Golden Milk (Turmeric Milk)
Golden milk reigns supreme for a healthy, healing, and anti-inflammatory drink. All you have to do is to simmer a cozy blend of turmeric, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, and a pinch of black pepper on the stovetop — that’s it!
If you’ve been a long-time follower you know that I love incorporating turmeric into many recipes. It all started when I accidentally got “glutened” in Bali and was given Jamu juice (a turmeric drink) to heal my gut. And let me tell you — it worked wonders.
But this golden milk recipe is one I come back to most often when I need a little anti-inflammatory boost (I talk more about the benefits below). It’s a soothing beverage I can sip on before bed. Plus, it tastes delicious!
Golden Milk Ingredients
I first learned about golden milk on my travel through India, and couldn’t believe how simple yet healing this drink was! So today, I’m happy to recreate this recipe for anyone who needs a little pick-me-up. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Milk: I’m using coconut milk as the fat content is great for absorbing turmeric’s healing compounds. But you can use your favorite dairy or dairy-free options such as almond milk, cashew milk, or oat milk.
- Turmeric: I’m using ground turmeric in this recipe as most people have it easily accessible in their spice drawer or cabinet.
- Spices: I like to add a pinch of cinnamon and black pepper (to activate the compound curcumin in turmeric). You could also add ground ginger or cardamom for an extra spiced taste.
- Sweetener: Maple syrup or honey are my go-to’s, but the choice is yours!
Helpful tip: If you’re using nut milk, try adding a splash of coconut oil! It helps to give your golden milk that extra fat content to absorb the turmeric compounds. Plus, it helps make your drink a bit more frothy!
Find the printable recipe with measurements below
The Benefits of Golden Milk
The short story is turmeric is good for you and popular for a reason. If you have an autoimmune condition (or several, like me) then you’ll love turmeric milk for its anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric is one of Mother Nature’s top healing compounds and studies have shown that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, can help certain autoimmune conditions by regulating inflammatory signals.
Turmeric is also a potent antioxidant. It can fight free radicals (hello aging), and can even help stave off the common cold. All because it fights chronic inflammation that may otherwise be suppressing your immune system.
So to get all those lovely benefits, just drink golden milk! Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine have been prescribing golden turmeric milk for centuries. And warming golden milk is soothing and relaxing before bed, similar to chamomile tea, so you may get an extra deep night’s sleep.
How To Make Golden Milk
This turmeric golden milk is made easy on the stovetop! Add everything into a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Give the mixture a good stir and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Make sure to stir it occasionally so that the turmeric powder and cinnamon don’t clump up.
Storage Tips
This recipe makes 2 servings, but you can always double it to enjoy throughout the week! Store any leftovers in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat it back in a saucepan on the stovetop or simply in the microwave.
Turmeric Golden Milk Recipe Video
If you’d like a quick visual demo of how to make this recipe, watch the video below!
More Turmeric Recipes
This magical spice has made it into so many recipes on my website, like a boosting smoothie, chicken casserole, and even a golden zoodle soup (an exclusive recipe from my new Healthy Meal Prep cookbook). Give these options a try!
- Turmeric Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Pineapple Turmeric Smoothie
- Golden Beet, Carrot and Turmeric Smoothie
- Turmeric Tea
I’m excited to hear your thoughts on this golden milk recipe! Be sure to leave a comment below when you do.
Golden Milk (Turmeric Milk)
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk (dairy or dairy-free)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch black pepper
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
Optional
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil
- additional spices or flavors such as ginger, cardamom, or vanilla extract.
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Pour the golden milk into a cup and enjoy.
Nutrition
Recipe originally posted December 2016, but updated to include new information.
Not sure how I ended up here but glad I arrived. This recipe is delicious! I used organic black strap molasses instead of honey due to anemia. Looking forward to results. Thank you for a wonderful recipe,
Glad you enjoyed this recipe Kimmy!
I have attempted to make golden milk before with it turning out terrible. This recipe was perfect and reminded me of the best golden milk I have ever had at Café Gratitude in Venice, Ca.
Yay, I’m so glad you enjoyed my version. :)
I love golden milk and it has helped with my arthritis joint pain. I make it and keep it in the fridge.
Can this be consumed cold or does it have to be heated?
You can enjoy it either hot or cold. I need to add a recipe for an iced version. ;)
Comforting and warming drink! First time trying this. Currently in a flare (Lupus) and trying all the natural anti inflammatory options. This was very satisfying and I’m sure it will do a good job fighting off the high inflammation in my joints at the moment. Thank you Lisa!
You’re more than welcome Jess! Enjoy!
This golden milk is delicious. I used it instead of oat milk in my oat groats with some hemp seeds. Perfection!
Is it normal for the turmeric to settle on the bottle of glass?
Yes, that’s normal. Just give it a quick stir. :)
Hi 👋 Lisa, Sending you a big hug for your wonderful cookbook! While I’m waiting for the Turmeric milk to simmer I have time to send this note. My diabetic husband enjoys the meals in your book very much making my job keeping his glucose levels at meals on the good side. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. We live in Wisconsin but getting seafood is not an issue thanks to freezers. I think your dad has every reason to be proud of you.
Thrilled to hear you and your husband are enjoying the new cookbook Christine! And thanks for leaving this special message.
I am going to try making the golden milk. It looks delicious.
This is delicious! I made it in the blender rather than on the stove-top – I wanted to preserve probiotics in my raw milk. Loved it!
Wonderful! I’m so happy you loved it.
Made this last night and am making it again tonight. Love this recipe and will now be part of my bedtime prep.
Never heard of Golden Milk before but wanting to add a new bedtime drink to the routine I gave your recipe a try. It’s amazing and I am looking forward to the long term benefits!!
Glad you’re loving this Golden milk recipe!
Very soothing after a long day. Was especially nice after being stuck in these rain storms. Thank you Lisa for sharing
Hi Lisa-can you use fresh turmeric and how would you use it? Maybe ground is easier. Please let me know. Thanks kindly
Hi there! It’s better to use ground turmeric for this recipe if possible.
Very impressed with the creamy frothy turmeric milk. My husband wasn’t too sure until he tried it. He is converted. I op for almond milk and a pinch of ground ginger. Next time I will make it with fresh ginger. Many thanks.
Glad you and your husband are loving this golden milk!
Mum was a child of the raj born in Bombay in 1910. Her ayah made golden milk for her, mum made it for me. I’m seventy-seven years old and I still drink it every week. It’s the best thing when you feel a cold coming on..
Had to use whole milk but is delicious.
I tried this and wow it’s so soothing and tasty. I usually wake up around 3:45 am most of the nights and yesterday when I drank this , slept like a baby. Thank you for this recipe.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! It sounds much better than the one I use now. Just wanted to let you know that I have been using several different sites for recipes over the past year, and I started to notice a trend. So many of the recipes I loved were from downshiftology! So now when I need a recipe for anything, it’s the first place I go and the first recipe I will try. I love your site, thank you for your amazing work and passion! I am always so excited to try something new from downshiftology! Sandra Nelson
I’m so happy to hear you’ve found what you were looking for Sandra! Hope you enjoy this Turmeric Milk as well :)