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)
Recipe Video
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.
Love this recipe. Slept like a baby the first night. I look forward to this every night as my wind down drink. It helps me relax and aleviates joint pain. Would really recommend it to others.
Thanks Jillian! I’m happy you loved the golden milk. :)
Thank you for the recipe, love it!
I Love this recipe! It feels indulgent and comforting! With healthy ingredients, you can’t lose!! It’s great any time of day or night!!
Happy you loved the recipe, Laureen!
Wow!! I made it using ALL the ingredients (including all optional ingredients) and I must say, this is my new favorite drink. It tastes amazing. It will now be my nightly drink before I go to bed. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Happy to hear you found a new favorite drink Janet!
Does this drink help lower blood sugar levels?
This turmeric milk recipe is absolutely delicious! I will definitely make it again.
Glad you enjoyed this golden milk Heather!
This is a very delicious and healthy drink !!! I enjoy it right before bed time and sleep like a baby ! Thank you for this fabulous recipe !
You’re more than welcome, Lisa! Happy you love it. :)
Thank you for this recipe. It’s the first time I’ve tried golden milk and love it. All the benefits for me plus no caffeine!
Glad you loved your first batch of golden milk Christina :)
I really want to try this, it sounds so good. Can you tell me how I can lower the sodium content?
I love this drink. It is so comforting. I had accidentally injured my neck so bad that my muscles actually were completely locked up and the pain medicine honestly was not much help. This drink successfully helped get the inflammation down significantly and even aided in my recovery because I was able to sleep. Who new herbs could truly do so much. It would have taken no telling how much longer to recover if I did not find this helpful remedy. Thank you for this recipe. 10/10 absolutely! It’s a bonus that it tastes so good. It also smells so pretty. It’s the small things too, you know.
Thrilled to hear this golden milk has been doing wonders for you Janica!
I Love this recipe – I make it often, it’s delicious – Thankyou x
Glad you’re loving this golden milk Alice!
Absolutely delicious! I have DDD and the cartilage is worn away in my neck! This will truly be my night time drink. Thank you
Glad you’re loving this golden milk recipe Adriene!
Thank you, Lisa, for this excellent recipe. I put all the dry ingredients, including cardamom seeds, in a mug, then fill half with boiling water. I also add a tablespoon of coconut oil. I then froth oat milk in my milk frothier, which I add to the mug. Lots of stirring.
Oh my goodness! Where has this been all my life? I made this tonight for the first time. I suffer from gout and osteoarthritis. I’m currently mid-flare, and really hoping this can make a difference. It is incredibly delicious, and so comforting! Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you’re loving this golden milk Cendi!
Flavor is good, maybe its my tumeric, but it’s a bit powdery or chalky, and the tumeric rests in the bottom of the drink.
This has a wonderful flavor! Thank you for this and other recipes.
Which is the best tumeric to buy? There are so many to choose from. What do you use, brand wise?
I use Simply Organic.
super easy and delicious
This is a fantastic recipe! The majority of my family enjoys it, especially on a cold winter day. The sweetness from the maple syrup is just the right amount of sweetness too.
Happy to hear the whole family is enjoying this golden milk!
This was so Delicious!! My daughter suggested adding ashwagandha powder for an extra soothing effect. I may try that next time. 😊
Glad you enjoyed this Golden Milk recipe!
Love this recipe but do you have to cook it on the stove to get any benefits from the turmeric or can you drink it cold
It’s best to let the ingredients meld together on the stovetop first.
Can you just use water instead of milk? I don’t drink milk and I have a treenut allergy so nut milks don’t work. And essential all processed milks on the market are made in a treenut factory continuing allergens. Thanks
Hi Lisa – have you tried my homemade oat milk recipe? :)
Just trying this for the first time (also first-time commenter – hi!) and boy, is it yummy! I am curious to see how it will help my finger-joint arthritis pain which has been very bad over the last couple of months. Winter in Canada — gotta love it!
Absolutely delicious! My sweetener of choice is Stevia. But I have made this delicious warm, creamy drink with maple syrup. My staple drink when I want something other than coffee or in the morning. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe.
Sooooo Yum!
Definitely can’t wait to reap the benefits! Thank you!
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. :)
Absolutely delicious added a touch of nutmeg
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.
I tried this and was worried that the turmeric would be too overpowering, but it’s delicious! And the added anti-inflammation benefits is a bonus. Will be drinking this on a regular basis!
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
I have fresh turmeric, how can I substitute that for the dried? Thank you, can’t wait to make this!
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.
Great base recipe! I make mine with Chobani extra creamy oat milk, three small pitted dates, 1tsp tumeric, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 1/2″ piece peeled fresh ginger, 2 Tb full fat coconut milk, and generous freshly cracked black pepper. I blend it all up in my Vitamix and drink it cool with a straw. Cool and spicy. There is a little texture with the powdered tumeric, fresh ginger, and dates that could be strained out, or you could just add some ice cubes to the blender to mask the fiber. I have never loved hot golden milk.
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 :)