Kesar Peda recipe – Kesar Peda with Milk and Milk Powder – Traditional Indian dessert for Holi and Diwali festival

Kesar peda is a saffron flavour classic Indian khoya or mawa sweet. Kesar peda is made of Kesar (saffron strands), milk / mawa (khoya) / Powdered milk and sugar, flavoured with cardamom powder and garnished with pistachio on top. Perfect dessert for traditional Indian festivals Holi, Diwali or Raksha Bandhan.

What is kesar peda?

“Kesar” means “saffron” in English and “Peda” is a “milk (mainly mawa or khoya made) made traditional North Indian sweets”. I made Kesar Peda with a few simple ingredients like Full cream Milk, Milk powder, saffron, powdered sugar, green cardamom(elaichi) powder, ghee and pistachios. Though I use a small portion of milk powder with milk. However, no direct khoya or mawa or no condensed milk or no cream or no food colour is used for making this dish.

In this peda I used original kesar strands but you can use saffron flavour and food-graded saffron colour instead. Try to use full cream milk or mix a small portion of milk powder or condensed milk with milk to get a good amount of khoya or mawa. This mawa is so soft and creamy that helps you to make the best peda which easily melts in your mouth. 

I make Kesar peda by first boiling the milk with milk powder and saffron strands soaked milk. Boil the milk until the milk gets thick and turned into saffron yellow-coloured soft and creamy khoya or mawa. Mix up the kesari Khoya with powdered sugar, freshly ground green cardamom and little ghee to form the shape of peda. Garnish this peda with pistachio by putting it on its top. So simple right?

I often prepare this peda at home and sometimes brought from my favourite Kartik sweets (in Bangalore). 

So now you have two options. Either you can make this sweet at home by following my steps or order it online. Do anything to cheer this festive mood. But if you try my recipe and that makes you happy then please let me know your valuable feedback in the comment section below.

Want to check some other Indian Sweet recipes for Holi then click the link below –

Doodh Peda or Milk Peda recipe

Mathura Peda recipe

Rabri recipe

Kalakand recipe

Kesar Peda recipe – Kesar Peda with Milk and Milk Powder – Traditional Indian dessert for Holi and Diwali festival

Recipe by Moumita PaulCourse: Sweet Dish, DessertCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

25

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

40

minutes

Kesar peda is a saffron flavoured classic Indian khoya or mawa sweet dish, made with saffron strands, milk / mawa (khoya) / Powdered milk and sugar. I made Kesar Peda with a few simple ingredients like Full cream milk Milk, Milk powder, saffron, powdered sugar, green cardamom (elaichi) powder, ghee and pistachios. Perfect dessert for traditional Indian festivals Holi, Diwali or Raksha Bandhan.

Ingredients of Kesar Peda

• 1 pinch of Kesar or Saffron Strands

• 1 litre Full Cream Milk

• 1/2 cup Milk Powder

• 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar

• 10 -12 Green Cardamom Seeds powder

• 1 tsp Ghee

• Pistachio (For garnishing)

How to make Kesar Peda with Milk and Milk Powder

• For making kesar peda, first, take 1 cup (250 ml) of milk from the 1-litre milk and mix it with milk powder. Stir well to keep the mix lump free.
• Then Mix the “milk powder mixed milk” with the rest of the milk. 
• Start boiling the milk on medium heat.
• Once the milk starts boiling, take a tablespoon of milk and soak a small portion of saffron strands into the hot milk. Soak the saffron strands for 10 mins. 
• After 10 mins, when the saffron strands get soft, mash the strands with your fingertips. And mix the mashed saffron strands with the milk.
• This method will help to get an intense colour from saffron. 
• Add the saffron-soaked milk into the boiling milk, mix it well and keep boiling the milk.
• Boil the milk with continuous stirring until the milk gets thick and turned into creamy yellow rabri or mawa.
• Then turn off the heat and completely cool down the rabri or mawa by occasionally stirring.
• Once mawa is at room temperature, then mix 1/2 cup of powdered sugar (plain sugar simply ground in a blender).
• Then mix with 10-12 freshly ground green cardamom (elaichi) powder with the mawa mixture.
• Lastly, mix 1 tsp of ghee with the mixture. 
• Now grease your palm with slight ghee and form the peda with your desired shape. If, seems the peda dough is too soft and hard to shape up. Then keep the peda mixture in the refrigerator for 10 -15 mins before giving it a shape. 
• Kesar Peda is ready, garnish this sweet with pistachio sleeves and saffron strands (though garnishing is optional).
• Serve this dessert to your family and friends to celebrate this festive season.

How to make Kesar Peda recipe with step by step pictures

Mix Milk powder with Milk

1. First, take 1 cup (250 ml) of milk from the 1-litre milk and mix it with milk powder. Stir well to keep the mix lump free.

2. Then Mix the “milk powder mixed milk” with the rest of the milk. 

Boil the milk (mix with milk powder)

3. Start boiling the milk on medium heat.

Make saffron-soaked milk

4. Once the milk starts boiling, take a tablespoon of milk and soak a small portion of saffron strands into the hot milk. Soak the saffron strands for 10 mins. 

5. After 10 mins, when the saffron strands get soft, mash the strands with your fingertips. And mix the mashed saffron strands with the milk.

6. This method will help to get an intense colour from saffron. As shown in the picture below.

Mix Saffron soaked milk in boiling milk

7. Add the saffron-soaked milk into the milk , mix it well and keep boiling the milk.

Make a Kesar Colour Mawa

8. Boil the milk with continuous stirring until the milk gets thick and turned into creamy yellow rabri or mawa. As shown in the pic below.

9. Then turn off the heat and completely cool down the rabri or mawa by occasionally stirring.

Mix powdered sugar with mawa

10. Once mawa is at room temperature, then mix 1/2 cup of powdered sugar (plain sugar simply ground in a blender).

Add Cardamom Powder in Mawa

11. Then mix with 10-12 freshly ground green cardamom (elaichi) powder with the mawa mixture.

Add Ghee

12. Lastly, mix 1 tsp of ghee with the mixture. 

To Form Kesar Peda

13. Now grease your palm with slight ghee and form the peda with your desired shape.

If seems the peda dough is too soft and hard to shape up. Then keep the peda mixture in the refrigerator for 10 -15 mins before giving it a shape. 

14. Kesar Peda is ready, garnish this sweet with pistachio sleeves and saffron strands (though garnishing is optional).

15. Serve this dessert to your family and friends to celebrate this festive season.