Badam Milk | Badam Doodh
By Swasthi on April 24, 2023, Comments, Jump to Recipe
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.
- Consuming a cup of warm badam milk before bed time helps in beating insomnia and promotes good sleep.
- Regular consumption of this milk helps in weight gain especially in kids & pregnant women.
- Badam milk also helps in lactation as it is protein and calcium rich.
- 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
- 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.
- Discard the almond skin as it can cause indigestion in the long run.
- 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.
- Always make a smooth paste of the almonds to make badam milk. This is what makes the milk creamy & smooth.
- 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.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card

Badam Milk Recipe | Badam Doodh
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 20 to 24 almonds (badam or ½ cup almond flour, loosely measured)
- 500 ml Milk (2 cups)
- 2 teaspoons Sugar or any sweetener
- 1 pinch Saffron strands or â…› tsp turmeric (optional)
- â…› teaspoon Green cardamom powder (ealichi powder from 2 pods)
Instructions
Preparation
- Heat 1 cup water and add the almonds to it. Rest for 5 mins and remove the skin.
- Alternately you can rinse and soak almonds in ample amount of water for at least 4 to 6 hours. Soaking helps to remove the skin easily & blends well to a smooth paste. Peel the skin of the almonds.
How to make Badam Milk
- Bring 1½ cups of milk to a boil.
- Meanwhile blend the almonds, cardamoms, sugar & saffron with ½ cup milk to a smooth paste.
- Add this to the boiling milk & stir well. Optionally you can simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Serve badam milk warm or chilled.
- If you are serving it to a little kid, you may need to filter to remove the coarse grits. This is optional and depends on your blender.
- Refrigerate and use up the milk within 2 days.
- You can also use this badam milk to serve with your cereals, make ice creams, faluda, desserts etc.
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes

About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Dear Swasthi, just like you have a section for toddler recipes do you have one for postpartum?
Hello Sonia,
No I don’t have. Postpartum diet changes with region (hot or cold) so I don’t have one. Thanks for rating
Hi mam, how many almonds are required for my 2years old daughter? Serving on a daily basis is fine mam?
Hi Venkat garu,
I replied Sridevi’s comment below. You can follow that.
Hi mam, how many almonds can be served to my 2 years old daughter? Mam if possie pls suggest some protein foods for toddlers.this is the only site I can trust and follow thanx a lot
Hi Sridevi,
You can serve about 10 almonds per day regularly. Avoid during monsoon/ winters. For protein foods give her khichdi regularly for lunch. You can also use brown rice and broken wheat in khichdi. Also change the vegetables in khichdi so she won’t be bored. Include 2 to 3 times in a week steamed sprouts, 2 to 3 times chana for breakfast. I also have a separate link on the recipe index for toddler foods. I hope this helps.
Thank you so much for your quick response and concern😊
hi,
can u plz guide me how much saffron consumption will b safe during pregnency..is it ok to have it in badam milk everyday??
Hi Zari,
7 to 8 strands of pure saffron per day is generally considered to be safe for consumption. Buy saffron from a trusted source. Yes You can have it in badam milk everyday. I have had it during both the times without any problems. The only thing is you have to closely monitor the baby’s & your weight in the last month. Badam usually helps in a good weight gain. Both the times I had to stop consuming it during the last 2 weeks due to the baby growing too big (nearly 3.5 kg). But every person is different. Your gynac will tell you if you need to change your diet during that time. Other than that it is so good for the mother and baby both. Hope this helps.
saffron is heating to body and i heard that it cause early delivery thats y i was asking u for ur guidance..thanks alot now i am clear about that ??
Yes it is heating to the body. Use soaked almonds to make the badam milk. Soaked almonds are cooling so both will balance.
Greetings!
May I know whether the prepared badam milk be stored in refrigerator for using it the next day?
Thank you!
Greetings!
Yes You can refrigerate for 2 to 3 days.
Hi Swasthi, I have tried so many recipes from you blog and all of them turned out very tasty! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
For the badam milk recipe could you suggesr a healthy alternative for sugar , I have not given sugar so far to my 20 months old kid. He does drink milk with a bit of jaggery in it.
Thanks !
Hi Sindhu,
You are welcome! Glad to know! If he is okay with jaggery do the same here. Just stir it when the badam milk cools down a bit. Alternately you can try with fresh dates or dried dates powder. If using fresh dates, soak them and blend with almonds. You can check if dried dates powder is available in Indian stores. Otherwise you have to crush the dried dates in a mortar pestle first and then make a fine powder in a spice jar. These are very hard so ensure you have a very good spice jar. Hope this helps.
Thank you for the suggestions swasthi ! Will give them a try.
hi swasthi, can i add only cocoa powder in plain milk for chocolaty flavour?…is it healthy nd safe 4 kids to hv it daily at morning nd night before sleep as it contains caffeine?
if yes ,then what is the dosage?
