Kesar Peda recipe – with Milk and Milk Powder

Kesar Peda recipe – Kesar peda is a kesar(saffron) flavoured classic Indian khoya or mawa sweet. I made this peda using kesar strands, full cream milk, milk powder, powdered sugar, cardamom powder, ghee and garnished with pistachios on top to make it ready. This saffron sweet or dessert is absolutely mouthwatering and perfect for every traditional Indian festival, especially Holi, Diwali or Raksha Bandhan, very easy to make at home.

What is kesar peda?

The word “Kesar” means “saffron” in English, and “Peda” is a “milk made (mainly mawa or khoya made) sweet” that comes from a traditional North Indian cuisine. However, here I use no khoya or mawa or no condensed milk or no cream or no food colour, instead I directly made this sweet with milk.

For making this kesar peda, I used original saffron strands; however, you can use saffron essence and food-grade saffron colour instead. Try to use full-cream milk or just mix a small portion of milk powder or condensed milk with the milk to get a good amount of soft khoya or mawa. Only soft and creamy khoya helps to make super tasty and best kesar peda, also easily melts in your mouth. 

I make this peda by first boiling the milk with milk powder and saffron strands(soaked in milk). Boil the milk until the milk reduces and the milk turns saffron yellow-coloured, soft and creamy homemade khoya or mawa. After cooling down, mix up the khoya with powdered sugar, freshly ground green cardamom powder, a little ghee and form the shape of peda. Lastly, garnish this peda with pistachios on top. So simple, right?

I often prepare kesar peda at home; however, when not able to make sometimes I love to bring it from my favourite Kartik sweets (in Bangalore) to satisfy my cravings. 

For me, homemade food is always the best option. Again, it is not always possible to make at home. Either you can make this sweet at home by following my easy steps. Or, you can just bring it from your favourite sweet shops or order it online. Do anything to cheer this festive mood.

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 more Indian Sweet recipes for Holi then click the link below –

Doodh Peda or Milk Peda recipe

Mathura Peda recipe

Rabri recipe

Kalakand recipe

How to make Kesar Peda with step by step pictures

Mix Milk powder with Milk

1. For making this sweet, first, take 1 cup (250 ml) of milk from the 1-litre milk and mix the milk with the milk powder. Stir well to keep the mix lump-free.

2. Then mix the “milk powder mixed milk” with the rest of the milk, kept in the pan. 

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 minutes. 

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

6. This saffron strands mashing method will help you 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 turns 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. For fast cooling, stir it again and again.

If mawa is still runny after cooling, then cook it slightly more, about 7-8 minutes on low heat and turn off the heat. Again, completely cool it down.

Mix powdered sugar with mawa

10. Once mawa is at room temperature(completely cooled down) and leaves the pan while stirring, 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 a slight ghee and form the peda with your desired shape.

If it seems the peda mixture is too soft and hard to give a shape. Then keep the mixture in the refrigerator, leave it for 10 -15 minutes. When the mixture becomes a dough, soft but not stick to the hands means the mixture is ready to form peda.

15. First, divide the dough into so many small lemon size parts. Then roll them round by keeping them between your hands to make the peda shape.

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

15. Serve this sweet to your family and friends and celebrate this festive season. Enjoy!