in

Homemade Golden Chai Tea Latte Concentrate

Someone emailed me the other day asking for recipes or ideas on how to get more turmeric in their diet. That might sound like a strange request if you aren’t hip to all the health nerd news, but I immediately knew what he was talking about.

You see, consuming 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of turmeric every day is one of the very best things you could do to improve your health. Turmeric is perhaps the most anti-inflammatory food on the planet (and inflammation seems to be the primary cause of pretty much every disease). The scientific research is littered with its powers. Here’s just a handful of videos from NutritionFacts.org about the myriad benefits of this spice (you should really set aside a few minutes to watch these). Turmeric seems to…

  • Boost endothelial/arterial function as much as exercise
  • Show promise against pancreatic cancer
  • Fight colon cancer
  • Prevent Alzheimer’s disease
  • Help prevent diabetes
  • And here’s a good overview of turmeric itself plus research on how it can help treat Rheumatoid Arthritis:
  •  

    The thing is, how do you actually take the stuff?! There are pills you can take, but it appears that the fancy “extracts” in the pills aren’t even as effective as the plain ol’ spice itself. Hence the question I got from a reader. Other than a few curry recipes that include the spice, I didn’t have a good solution for a recipe you could quickly prepare every day to get your 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric.

    It has a strange flavor on its own and is way too strong to eat straight up. But I started experimenting and realized that it pairs really nicely with other spices like cinnamon and cloves (like in a curry), and I remember the whole “golden chai latte” craze which is basically chai tea spices with turmeric instead of black tea mixed with milk. But it would be a bit time-consuming to prepare a golden chai latte every day… so what I ultimately came up with is a simple golden chai “concentrate” that you can make at home in about 10 minutes and has enough servings to last you about a week.

    The concentrate makes 6 servings, each with 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, and you simply mix the concentrate with a bit of warm almond milk for a beverage that is warm, earthy, sweet, and delicious. Seriously, putting aside the health benefits, this is one delicious caffeine-free latte you can put together in a matter of seconds.

    Note: it’s important that turmeric be paired with black pepper. For some reason, even a dash of pepper boost the bioavailability of the spice by a ridiculous 2,000% (see this NutritionFacts video). So make sure you don’t forget that ingredient!

    Makes: 6 servings

    Ingredients:

    • 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1/2 cup filtered water
    • 3+ tablespoons maple syrup
    • Non-dairy milk, for serving

    Step One

    In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the almond milk and begin warming over medium heat. Use a whisk to stir regularly until all the spices are dissolved in the water. Allow to simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes so that some of the water can reduce and thicken the syrup/concentrate.

    Tip: you can experiment with the quantity of all the spices (other than the turmeric) if you’d like to adjust the balance of flavors. you can also add more or less maple syrup – at 3 tablespoons total, that’s only 1 1/2 teaspoons per serving so feel free to add a little more if that’s your thing.

    Step Two

    Remove from the heat and transfer to a glass container (if you use plastic, it will be forever stained yellow…) and store in the fridge until ready to use.

    Step Three

    When ready to serve, stir the concentrate because it will have separated, and then measure out 1 1/2 tablespoons (1/6th of the total amount) into a glass with 4 oz of warm almond milk. Stir and top with a dash of cinnamon.

24 Comments

Leave a Reply
    • Oh, awesome! I was just going to email you to let you know that it’s up but I guess I don’t have to do that now :). Thanks for the inspiration to experiment with Turmeric. I’ve been drinking it all week – I hope it works for you too!

  1. Making this tonight! I tried a sample of a similar drink (they served it cold) at a warehouse club a couple days ago, the product with the turmeric was expensive so I bought a 12 ounce container of turmeric in the spice section for $2.99, intending to make my own. It smells wonderful simmering here. If people have not used turmeric before, it stains quite badly, Ill have to use something to get it off my quartz countertops as I have done before as cook with it, it will come off. Great recipe with a beneficial spice. Cinnamon and ginger are good for you as well. I needed more almond milk in mine, at least twice as much. . It is delicious and it is spicy. I used every spice listed. My husband said it would go good with alcohol it is so strong! Thanks for the very timely recipe,,

    • Hey Cheryl, ah yes everything that touches this stuff will be yellow… I’m sure it’ll come out though. This (like most things) would definitely benefit from a shot of brandy, haha.

  2. Just made this and used my homemade almond milk and it’s decious! It’s going to be my new evening treat. Thank you!

  3. I love the golden milk and drink it often. It helps me sleep and I feel great in the morning. I will caution that too much of the paste will cause diarrhea. You must adjust the amount used to your tolerance.

  4. I have been on turmeric about a year now no sign of diabetes any more high blood pressure none and I monitor everything. My dr is in awe and says keep it up. If I take melds now it makes me sick ok? I take capsules if I’m on the go and either way I can get it I do. Inflammation no ib syndrome stays in check now v all the benefits of turmeric is unreal and it also cleans your liver

  5. I love how you use such clever techniques to turn nutritious vegetables into something so beautiful and tasty. 🙂

  6. Great recipe, Andrew. I just came upon your blog today and have it bookmarked for further vegan recipes and information. Keep up the great work; the vegan movement seems to have increased of late – could it be that people are starting to wake up to realize there’s another way of eating that doesn’t harm and torture animals while ruining the planet?

  7. Hi Andrew:

    Thanks for this wonderful and delicious recipe!! Because I love every spice listed, I made a double batch
    Peace to you & yours,

  8. Making this to have something new on my keto journey . I will use mink fruit instead of maple syrup . Cant wait to try !

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

17 Healthy Snacks Ideas to Get You Through the Afternoon

The Anti-Aging Kale Pesto Pasta Salad