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A turmeric latte is not medicine, but it is a pleasant way to get some curcumin, along with the two things that actually help you absorb it: fat and black pepper. This version is not sweet enough to be dessert, which is the point.
At a glance
Prep
3 minutes
Cook
5 minutes
Serves
1
Ingredients
- 250 ml milk of your choice, whole dairy or a barista oat
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Half a teaspoon ground ginger
- A generous pinch of black pepper, freshly ground
- Half a teaspoon coconut oil or ghee
- Half a teaspoon honey or maple syrup, optional
- A pinch of cinnamon to finish
Method
- Warm the milk in a small pan over medium heat until it steams. Do not let it boil.
- Whisk in the turmeric, ginger, pepper and fat until there are no lumps.
- Hold it just below a simmer for two minutes, whisking now and then. This is what takes the raw edge off the turmeric.
- Take it off the heat, stir in the sweetener if you are using it, and pour. Dust with cinnamon.
Why the pepper is not optional
Curcumin is poorly absorbed on its own. Piperine, the compound that makes black pepper hot, substantially increases how much of it reaches your bloodstream. Fat helps too, which is why the oil is in the list rather than there for texture.
Notes
- Turmeric stains. Use a pan you are not precious about and rinse the whisk straight away.
- Doubling the turmeric does not double the effect and does make it taste medicinal. For context, the curcumin studies in our workout recovery guide used concentrated extracts, far more than any latte provides.
- Talk to your doctor before using turmeric regularly at supplement doses if you take blood thinners or have gallstones.
