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 Recipe Video
Want to see how I make this recipe? Watch the video below!
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.
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)
Recipe Video
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.
I accidentally added the honey and lemon juice to the blender. Will it still be okay?
Yes, it’s all good. :)
Great recipe, love it when I’m down with a cold.
My husband actually asked me to make this a staple. I only used two large rhizomes of turmeric because it’s expensive in my area and I’d like to keep making it. I haven’t been able to get it to grow too well here either yet. I ended up deciding to stretch it with pineapple juice by blending a whole pineapple in my vitamix and adding it to the cooled pot to add more liquid and help separate the pineapple pulp from the juice. When I strained it, there wasn’t a lot of pulp left behind (yay vitamix) and it perfectly filled a half gallon jar. It ended up being too sweet because I had already added honey before deciding to add the pineapple, so I fill my glass about 4 oz of this Jamu juice and fill the rest of my glass with soda water from my soda stream and it’s a beautiful cocktail! I like to enjoy it during or after dinner, and in the morning I can definitely tell a difference in how I feel. Highly recommend you give this a try! Maybe ice pops would be great for this recipe too.
We made it and liked it, thank you! Just wondering why we heat it? Seems like we loose nutrients? Also, do we need to strain?
Debi
This was how it was made when I was in Bali! So, I’m assuming they boiled it for a reason to help meld the flavors and ingredients together :)
Cooking turmeric, especially with the black pepper, actually makes it more bioavailable, this is also why you’re supposed to cook golden milk or cook golden milk paste before storing.
I accidently bought canned coconut milk instead of coconut water. Do you think i can use milk instead?
It’s going to have a creamy consistency. You can also use water instead of coconut water.
could you freeze it?
I believe you can!
absolutely amazing does anybody have any suggestions of what to do with the pulp? It is so good I would hate to waste it. Thank you for this recipe.
One thing you could do is freeze portions of the pulp,( Tablespoon measurement maybe). You can then add It to stirfry, curry, smoothies et cetera
It’s definitely an acquired taste but on my second batch. I notice it does make a huge difference in how I feel. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Happy to hear this jamu juice is doing wonders!
I’ve made this a few times, realized I can’t be without it! Once it was bitter, old turmeric that grocery store had, never again. Easier for me to peel ginger and turmeric, then the straining process is simple. Pour 4oz, add 4oz coconut water, yum!! My knees and I Thank-you for bringing this magical drink into our lives!!!
I’m so happy you love it as much as I do, Linda!
I made this juice for the first time and was quite surprised. I loved the taste. I’ve had it warm and chilled. Chilled was a real winner. I just followed your recipe and didn’t add anything extra. Thank you for introducing me to this juice. I’m hooked.
Happy to hear you’re loving this jamu juice, especially chilled Anne!
Wow! I just made this for the first time and it’s blowing my mind!! I would drink this all day long! It is so delicious! I added a little coconut milk or oat milk for serving, for a creamy dreamy treat. I’m hooked! PS. Do you use a straw to avoid teeth staining?
Glad you’re loving this Jamu juice Mikalya! I don’t normally use a straw, but that might be a good idea :)
So
My question is ….
I’ve made something very similar to this
Why do you boil this – won’t that kill the nutritional value
I make it, strain it, done
That was traditionally how I had in Bali, Indonesia. So, I’m sure they did it for a reason!
This is a wonderful juice. I was wondering can the grain that was left over in the bag can be use to add to a rice dish or a stew, I feel like I could do something with the grains.
The grains from that was left in the bag, can you use them in a dish, like add some to rice or add to a stew?
I haven’t tried yet, but I’m sure you can!
Hey not sure if anybody’s tried it yet, but for all those that were asking what you can do with the leftover pulp: I just threw a couple spoonfuls into my curry this evening (Added it right along with the curry paste) and it turned out great! I’ll probably freeze the rest to use later.
Could I make this without a high powered blender or food processor? I have a chopper and a low powered blender.
You might be able to make this in a low powered blender. Just make sure to blend everything long enough until it’s smooth.
if you strain after simmering why do you blend it first?
When I had this in Bali, I was taught to blend it up first to make sure the turmeric and ginger pieces are fully infused.
how long can this last in fridge??
This will last for about one week in the fridge!
Great, I think I will try out this juice, I hope my hip and joints pains will be taken care. Thank you so much. It’s quite simple to make with ingredients readily available in the kitchen.
If one is using freshly powdered turmeric and ginger (dehydrated fresh ginger and turmeric) is it necessary to boil the powder with water etc to then chill and drink or can you still get the benefits of the jamu juice if not boiled first or does boiling the spices release the ‘right’ things to give one the health benefits
thanks
There are conversions for powdered turmeric in the recipe notes. But, I would still boil it with the ginger.
Excellent and easy to make. In a matter of days my arthritis is not so painful, no muscle spasms, no heartburn nor headaches!!
You must try this!!
😃
Interesting view and would like to try them soon.healthy just like it’s seen without any doubt.Godbless you more for your creative ideas
Hello thanks wondering could this be stored long term by pressure canning it?
I haven’t tried, but it could potentially work.
Can i use Turmeric powder instead?
Yes, that is fine!
If this only last a week in the fridge and you drink a single 1/2 cup a day? Is there anyway to store it so it doesn’t go to waste? Should you drink more than that a day? I made this tonight and excited to see if this helps with my heartburn!
You could freeze