living well one day at a time

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If you’re already familiar with Golden Milk (also commonly known as Turmeric Milk), here’s a delicious recipe for a big batch of Homemade Golden Milk Mix. Depending on how much you plan to use personally, this recipe makes a big enough volume for sipping through the winter and for thoughtful gifts to a few of your favorite people.

What this blog isn’t is a recipe for a small batch single cup (sorry not sorry) of Golden Milk. While I do plan to post my go-to Golden Milk latte recipe, it’s so much simpler to make the mix in advance, in bulk.

Intro to Golden Milk ✨

If you’re not familiar, or only vaguely so, welcome to the spicy and nourishing world of this blend inspired by haldi ka doodh. As a surprise to absolutely no one, Golden Milk wasn’t invented by wellness influencers or stark white scanadavian-minimalist-style cafes offering cups of frothy colonized alternative milk versions.

Golden Milk dates back centuries in Ayurvedic medicine and tradition. It was originally used to aid digestion, sleep aid, and so many other applications. If you want to dive deeper into its roots, I really enjoyed this article and perspective written by Indian-origin food writer and author of several cookbooks, Nandita Godbole, a few years back:

The Real Indian Origins of Trendy Golden (Turmeric) Milk

Nandita emphasizes that Golden Milk recipes vary greatly by region and family recipes, flavor preferences, and is often customized based on Ayurvedic Medicine principals like Doshas. There are elements that make Golden Milk distinctly Golden Milk when it comes to beverages – like milk (usually whole), sweetener (often jaggery or honey), Turmeric, and other spices.

This recipe is a bulk spice blend that is simply my take on that. And, hopefully a respectful nod to an ancient group of flavors and nourishing intentions. I use it not only for cozy winter Golden Milk Lattes, but also as a sunshine-y pungent punch to: homemade granola, cheesecake, oatmeal, pancakes, smoothies, one-pot golden milk applesauce, and much more. It’s delicious, unsweetened, and highly customizable based on your palate.

Hate cardamom and ginger or don’t feel like buying them?

Great, leave them out.

I’ll keep them in mine – because I enjoy their cozy and warming tastes, especially in the winter.

What not to omit:

One thing I do recommend everyone keeping in the mix is black pepper.

Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory benefits, and the compound that is widely studied to be so specifically good for us in it is called Curcumin. It’s also the compound responsible for its vibrant color.

We can increase the bioavailability of Curcumin by 2000% by simply ingesting it with a little black pepper, which contains piperine. Also, it’s worth mentioning that curcumin and piperine are fat soluable – so when you make recipes with this mix, look at where you can incorporate it. Think of it like a little one-two-three punch of nourishment, beauty, and tastiness.

Happy Mixing!

Equipment you’ll need to make Homemade Golden Milk Mix:

• Jars for storage (I like these small weck jars for gifting, and larger ones for home storage)
• Mixing bowl
• Spatula or spoon
• A small sieve if any of your ground herbs are clumpy

Things to keep in mind:

• If you’re on a budget or simply don’t like certain spices I’ve included in this recipe, just leave them out. The heavy hitters here in my opinion are turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper.
• If you’re planning to gift portions of this – consider adding a recipe for your favorite recipe using the mix. Two of my go-to’s are Golden Milk Granola Bowls and One Pot Golden Milk Apple Sauce.

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Storage considerations:

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from direct lighting for up to six months. A closed cabinet is fine, the refrigerator also works if you have space.