Recipes · Health Shot
Carrot Orange Turmeric Sunrise Shot
Reader ratingsA sweet, mellow, sunrise-orange shot of fresh carrot and orange juice with just enough turmeric and black pepper to taste golden, not harsh — an easy first shot.
Indian cooking has long paired turmeric with black pepper and fat; the carrot-and-orange base is a modern juice-bar twist.
Safety
- Turmeric may add to the effect of blood thinners such as warfarin and aspirin. If you take them, or have surgery planned within the next two weeks, check with your prescriber or surgeon first.
- Skip regular turmeric shots if you have gallstones or are prone to calcium-oxalate kidney stones — turmeric stimulates the gallbladder and is high in soluble oxalate. The amount here is small, but check with your doctor if either applies.
- Carrot and orange juice are naturally sweet and orange juice is acidic — count the sugar if you manage diabetes and rinse your mouth afterwards. A shot is a small extra, not a substitute for a meal.
Why it’s good for you
Carrots are a top whole-food source of beta-carotene, orange juice adds vitamin C and the flavanone hesperidin, and black pepper helps your body absorb turmeric’s curcumin.
Evidence
Limited evidence
Mostly small, early, or laboratory studies.
No trial has tested this shot; the support is for its ingredients, at larger amounts. In a 3-week trial, 8 oz of fresh carrot juice a day raised blood carotenoid levels in 69 women, and in a 4-week crossover trial, 500 mL of orange juice a day lowered diastolic blood pressure in 24 overweight men. The turmeric here is a culinary amount, far below the doses used in curcumin trials, so treat the shot as a nutrient-rich, gentle introduction to turmeric rather than a proven remedy.
General information from research and traditional use — not medical advice, and not a treatment for any condition. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, check with your clinician first, and seek care for symptoms that are severe or do not improve.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Chop the carrots and turmeric into pieces that fit your juicer or blender (grate the carrots first if your blender is not powerful). Juice the oranges.
- Juicer: run the carrots and turmeric through the juicer, then stir in the orange juice. No juicer: blend the carrots, turmeric and orange juice with 1/2 cup cold water for 60–90 seconds until smooth, then pour through a nut-milk bag or fine sieve and squeeze.
- Stir in the black pepper and lemon juice, and shake or whisk well.
- Pour into a sealed glass bottle. Shake before pouring and drink one 2 oz shot with breakfast or lunch, ideally alongside a little healthy fat such as eggs, nuts or olive oil.
Tips
- Keeps 3 days in a sealed glass bottle in the fridge — carrot juice loses its sweetness as it oxidizes, and the lemon helps. Freeze in ice-cube trays for longer.
- This is the mildest turmeric shot. If you like it, step up to the stronger Golden Turmeric & Black Pepper Shot.
- Turmeric stains: wear gloves and rinse the juicer or blender straight away.
- Very large daily amounts of carrot juice can tint skin yellow-orange (harmless carotenemia that fades when you cut back); one shot a day will not.
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