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Spring is here and that means bright colors and refreshing beverages! If this vibrant pink color is intriguing to you, then I think this Pink Milk recipe will be one of your new favourite ways to enjoy milk! This recipe will show you how to make your own rose simple syrup and how to make this special milk beverage for summer!
Be sure to watch the video to follow along with all the steps! It would mean a lot if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to press the bell button to be notified when all of my latest videos go live! Let’s get to it!
What is Gulabi Doodh?▼
For starters, “gulabi” is Hindi for “rose” or “pink,” and “doodh” means “milk” in Hindi. This is essentially “rose milk,” where the flavour comes from the rose syrup using rose water and sugar. Roses are a staple ingredient to many South Asian and Middle Eastern recipes, and recently, I’ve been using it a lot more! A little bit goes a long way! As I describe in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, if you need some inspiration, then using ingredients that you already have at your disposal is an excellent way to get started! I really believed that when I purchased my rose water it would be a one-off, but now I’m enjoying using this very much!
This Gulabi Doodh recipe is inspired by the packaged cold drink that I had during my last visit in India, made by Amul. It’s called Amul Kool Rose, part of their line of flavoured milks. I’ve wanted to make this since spring of 2022, and two years later, here I am checking it off my bucket list! Believe me, this pink milk recipe is a lot easier than I thought, and you can make it whenever you feel like it, making it (almost!) natural. If you too have always wanted to try a fun milk drink, then be sure to try out this Pink Milk recipe as part of your Live to Cook one month challenge!
What Are Edible Roses?▼
Believe it or not, there are over 150 different types of rose plants, and they actually all are edible! However, you can’t use roses that you buy at florists or grocery stores because they were treated with chemicals and pesticides. Look for dried rose petals that are safe for consumption. You’ll have a big pack, so try using them in tea!
Do I have to Make the Rose Syrup For This Pink Indian Drink?▼
There is such a thing as rose essence that is much more concentrated than rose water. You could just add this instead of making the syrup directly in your milk, but you will be missing the sweetness that the syrup gives.
Can I Make This Pink Milk Recipe Vegan?▼
While I would not make this pink milk recipe vegan myself, technically nothing is stopping you from doing that! All you need to do is use a plant-based milk instead of cow’s milk. For a creamy option, I would go for coconut milk. Other popular plant-based options include oat milk, cashew milk , or almond milk (bonus points if you’re using your own almond milk!), but they are not as rich as coconut milk, so your final drink may be a little on the thinner side. Additionally, in my opinion, oat milk has a very strong “oat” flavour, so it may overpower the wonderful rose flavour in the milk. Try it out and let me know what you think!
Do I need the Food Colouring For this Pink Cold Drink?▼
Technically you don’t, but that’s the only way for your milk to actually be pink! A few drops will go a long way. As you can see from the Amul version of Rose Milk, they did add food colour to the drink. The milk will be as delicious without the food colouring as it is with it, and technically the Hindi name of the drink will still hold, since “Gulabi” not only means pink, but it also means rose. To call it “pink milk,” you need the colour! In the photo below, the drink in the back is Gulabi Doodh without the food colouring, and you can see how vibrant and pink a few drops of the food colouring makes in the glass in the front.
What Does Pink Milk Taste Like?▼
It is very aromatic, and you indeed taste the rose flavour! In fact, you can smell this milk from quite far away, since the rose aroma is quite powerful! It is basically an enhanced milk that is soothing and slightly sweet, depending on how much syrup you’ve added. The ground green cardamom and saffron bring out the rose flavours even more.
Benefits to Drinking Rose Milk Indian-Style
- High in protein: Cow’s milk is an excellent source of protein, with 8 grams of protein per cup. Milk keeps you satisfied and full and can assist with muscle-building.
- Source of calcium: One cup of whole milk will give you over 275 mg of calcium, which is a mineral that your body requires in order to support strong bones and teeth.
- High in antioxidants: The rose petals have a variety of benefits, including antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. This can help reduce the risk of cardiac disease and assist in the overall quality of your skin, hair and eyes.
