I love hanging out in a cozy cafe with my journal, sipping a satisfying, hot drink. Often if Golden Milk is on the menu and I always have an impulse to order it. Mostly it comes pre-powdered or in a box and it makes me grumpy when I think, ” I could have made that so much better at home.” Truth be known, I am a Golden Milk snob! 🙂
There are indeed 100 ways to make golden milk. I don’t think I’ve seen one turmeric milk recipe that is the same.
That’s right, herbalism is a folk art. Just like making smoothies or pies, everyone has their own little special trick or way that they do it. Or maybe you just do whatever you feel like and never make it the same way twice!
Well, here you have it, my favorite turmeric milk recipe that has benefits for immunity, inflammation, sleep, and more. Here’s my take on this incredibly popular, delicious, and nourishing drink. And yes, using your most beautiful tea pot is part of the medicine!
What kind of milk can I mix with turmeric?
I like to start with 1 cup of milk — whatever milk works for you. You can use any milk that works for you. Cows milk, almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, rice milk. Whatever milk you like the best. When I have extra time I make homemade cashew or sunflower seed milk
How much turmeric or other spices should I put in my milk?
For 1 cup of milk, I use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder.
We add other healing spices as well, such as cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The proportions I like are in the recipe card.
This particular recipe has nutmeg in it. I put the nutmeg in when I drink it in the evening, it is great for calming the nervous system and helping you to wind down. If I am drinking this during the day, I skip the nutmeg.
Hot tip: Purchase whole nutmeg seed instead of the powder. Get yourself a nutmeg grater and grate the seed yourself.
How long should I cook turmeric in milk?
For this tea, you bring it to a boil and then turn it down right after it froths up. You don’t want to burn the milk, but you want to let it froth up, and then turn it down to the lowest temperature and let it simmer.
Just gently simmer for 1 or 2 minutes and allow the spices to blend with the milk.
This is the point where you add in your fat, such as coconut oil or ghee. It can be very, very nourishing, calming and grounding for the nervous system. Plus, it makes it really thick and super yummy.
How to serve turmeric milk?
Next, strain everything into your tea cup.
If you’d like to add a little honey, wait until it cools a little and add your honey , or you could add a little bit of maple syrup if you would like to sweeten it.
Oh, this is so good! Yum!
There you have it, my favorite version of turmeric milk elixir, also known as golden milk.
Benefits of turmeric and medicinal uses
Turmeric has many medicinal benefits, including the ability to enhance immunity. It is full of antioxidants like vitamins C and E that support the immune system.
Turmeric also supports liver health and promotes the digestion of fats. It can help you digest protein and fat and absorb minerals more efficiently.
This spice also has a long history of being used for arthritis pain and has been clinically proven to reduce inflammation.
Turmeric has a high ORAC score which measures the antioxidant level of constituents in foods. Eating and drinking turmeric provides powerful antioxidants to help support the excessive oxidation and free radical damage that happens with exposure to chemicals in our food, water, air and body care products.
Turmeric Milk Elixir
Ingredients
- 1 cup of milk (cow, rice, almond, coconut, whatever your preferred milk is)
- ¼ to ½ tsp of turmeric powder
- ⅛ tsp of cardamom powder
- ⅛ tsp of cinnamon powder
- pinch of nutmeg powder
- 1 tsp of coconut oil or ghee
- 1 tsp of honey or sweetener of choice
- Dash of black pepper
Instructions
- Put milk and spices into a pot and bring to a boil
- Reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes
- Stay next to the pot, you want the milk to simmer, but not burn
- Turn off heat and stir in coconut oil or ghee
- Strain into a cup and add sweetener if needed
- Drink right after making
Thank you for sharing your reciepe <3
You are welcome, enjoy!
Can this recipe be made in a larger batch, and just reheating what you want each evening? Or must it be made fresh each night?
I personally like to make it fresh, mainly because of the milk.
You could make a larger batch with just water, and it would last in fridge for a couple of days and when you go to reheat a portion, you could froth some milk in then.
Great idea! Thanks
This is The most old recipe and we use this from generations.Each time family member has cold or flu symptoms or in winter time everyone gets a cup before go to bed. We always do with ghee though.
I use whole fat cow milk. Isn’t the fat already in there?
Yes, if you use whole fat cow’s milk, you’ve already got some fat.
I recently saw a video about needing to add black pepper to turmeric so that it can be used in our body AND that adding fenugreek helps the black pepper do its job as well. Of course these extras all make it more delicious…hooray!
I love your recipe for chai honey and was wondering if making golden milk honey would work the same way?
All my recipes are meant to be played with, so give it a go. Let me know how it goes!
I make something very similar to this (honey combined with the herbs in this recipe) and it works quite well as an “instant” golden milk. I add ashwagandha and maca as well! Definitely give it a go!
I use raw cow’s milk for golden milk, so to keep it alive, I warm it only enough to blend the spices and feel cozy.
The other way I use turmeric is with chilled homegrown kefir, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel, cacao nibs and maple syrup. Both drinks are yummy and restorative.
For the Cardomon, i only have full seeds, not ground. Should I use 1 seed or should I grind it in a mortar?
Grinding them a bit releases the flavor
For me it’s got to have fresh ginger root added for the extra yum and benefits of ginger . Golden milk is a Wonderful part of night time self-care ritual. Thank you for sharing
May we use Oat Milk?
Yes, use the milk that best suits you
Making later but this sounds amazing…
If I use fresh grated turmeric instead of powdered, how much should I use?
About twice as much fresh as dried/powdered.
Instead of using the powder, can you use cardamom and cinnamon essential oils?
Hi Diana,
essential oils are an entirely different study and body of knowledge, so no I wouldn’t trade the powdered herb for essential oils
I LOVE Golden Milk. I make mine with coconut milk and it’s fantastic before bed, especially during cold Minnesota winters!