Homemade Golden Milk Turmeric Latte Mix
I do love a Turmeric Latte. I've been drinking Golden Milk for years, and Turmeric Latte seems to be a more mainstream version of a similar drink which means it's much easier to find in cafes than it used to be. I am finding it hard to tell the difference, as there are so many variations for both. So now, rightly or wrongly, I use the terms interchangeably.
Golden Milk and Ayurveda
Golden milk has its roots in Ayurvedic tradition, often as an evening tonic. I recently read The Ayurvedic Self-Care Handbook by Sarah Kucera which I loved, and highly recommend. In fact I loved it so much, I bought the audio version of the book too which I listened to on my daily lockdown walks.
Sarah's book focuses on bringing daily Ayurveda rituals into your life which don't take a lot of time, to help you stay well. During lockdown that felt particularly important, and I incorporated all sorts of Sarah's tips into my day. Including using a tongue scraper daily and oiling my skin with this jojoba oil. Skin oiling is a heavenly ritual and doesn't take long at all.
Incidentally an Audible Membership was an absolute blessing during that time. I really got into the swing of listening to audio books daily, and that has continued since the rules were relaxed even if only for a few minutes each day. I highly recommend it.
Spices for Health
Golden Milk has a number of health-promoting spices in it including Turmeric, Ginger and Cinnamon. Turmeric in particular has been the subject of recent studies which have concentrated on its medicinal, anti inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
I have been buying a certain branded Turmeric Latte Mix for a long time. I realise it's a high quality product but the fact is: buying latte mix ready-made is expensive. Especially when you drink it daily, as I do. And if you don't use it up relatively quickly, this particular brand clumps quite badly too, which makes it difficult to mix. In fact sometimes I've bought it and it's already been clumpy. If you know the brand I'm referring to, you'll know what I'm talking about. But I didn't mind really, because I love the taste.
During Lockdown 2020, I couldn't get my favourite brand. So I decided to make my own. I found a load of recipes online, experimented, and eventually came up with my favourite version.
And now I don't buy that brand I loved anymore, because I much prefer homemade. The joy of making your own version is you can make it in small batches so it's always fresh and doesn't have time to go clumpy. You can also vary the recipe according to your taste. And it doesn't cost £5 a batch !
However don't be tempted to leave out the black pepper from your mix and/or make it fat free. Turmeric contains an anti-inflammatory compound called curcumin, and the black pepper in the mix makes this more readily available to the body. It may sound a bit odd to have pepper in a drink in this way, but you hardly notice it. Meanwhile the fat from the coconut milk powder, and whatever milk or nut milk you choose to mix it with, enables turmeric absorption.
Homemade Turmeric Latte Mix
I have tried grating fresh turmeric and making a paste, as you often see in turmeric drink recipes. They make a lovely drink, but this mix is equally lovely. It is also easier to make because the ingredients are all dried and easily available. And it absorbs readily in hot milk, rather than needing to whisk it in a pan as you need to with a paste.
When it comes to heating the milk, I take the complete cheat's way out. We have an Aeroccino which sits next to our coffee machine, and I simply heat the milk in that. A quick rinse afterwards and you're done. No (sometimes burnt) milk pans to clean because the milk gets hot but doesn't boil.
This Golden Milk Turmeric Latte Recipe has a fair amount of cardamom in it, because I love that particular spice. It is naturally sweet and needs no sugar to be added. If I'm drinking it in the evening, I sometimes put a little raw honey from our hives in the bottom of the cup. But that's not needed really, I just love the honey and raw honey is said to have qualities which help you sleep.
Homemade Golden Milk Turmeric Latte Mix - Recipe
Makes enough to fill a 250g jar.
Ingredients
5 dried cardamom pods
100g coconut milk powder (I use a standard coconut milk powder which contains milk protein, making it unsuitable for vegans. So do check the label if you don't eat/can't tolerate dairy)
5 teaspoons ground turmeric
Half teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
A pinch of saffron
A teaspoon of ground black pepper (about 12 grinds in my peppermill)
Method
Put the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar. Crush them a bit to open them, release the seeds and discard the pods (they can be composted).
Crush the seeds up well so they're as ground as you can manage. Add the turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and saffron and give it all a good crush so the spices are as crushed as possible.
Add the coconut milk powder and black pepper, give it all a good mix until the colour looks consistent.
Pour into your jar, add a label.
To Serve
Add two teaspoons (or more if that's to your taste) to a cup or mug, add a little honey or sugar if you like. Heat the milk of your choice and pour over the latte mix. Stir well and enjoy.
The latte mix will sink to the bottom of the cup as it rests, as all these kinds of mixes do. So give it a stir occasionally to keep it mixed up.
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Other Almost Off Grid Favourites:
Make your own Chive Blossom Vinegar
https://www.almostoffgrid.com/blogs/almost-off-grid/make-your-own-chive-blossom-vinegar
Grow your own Wild Garlic
https://www.almostoffgrid.com/blogs/almost-off-grid/grow-your-own-wild-garlic
Juniper and Pepper Spice Blend
https://www.almostoffgrid.com/blogs/almost-off-grid/juniper-pepper-spice-blend
Honestly Christina, it is just such a lovely blend! And if you prefer particular spices (like cinnamon) you can switch things up a bit to your taste. I too am trying to incorporate more turmeric into my diet, well spices and herbs in general. Anything that contributes towards keeping us a little healthier! Hope you enjoy it.
I am totally thrilled that I was led to read your blog post about making homemade golden milk turmeric latte mix!! I have been trying to incorporate more turmeric into my recipes. This sounds perfect : ) Thank you for putting this mix together and sharing how you made it.