You may have seen golden milk, or turmeric milk, listed on your coffee shop’s menu. As a dietitian, golden milk is one of my favorite healthy drinks to warm you up and support your overall health. Packed with turmeric powder, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper, golden milk is full of antioxidants and nutrients to support wellness from the inside out.
Fortunately, this delicious drink is easy to make at home—you only need a few simple ingredients that are likely already in your spice cabinet. In this article, I’ll teach you how to make a delicious turmeric golden milk latte and why you’ll want this tasty beverage in your evening ritual.
And if you’re crunched for time, or simply want a convenient, pre-mixed golden milk powder, I’ll also share why I highly recommend Live it Up Golden Hour.
What Is Golden Milk?
Golden turmeric milk is a traditional Ayurvedic drink that has been around for centuries. Ayurvedic cooking began in India and uses herbs, spices, and other health foods to support mental and physical balance. Authentic golden milk in particular blends turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper with milk. Thanks to its delicious taste and purported health benefits, this delicious beverage has seen a surge in popularity in recent years.
Golden Milk Health Benefits
Nutrient-rich ingredients like turmeric powder, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper give golden milk a range of health benefits. In particular, turmeric, ginger, and ashwagandha are packed with antioxidants and nutrients to help with inflammation, making golden milk great for supporting overall health, sleep, and longevity.
Other possible health benefits of golden milk include:
- Aiding inflammation
- Contributing to a healthy immune response
- Supporting mood and stress management
- Gut health
- Supporting bone health
- Overall wellness
Key Ingredients for Golden Milk: What You’ll Need
You can easily make golden milk from scratch. To make a delicious golden milk latte for one, you’ll need these key ingredients:
- 1 cup milk (dairy or plant-based)
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric (although you can use fresh turmeric root, turmeric powder is easier to find in most grocery stores and prepare)
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger (or fresh ginger root)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon (or 1 stick that you simmer in the milk)
- A pinch of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweetener (or to taste)
Milk
This recipe uses milk as the base of your golden milk latte, so make sure you choose one you like! Opt for your favorite dairy milk or any plant-based alternative, such as:
- Oat milk
- Soy milk
- Almond milk
- Coconut milk
Milk also enriches the drink’s nutrient profile, offering calcium, vitamin D, vitamin A, potassium, and magnesium. These nutrients make milk great for supporting bone and joint health and sleep.
Ground Turmeric Powder
Although you can use fresh turmeric root, ground turmeric is easy to find in most grocery stores and makes your golden milk recipe easy to prepare. This Ayurvedic spice is what gives golden milk its characteristic golden yellow color, but use caution when mixing this drink since turmeric stains easily!
This spice offers many vitamins, minerals, and potent antioxidants for your health. Some potential benefits of turmeric include:
- Mood and stress management, thanks to turmeric’s active compound, curcumin
- Cognitive support and brain function due to turmeric’s antioxidant properties
- Sleep aid
- Help with inflammation
Ginger
Like turmeric, ginger is essential to the overall flavor of golden milk. You only need a little bit of it to get the bright, spicy flavor that balances the drink’s other warming spices.
Ginger also imparts nutrients, including vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, vitamin B6, and, most importantly, gingerol. Thanks to gingerol, a compound unique to ginger, this ingredient may support:
- Healthy digestion
- Your body’s response to inflammation and soreness
- Help with nausea and headaches
- Skin health and elasticity
- Nutrient absorption
Cinnamon
This well-known spice gives golden milk a gentle, warming flavor. You’ll only need a pinch to taste! Like turmeric and ginger, cinnamon is packed with antioxidants, giving some amazing potential health benefits, such as supporting cognitive function, targeting occasional bloating and digestion, and healing cellular damage from oxidative stress.
Black Pepper
A little bit of black pepper gives your golden milk latte a spicy kick! Black pepper is wonderful for adding flavor, but it also offers digestive support and antioxidant properties.
Perhaps more importantly, this spice helps the body to better absorb the nutrients found in turmeric, allowing your body to get more potential support from your golden milk. Experts also suggest that black pepper’s bacteria-targeting properties support a strong immune response.
Sweetener
To round out your golden milk latte, you’ll need a sweetener. Some of my favorite sweeteners for this golden milk recipe include:
- A homemade simple syrup made with cane sugar
- Maple syrup or honey
- Agave syrup
- Monk fruit
I often use monk fruit to avoid both added sugars and the aggressive aftertaste of stevia. Research also shows that monk fruit provides the body with antioxidants and can help support a healthy gut microbiome. However, feel free to sub your preferred sweetener.
Optional Ingredients
If you're feeling fancy, consider adding these optional ingredients to your golden milk recipe:
- Spices like nutmeg, cardamom, and saffron to add to the drink's flavor and add more mood-supporting nutrients
- A splash of vanilla extract to enhance the drink's cozy flavors
- A pinch of sea salt to boost the overall flavor profile and provide your body with essential minerals
How to Make a Golden Milk Latte
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, it’s time to make your golden milk latte:
- Warm the milk: In a small saucepan, heat one cup of milk on your stovetop over medium heat; warm until it is hot but not boiling. Stir frequently to prevent burning the milk.
- Add the spices: Whisk in the turmeric powder, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper until fully combined.
