Vegan Golden Milk Turmeric Latte

For a stronger bedtime drink that will help you sleep better try this golden milk spice mix. The first sign of the sniffles would send my mom scurrying not to the medicine cabinet but to the kitchen, to cook up some turmeric milk or haldi ka doodh. It was the best medicine a kid could ask for –warm, soothing, sweet and infused with the aroma of spices. Now, in my home, I often stir up this healing vegan turmeric milk, alongside others like masala chai and matcha green tea latte, for my family during cold and flu season. Although I confess I more often make them just because they’re so tasty. Turmeric, as we all know by now, has some amazing health benefits and one of them is its ability to fight infections. Turmeric milk harnesses this amazing antioxidant power of turmeric and amplifies it with other warming spices, including cinnamon and, sometimes, ginger. It’s such effective medicine that this amazing drink has now found a global fan following and has been glamorized with sobriquets like “golden milk” and “turmeric latte.” Every Indian cook has their own recipe for golden milk, but here today I want to share with you a recipe that is uniquely mine and yet quite authentic. It sticks close to the drink’s ayurvedic roots, is utterly healthful, and stunningly delicious. If you make a cup, I promise, you’ll be back for more.

Why you will love this vegan golden milk

A treat in a glass. This vegan golden milk is so delicious with nuts and saffron and other spices, you will want to drink it all the time. Nourishing and healthful. You can read more about just a few of the many health benefits of turmeric milk in the next section. Family-friendly recipe. Kids nor adults can resist a cup of golden milk. My recipe is soy-free, dairy-free and gluten-free. I do include nuts for flavor and their healthful properties but you can leave them out if you are nut-free.

Golden milk benefits

The key spice in golden milk, turmeric, has been aptly called the golden spice. It has long been used in Ayurveda to boost energy, soothe the digestive system, heal the respiratory system and fight joint pain and arthritis. Turmeric is antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal and it helps fight infections. Turmeric and ginger together help fight gas and bloating. All of the spices in golden milk, including turmeric, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory powers. They help control blood sugar, improve heart health, and fight cancer. Spices also improve brain function, and can keep diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s at bay. Nuts are warming to the body and give you a nutrition boost. They also contain magnesium and calcium and small amounts of melatonin, which can improve sleep quality. Curcumin and saffron help reduce anxiety and promote better sleep. These two herbs can also be a powerful aid for weight loss.

Expert tips for making vegan golden milk

Use a creamy non dairy milk. Oat milk or soy milk are both great choices for this vegan golden milk. Thinner milks like almond milk can be used but won’t have the same amazing flavor. Add a few nuts to the golden milk. The fat in the nuts helps improve the absorption of curcumin, the active compound in turmeric. The nuts also further boost the nutritive qualities of golden milk and make it taste creamier and more delicious. Walnuts, pistachios, cashews and almonds are all good choices. If using almonds make sure you don’t peel them but use them whole. If you are nut-free add a few pumpkin seeds. Don’t add too much turmeric. I should have put this in caps because this is probably the single biggest mistake people make. Turmeric is not only bitter and astringent tasting which can ruin the flavor of the drink, but in large quantities it can cause bloating, acidity, nausea and upset stomach in some people. In some cases it can cause kidney stones. A rule of thumb is no more than ½ teaspoon per cup of milk. That’s enough to harness the goodness of turmeric without making yourself sick. You can enjoy more turmeric (in small quantities) in other recipes during the day, including in your smoothies or in tasty recipes like this turmeric ginger tea, turmeric rice or turmeric cardamom cake. Throw in a pinch of saffron. This is not absolutely necessary but saffron, also a warming spice with multiple benefits, adds flavor and a further health boost. Use chai masala to make the golden milk. One of my favorite ways to use chai masala, besides making fantastic masala tea of course, is in golden milk. The blended spices release their goodness into the turmeric milk more easily than whole spices would. Also chai masala has more beneficial spices than you would normally add to turmeric milk, including black pepper. Piperine, a compound in black pepper, makes the turmeric more bioavailable to the body.

How to make vegan golden milk

Place the milk in a blender along with the saffron and nuts. Blend until very smooth. (You can skip this step if you aren’t adding nuts. Just add the saffron to the milk in the saucepan.) Add the blended milk to a saucepan along with all of the remaining ingredients. Let the turmeric milk infuse with the spices over low or medium low heat until the milk is just about to boil. Turn off the heat and let the golden milk stand, covered, for five more minutes. Strain into cups and enjoy!

Variations

In a hurry? Make this turmeric milk with just four ingredients. At its most basic turmeric milk needs no more than four ingredients–milk, turmeric, ground black pepper and a sweetener. If you can’t make the time just skip everything else. This may not taste as amazing but it will taste good and still has great health benefits. Make this with whole spices instead of chai masala. For this recipe, which makes 4 6-oz servings of turmeric latte, use 4 cloves, 4 green cardamom pods, an inch-long stick of cinnamon and 4-5 peppercorns. Crush them in a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder and add to the milk in the saucepan.