Dates and Gulkand Lassi

A refreshing lassi recipe with gulkand/rose petal preserve sweetened with dates! This four-ingredient sweet lassi recipe is easy to make, and it’s delicious for sure, even if I say so myself.

We love lassi, especially with our brunch. If I make paratha for our brunch, we always finish it with a glass of lassi. This lassi is perfect irrespective of the season and perfect for festive meals. You can call this dates and rose lassi as it has the refreshing flavors of rose, thanks to the gulkand, which is nothing but rose preserve. 

Jump to:

• Different types of lassi
• Ingredients required
• How to make dates and gulkand lassi
• Recipe notes
• Variations
• Substitutions
• VVK Tips
• Serving suggestions & yield
• Explore more rose-flavored recipes from my blog
• 📖 Recipe

Different types of lassi

Lassi – this yogurt-based drink is quite popular across the Indian subcontinent, and you can find this on most the restaurant menus. The traditional sweet lassi is simply a blend of yogurt, water, and sugar and the namkeen or salt lassi is a blend of yogurt, water, salt, and some spices. But over time, fruit-based lassi has become quite popular, especially mango lassi. 

I have shared mango lassi, avocado lassi, rose lassi with lychee, and savory and spicy lassi. Check them out, and let’s get straight into the dates and gulkand lassi recipe details. 

Ingredients required

We only need four main ingredients and optionally dried rose petals to garnish. 

Yogurt – I went with store-bought whole milk yogurt for this recipe. I have tried lassi with reduced-fat yogurt, but I haven’t tried fat-free yogurt. Also, Greek yogurt works well too.

Dates – I used dates to sweeten this yogurt. Adjust the dates measure to taste.

Gulkand or rose petal preserve/jam – The refreshing flavor comes from this gulkand or the rose petal preserve. You can find this in Indian groceries or online groceries as well. I have used this gulkand for my paan cake as well. Please refer to notes for variations if you can’t source gulkand. 

Water – I usually don’t add milk to my lassi, and to thin down the drink, I opt for water, which I have done here as well.

Dried rose petals – This is an optional ingredient used for garnishing. 

How to make dates and gulkand lassi

Soaking the dates – 

• I used seeded dates and soaked the dates in warm water for 20 minutes. Then I removed the seeds and chopped them into small pieces. If you use deseeded and soft ones, you can skip this soaking step. Make sure to chop or tear the dates into pieces so that it doesn’t get stuck in the blender blades. 

Blend and make lassi –

• Add the chopped dates, gulkand, yogurt, and ¼ cup of water to a blender.
• Blend it thoroughly. I used my Blendtec and used the smoothie setting.
• Now check the consistency and, if required, add ¼ more cup of water and blend it again. 
• Transfer it to glasses, garnish it with dried rose petals, and serve right away.

Recipe notes

• Adjust the amount of water as per your consistency preference. Do not add more water and make the lassi thin.
• Gulkand or the rose jam contains sugar too. But the amount varies by brand. Adjust the dates and gulkand amount accordingly and to taste. 

Variations

• As I mentioned above, this is more like rose lassi. You can reduce the gulkand amount and add a tbsp of rose syrup to get that pink color. Do not go overboard with gulkand and rose syrup, as the rose flavor might become too overpowering. Alternatively, you can use the same measure of gulkand and use pink food color. 

Substitutions

• You can use plant-based yogurt instead of dairy yogurt for a vegan version. So far, I have tried lassi recipes only with coconut yogurt and cashew yogurt. Check my vegan mango lassi recipe for the vegan version. 
• If you can’t source gulkand, you can use store-bought rose syrup, roohafza, or rose essence. The flavor differs slightly, but the rose syrup is an excellent alternative. 

VVK Tips

• Chop or tear the dates roughly so that it doesn’t get stuck in the blender blades. Soaking helps to soften the dates, which helps in smooth blending.
• Also, if you are storing gulkand in the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature if possible. Room temperature gulkand is comparatively soft and makes the blending process easy. If you use cold ones, you must use a powerful blender or pulse them first and blend a little longer. 
• Do not go overboard with gulkand. Start with the said measure, and if needed, add more in ½ tbsp increment. 

Serving suggestions & yield

Enjoy the lassi immediately or chill them and serve. But if you are making the lassi for parties or potlucks, you can make them ahead and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Before serving, use a hand blender or hand whisk to mix well. 

I don’t add ice cubes to my lassi. If using, add them before serving.

The below measure yields a little over 500ml of lassi, approx 520ml.

Explore more rose-flavored recipes from my blog

PS:  If you try dates and gulkand lassi, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it ASAP. Follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.

📖 Recipe