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Thandai Barfi is an easy, quick, and tasty Indian sweet that is ready in just 20 minutes. It is a perfect easy recipe for your Holi celebration.

Thandai Barfi is an easy recipe with just a handful of ingredients that you can make for Holi. With simple ingredients like ghee, milk powder, whole milk, sugar, and thandai masala this barfi is perfect for make-ahead sweets.

Though I love making masalas from the scratch I always feel that it is not possible to do that with every recipe. Sometimes you need to just have some easy ingredients handy so you can cook up a dish in a short time.

Making Thandai masala at home is super easy but then you need to have all the ingredients at home to make the masala and also the time. This barfi is something that I whipped up when I was short of time and the perfect solution was to use the store-bought Thandai masala that I had handy just for such crazy times.

What is Thandai?

Thandai is a traditional Indian drink made during the festival of Holi and Mahashivratri predominantly. This drink is made with almonds, some seeds, spices, saffron, milk, and sugar and is served chilled.

Thandai has a nice aromatic fragrance and a beautiful spice flavor supported by the blend of nuts that is so refreshing and unique.

What is a thandai barfi?

Thandai barfi is an easy, delicious, and quick Indian sweet made with some easy ingredients like Milk powder/milk mawa, sugar, milk, ghee, and thandai powder. Thandai powder takes the flavor of a regular milk barfi up a notch.

Made by cooking all the ingredients well till the mixture becomes thick and spreadable this is one of the easiest barfi you will make.

Why you should make Thandai Barfi

• It is easy to make

• Needs very few ingredients

• Absolutely delicious

• Unique flavors

• Perfect for festive occasion

• Can be made ahead of time

Ingredients for Thandai Barfi

Milk Mawa Powder - Milk mawa is required to make this thandai barfi as it has full-fat content. Because of its full-fat content, this is perfect for milk-based dessert. You can use other available milk powder too as far as it is full-fat milk powder.

Milk - Always use whole milk for this thandai barfi as it gives the barfi a nice rich and delicious flavor.

Thandai Masala - I use a regular store bout Thandai masala for this recipe. The one I like to use is the Badshah Thandai masala. You can always make the Thandai masala at home but for just a teaspoon of masala that is a lot of work that you can easily avoid.

Ghee - Ghee also referred to as clarified butter is one of the important ingredients in the thandai barfi it gives the barfi a beautiful texture and aromatic fragrance. Ghee also gives the barfi rustic traditional flavors.

Saffron - This is optional, I add it for the color and aroma.

Sugar - Granulated sugar

Step by step instructions for Thandai Barfi

Set a pan on medium heat and add ghee to it.

Add milk and sugar to the ghee and cook it till the sugar is dissolved.

To the liquid mix add the milk mawa powder, saffron, and thandai masala and cook it for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat till the mixture thickens and is of perfect spreadable consistency. Do not overcook it or the barfi will become too dry.

Pour the thandai barfi mixture into a pan lined with parchment paper or greased with ghee.

Spread the mixture using a spatula or a flat bowl. Garnish it with chopped nuts and let it rest for about 20 minutes to cool down.

Once the barfi cooled down for about 20 minutes cut it into pieces. Store the thandai barfi in an airtight container.

Pro tips for perfect barfi

• Always use full fat milk mawa or milk powder for best results.

• This recipe needs full fat whole milk.

• Adjust thandai masala as per taste. Check the flavor before the mixture thickens to incorporate changes.

• You can add food color if you want.

• Saffron gives the barfi that beautiful color so try not to skip it.

• Cook on medium low heat to avoid burning at the bottom.

• Use parchment paper while spreading and setting the barfi so that it spreads easily and evenly.

Check these festive recipes too

Mawa Barfi

Thandai Cake

Kaju Katli

Besan Ladoo

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I use Milk powder instead of milk mawa?

Milk mawa powder is a full-fat powder and hence it gives the thandai barfi a rich creamy taste just like having a real mawa barfi. However, most milk powders that are available in the local stores are reduced fat ones.

If you want to use milk powder then look for a full-fat milk powder as the use of low-fat content milk powder will lead to different texture and taste in the thandai barfi. Check the fat content before buying.

Milk mawa is usually available in the aisle with paneer and yogurt or even sometimes in the refrigerator or frozen section.

What should I do if I over cook the thandai barfi mixture?

If you overcook the barfi mixture then you can add whole milk 1 teaspoon at a time to make it moist. Do not add too much at once.

How to store the barfi?

You can store the thandai barfi in an airtight container, it will stay good at room temperature for about a day. After that, you can refrigerate it and it will stay good for up to a week.

HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?

DO DROP A COMMENT IF YOU HAVE TRIED THE RECIPE. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCES. ALSO, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS DROP A COMMENT BELOW.

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