Drinks
Calories in Thandai
One glass of thandai has about 256 kcal, with 9.1 g of protein, 23.1 g of carbohydrate and 14.9 g of fat. The figure is from the Indian Nutrient Databank and is for one of the 6 portions its recipe makes, each with 180 ml of milk, a paste of almonds, cashews and pistachios, and 2 3/4 teaspoons of sugar.
Nutrition in 1 glass of thandai
| Nutrient | 1 glass of thandai | 2 glasses of thandai |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 256 kcal | 512 kcal |
| Protein | 9.1 g | 18.2 g |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 23.1 g | 46.2 g |
| Total fat | 14.9 g | 29.8 g |
| Dietary fibre | 2 g | 4 g |
| Sugars | 20.8 g | 41.6 g |
Of this energy, about 35% comes from carbohydrate, 51% from fat and 14% from protein.
1 glass of thandai is about 12% of the daily energy requirement of a sedentary adult man and 15% of a sedentary adult woman's (ICMR-NIN, 2020).
These figures are from the Indian Nutrient Databank (INDB), which calculates each dish from a standard recipe using Indian food composition data. They describe that recipe and that serving: a larger portion, or more oil, ghee or sugar, gives more. Source: Vijayakumar A, Dubasi HB, Awasthi A, Jaacks LM. Development of an Indian Food Composition Database. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2024;8(7):103790 (Indian Nutrient Databank, INDB).
What this figure covers
The recipe is a festival-sized batch: 1080 ml of milk, 22 g of almonds, 17 g of cashew nuts, 8.5 g of pistachios, 5.5 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of sliced nuts for the top, with spices that are not counted. The databank does not define the glass, so the figure is for one of the 6 portions the batch divides into. Each portion has 180 ml of milk, 3.5 g of almonds, 3 g of cashews, 1.5 g of pistachios and 2 3/4 teaspoons of sugar. A thandai made with a richer nut paste, or with milk that has been boiled down, will be heavier than this.
Thandai is the one drink in its group where fat leads: 51% of the energy, against 35% from carbohydrate and 14% from protein. The 14.9 g of fat comes from the milk and the nuts together. The carbohydrate is mostly sugar, the added spoons plus the milk's own. The protein, 9.1 g, comes largely from the 180 ml of milk. It is closer to a liquid snack than to a sharbat, and it is the second heaviest of the 14 drinks compared here.
What goes into one serving
The recipe INDB analysed makes 6 glasses. These are its main ingredients; spices, salt and water are left out.
| Ingredient | In the recipe | In 1 glass of thandai |
|---|---|---|
| Almond | 22 g | 3.5 g |
| Cashew nut | 17 g | 3 g |
| Pistachio | 8.5 g | 1.5 g |
| Milk | 1080 ml | 180 ml |
| Sugar | 5.5 tbsp | 2 3/4 tsp |
| Sliced nuts | 2 tbsp | 1 tsp |
What changes the number
- 01
The nut paste
Each portion has 3.5 g of almonds, 3 g of cashews and 1.5 g of pistachios, plus a teaspoon of sliced nuts on top. Nuts are dense in fat, so a paste made thicker, or with melon seeds and poppy seeds added by the handful, raises the count faster than anything else.
- 02
The milk
The bulk of the glass is 180 ml of milk. Full-cream or buffalo milk, or milk boiled down until it thickens, carries more fat than toned milk in the same volume. Thandai made with water and a little milk is far lighter.
- 03
Sugar and syrup
The recipe has 2 3/4 teaspoons of sugar a portion. One more teaspoon takes it to 272 kcal and two more to 288 kcal. Bottled thandai syrup is mostly sugar, and the amount poured into the milk is rarely measured.
- 04
How big the glass is
Because the figure is for one-sixth of a batch and not a measured glass, the serving at a Holi gathering may be smaller or larger. Half a portion is about 128 kcal; a refill makes it 512 kcal.
