The Luxe Lassi That Tastes Like a Saffron Dream

To follow along all the steps on how to make your new favourite drink for summer, be sure to watch the video at the bottom of this post! If you haven’t already, I would really appreciate it if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel, and don’t forget to hit the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes are live! Let’s get blending!

Two glasses of creamy yellow kesar pista lassi garnished with pistachios on a wooden board with a red rose.

What Is This Kesar Lassi Recipe?

Let’s begin with the definition of a “lassi.” A lassi is a cold drink that is made with yogurt and sometimes milk. Lassi is popular in both India and Pakistan because they originate from the Punjab region of India, which is now separated between India and Pakistan. While the chai is the most popular hot drink in India, lassi would be its cold counterpart in terms of popularity! You can find sweet, salty, or fruity lassis. While the Mango Lassi is the most famous kind, this Kesar Pista Lassi is a delicious variation!

Other Types of Lassi

Easiest Indian Mango Lassi
Sweet Plain Lassi
Mattha: Maybe not technically a “lassi” but similar in the sense that it is a yogurt-based drink. This has some tanginess because of the cumin.
Chocolate
Salty
Herb: A variation of salty lassi.

Two glasses of creamy yellow lassi topped with crushed pistachios on a wooden board with a red rose.

Tools Needed for Saffron & Pistachio Lassi

Ingredients for Kesar Pista Lassi

Check out the FULL PRINTABLE Recipe Card by scrolling to the bottom of this post or by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button to see the full list of ingredient quantities and to save the recipe for later. You can also use the recipe card to scale the recipe based on how many glasses of lassi you want to make - no ratios for you to calculate!

Plain yogurt
Milk
Saffron: I used ground saffron, but you could also use the threads.
Ground green cardamom
Rose water
Cane sugar
Pistachios, for garnish

How to Make Kesar Pista Lassi

Microwave 4 tablespoons of milk until warm and then add the saffron to it and let it sit for at least 10 to 15 minutes.

Hand holding a small bowl of saffron-infused milk with a blue rim, ready to be added to lassi ingredients.

Sprinkling ground cardamom or cinnamon powder into a bowl of yogurt for Kesar Pista Lassi preparation.

Saffron-infused milk in a small white bowl with blue trim, showing golden-yellow color from steeped saffron strands.

In the meanwhile, use a mortar and pestle to crush the pistachios.

Crushed pistachios in a wooden mortar and pestle for saffron pistachio lassi.

Crushing pistachios in a mortar and pestle for Kesar Pista Lassi

Then, add the yogurt into a food processor or blender along with the cardamom, rose water, sugar, in addition to half of the saffron-infused milk.

Blended yogurt being scooped from a container with a spoon, with saffron milk and crushed pistachios nearby.

Blended yogurt mixture in food processor for saffron pistachio lassi

Blender with yogurt, crushed pistachios, sugar, and saffron-infused milk ready to blend for lassi.

Yogurt, saffron-infused milk, and sugar blending together in a food processor for lassi.

Blend on the low to medium setting until the yogurt is smooth. You can process on a higher setting if you want a smooth texture, but I quite prefer the thickness on the medium setting. Alternatively, you can go for a chunky texture by blending on the very low setting.

Blended yogurt and saffron mixture in a food processor with a pale yellow color and smooth texture.

Add a couple of ice cubes in your serving glasses. Pour the lassi over the ice cubes and top it off with crushed pistachios and a couple teaspoons of the saffron milk mixture reserved from earlier.

Saffron Pista Lassi served in tall glasses with ice cubes on a wooden board, garnished with pistachios and a red flower.

Kesar pista lassi being poured into a glass with ice cubes, garnished with crushed pistachios and a red flower on a wooden board.

Two glasses of creamy saffron lassi topped with crushed pistachios and saffron strands, served on a wooden board with a red rose.

Enjoy!

Two glasses of pale yellow Kesar Pista Lassi topped with crushed pistachios on a wooden board with a red rose.

