some rose petals for presentation.
Recipe Notes
This drink is best served chilled.

Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month’s theme is a Holi Celebration – Celebrating The Festival of Colors, and I am hosting the event to celebrate this fun festival with a few of my blogger friends If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats it’s a virtual party. A theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. Come along and see all of the delicious fiesta inspired dishes!
Holi Celebration
Beverages- Spiced Mango Drink (Aam Panna) – The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Strawberry Lassi – Shockingly Delicious
- Thandai -Aromatic Almond Milk – Spiceroots
- Potato (Aloo) Samosas – Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Easy Saffron Rice (Gluten Free) – The Heritage Cook
- Colorful Chewy Coconut Macaroons – Mother Would Know
- Strawberry Meringue Cake – That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Comments 9
Wow, this looks really good… almost like a royal milkshake! Look forward to trying it
This looks so tasty and refreshing! Love that top photo, too. Super post — thanks.
There is nothing like a cool drink as the weather warms up and this one looks fantastic. I’m going to try this for my dairy-free son. I loved celebrating Holi with you and learning about the traditions for your holiday.
Beautiful presentation and so many interesting flavors! Thanks for the great theme.
I love the combination of flavors in this drink, so beautiful and the perfect way to celebrate Holi!
The combination of spices and nuts sounds wonderful in this dairy free drink. Enjoy your celebration of Holi!
This looks fabulous! And I love that you made it dairy- and processed sugar-free! Thanks so much for letting us all know about Holi!! It’s been very fun to read up on 🙂
I loved learning about celebrating Holi. I’m excited that it is dairy free!
Just gorgeous! Perfect for celebrating Holi!!!