- Loaded with vitamins: Cow’s milk itself is high in vitamins D and E, but the rose petals give an extra boost by containing vitamins C and A.
Equipment Needed to Make This Indian Pink Drink
Ingredients for This Indian Rose Drink
You can find all ingredients and save the instructions for later by scrolling down to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE Recipe Card or by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button. You can use the recipe card to scale the recipe based on how much pink milk you want to make so that you’ve got the right amount of syrup to give you the most delicious rose flavored milk! No ratios needed for you to calculate!
For the Rose Syrup
- Edible rose petals: These will be boiled down to make the syrup.
- Cane sugar: Use your favourite sweetener, but I’ve been really loving the flavor the cane sugar gives lately. This will sweeten our simple rose syrup.
For the Gulabi Doodh
- Milk: Use whatever milk you want, but I used whole cow’s milk so that it’s nice and rich.
- Rose syrup: What we previously made above.
- Saffron: A pinch of saffron to complete the drink and add some extra flavour.
- Ground green cardamom: This adds an excellent aroma and complements the sweetness of the rose syrup nicely.
- Rose water: Added to the mixture for some extra rose flavour. Just use a small amount because it is VERY strong!
- Red food colouring: Optional, but needed to get a pretty pink colour to the milk!
How to Make Gulabi Doodh
For the Rose Syrup
Add the rose petals and water to a saucepan and bring the water to a gentle simmer over low to medium-low heat. Simmer for 15-25 minutes or until the rose petals release most of the colour into the water. The petals should turn almost grayish-pink in colour.
Strain the water into a bowl using a sieve and press upon the petals with a spatula to release any remaining colour/water. Return the water to the saucepan and add the sweetener. Mix well and bring the water back up to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the rose syrup thickens slightly.
Once cooled slightly, transfer to a jar and store for use later.
For the Gulabi Doodh
In a bottle or jug, add the milk, ground saffron, rose water, rose syrup from earlier, ground green cardamom and then whisk or shake well to combine. Taste and adjust for sweetness or flavour by adding more rose syrup or sweetener as needed.
To make this natural rose flavoured milk pink in appearance, add red food colouring. Add as much as needed until you get the colour you desire.
Chill and serve over ice cubes and more dried rose petals for garnish.
Tips for a Refreshing Pink Indian Milk Drink
- You can use fresh edible rose petals if you can find them.
- Use dairy-free milk if desired, however, the taste and consistency may differ.
- The rose syrup will be excellent to use in desserts, tea, or coffee.
- Store as you would regular milk. Shelf-life should be the same as that of the milk you’ve used to make the milk.
Other Ways to Use Pink Milk
I’ve only ever had this Gulabi Doodh recipe is cold, but if you want it warm then go ahead and heat it up! On the contrary, if you want it iced, then add some ice cubes to your glass when serving. To take things even further, while Indian Pink Milk is a delicious and refreshing beverage that makes milk fun, you don’t have to stop at drinking it! Check out some other ways to use it:
- In oatmeal: Stovetop oats or overnight oats!
- In smoothies: Perhaps try making a rose lassi!
- In falooda: An ice cream dessert that originated from the Mughals, prepared with vermicelli.
- In kheer: Mix some pink milk with regular milk to add some great flavour to your Rice Kheer, Vermicelli Kheer, Sabudana Kheer, or Sooji Kheer!
- Kulfi: Kulfi is an Indian ice cream bar.
- In a latte: You can get a nice pink colour and the rose flavour as a variation to my Red Velvet Latte!
Other Ways to Use Rose Simple Syrup
You’ll definitely have extra syrup, so try it to sweeten these:
How to Store Pink milk▼
While your Indian pink milk will be best fresh, but since this recipe will make a fair amount of pink milk, you can certainly save it for later! I transferred the milk into a glass bottle and stored it in the fridge. This will last for as long as your milk’s expiration date is, so the fresher the milk you used, the longer it will last! On the other hand, you can leave your rose simple syrup in a mason jar at room temperature. It should last for a month or so. Taste and smell to ensure that it is still fresh.
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