A simple DIY for golden spice (golden milk powder) – a delicious and incredibly health-benefiting blend of turmeric and ginger – to make golden milk and tea!
Golden milk has become an absolute evening staple of mine. The soothing drink is super beneficial to health and is generally a lovely drink to wind down the evening. This golden spice is a simple ready-blend of everything needed for a delicious golden drink, whenever needed.
You may have caught my original 5-ingredient Golden Milk recipe from over a year ago. At that point, I loved to make the golden milk completely from scratch, but when I started drinking it every single day, I realized that having a pot of turmeric paste or this golden spice to hand would be even better to mix into my ready-made plant-based milks.
This spice blend can also be used to make a soothing, refreshing golden tea. I’ll explain how in the recipe notes below.
What Is Golden Milk?
Simply, golden milk is a soothing, health benefitting drink made up of your favorite milk of choice and a combination of turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and a sweetener of your choice. Its roots come from India and Ayurvedic medicine and can be made in a variety of ways. The simplest version is just warm milk and turmeric.
Golden milk can be made using this golden spice or golden paste, each with their own benefits. Plus, it can also be flavored with additional spices to customize to your tastes and still reap the benefits.
Golden Milk Powder Vs. Golden Paste
As I said above, I have a recipe on this blog for a golden ‘paste,’ as well as this powder. You may be wondering what the difference is and why you may want to make one over the other.
Golden Paste
This can be made using fresh ginger and turmeric root or powdered versions. By using fresh, you end up with a paste that blends really smoothly into recipes and drinks. The flavor and color are also affected – with turmeric powder often more concentrated in flavor, and the colors are usually darker/muted.
The paste also contains coconut oil, which is a healthy oil that is needed to help us reap the full benefits from the turmeric. The paste needs to be kept in the fridge and has a shelf life of 2 weeks.
Golden Spice
This spice blend is made using all dry ingredients, which means that the shelf life is far longer. The mix also doesn’t require refrigeration.
However, the golden milk or golden tea will be more ‘gritty’ in comparison to using the paste. Also, there is no healthy fat already included in this spice blend, so you’ll have to make sure you include one within the recipe used.
The Health Benefits of Turmeric and Ginger
The medicinal properties of both turmeric and ginger are something that I’ve talked about a lot across various posts on my blog, including the Golden Paste Recipe, Golden Milk, and these Ginger Turmeric Immune-Boosting Energy Shots (juicer recipe).
However, I’ll provide a brief overview of the wonder of these two ingredients here and their various health benefits. To read more, just pop on over to any of the posts linked above.
Turmeric Benefits
Countless studies have shown that turmeric is an absolute gem of an ingredient for our health. It has been used for centuries in Indian and Chinese cuisine and for medicinal purposes, as well as within Ayurvedic medicine.
But why is it so popular? Well, turmeric has a polyphenol called ‘curcumin’ within it that is linked with some pretty powerful health benefits. Some of these include:
- Anti-inflammatory properties– some studies show it works better than certain factory medicines to reduce inflammation in the body and as a remedy for inflammation-based diseases.
- Used to relieve pain – Once again, studies show that turmeric can have greater results than even medicines like Ibuprofen and Prozac.
- Anti-cancer properties – Actually able to prevent the growth of cancerous cells and tumors
- Improves digestion – as well as encouraging healthy gut flora
- Improves brain function – and lowering the risk of various brain diseases
Just to name a few.
Ginger Benefits
Studies show that ginger boasts similar health benefits when it comes to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and can improve heart and brain health. However, there are several benefits unique to ginger too:
- Nausea Reduction
- Aiding Stomach Issues – this includes bloating, indigestion, and various ailments associated with IBS and similar health problems.
- Aid digestion – By speeding up the tempting of the stomach and thus having the above stomach benefits.
- Lower blood sugar levels
- Infection fighting – due to the ‘gingerol’ within the ginger
- Reducing period pains – with some studies showing it to be as effective as Ibuprofen.
How To Make The Golden Spice Blend
Needed:
- Turmeric powder (I used homemade), black pepper, ginger powder (I used homemade)
- Optional: Cardamom, Ceylon cinnamon
The Steps:
I’m not sure the process for a DIY could get much simpler than this. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and then transfer to an air-tight container – voila!
This blend can be stored at room temperature for around three months, or kept within the fridge for slightly longer.
How To Use Golden Spice
This spice mix is traditionally used for delicious golden milk, whether as a warm turmeric latte, or an Iced drink. However, I also love to use this to make a soothing turmeric tea.
For Golden Milk: You’ll need 1 tsp of this golden milk powder, a tsp or so of maple syrup (or another natural liquid sweetener), and 1 cup of dairy-free milk.
First, keep a couple of teaspoons of milk to one side and mix with the sweetener, and powder in a small saucepan, to create a ‘paste.’ Add your dairy-free milk of choice (I like to use coconut milk or almond milk) to the pan and lightly whisk, heating for 5-10 minutes until hot, but not boiling.
For a cold/iced version, then prepare the ‘paste’ in your glass of choice then add the milk, leaving space for ice-cubes. Mix the milk combo well and then add the ice-cubes. For more of a ‘milkshake,’ you could even add some whipped coconut cream on top.
For Golden Tea: You’ll need 1 tsp golden milk powder, a tsp or so of natural sweetener, 1 cup of water, and optional lemon slices.
