Vegan Thandai

Invoke the best of an Indian summer by sipping on a refreshing glass of vegan Thandai!

Drinking a Thandai is like drinking an Indian sweet right out of a glass. This milk drink, infused with cooling spices, nuts and the delicate flavors of saffron and rose water, is especially popular at Holi, the Indian festival of colors, which celebrates the arrival of summer. For my vegan Thandai I infuse the spices and nuts with creamy oat milk and a touch of vanilla. No one you serve it to will be able to tell the difference, although you just might not want to share. ????

The north Indian festival of colors, Holi, is a time to let your hair down and go full-throttle, not just with the colors you’d smear unabashedly on friend and foe alike, but also with the food and drink.

There are perhaps as many sweet and savory edibles associated with Holi as there are colors in our world, from kachori to dahi bhalla to phirni and gulab jamun and many, many more. But one of my favorite foods to make around this time of year, not just because it’s so delicious and so timely but also because it’s so good for you, is this Vegan Thandai.

What is a Thandai?

A Thandai translates from Hindi into a “cooling drink” and that’s exactly what this is. Traditionally, in the north of India, a thandai is sipped to celebrate the advent of summer, which can be unusually harsh in that part of the world, and to keep one healthy and fit throughout the season.

A version of Thandai consumed for Holi incorporates “bhang,” a paste made from the leaves of the cannabis plant. Although cannabis is illegal in India, the traditional popularity of bhang during Holi has led to the government licensing shops in parts of north India where anyone can buy and consume it. Talk of religious loopholes. ????

Why you will love this vegan Thandai

• It’s delicious. There’s no bhang in my vegan Thandai but it will still hook you and reel you in. The drink is refreshingly creamy and sweet and packed with layers of flavor from nuts like almonds, cashews and pistachios and spices like fennel, poppy seeds, peppercorns and a dash of saffron.
• It’s healthy. You heard that right. A Thandai is designed with specific ingredients that, together, do all sorts of good things to your body, like cool you down, improve your digestion, and infuse you with stamina. Yes, there are a few spoonfuls of sugar in this recipe but that only makes this delicious concoction go down even more delicously. And if you are a stickler you can replace the sugar with dates or maple syrup or a sweetener like stevia or erythritol.
• It’s easy to make. Most of the work here is measuring and putting the ingredients in a blender, and warming the milk. It’s incredibly easy and quite fool-proof.
• It’s everyone friendly. This vegan Thandai recipe is gluten-free and soy-free. If you are nut-free you can skip the nuts and use more pumpkin seeds (or watermelon seeds if you have them).

Ingredients

• ½ cup blanched almonds
• ¼ cup raw cashews
• ¼ cup raw pistachios
• 2 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds (or watermelon seeds)
• 2 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
• 1 tablespoon white poppy seeds. Try and use the white poppy seeds (khus khus) that are typically used in Indian cuisine. These are available online and I will leave an affiliate link in the recipe card but you will get a better price at an Indian store.
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
• ½ teaspoon saffron strands
• 12 green cardamom pods (peeled, use the seeds only)
• ¼ cup rose water
• 6 cups oat milk. Almond milk is okay but not desirable because it is very thin and doesn’t have the right texture. Also you need to boil the milk and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes with the thandai masala and almond milk can split easily when boiled. Oat milk works perfectly and has the right flavor as well.
• ½ cup sugar. Start by adding ¼ cup, taste, and add more if needed. You can add more than ½ cup if you like the thandai very sweet, but for me ½ cup hits the sweet spot.
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. This helps round out the flavors so be sure to use it.
• A few more chopped nuts and saffron strands for garnish (optional). You can also scatter dried rose petals or chopped dry fruits for a truly festive touch.

How to make Thandai

Make the Thandai Masala

• If you only have almonds with the skin on, blanch them by soaking the nuts in boiling water for ½ hour. Drain and peel–the skins should pop out quite easily.
• Place all the nuts, pumpkin seeds, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, peppercorns, saffron, cardamom seeds, rosewater and ½ cup of oat milk in a blender.
• Blend into a coarse paste. This Thandai Masala can be made up to three days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. I’ll also give you instructions below on making a dry Thandai Masala that can be stored for longer.

• To make the vegan Thandai, place the remaining oat milk in a saucepan. Add the Thandai Masala and mix well. Bring the oat milk to a boil over medium-low heat. Once it boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and let the milk and nuts and spices infuse for 8 minutes. Stir frequently to ensure nothing sticks.

• Stir in the sugar, turn off the heat, then add the pure vanilla extract and mix.
• Strain the Thandai using a fine mesh strainer. Chill.
• Serve garnished, if you wish, with more nuts and strands of saffron.

How to make a powdered Thandai Masala for longer-term storage

• To make a powdered thandai masala, use storebought blanched almonds rather than making your own.
• Place the almonds along with the other nuts, seeds, peppercorns and cardamom in a dry skillet over low heat.
• Roast for 5 minutes or until the mixture is aromatic and barely changing color.
• Remove to a plate and let the nuts and spices cool.
• Place in a blender or spice grinder and blend to a fine powder.
• You can store this powder in a cool, dark place for up to three months. Even better, store it in the fridge.

Frequently Asked Questions

More vegan drinks you might like