Golden Milk Recipe (Vegan)

Golden Milk Recipe (Vegan)

Today we are making a Golden Milk Recipe (Vegan)! If you aren’t already aware, turmeric is a major spice used all over India (and many other parts of the world). Especially India though – it’s actually the world’s largest exporter and consumer of turmeric! It has been used in ayurvedic medicine to heal diseases in the past due to its medicinal properties such as relieving gas, joint pain/arthritis, alzheimer’s disease, sore throats, upset stomach, cough/cold, insomnia, improving digestion, dissolving gallstones and much more.

Aside from healing, turmeric has a bright yellow color that gives a natural color when cooking Indian dishes (and has even left bright yellow stains in the blender when making fresh turmeric-ginger juice)! Turmeric root is also a spice that makes great pickles (Haldi ka achar in Hindi)! Turmeric is even a part of festivals, as a mark of prosperity (eg. in weddings) and in skincare and beauty products. Many spices were brought into India through explorers as well. However, turmeric is native to the country, and hence holds a special place in the country’s heart and culture!

Westernized Golden Milk Latte

This comforting drink has the Hindi name Haldi ka doodh (translating exactly to turmeric milk) in India, and its roots trace back many, many years. But even though this was already a drink in India (usually taken at night before bed, or at least that’s how my parents drink it), I only started hearing about turmeric lattes becoming a trend in the last few years. I wonder why?

Same thing with matcha lattes, with matcha coming from Japan! I’m sure the Japanese were well ahead of us and have been drinking matcha for a long time. But then Starbucks introduced it and it become the new millennial trend (the first time I heard of matcha was around 2015, and now many other places offer matcha drinks.

So this turmeric milk has been around for ages, and somehow it started going by the name of Golden Milk as it became popular in America. You may have seen it at your local coffee shop! If you search #turmericlatte vs #goldenmilk, you’ll notice that the latter has much more popularity. It’s basically just some turmeric in hot milk, giving it a golden hue.

You can choose to add other whole spices too, such as crushed cardamom pods. You don’t need any special equipment, such as the matcha whisk that’s usually good to have to adequately make a matcha latte due to the nature of the powder. Easy, accessible, colorful and healthy! What’s not to like? When it comes to traditional recipes, this is my family’s go-to recipe for haldi doodh!

Why You’ll Love This Vegan Golden Milk Recipe

Anti-Inflammatory: Turmeric and black pepper have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. This is because turmeric contains the main active ingredient curcumin, and black pepper contains piperine, which is responsible for black pepper’s rich flavor. Piperine increases the bioavailability of curcumin by up to 2000%, so your body can absorb the turmeric better. Combining turmeric with a dash of black pepper is a powerhouse for the body! With only 1/20 of a teaspoon black pepper, it increases the bioavailability of turmeric so much more.

But no worries, you won’t get too strong of a peppery flavor if you add in a pinch of black pepper to this recipe, so feel free to add some in when boiling the rest of the ingredients.

Soothes Your Insides: What better way to feel ultimately cozy than having a warm latte, topped with oodles of whipped cream, full of flavorful spices and having a beautiful yellow hue. Grab a long book, light your favorite candle scent, and get comfy in your blanket with this turmeric latte!

Substitutions: Milk

Dairy-Free Milk: Oat milk works great here, but any other plant-based milk will work, such as cashew milk, soy milk or unsweetened almond milk. Taste the milk you are using when it’s chilled straight out of the refrigerator. If you enjoy the taste of it then, it should be good to use in this recipe for the most part. I noticed that the flavor of soy milk tastes different when it’s hot, but oat milk and almond milk work well in lattes. Unless the milk has a strong aftertaste (like full-fat canned coconut milk) or is too watery (some brands of oat milk are very watery), avoid those!

Substitutions: Sugar

Sweetener: I used a tablespoon of coconut sugar. Xylitol or monkfruit sweetener can act as a substitute as dry sweeteners on a 1:1 basis.

Pure maple syrup or agave syrup can be substitutes for liquid sweeteners. Start with half a tablespoon and add more after, as the liquids are sweeter than the dry sugars. You can use a sweetener of your choice, and add more depending on your personal preference.

Substitutions: Other

Ground Turmeric Powder: Here’s the star of the show! Turmeric is here to alleviate all your problems, and leave you skipping down the yellow brick road. Don’t omit this, and don’t substitute it with anything else! Grated, fresh turmeric instead of the powder can be work too.

Fresh Ginger: Ginger is the second star of this recipe. Bursting with a warm and peppery flavor, ginger adds to this drink in a way that another herb cannot. I would not omit or substitute this. Fresh ginger also has a much better taste than ground ginger.

Fun fact: Did you know that turmeric and ginger are from the same plant family?

Maca and Ashwaganda: These are two herbs that can be left out if you don’t have them at home. They aren’t normally a part of Indian-style turmeric lattes, but I did add them in for a boost to the immune system!

Golden Milk Recipe (Vegan) Recipe Notes

• I love to top my golden milk lattes with vegan coconut whip! Gay Lea is the brand of vegan whip available where I live, and it’s delicious albeit very coconut-ty. To note though – traditionally, turmeric lattes in India do not use whipped cream.
• Or instead of whipped cream, use a milk frother to get a nice layer of froth on top of the milk.
• To make this a coconut turmeric latte, substitute a quarter to a half of the milk with full-fat coconut milk from a can. It will make a very thick, coconut flavour latte (along with healthy fats)!
• Boil a cinnamon stick with the milk (or add a dash of ground cinnamon) to make it have some cinnamon spice!
• Add ice to make this an iced turmeric latte. It will dilute the recipe, so you can add more sugar, ginger or turmeric to balance out the flavours based on your taste.

More Fall Drink Recipes

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Milk

Blueberry Oatmeal Smoothie

Caramel Macchiato

Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso

Chai Spice Hot Chocolate

If you make this Golden Milk Recipe, leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!