Hi Ayush,
Yes you can. Look for cacao powder. It is better than cocoa for regular consumption. Kids get bored with this very fast. For a change sometimes I add little ceylon cinnamon powder or vanilla extract. I just add approximately to suit their taste, too much can cause acidity & stomachache. You can try for a week and check.
Hi madam yesterday i tried your almond milk recipe. It turns out perfect. Thank you so much madam for the perfect recipe.
Hi Kavitha
You are welcome. Glad you liked the badam milk. Thank you
hai mam,
we as a bachelor’s working in the factories have accomodation 6 person / room. we dont have mixes, grinder we will be cooking only in kadai that also in induction stoove. please provide us the sweet recipies without the use of mixing grinder
Hi Kiran,
You can try any of these recipes. As mentioned by you, all they need is a kadai and stove.
Kheer recipe
Semiya payasam
Coconut ladoos – You will need fresh coconut from the frozen section or desiccated coconut.
Fruit kesari
Rava kesari. Hope these help
Hello Swasthi,
I bought a pack of almond flour hoping to make badam milk. I found it to be too coarse. I tried soaking the flour and blending. But it did not help. The kids are not liking the grits in the milk. Please suggest how do I use it up for making the milk? TIA
Hi Anushree,
Not sure what kind of almond flour you bought. You can check for super fine flour. I don’t think coarse one will work well for milk. Instead just use it up for making badam burfi. Or May be try using it for shakes. It may go well with banana shake as it turns thick.
Wonderful ? ?
Love your blog very much. My kid who stopped drinking milk an year ago began to drink this badam milk. Kudos to your work! Awesome recipes! Thanks a ton!
Hi Sneha
You are welcome. So glad to know your kid enjoys the badam milk. I can understand your joy as mine too were the same before. Thanks for the comment.
Mam I want to give badam milk daily instead of Junior horlickd…
Will u suggest me w ha t tym we can get badam milk…
Hi Vaishali
If your kid is not going to school yet, then morning 10.30 is good time, 2 hrs after breakfast. Otherwise you can give in the evening 4 pm. Then you can also give just before going to bed in the night. Try all the options and check what goes well for your kid.
Owe some blog for new mommies thank you Swathi
Welcome Sowmya
Thanks a lot
🙂
HI Swathi,
I have started trying your baby foods for my 8 month old kid and he is happy with new foods. But he has mostly running nose and catch cold easily, so I don’t give him other fruits except apple. As I am in Bangalore, weather is mostly cold and raining. So, I am afraid of giving other fruits, ragi and sago. Please suggest if i am doing wrong? Also, suggest some foods and food recipe that will keep him body warm in cold weather.
Hi Amrita
I too felt the same with my older kid. I used to give him only apples, chickoo, papaya,mangoes. Yes ragi and sago too are cooling. But feeding them while warm is fine. Give a try!
Hi Swasthi, I stay in bangalore. Only cow milk is available here. Everyone uses same milk for babies food 6-10 months. But i have seen in many of the receipes that not to use until 1 year. Please suggest
Hi Pravallika
Very sorry forgot to reply you.
yes in india everyone uses it. I too used for one of my kid but only for kheer and halwa recipes after 9 months. But i do not want to suggest readers explicitly to use cow’s milk due to critics. I am sure many will question me for that. If you think your baby will do good with it, then pls give a try. But remember you will risk your baby of allergies. After 9 months is safe I guess.
Hi Swasthi,
I tried this and it tasted good, only thing was, it was granular while drinking.
The same thing happened with carrot milkshake. The taste was very good, but the granules could be felt while drinking.
For both the drinks, i had soaked almonds overnight and followed the same step by step procedure.
Please advise.
Hi Kavitha
You will need to blend the almonds to very fine paste other wise you may feel the grains in the milk. Traditionally almond milk was made by making a paste with hand pestle made of stone. I guess a powerful blender does the job well. I use ultra mixie and mine gets done to a smooth paste. Next time, try chilling the ingredients and blending for a little longer. Hope these help
Hello Swasthi,
It’s really good recipe and thank you for sharing this.
Can I get the recipe of fruit salad ice-candy……….?
Reply me as soon as possible…..
Thanking you….
Hi Kajal
Thanks. I do not have the recipe
Swasthi,can i add chocolate horlicks to this badam milk coz my daughter is used to drink milk with that only.
Hi Teena
Why dont you try pure good quality cocoa in badam milk. If you add anything to the badam milk it turns very heavy and will not get digested for the kids quickly. This makes them eat less at the next meal. However you can try as each kid is different.
But for my kids cocoa powder in badam milk works good. I skip cardamom and saffron. Hope this helps
Tastes sooo good. Thank you
welcome
Wowwww……??? The badam recipe was too gud… I luvd it and hubby liked it a lot…. I just added a pinch of turmeric powder for the color instead of saffron…. Really it was too gud….
Thanks Saranya
Yes We do give this milk with little turmeric to kids during winters
wow tasty and to healthy eat food to live and not live to eat food
Thanks Dharani
Glad to know you liked it