Jamu Juice (Turmeric Ginger Drink)
Jamu juice is a traditional Indonesian herbal drink that keeps your body refreshed and balanced. It’s a simple blend of fresh turmeric, ginger, lemon, water, and sweetened with a bit of honey. Serve it chilled or warmed up for the perfect immunity booster this season.
What Is Jamu Juice?
It wasn’t until my trip to Indonesia that I discovered one of Bali’s hidden gem: Jamu juice. Traditionally, Jamu is an Indonesian medicine made from natural ingredients including roots, flowers, seeds, leaves and fruits.
Nowadays, the most common form of Jamu is turmeric Jamu. This is an all natural, anti-inflammatory tonic that boasts tons of health and beauty benefits. And while the name sounds exotic, the ingredients are quite simple.
This recipe includes fresh turmeric and ginger, honey, a squeeze of lemon and coconut water. Yep, that’s it! But you’d be surprised at what this simple combination can do. From reducing inflammation, improving digestion, to enhancing immunity, this juice really does it all. And it’s no wonder why everyone in Bali is drinking this by the jar.
Jamu Juice Ingredients
Here’s a quick breakdown of the exact ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.
- Fresh Turmeric – 125 grams
- Fresh Ginger – 20 grams
- Black Pepper – a pinch
- Lemon – 2 tablespoons
- Honey – 2 tablespoons (or other sweetener)
- Coconut Water – 4 cups
Things to keep in mind about some of these ingredients:
- Make sure to rinse and clean your fresh turmeric and ginger with hot water as you won’t be peeling the skin off.
- Be mindful that turmeric can stain! So wash your blender and chopping board immediately after using.
- For the liquid base, you can use regular water instead of coconut water. But I’ve chosen to use coconut water to add extra electrolytes.
Benefits Of Turmeric And Ginger
Turmeric and ginger are the main ingredients in this recipe – and for good reason.
Turmeric
There’s no doubt that the turmeric spice has taken over our food industry lately. From lattes to hearty soups, there’s many ways to take advantage of its benefits if used properly. So what are those exactly?
Turmeric is most known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. And this is all thanks to its star compound: curcumin. This compound not only leads to health benefits for your skin, but can assist with visible signs of aging.
Ginger
Ginger has been used in many cultures around the world for its medicinal properties. From relieving pain to soothing your digestive system, it does wonders when it comes to healing the body. And just like Turmeric, ginger has a compound called gingerol which reduces inflammation, pain for chronic conditions, and so much more.
How To Make Jamu Juice
This refreshing juice comes together in just 4 easy steps. Here’s what you’ll need to do.
- Slice. Grab your fresh turmeric and ginger and slice it into thin pieces. Feel free to leave the skin on, but you can also peel as well.
- Blend. Add the turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and water to a high powered blender. Then blend for about 1 minute until it’s completely smooth.
- Boil. Pour the mixture into a pot and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, then add the lemon juice and honey. Give everything a good stir.
- Strain. Using a fine mesh sieve, nut milk bag, or cloth, strain the mixture and pour it into a glass bottle to refrigerate.
When And How To Drink This
Typically Jamu juice is served chilled straight out of the fridge or over ice. But, you can also warm it up a bit if you’re in a colder environment.
So when should you drink this? Well, there’s no solid time. This could be a great option to drink first thing in the morning to prime your digestion. Or you can have a small glass (serving size is about a 1/2 cup) in between meals – just not during meals since it’s very strong in flavor.
If it’s too strong or spicy for you, you can always dilute it with a bit more water as well.
How Long Does This Last?
Jamu juice should last about 1 week in the fridge. Just make sure to store it in an airtight jar and give it a good stir or shake before serving.
Jamu Recipe Video
Want to see how I make this recipe? Watch the video below!
More Anti-Inflammatory Drink Recipes
Looking for ways to boost your immune system? Try to include these recipes throughout your weeknight meals.
Jamu Juice (Turmeric Ginger Drink)
Ingredients
- 125 grams fresh turmeric, approximately 1 cup roughly chopped
- 20 grams fresh ginger, approximately 1 finger sized piece
- 4 cups coconut water
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons honey, or other sweetener
- a pinch of black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Slice the turmeric and ginger into thin disks. Feel free to leave the skin on.
- Add the turmeric, ginger, black pepper and coconut water into a blender. Blend on high speed for about a minute, until it's a smooth mixture.
- Pour the mixture into a pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the lemon juice and honey, and give everything a good stir.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, nut milk bag or muslin cloth. Then pour into a glass bottle or jar and refrigerate. Enjoy chilled or warm.
Lisa's Tips
- If you like my storage containers, they're these juice jars and glass bottle.
- While I think this recipe is best with fresh turmeric, you can always try it with powdered turmeric. Usually 1/3 cup of powdered turmeric equals 1 cup of fresh turmeric.
This took me back to the juice bar in central Ubud, sipping Jamu Juice over ice and watching the people passing in their daily lives.
Yum!
Yes! Such a great time in Ubud. I can’t wait to go back one day. :)
Hi Lisa, thanks so much for posting this lovely recipe! I’ve made it 4 times now and it’s been delicious, refreshing and an amazing digestive primer in the morning. Two of the times I’ve made it, the turmeric mixture has turned a burnt orange color much darker than seen in the photos. Do you have any idea why this might happen? Google couldn’t answer 😂
It might just be the turmeric itself, which can deepen coloring as it sits :)
is there a mistake in your conversion measurements ?US standard says 20g fresh ginger and 125 g turmeric whereas metric says 72 g ginger and 118.29 g .A gram is a gram !! also metric recipe says 1tbs honey and metric says 2 tbs. Very confusing
Hi Annette- Thanks for pointing that out! Sometimes our metric conversions can get confused – but we just fixed it :)
Why do you need to boil it? Won’t that reduce the nutritional value?
Boiling it will help infuse the flavor more from the turmeric.
If I have a hard time finding fresh turmeric, could I use ground instead and if so, how much? thank you!
Hi Maria- The general rule is that 1 inch fresh turmeric = 1 teaspoon ground turmeric. Hope that helps!
Your Jamu is delicious so tasty !!!
The nutrition table is per serving ?
Hi Lionel – Yes! The nutrition facts on my site are always per serving :)
I have made purely ginger and turmeric drink today. It was taste good actually.
Glad you enjoyed this Jamu juice Jene!