Golden Milk Recipe: How to Make Turmeric Milk

Golden milk, also called haldi doodh, is a warm milky beverage seasoned with turmeric, black pepper, and ginger root. Typically consumed in conjunction with an Ayurvedic way of eating, each ingredient adds flavor and, practitioners believe, has a health benefit that works holistically within the recipe to create balance.

Ayurveda is an ancient form of holistic medicine hailing from India. It combines diet, lifestyle, movement, and meditation tailored to an individual’s constitution, or body chemistry. In Ayurveda, food plays a functional role in keeping the body balanced; the system of medicine encourages conscious consumption of food both as medicine and for enjoyment.

The nutritional profile of golden milk will vary depending on which type of milk, fat, and optional sweetener you choose. For example, full-fat cow’s milk is a good source of calcium, fat, and vitamin D; sweeteners like honey can provide carbohydrates and potassium. While also adding flavor and color, the turmeric in traditional golden milk serves an Ayurvedic function.

Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric root that gives it a deep orange-yellow color. Some people believe turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties because of its purported ability to reduce symptoms of ailments like osteoarthritis and other joint pains. Though extensively used in Eastern medicine for these properties, Western medical studies on the health benefits of turmeric supplements and how curcumin functions in the body are still underway. Because it is not a water-soluble phytonutrient, Ayurvedic practitioners often pair turmeric with fat to make its absorption most effective: You’ll often see the spice paired with ghee or coconut oil. Learn more about how to use turmeric in your cooking.

You can stay true to the original intent of haldi doodh while customizing golden milk to suit your tastes and dietary needs. Here are a few ways to personalize your turmeric milk:

1. 1. Make it dairy-free. Though haldi doodh typically features cow’s milk, you can easily use unsweetened almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or soy milk as a substitute, depending on your flavor preference or what you have on hand.
2. 2. Try coconut oil. Clarified butter, or ghee, is rich in flavor. It gets eaten by the spoonful in Ayurvedic medicine and adds fat and body to golden milk. Omit the dairy, and use coconut oil for added flavor and richness. Learn more about cooking with coconut oil.
3. 3. Use fresh roots. Many pantries have dried ground spices like ginger and turmeric handy, but the fresh versions have become increasingly easy to find in regular or specialty grocery stores. Try using freshly grated turmeric and ginger root for an even bolder flavor. Dried spices tend to be more earthy and less pungent than their fresh counterparts. If you can taste the difference between ground ginger vs. fresh, you’ll notice a significant distinction between fresh and ground turmeric tea.
4. 4. Sweeten to taste. Add a spoonful of maple syrup or honey to your golden milk as a sweetener, or use warm spices like ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, or cardamom as add-ins for a sweet essence without added sugars.
5. 5. Make it frothy. To make a turmeric latte, use a milk frother to aerate the mixture before serving it, which will give it the airy, frothy texture of hand-poured chai or a freshly steamed latte. For another delicious Indian beverage, try Madhur Jaffrey’s masala chai recipe.