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6 Min
02/03/2026
Thandai had its main character moment long before Bollywood made it cool (with spiked versions) in Silsila and Aap Ki Kasam. So, here’s giving the classic milk-and-masala formula a real glow-up. Think of it like the perfect party playlist on shuffle, with every one of the songs (thandai recipe variants) hitting the spot and making Holi festivities feel extra special. From paan thandai shots to mango versions, the recipes are already doing numbers on Instagram reels. Now, it’s your turn to try them all.
Thandai has always been Holi's unofficial mascot. It is a milk-based drink loaded with almonds, fennel, melon seeds, cardamom, and saffron. It is known to cool down the body (as spring heat trickles in), and it's been around long enough to feel like home. But home gets a makeover sometimes, and that's exactly what's happening to the thandai recipe right now.
Nowadays, cafes and social media accounts are listing thandai lattes alongside matcha. Home bartenders are sliding it into mocktail menus. And the flavoured versions, especially the thandai recipe of paan and mango, are on their way to becoming viral. If you're still serving only the classic, you're leaving a lot of fun off the table. Here's what's trending and worth trying.
Famed as a mouth freshener, paan has always had a cult following in India. It's the after-dinner ritual, the corner shop staple, the thing your nani and nana might be chewing on now and then. But when betel leaves and gulkand (rose petal preserve) are blended into thandai, something new is born.
Paan thandai has a distinctly refreshing, slightly sweet, almost minty character that adds life to the rich milky base of the thandai recipe. The green colour is a natural bonus, fitting the festive mood and extremely Holi-appropriate, with zero food colouring needed. Serve it in shot glasses if you want it to feel like a proper party moment, or in tall glasses over crushed ice for something slower and more cooling.
Spring ushers in the early batch of ripe mangoes, and Holi often falls at an appropriate time to enjoy the ‘king of fruits’ in a drink. Usually, Banganapalli and Pairi mango varieties are available in the market and will be less expensive than the sparsely available Kesari and Alphonso varieties in March.
Take the usual thandai recipe and add mango pulp to it. You can also grab a glass of it at a local cafe or order in. It's the kind of drink that photographs well (yay for your feed!) without any effort. Garnish with a spoonful of fresh mango pulp on top and a few strands of saffron, and you have something that looks expensive and tastes even better.
This one's been around longer than the others, and is one of the classic flavour variants of a thandai recipe. It is having a proper renaissance thanks to the gulkand trend, which surges during Holi. Gulkand is like a sweet jam or a preserve of rose petals, and the perfect thing to flavour and sweeten your thandai.
Gulabi thandai is also naturally pink, which means it does half the festive work for you. It looks stunning in glass pitchers with ice in it, and it complements the badami and spicy flavours of the thandai masala and the overall Holi colour palette. If you're hosting and need one big-batch drink that covers all bases, this should be your go-to.
If you want to stick to the original but upgrade the experience, saffron and pistachio thandai is the answer. To make this thandai recipe, soak saffron strands in warm milk before adding to the thandai blend to release its full colour and flavour. Make sure to add pistachios too, which complements the nutty flavour of the badam or almonds.
This version reads as luxurious without being complicated. It's the kind of thandai that works at a formal Holi daawat as well as a casual backyard get-together. Serve it well-chilled, garnished with crushed pistachios and a few saffron threads, and it speaks for itself.
As plant-based eating grows in India's urban food scene, thandai has quietly become one of the easiest festival drinks to adapt. Coconut milk thandai is made with full-fat coconut milk, is creamy, slightly nutty, and genuinely delicious on its own, and not just a substitute.
Add cashews to the base for extra body, sweeten with dates or honey instead of refined sugar, and you have a version that's wellness-coded and tastes good. It's the kind of thing that gets requested by both the vegan cousin and the person who just wants to try something different.
Meet indulgence in a glass with the chocolate thandai recipe. If the other flavours on this list feel like upgrades, chocolate thandai feels like a full-on reinvention. Chocolate and the spiced, nutty thandai base have more in common than you'd expect, as the cardamom, black pepper, and fennel all have an affinity with dark chocolate.
The version that's been gaining serious online traction uses melted dark chocolate, not cocoa powder, nor drinking chocolate. It is added to the thandai for a rich and velvety drink that converts everyone who claims they don't like thandai.
The matcha trend refuses to die down, and given how colourful Holi is, why not add the matcha thandai recipe to your list of flavoured thandai drinks? Matcha's earthy, grassy flavour does something unexpected when it meets the spiced milk base of thandai – it adds a layer of bitterness that actually sharpens the taste of everything else, be it the spices or the nuts.
The colour alone justifies the effort, and it will be an instant conversation starter. Unlike paan, which gives a more vivid green tinge to the drink, matcha brings a muted, pastel tone that might appeal to those who love their green tea and soft colours.
There is nothing wrong with the thandai recipe; neither is it broken nor boring, but it’s like that stereotypical Indian serial actor who is ready to branch out. The mould has snapped, and the thandai is having its ‘rang barse’ moment. You should join in the fun too by sampling these recipes above.
