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Home » Vegan Lebanese Recipes

Sahlab Sweet Middle Eastern Milk Drink

Published: Aug 8, 2024 · Modified: Aug 19, 2024 by Janelle Hama *This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure

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The beloved sweet Middle Eastern milk drink called Sahlab. An inviting winter warmer of choice across the Middle East.

three glasses filled with sahlab, thick milk drink topped with pistachio, cinnamon or coconut
Sahlab can be made with full fat milk or dairy free milk

What is Sahlab Drink?

The Arabic word “sahlab” refers to the powdered tuber of the orchid genus Orchis, used as a thickening agent in various Middle Eastern desserts and beverages.

Sahlab is a popular warm sweet Middle Eastern milk elixir, enjoyed on wintry days. Introduced to the Middle East and nearby countries by the Ottoman Empire.

Due to its thickened consistency, it can be felt warming your insides making it the perfect winter warmer. I love cupping my hands around a cup of sahlab which then also warms me on the outside.

It is relished like any other hot beverage and usually adorned with toppings which I mention in the next section. Some people like to dunk their favorite cookies into it, such as sweetened breadsticks called kaak.

The taste of sahlab reminds me of haytaliye if it were warm, and also muhallabia, which are both milk puddings.

About The Ingredients

bowls of milk, white cornstarch, maple syrup, 3 mastic pearls and cinnamon
I like to make mine a little healthier, but I explain below the original ingredients

Traditionally sahlab is made with full-fat milk, I have chosen to use almond milk, but any dairy-free version will work too, although the color may change slightly.

The milk is thickened with corn starch (corn flour Aus) which creates a luscious thick sippable consistency. The ratio of milk to starch is 4:1.

White sugar is the typical sweetener, however, I have used maple syrup, and the amount of sweetness can be adjusted, I have found one tablespoon per cup of dairy-free milk to be sufficient.

Mastic is a resin derived from the mastic tree. It has a mild pine-like flavor and is best used in its pearl-like shape which will be ground before using in this recipe. Mastic can be found at your local Middle Eastern / Mediterranean grocer or purchase it here .

Rose water and or orange blossom water is added at the end, for flavoring. You can opt to use both or one. A little goes a long way with either of these which can be found at your local Middle Eastern grocer or you can purchase these here (my preferred brand). I also use this to make riz bi haleeb.

Optional - Sahlab powder (/salep سَحْلَب) is the flour made from Orchis mascula and Orchis militaris (orchids). This is the traditional ingredient of this Middle Eastern sweetened milk drink, however, due to its scarcity and cost, it is now often omitted.

For this specific recipe, I have left it out, however, if you were to use it, it would be 1 tablespoon per liter (⅓ fl. oz) of milk.

Sahlab powder gives this drink the most luxurious hint of stretchiness and a slight floral taste. If using this ingredient, you can leave the other flower water out. You can purchase it here.

a mal hand holding a glass of thickened milk topped with crushed pistachio
My family and I love warming our hands on a cup of sahlab

Topping Suggestions

Some popular toppings are cinnamon powder, desiccated coconut, and crushed pistachio.

You could even try it with sultanas or dried rose petals.

top down view of cups filled with a thick milk drink with a backgammon board in the background

Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.

Recipe

three glasses of thick milk drink topped with pistachio, cinnamon or coconut

Sahlab Sweet Middle Eastern Milk Drink

The beloved sweet Middle Eastern milk drink called Sahlab. An inviting winter warmer of choice across the Middle East.
Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved Recipe
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

  • 4 cups Milk dairy free, room temperature or cold
  • 4 tablespoons Cornstarch
  • 4 tablespoons Maple Syrup
  • 8 grains Mastic optional, must be ground
  • ¼ teaspoon Orange blossom water
  • ¼ teaspoon Rose water
  • 1 pinch Cinnamon garnish
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Instructions

  • In a small pot, whisk the dairy free milk with the cornstarch until fully dissolved. Then place on the pot on medium heat, add the ground mastic and maple syrup and whisk continuously until a pourable thickened consistency has been achieved. The milk should just start bubbling gently. See note #1
  • Pour into serving cups, garnish with cinnamon or top as desired (see above topping suggestions in article). Serve warm.

Video


Notes

#1 - When heating and whisking the sahlab it will go through the initial stage of thickening (slightly thicker than the original consistency) keep whisking until it thickens further. It should still be pourable. Avoid a hard boil - this will change the consistency completely.
Make sure the milk is either at room temperature or cold when whisking through the cornstarch, this will ensure there are no lumps.
Mastic, rose water and orange blossom are highly recommended. I have linked up where to purchase these from online in the above article. Vanilla can also be used albeit not a traditional flavoring. 
Sahlab is traditionally made with sahlab powder, read about this above in the post.
You might also like this spiced rice pudding.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 411mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 323mg | Iron: 0.1mg

N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.


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Reader Interactions

Comments

    4.98 from 44 votes (41 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Leigh

    March 09, 2023 at 2:25 pm

    5 stars
    I am hooked. It's freezing here in Alaska atm, great weather for it. I love your recipes! ❤️❤️

    Reply
  2. Angelina

    January 22, 2023 at 12:13 pm

    5 stars
    My husband and I enjoyed a cup each whilst we were curled up by the fire place. We love the cinnamon touch

    Reply
  3. Janet

    January 19, 2023 at 3:33 pm

    5 stars
    Oh yum! Saw someone commented in the facebook group about it being warming so i made it (without the mastic) it was really good. It really is warming, perfect for our cold winters here is Canada.

    Reply

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