Recipes · Tonic
Golden Milk
Reader ratingsA cozy mug of warm milk whisked with turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and black pepper, with a little coconut oil to carry the spices.
Haldi doodh, or turmeric milk, is a long-standing Indian household drink, often served at bedtime or when someone is under the weather.
Safety
- Spice quality matters. Lead-chromate pigment has been found added to turmeric in parts of South Asia, and a 2023 to 2024 lead-exposure outbreak in the US was traced to cinnamon-containing applesauce pouches. Buy from brands that test for heavy metals.
- Concentrated turmeric supplements, especially those combined with black pepper, have been linked to rare cases of liver injury. A mug of golden milk contains far less, but stop and see a clinician if you notice dark urine, yellowing of the skin or eyes, or unusual fatigue.
- Turmeric has been linked to bleeding risk in people on anticoagulants, and black pepper’s piperine changes how some medicines are absorbed. Ask your clinician if you take blood thinners or other regular medicines, have gallstones, or are pregnant.
- If you sweeten it with honey, never give it to babies under 12 months, because of the risk of infant botulism.
Why it’s good for you
Turmeric is among the most-studied culinary spices, and black pepper is the classic partner that helps its curcumin get absorbed.
Evidence
Limited evidence
Mostly small, early, or laboratory studies.
Nearly all the research is on concentrated turmeric extracts, not the spice in milk: a 2021 meta-analysis of 16 trials (1,810 adults, up to 16 weeks) found turmeric extracts eased knee osteoarthritis pain more than placebo, and an earlier review put the doses used at roughly 1,000 mg of curcumin a day. A mug of golden milk delivers only a small fraction of that, although black pepper’s piperine raised curcumin absorption about twentyfold in one small study of healthy volunteers. No trial has tested golden milk itself.
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
- In a small saucepan, whisk the turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and pepper with about 1/4 cup of the milk into a smooth paste. Starting with a paste keeps the spices from floating in clumps.
- Whisk in the rest of the milk and the coconut oil. Warm over medium-low heat for 5 to 8 minutes, whisking often, until steaming hot but not boiling. Boiling can scorch the milk and make the turmeric bitter.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the honey. Pour through a fine strainer if you used fresh ginger, divide between two mugs, and serve warm.
Tips
- To keep a turmeric paste on hand, simmer 1/4 cup ground turmeric with 1/2 cup water and 3/4 tsp black pepper, stirring, for about 8 minutes until thick, then stir in 3 tablespoons coconut oil. Refrigerate in a clean jar for up to 2 weeks and stir 1 teaspoon into each cup of hot milk.
- If you drink it daily, choose true (Ceylon) cinnamon: the common cassia type is much higher in coumarin.
- Turmeric stains. Rinse the pan right away and use a dark mug.
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