How thandai compares
Other dishes of the same kind, one serving each, lightest first. Serving sizes differ, so read the serving before the number.
| Dish | One serving | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chai | 1 cup of chai | 34 | 0.8 |
| Jal Jeera | 1 glass of jal jeera | 42 | 0.6 |
| Kashmiri Kahwa | 1 cup of Kashmiri kahwa | 64 | 0.4 |
| Nimbu Pani | 1 glass of nimbu pani | 73 | 0.1 |
| Salted Lassi | 1 glass of salted lassi | 80 | 5.7 |
| Aam Panna | 1 glass of aam panna | 96 | 0.4 |
| Coffee | 1 cup of coffee | 104 | 2.9 |
| Sattu Drink | 1 glass of sattu drink | 125 | 3 |
| Sweet Lassi | 1 glass of sweet lassi | 158 | 5.7 |
| Mango Milkshake | 1 glass of mango milkshake | 202 | 6.1 |
| Cold Coffee | 1 glass of cold coffee | 207 | 4.8 |
| Banana Milkshake | 1 glass of banana milkshake | 226 | 6.4 |
| Thandai | 1 glass of thandai | 256 | 9.1 |
| Kesar Milk | 1 glass of kesar milk | 268 | 8.3 |
In a meal and in a day
One portion is about 12% of a sedentary man's daily energy requirement and 15% of a woman's, which is a snack's worth in a glass. It does carry real nutrition for that: 9.1 g of protein, 2 g of fibre and the calcium of the milk. On Holi or Shivratri it usually arrives with gujiya, mathri and other fried sweets, and that is where the day's total runs away: two glasses alone come to 512 kcal and 29.8 g of fat. Counted as the snack, not as the drink that goes with the snack, a single glass fits a festival day comfortably.
Ways to keep it lighter
- Use toned milk and keep the nut paste to the recipe's quantity.
- Sweeten with less sugar, because the fennel, cardamom and saffron carry much of the flavour.
- Pour small glasses, since thandai is rich enough to be served in a kulhad.
- Make the paste at home in place of bottled syrup, so the sugar is yours to measure.
- Have it as the snack itself, without sweets on the side.
Before you rely on the number
Thandai combines 20.8 g of sugars with 14.9 g of fat in a single portion, so it is a rich drink by any measure, and festival servings are seldom single. It contains milk and three kinds of nut, which matters for anyone with an allergy. People managing diabetes or raised cholesterol should follow their doctor's or dietitian's advice on how much of a sweet, full-fat milk drink suits them.
Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.
Thandai: common questions
How many calories are in a glass of thandai?
About 256 kcal for one portion of the Indian Nutrient Databank's recipe, which has 180 ml of milk, a paste of almonds, cashews and pistachios and 2 3/4 teaspoons of sugar. The glass itself is not defined in the source, so a larger pour will be more.
How much protein is in thandai?
About 9.1 g in one portion, the highest of the 14 drinks compared with it. Most of it comes from the 180 ml of milk and a little from the nuts. Protein still supplies only 14% of the energy; fat supplies 51%.
Is thandai good for weight loss?
Thandai is energy-dense for a drink: 256 kcal a portion, half of it from fat. It is more filling than a sugary sharbat because of the milk and nuts, but it is not a light choice. A small glass now and then fits most diets. Weight depends on what the whole day adds up to.
Thandai or kesar milk: which is heavier?
They are close. In these recipes a portion of kesar milk is 268 kcal and a portion of thandai is 256 kcal. Kesar milk gets there with more milk and sugar, thandai with nuts. Thandai has slightly more protein, 9.1 g against 8.3 g.
The recipe, the ingredients and related reading
Almond: nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Cashew nut: nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Pistachio: nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Milk: nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
How Many Almonds Should You Eat a Day? Soaked or Raw, and Why
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Protein and Calories in a Glass of Milk: Toned, Full-Cream and Buffalo
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Indian food calorie counter
Add up a whole plate in rotis, katoris and cups.
Calories in every dish
All the cooked dishes, with calories per serving.
Learn to read a plate
Certification in Nutrition
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