Kesar Shrikhand

An easy to make Indian dessert; this Kesar Shrikhand is made using Greek yogurt, sugar, saffron and nuts.

Silky smooth, sweet and full of flavor; Shrikhand is great to make for festivals!

Indian festivals are spread throughout the calendar and it is amazing that we get to celebrate them with so much food and decor.

While sweets are common to all the festivals and celebrations; there are some festivals that have their signature dishes. Like Satam has Kuler Ladoo, Dusshera has Jalebi and Sankranti has Chikki.

In the same way Gudi Padwa is associated with Shrikhand. The festival marks the New Year for Maharashtrians and the popular dishes for the celebration includes Shrikhand, Puri, Puran Poli and Masale Bhaat.

Whether you make plain Shrikhand or something full of nuts, saffron or rose, it is always a part of the feast on Gudi Padwa. We totally enjoy this Kesar Shrikhand throughout the year!

Jump to:

• Why this recipe works
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Expert Tips and Notes
• Recipe FAQs
• More Indian desserts to try
• Kesar Shrikhand

What is Shrikhand?

Shrikhand is an Indian sweet made using hung yogurt. A super delicious dessert; this is popular for weddings and other celebrations in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The prime ingredients in the dessert includes Greek yogurt, sugar, saffron and nuts.

Kesar Shrikhand is great as either a side-dish with poori (usually khaaja poori, which is a savory fried flaky bread) or as a dessert. 

It is popular as part of a vegetarian thali in Gujarati restaurants too. It is often served chilled as a counterpoint to hot and spicy curries.

Using Greek Yogurt to make Shrikhand

As mentioned above, the traditional method is pretty long. First making the yogurt, then straining it for close to 36-48 hours and adding in flavors. 

This recipe is for a quick version using Greek Yogurt. The time required to make it into chakka reduces to 8-10 hours max. However, this step can also be skipped to get a slightly flowy shrikhand.

Greek Yogurt is thick strained yogurt available in stores. The plain version works great for the recipe.

Why this recipe works

• We start with Greek Yogurt so half the work is done. We only strain the yogurt overnight to get the most thick and delicious result. With regular yogurt this would take three times as long.
• The recipe is super versatile. It works with saffron or with fruits and nuts. Adding some rose syrup and pistachios is a great idea too. Pick and choose the flavors as you like.
• Greek Yogurt is not as sour as some regular yogurt brands. So we add much lesser sugar than the regular ones. And yet it tastes really nice.
• We can make Kesar Shrikhand in advance for any festival or occasion. Store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• The recipe is easy to scale. It works with just one cup of yogurt to a couple tubs. The time required to strain it varies. Everything else remains same.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Greek Yogurt: The starting point of Shrikhand is definitely yogurt. I like to use Greek Yogurt as it yields a thick and creamy Shrikhand in a shorter time. Regular yogurt works too. It needs more time to strain to a thick chakka consistency.
• Sugar: We sweeten the Shrikhand with sugar. Regular or brown will work; just the color will vary based on what you use. Use powder sugar for a quick version. The whole sugar will take some time to melt completely. However, both work.
• Saffron: As we are making Kesar Shrikhand, we use saffron. A fat pinch yields the best color, fragrance and flavor. Do not skip this in the recipe.
• Cardamom: Another ingredient for flavor and fragrance, cardamom adds a lot of nuttiness to the recipe. Unless you cannot find it, do not skip it. Nutmeg works as well.
• Nuts: I like to get some texture in the Shrikhand by using finely chopped nuts. Almonds and pistachios work the best. Cashews are less popular in Shrikhand.
• Moreover, adding Charodi (Almondette), rose petals and various fruits works well too. They all taste great with the sugar and yogurt.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

1- Line a strainer with a muslin cloth. Place it on a bowl.

2- Add the yogurt to the muslin cloth. Ensure it does not spread all the way to the sides.

3- Knot the muslin cloth.

4- Either place a heavy weight like mortar pestle on it or hang the cloth at a height to let the water seep out of the muslin cloth.

5- Let the yogurt strain for 5-6 hours or overnight. The excess water (whey) will collect in the bowl and we get a thick 'chakka'.

Pro Tip: Do not discard the whey. It is very nutritious and is great for curries, paratha dough etc.

6- Transfer the thick yogurt to a bowl.

7- Add sugar to the yogurt and mix well.

8- Add saffron and warm milk to a bowl. Let them stand till the milk is yellow in color.

9- Transfer the saffron milk into the yogurt and add cardamom.

10- Mix well and chill for a couple hours. Remove from the refrigerator and serve topped with chopped almonds and pistachios.

Pro Tip: Transfer the mix to the Kitchen Aid and whip using a ballon whisk. It combines well and turns lump-free in minutes.

Expert Tips and Notes

• Using powdered sugar makes the Shrikhand quickly as it melts easily and the shrikhand can be made in a matter of minutes!
• Make sure the yogurt is not very old. Yogurt has a tendency to become sour over time. If it is old, it might be sour; needing a lot of sugar. 
• The saffron added to the yogurt is first crushed a little using the mortar and pestle and added to some milk. Let it stand for a while to get a great color from the strands. 
• Adding saffron directly to the yogurt will not bring out any color at all. It will only remain as strands in the yogurt. 
• Cardamom is great in the recipe. It has a characteristic flavor that goes very well with Indian sweets. Do not skip or skimp on that. A fat pinch is great to flavor the yogurt! 
• Serve the shrikhand cold with piping hot puris (fried wheat flour breads) and dry potato sabji. It is the greatest combination ever! 
• Mix the Shrikhand in the Kitchen aid using the balloon whisk. That way it combines well and turns lump free and smooth in minutes.

Recipe FAQs

Variations

• A popular variation of shrikhand in Maharashtra is Amrakhand (आम्रखंड); shrikhand with mango pulp. Add some mango (frozen or fresh) to the yogurt and add nuts if desired.
• Another variant of shrikhand, Matho (મઠો), is served as a sweet dish or dessert particularly in Gujarati cuisine. This is a pretty thick version with cardamom and charodi.
• Want to skip the sugar step? Buy some Greek yogurt with honey in it. You only need to add some cardamom, saffron and nuts! Adding some honey to regular yogurt works too.

More Indian desserts to try

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