- Sweeten: Stir in the sweetener of your choice, and whisk until dissolved.
- Froth (optional): Use a milk frother or blender to make the latte light and foamy.
- Serve: Pour into your favorite mug and sprinkle a little cinnamon on top. Enjoy warm!
Tips and Suggestions for the Perfect Drink
If you love turmeric milk, making it at home is a great way to customize it to your preferences. Prefer it spicier? Add more ginger. Prefer it sweeter? Try adding a homemade vanilla syrup. Play around with the recipe until you find the perfect blend for you!
Some easy ideas to customize your golden milk latte:
- Try different milks, especially if you’re dairy-free. Oat milk, soy milk, nut milk, and coconut milk are some great options to get your started!
- For an extra creamy drink, blend a half teaspoon of coconut oil in at the end for extra creaminess.
- Prefer your drinks iced? Make an iced golden milk latte! Follow steps 1-4. Fill a glass with ice and pour over the warm mixture. Enjoy!
- Make matcha golden milk for a gentle caffeine boost. Simply add a ½ teaspoon of matcha powder along with the spices.
- Up your protein intake by adding protein powder to your golden milk latte. Simply add the spices and milk to a blend with a single serving of protein powder.
- Swap monk fruit or stevia for a flavored simple syrup, such as a vanilla, hazelnut, or cardamom simple syrup. This is a great way to add other flavors to your latte.
- Try a pre-made mix of golden milk powder for an easy, convenient solution!
For me, a golden milk latte has become a regular part of my evening routine, and reaching for my bag of Live it Up Golden Hour makes it easier to enjoy some of the many health benefits turmeric milk has to offer.
Common Mistakes
Golden milk lattes are easy to make, but there are some common pitfalls to avoid. Keep these common mistakes in mind to ensure your latte comes out delicious and well-spiced every time:
- Avoid using too much turmeric powder, which may lead to bitterness. Instead, start with moderate amounts and add more if the flavor is lacking. Alternatively, add a small pinch of sea salt to bring out the flavor.
- Too much black pepper may overpower the drink’s warming flavors. Start small, keeping the black pepper to a small pinch. If you love it, add more little by little to taste.
- Overheating milk can affect texture and flavor. When heating milk on a stovetop, keep the heat to medium-low and watch it carefully. You’re looking for a gentle simmer, not a boil. Stir it frequently, scraping along the sides and bottoms of the saucepan to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- Add the sweetener at the very end of the process, once you’ve taken the pan off the heat. Adding the sweetener too early can lead to it burning or crystallizing.
Why Try Live it Up Golden Hour
Life gets busy and stressful, which is why I always have a pouch of Live it Up Golden Hour available in my pantry. This superfood powder offers a more convenient, delicious, and nutritious alternative to homemade golden milk powders. Simply mix with water or milk of your choice, and enjoy a warm cup of this soothing drink!
Aside from the convenience, I love that Golden Hour contains a clinically-backed dose of ashwagandha to support relaxation and mood. My packed days with family and clients often leave me feeling tired and stressed at the end of the day, but Golden Hour helps me unwind and relax!
Alongside ashwagandha and the key staples of any golden milk recipe, Golden Hour also contains a unique blend of ingredients; you’ll also find coconut milk powder for creaminess, nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla, peppermint, and saffron that’s all lightly sweetened with monk fruit and honey for a cozy flavor.
If you’re looking for a simple, delicious way to help you feel relaxed and focused, I highly encourage you to give Live it Up Golden Hour a try! At $1.33 per serving, Golden Hour is an easy, affordable, and tasty way to support your overall health.
FAQs about Golden Milk Recipes
Still have questions about golden milk? Find the answers to your frequently asked questions below.
What are the ingredients in golden milk?
Authentic golden milk traditionally contains milk, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, sweetener, and black pepper. Some blends also use cardamom, nutmeg, coconut oil, sea salt, or saffron for added flavor. Live it Up Golden Hour features ashwagandha in addition to these warming spices to promote restfulness and mental wellness.
Can golden milk help with sleep?
Yes, golden milk (turmeric milk) can help with sleep thanks to being packed with nutrients known to help with inflammation and promote relaxation. Some golden milk mixes, like Live it Up Golden Hour, contain ashwagandha to support relaxation and restful sleep.
What does drinking golden milk do for you?
Drinking golden milk helps support overall wellness thanks to its nutrient-dense and antioxidant-rich ingredients. Although no results are guaranteed, golden milk may help with sleep quality, promote relaxation and mental clarity, aid inflammation, and offer antioxidant protection.
How much golden milk should you drink per day?
One cup of golden milk daily is best to get the full benefits of the drink with minimal side effects. Although you can drink more than one, the curcumin in turmeric may cause digestive upset, nausea, or bloating in some people.
How is golden milk made?
Golden milk is made by blending turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper with warm milk. Fortunately, golden milk lattes can be adapted to suit a wide range of preferences, whether that’s adding a splash of vanilla, teaspoon of matcha, serving it over ice, or adding other warming spices.
References
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/ayurveda
- https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/milk
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32512782/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26608718/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20418184/
- https://www.eatingwell.com/benefits-of-cinnamon-11822645
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27111639/
- https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-800/black-pepper-and-white-pepper
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