Summer dessert drink · Layered

Falooda Recipe (Pakistani Rose Milk with Kulfi)

Soak basil seeds. Chill everything. Layer, do not mix.

Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchen

Falooda is the tall Pakistani summer dessert of rose milk, soft noodles, swollen basil seeds, jelly and kulfi. It turns lukewarm and messy when the parts are not chilled and layered. The fix is soaking basil seeds ahead, chilling the milk and noodles, and building the glass in layers right before serving.

Prep20m

Cook10m

Servings4

kcal / serving380

LevelEasy

Jump to the method

The 3 laws of falooda

Why this recipe works

Soak tukh malanga

Dry seeds

They swell into jelly-like pearls.

Ice cold milk

Room temperature

Refreshing and keeps kulfi firm.

Layer

Stir together

The look and texture.

Shopping and prep list

Ingredients

Servings

Tap items as you gather them · 0 of 0 ready

Falooda

full fat milk, sweetened and chilled
rose syrup (Rooh Afza)
basil seeds (tukh malanga), soaked in water 20 minutes
falooda or thin cornflour noodles, boiled and chilled
cubed jelly
kulfi or vanilla ice cream
Chopped pistachios

The NineFoods falooda gauge

Is it ready to build?

Check each part.

Tap a stage to see what to do.

Method · 2 stages

Step by step

Prepare

Medium · 10 min

Boil noodles, rinse cold; soak basil seeds; chill milk.

Look for: cold parts.

10:00

Layer

No heat · 5 min

Add rose syrup, seeds, noodles and jelly to a tall glass.
Pour cold milk, top with kulfi and pistachios. Use the gauge above.

Look for: layered falooda.

05:00

Chef's troubleshooter

What went wrong? Pick the symptom

Why

Parts not chilled.

Fix next time

Chill everything.

Why

Not soaked.

Fix next time

Soak 20 minutes.

Why

Not rinsed.

Fix next time

Rinse in cold water.

Why

Extra syrup.

Fix next time

Use 1 tbsp syrup per glass.

Swap smart

Ingredient roles and substitutes

Ingredient	Job in the dish	Swap with
Kulfi	Topping	Vanilla ice cream
Rooh Afza	Rose syrup	Any rose syrup
Falooda noodles	Texture	Thin rice vermicelli
Basil seeds	Texture	Chia seeds

After the meal

Serve, store, reheat

Serve with

On its own as a dessert drink.

Store

Assemble fresh; keep parts chilled 2 days.

Reheat

Serve cold.

How we tested this recipe

Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio

Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.

Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 4 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
Every one of the 2 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
The doneness check (is it ready to build) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.

Read our full testing process

Keep cooking

Related recipes and guides

All dessert recipes Sugar Syrup Stages for Mithai How to Make Khoya How to Make Ghee at Home

Quick answers

Falooda FAQ

What is in falooda?

Rose milk, noodles, basil seeds, jelly and kulfi.

Is falooda a drink or dessert?

Both; it is eaten with a spoon and a straw.

What are tukh malanga?

Sweet basil seeds that swell in water.

Can I use chia seeds?

Yes, they are a close substitute.