In a similar method to the golden milk, simply mix all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on low/medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Allow it to gently simmer but not boil. When ready, pour into your cup of choice and add a couple of lemon slices or even some lemon juice. You could also add 1/2 a tsp of this powder to this Ginger Tea recipe.
Recipe Notes:
- Depending on what milk you use, there may not be enough ‘fat’ content for the curcumin to bind to. In this case, I suggest adding a tsp of coconut oil or something like coconut butter. Alternatively, you could add a spoonful of homemade cashew butter or similar ‘fatty’ nut butter.
- This recipe is a base golden spice mix and can be customized to include other spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, etc.
- As well as the above drinks, this spice blend could also be added to several other dishes, including within stir-fries, soups and stews, and more.
The Golden Spice Full Recipe
How to Make Golden Spice Mix
Ingredients
- ½ cup turmeric powder
- 1 Tbsp Ginger powder
- 2 tsp black pepper freshly ground!
- 1 tsp cardamom optional
- 1 tsp cinnamon Ceylon, optional
Suggested Equipment
- Large bowl
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and then transfer to an air-tight container- voila!
- This blend can be stored at room temperature for around three months, or kept within the fridge for slightly longer.
Video
Notes
You'll need 1 tsp of this golden milk powder, a tsp or so of maple syrup (or another natural liquid sweetener), and 1 cup of dairy-free milk.
First, keep a couple of teaspoons of milk to one side and mix with the sweetener, and powder in a small saucepan, to create a 'paste.' Add your dairy-free milk of choice (I like to use coconut milk or almond milk) to the pan and lightly whisk, heating for 10-15 minutes until hot, but not boiling.
For Iced Golden Milk:
Prepare the 'paste' in your glass of choice then add the milk, leaving space for ice-cubes. Mix the milk combo well and then add the ice-cubes. For more of a 'milkshake,' you could even add some whipped coconut cream on top.
For Golden Tea:
You'll need 1 tsp golden milk powder, a tsp or so of natural sweetener, 1 cup of water, and optional lemon slices.
In a similar method to the golden milk, simply mix all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on low/medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Allow it to gently simmer but not boil. When ready, pour into your cup of choice and add a couple of lemon slices or even some lemon juice. You could also add 1/2 a tsp of this powder to this Ginger Tea recipe. Additional notes:
- Depending on what milk you use, there may not be enough 'fat' content for the curcumin to bind to. In this case, I suggest adding a tsp of coconut oil or something like coconut butter. Alternatively, you could add a spoonful of homemade cashew butter or similar 'fatty' nut butter.
- This recipe is a base golden spice mix and can be customized to include other spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, etc.
- As well as the above drinks, this spice blend could also be added to several other dishes, including within stir-fries, soups and stews, and more.
- I use homemade Ginger Powder and Turmeric powder. However, you can also use store-bought.
For other Immunity-boosting drink options, you may like this recipe for Lemon, Ginger and Cayenne Immunity Shots, or Ginger Turmeric Immune-Boosting Energy Shots (juicer recipe). You might also like this recipe for Simple And Healthy Ginger Lemonade or this DIY Turmeric Tincture.
You may also like this super simple Turmeric Honey paste recipe, which includes Turmeric honey shots.
If you have any questions, leave a comment below. Also, I love seeing your recreations, so feel free to tag me on Instagram @AlphaFoodie.
Chelsea
Love this recipe! I like adding ashwaganda powder into mine and drink daily.
Could you tell me which plant milks have enough fat to not need the coconut oil? Thank you 🙂
AlphaFoodie Support
Ooh, great tip! You can use full-fat coconut milk or soy milk. Cashew nut milk could also be a good option.
Kathy Johnson
This is very tasty! I reduced the black pepper to about 1/2 t. because I don’t like the taste in chai and didn’t think I would like it in this. I also added 1/4 t. ground nutmeg and 1/4 t. ground cloves. Mixed this with 1/2 cup egg nog and 1/2 cup milk. I’m in love with it. Thank you! I am hoping it will help with my pain and inflammation! Gonna try it as a tea as you suggested and in warm oat milk. Yum! Gotta get to the store soon!
Support @ Alphafoodie
Thank you so much for your comment, Kathy. Glad you adapted the recipe to your liking.
Maddy
My roommate and I made a big batch of this and drink it almost every night 🙂 love it!!! Also, we’re D1 athletes and this helps so much with inflammation. Thank you, Samira!!!
ps we love your Instagram
Support @ Alphafoodie
Thank you so much for your comment, Maddy. Glad you are enjoying the golden milk powder. 🙂
Dragana
Hello , Can woman that are breastfeeding drink this beverage ?
Support @ Alphafoodie
Hi Dragana,
Even though turmeric is safe when consumed in small amounts, it is best to confirm with your doctor as they will have more specific information while you are breastfeeding. I hope this helps.
Maaida Kausar
Great very healthy and useful recipe
Support @ Alphafoodie
Thank you so much for your comment, Maaida. Hope you try some of my other recipes too 🙂
Edward Kowalski
Why can’t whole milk and honey be used?
Support @ Alphafoodie
Hi Edward,
It’s perfectly OK to use whole milk and honey to make the golden milk. Please make sure the milk is not too hot when adding the honey in order to keep its nutritional benefits. I hope this helps.