Badam Milk | Badam Doodh

Badam Milk Recipe – Healthy, protein packed, delicious flavorful milk with the goodness of almonds, cardamoms & saffron. If you have ever been struggling with a fussy family refusing to have milk, then this recipe is a must try. This Badam Milk is so delicious, creamy, flavorful & refreshing that anyone will just love it.

Badam Milk is one of the traditional Indian beverages that has been consumed for ages to energize the body, balance the mind, beat weakness and improve overall health.

It is known as Badam Doodh in Hindi & Badam Paal in South Indian languages. Badam refers to almonds & doodh or paal is a term meaning milk.

About Badam Milk

Badam Milk is an Indian milk beverage flavored with ground almonds, cardamom & saffron. Traditionally it is made by soaking, blending and then adding it to boiled cow’s milk. It is flavored either with saffron or cardamoms depending on the season.

This Indian Badam Milk recipe is an age old traditional ayurvedic secret to build up immunity in kids, improve eye sight, build stronger bones, remove constipation and provide adequate nutrition for picky/fussy eaters & the sick.

For years I have been making Badam Milk for my kids as an after school refreshing drink. I always avoid readymade protein powders or any other powders to mix with the milk.

Most of the bottled stuff are heavily processed & then synthetic nutrients are added to make up for the nutritional values.

There are so many brands selling badam milk powder. MTR is one such brand. Most readymade badam milk powders are loaded with starch, sugar and artificial additives.

This homemade drink is real food that’s pure with no additives or starch. Also you have the liberty to choose the organic ingredients. This Badam Milk is protein rich, has no additives, tastes delicious & is super easy to make. Serve it warm during winters & chilled during summers.

Update: In the past I would make this Badam Milk with almonds. In the recent years I have moved away to almond flour as it is faster to make almond milk with it. You don’t need to peel the almonds. Using flour you still need to soak the flour in hot water for at least an hour & grind to get that smooth consistency. You will just save some peeling time.

Health Benefits

Badam milk is a great source of nutrition for people of all ages. Toddlers, kids, grownups, pregnant women, postpartum women & even aged can have this.

1. Consuming a cup of warm badam milk before bed time helps in beating insomnia and promotes good sleep.
2. Regular consumption of this milk helps in weight gain especially in kids & pregnant women.
3. Badam milk also helps in lactation as it is protein and calcium rich.
4. Regular consumption of this milk may ease constipation to some extent.

How to make this vegan?
Just skip the milk and use water, double the amount of almonds in the recipe. You will end up with a delicious & thick badam doodh.

Can I serve this to my baby?
If your baby is over 12 months you can try this milk. For the dairy in the recipe, you can use any fresh milk like – cow’s milk, buffalo milk or goat milk. With goat milk, the drink turns out slightly heavier to digest for toddlers. So cut down little milk and blend the almonds in water instead of milk.

Just ensure your baby has no allergy to the milk, almonds & cardamoms. Please consult your pediatrician before you introduce this milk.

I have also shared a recipe for making badam powder for making instant badam milk.

More healthy beverages
Strawberry almond shake
Turmeric milk
Dry fruits milkshake
Chocolate milkshake
Banana milkshake
Lassi Recipe

How to make Badam Milk (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. Rinse 20 to 24 almonds well. Alternately use half cup almond flour (loosely measured) with half cup hot milk or water.

2. Soak them in fresh water for 4 to 6 hours. I usually do it for over 6 hours. Soaking them well helps to blend them smooth else the paste turns coarse.

3. Peel the skin and rinse them again.

4. Add them to a blender jar along with 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder, 2 teaspoons organic sugar and a pinch of crushed saffron (optional).

5. Pour half cup milk to blend to a smooth paste. I use chilled milk as this avoids the mixer from turning hot.

6. You should get a smooth paste else the coarse grains irritate the throat.

Make badam milk

7. Bring 1½ cups milk to a boil in a thick bottom pan/ vessel on a low to medium flame.

8. When the milk comes to a boil, pour the ground almond mixture into the boiling milk.

9. Stir well else the milk can smell burnt. Let it boil for 2 to 3 mins. Switch off the stove.

Serve Badam Milk warm or chilled. Keeps good if refrigerated for no more than 2 days.

Serving Tips for kids and toddlers

You can also stir in a bit of organic turmeric powder to your badam milk.

If you do not have a high speed blender then the paste may not turn smooth. Then filter the milk to remove coarse granules, before you serve your child. As some kids might throw up as the grits irritate the throat.
* Tastes good when served with cornflakes or beaten rice (poha/ aval) or even with plain cooked rice and additional jaggery.
* Can use this badam milk to cook kheer /payasam /puddings.
* Can use this milk even for cooking chicken, baking moist cakes and muffins.

Pro Tips

1. Soak the almonds well in enough water at least for 4 to 6 hours. Soaking nuts not only enhances the taste but are also easier to digest & the nutrients are better absorbed by the body.
2. Discard the almond skin as it can cause indigestion in the long run.
3. Soaking almonds helps in blending them to a smooth paste else the drink is going to have lots of grits. No one loves to drink it with grits and toddlers can easily be choked with that.
4. Always make a smooth paste of the almonds to make badam milk. This is what makes the milk creamy & smooth.
5. You can also leave out saffron (kesar). I usually add cardamoms as they help in digestion. My kids do not like the saffron or kesar in the milk so I avoid it most of the times.

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