Can I Make Saffron Lassi Vegan?▼

Of course you can! However, keep in mind that the texture and flavour will differ. To veganize your Kesar Pista Lassi, you can start by swapping the milk for a plant-based milk. Coconut milk is a great vegan choice because it is thick and creamy and is an excellent base for smoothies! You could also use 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 you may get a thinner product. I also find that the taste of oat milk is very “oaty,” so it may deter from the saffron flavour of the lassi. To substitute the yogurt, a thick vegan yogurt would be coconut yogurt.

How to Serve Kesar Lassi

You can enjoy your Kesar Lassi on its own as a summer treat since it is so refreshing. In India, we really use lassis to beat the heat! With that being said, if you really love lassi so much, and given how easy it is to make, you can drink it whenever you feel like it! You can have your Kesar Lassi to pair with appetizers, such as Chicken Tikka or Seekh Kebab, or to cool down while enjoying hot dishes with gravies, including Homestyle Chole or Instant Pot Rajma. Alternatively, lassi will be excellent to eat with some stuffed parathas, as like Aloo Paratha or Paneer Paratha.

Other Delicious Cold Drinks

What is kesar pista lassi?▼

It's a chilled Indian yogurt drink blended with saffron (kesar) and pistachios (pista), perfumed with green cardamom and a touch of rose water and lightly sweetened. Creamy, fragrant and refreshing — a festive twist on classic sweet lassi.

How do you bloom the saffron?▼

Warm a few tablespoons of milk, stir in the saffron, and let it steep for 10 to 15 minutes. This draws out the saffron's golden colour and aroma so it flavours the whole lassi rather than just sitting on top.

Is lassi sweet or savoury?▼

Both versions exist — this kesar pista lassi is a sweet one, lightly sweetened and finished with crushed pistachios. (Lassi also comes savoury/salted, like a spiced namkeen lassi, if you prefer.)

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!

Recipe by Anadi Misra

Kesar Pista Lassi (Saffron and Pistachio Lassi)

Creamy, fragrant, and ready in minutes, this Kesar Pista Lassi blends saffron and pistachios into a refreshing Indian drink you will want to make every day.

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5 min

Prep

5 hr

Rest

5 hr 5 min

Total

glasses

easy

Level

Ingredients

Tap any quantity to scale

(130 g) plain yogurt
(60 ml) milk(plus 4 Tbsp, divided)
saffron threadsShop →
ground green cardamomShop →
rose waterShop →
cane sugar(to taste)Shop →
pistachios(chopped, for garnish)Shop →

Instructions

1
Microwave ¼ cup of milk until warm. Then, add the saffron to it and let the mixture sit for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
Microwave ¼ cup of milk until warm. Then, add the saffron to it and let the mixture sit for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
2
In the meanwhile, use a mortar and pestle to crush the pistachios.
In the meanwhile, use a mortar and pestle to crush the pistachios.
3
Then, add the yogurt into a food processor or blender along with the rest of the ingredients to blend, in addition to half of the saffron-infused milk. Blend on the low to medium setting until the yogurt is smooth. You can process on a higher setting if you want a smooth texture, but I quite prefer the thickness on the medium setting. Alternatively, you can go for a chunky texture by blending on the very low setting.
Then, add the yogurt into a food processor or blender along with the rest of the ingredients to blend, in addition to half of the saffron-infused milk. Blend on the low to medium setting until the yogurt is smooth. You can process on a higher setting if you want a smooth texture, but I quite prefer the thickness on the medium setting. Alternatively, you can go for a chunky texture by blending on the very low setting.
4
Add a couple of ice cubes in your serving glasses. Pour the lassi over the ice cubes and top it off with crushed pistachios and a couple teaspoons of the saffron milk mixture reserved from earlier.
Add a couple of ice cubes in your serving glasses. Pour the lassi over the ice cubes and top it off with crushed pistachios and a couple teaspoons of the saffron milk mixture reserved from earlier.

Nutrition per serving

442

Calories

11g

Protein

90g

Carbs

Fat

Fiber

57g

Sugar

144mg

Sodium

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Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen