Badam Milk

5 from 11 votes

Popular Indian drink made with milk and almonds and flavored with saffron and cardamom! Badam Milk can be enjoyed either hot or cold!

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Refreshing Badam Milk is a popular Indian drink made with milk and fresh almond paste.

It’s usually flavored with cardamom and saffron making it an aromatic & flavorful drink!

My homemade version also has some rose water to make it more exotic!

badam milk served in a black glass and garnished with saffron

I am not much of a milk fan. In fact, when I was little I used to hate it. Mom would do everything she could to make me drink milk but I would always resist.

The only few ways that I would drink milk was when it was flavored or in milkshakes.

Chilled badam milk on a hot summer day was a treat that I enjoyed. Even though it had milk, it had these wonderful aroma of saffron and cardamom which made it delicious.

I think, I had the problem with that raw smell of milk. If you could flavor it and somehow camouflage that smell, then I would drink it.

What is Badam Milk

Badam milk is a popular Indian drink where almonds are blended with milk and flavored with saffron and cardamom.

It’s a very delicious drink but at the same time it’s also very rich both in texture and also in calories.

I mean it’s nearly impossible for me to drink a big glass even though I really like badam milk.

The drink is always served during weddings, special occasions, parties so yeah it’s not something that people in India drink every day.

How to Make Badam Milk

It’s very simple to make badam milk at home. You need only a handful of ingredients-

Milk: you get the best results with whole milk. Having said that, you can make badam milk with low fat milk as well but whole milk makes it thicker and creamier.

Almonds: I use a lot of almonds in my almond milk because I want the almond flavor to be prominent. You can adjust the quantity as per your preference.

Sugar: Of course you need some sweetener for this drink. I use regular sugar, you can use any sweetener that you like.

Cardamom: My favorite spice and also a key ingredient here. I used fresh cardamom pods, crush them in a mortar & pestle and then use in the recipe.

You can use store bought cardamom powder, the pods just give better flavor here.

Saffron: It not only gives the badam milk a nice yellow color but also make it aromatic. The key to getting a nice color is crush saffron strands with your hands and then add in 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot milk.

Rose water: this is optional, but I love adding it to my badam milk!

badam milk served in a black glass and garnished with saffron

Serving Suggestions for Badam Milk

You can serve it either hot or cold.

I know a lot of people like it hot, but personally I only like badam milk chilled.

So once I make it, I pop it into the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours until it’s nicely chilled.

It makes the perfect treat on a hot summer day!

Sarvesh has a sweet tooth and this milk is one of his favorites. When we got married, he would often crib on  how he misses the delicious badam milk which we get in India and none of the restaurants here know how to make it.

So that’s how I started making this drink at home. Now, whenever we want to relish it, I just make it at home!

It tastes even better than the one you get in restaurants. Plus you can adjust the sweetness to taste when you make it at home.

With the temperatures soaring, this will be a great drink to cool down.

 

Method 

1- Soak almond in hot water for 20 minutes.

2- After 20 minutes, discard the water and then remove the skin from each almond. It will come off easily.

3- Transfer blanched almonds with ¼ cup milk to a blender.

4- Blend to a smooth paste. Set it aside.

step by step picture collage of making badam milk

5- Now transfer the remaining milk to a pan and put in on medium-high heat.

6- As the milk warms up, take out 1 tablespoon of the warm milk from the pan into a small bowl and add crushed saffron strands to it. Set aside.

7- Once the milk in the pan comes to a boil, add the prepared almond paste to it. Stir to combine.

8- Lower the heat to low medium and let the milk simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir often so that milk doesn’t get stuck to the bottom of the pan. The raw smell of almonds should disappear completely.

step by step picture collage of making badam milk

9- Add in the saffron milk that you had set aside.

10- Then add the sugar and stir until it’s dissolved

11- Finally add in the crushed cardamom seeds. You may also add rose water (if using) at this point.

12- Mix everything together and turn off the heat.

step by step picture collage of making badam milk

Serve badam milk hot or cold. I personally love it chilled.

badam milk served in a black glass and garnished with saffron

If you’ve tried this Badam Milk Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on FacebookInstagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!

This post has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in 2014.

Badam Milk

5 from 11 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Popular Indian drink made with milk and almonds and flavored with saffron and cardamom! Badam Milk can be enjoyed either hot or cold!

Ingredients 

  • 35 almonds 40 grams
  • 1 liter whole milk
  • generous pinch saffron dissolved in 1 tablespoon milk
  • 4-6 tablespoons granulated white sugar 50-75 grams, or to taste
  • 5-6 green cardamom pods seeds removed & crushed using a mortar and pestle
  • 1/2 teaspoon rose water optional
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Instructions 

  • Soak almond in hot water for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, discard the water and then remove the skin from each almond. It will come off easily.
  • Transfer blanched almonds with ¼ cup milk to a blender. Blend to a smooth paste. Set it aside.
  • Now transfer the remaining milk to a pan and put in on medium-high heat.
  • As the milk warms up, take out 1 tablespoon of the warm milk from the pan into a small bowl and add crushed saffron strands to it. Set aside.
  • Once the milk in the pan comes to a boil, add the prepared almond paste to it. Stir to combine.
  • Lower the heat to low medium and let the milk simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir often so that milk doesn’t get stuck to the bottom of the pan. The raw smell of almonds should disappear completely.
  • Add in the saffron milk that you had set aside.
  • Then add the sugar and stir until it’s dissolved.
  • Finally add in the crushed cardamom seeds. You may also add rose water (if using) at this point. Mix everything together and turn off the heat.
  • Serve badam milk hot or cold. I personally love it chilled.

Notes

  1. Use whole milk for best results and taste.
  2. There will be some almond pieces in the milk, if you do not want to bite into them while drinking the milk simply strain and serve. I did not strain the milk since I love the little almond pieces in the milk.

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 108mg, Potassium: 419mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 405IU, Vitamin C: 0.5mg, Calcium: 315mg, Iron: 0.8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Drink
Cuisine: Indian
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Hi, I’m Manali!

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Recipe Rating




19 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Hi I made this for my fiancé. I am not Indian but he is from Punjab. I tried to Make it and he loved it said it tasted amazing! BUT the only thing he said was it was not thick enough. I used whole milk how can I make it thicker and creamer. he said other then that its perfect!

    1. you can first cook the milk for around 20 minutes to reduce it more and then follow the rest of the recipe. That will result in an even thicker badam milk. Glad to know he liked it!

  2. Hi there! Is the reason to keep saffron with little bit of milk separate so it doesn’t become too “kadak”? Same with logic of adding cardamom/elachi at the end? I always get confused between how to add layers of subtle flavor but not make it too “harsh”. Thank you got such a wonderful recipe and explaining the order so well!

    1. that’s the way to make saffron bloom, you take little warm milk, crush saffron and add to that milk and let sit for 5-10 minutes. That way you get the most color and aroma out of it. And then you add it to the main pot.

      1. Thank you!!! Can’t wait to try it. And is elachi added more at the end because if added in beginning it becomes too harsh / strong? Thank you for all your recipes – you have a gift in how you explain things and they have helped me so so so much!!!

  3. 5 stars
    Thank you Manali, this brings back so many memories from the past. I used to love the badam milk we got at Haldiram back in India and I could never find a recipe that matched it. I almost gave up on it until I tried your recipe and I’m so glad I did 🙂 In fact, I thought it tasted better. Thanks for sharing these amazing recipes, I’m a fan!

  4. I want to make this recipe but first need to get saffron. I’ve read about this often being an adulterated spice. Can you recommend some brands of saffron that you use and trust to be authentic? Thanks so much.