Turmeric Tea Recipe (Golden Tea)

Updated: December 14, 2024, By Swasthi

Make Turmeric Tea also known as Golden Tea, the traditional way with just 3 ingredients! Turmeric, the bright yellow spice that originated in India, lends its beautiful golden hue to the latest evergreen food trend – “Turmeric Tea”. In this post I share a few different ways to make Indian Turmeric Tea easily at home. I also share a no-brew method with tips for better absorption of curcumin in the turmeric.

But is healthful Turmeric Tea really that recent? And how do you make it at home with fresh ingredients whenever you want, instead of relying on your store bought packs?

Turmeric teaTurmeric tea

Recipe Comments

What is Turmeric Tea

Turmeric Tea as the name implies, is a tea made by boiling fresh or dried and powdered turmeric root with plain water. It can sometimes include other ingredients, such as spices like ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves & sweeteners like honey, or citrus.

Turmeric is the rhizome of the Curcuma longa plant, a relative of the equally famous ginger (which is also known for the medicinal and culinary uses of its rhizomes). Although turmeric tea made splashy health headlines in the 2010s, it is believed that turmeric itself has been used for medical purposes for over 4,500 years.


Turmeric Tea is arguably most famous for its health benefits. Itโ€™s a decent source of minerals, such as manganese, iron, and copper. While turmeric contains antioxidants and essential oils, the spice is most well-known for containing curcuminoids.

Curcuminoids are a group of phenols that make yellow, the most famous is curcumin. The health benefits of curcumin and curcuminoids are hotly debated within the scientific community.

fresh turmeric root for teafresh turmeric root for tea

About Traditional Haldi Tea

But Turmeric Tea is not new to Indians and has been consumed since ages for symptomatic relief & treatment of Arthritis, seasonal flu, allergies, digestive troubles & many more.

The fresh root would be fried in Ghee & boiled in water with many healing spices to make a drink known as “Kashayam”, a medicinal concoction. Till day, this spiced turmeric kashayam is used to treat various kinds of ailments in Indian ayurvedic retreats.

It is also one of the widely used home remedy in South India during the monsoon & winters. There are numerous recipes to make this turmeric tea & each is customized to suit the body type and overall health.

Curcuminโ€™s possible benefits are complicated by its low bioavailability, meaning that it is very difficult for human bodies to absorb. Experts suggest to pair it with certain ingredients like black pepper & healthy fats to increase the bodyโ€™s intake. And yes, you can add them to your turmeric tea!

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Photo Guide

How to make Turmeric Tea (Stepwise Photos)

To make turmeric tea you only need 3 main ingredients – Turmeric, black pepper and ghee or any healthy fats/oils you prefer. Other ingredients are all optional. You can make turmeric tea with fresh turmeric root or with dried ground turmeric (Turmeric powder).

Option 1 – No-brew option

Add ยผ to ยฝ teaspoon turmeric powder, ยผ teaspoon dried ground ginger, โ…› teaspoon black pepper, lemon juice and ยฝ teaspoon ghee/oil to a cup. Bring 1 cup water to a rolling boil in a kettle or a pot and pour into the cup. Mix well and cover. Let sit for 2 to 3 mins. Stir in little sweetener if you want.

Option 2 – Saucepan

1. You can make turmeric tea either with ground turmeric or with fresh turmeric rhizome, which you will peel to cut down the bitter taste. Slice or chop 1 inch root or use ยผ to ยฝ teaspoon turmeric. Crush or crack 3 to 4 black pepper corn. Choose your fats – ghee or cold pressed oil like extra virgin coconut oil, olive oil or avocado, depending on your diet. Pepper and ghee help in better absorption. I prefer to use ghee for flavor and fats prevent dehydration.

turmeric pepper ghee in 3 bowlsturmeric pepper ghee in 3 bowls

2. Slice or chop half inch fresh ginger (or use ยผ teaspoon dried ground ginger). I am using lemon juice here but you can also use ยผ orange juice.

fresh ginger and lemonfresh ginger and lemon

3. Mix together 1ยผ cup of water, turmeric, black pepper, ginger and fats. If you want you can also add the ghee/oil later just before straining the tea.

simmer ingredientssimmer ingredients

4. Mix well.

traditional tea with spicestraditional tea with spices

5. Optionally If you want you can use crushed spices like – 1 cardamom, 1 clove, 1 inch True cinnamon (not cassia), ยผ teaspoon each of cumin, carom seeds and fennel seeds. All these spices work on the digestive and respiratory system. They also help to detox the body. You need to coarsely crush the spices using a mortar pestle before adding to the pot.

whole spices for turmeric teawhole spices for turmeric tea
Optional Spices required for 2 servings of Turmeric Tea

6. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Ground turmeric requires only 4 mins, and chopped turmeric requires about 8 mins of boiling. If using spices, you need to boil for 10 mins.

brewing tea with turmeric and spicesbrewing tea with turmeric and spices

7. Remove from the heat and strain the turmeric tea.

strain teastrain tea

8. Press down the ingredients to extract all of the turmeric goodness. For those who are put off by the idea of drinking nothing but turmeric & spices because of its strong flavor, you are in luck. There are plenty of add-ins that both enhance the taste and the nutritional content of the tea.

press down the turmeric in the strainerpress down the turmeric in the strainer

You may add jaggery or palm jaggery while boiling. Squeeze in some lemon juice for a citrusy flavor and tang. This tea is best served hot or at least warm. You can also stir in organic honey to the warm turmeric tea (not to the hot tea).

turmeric tea recipeturmeric tea recipe

Add-ins for Golden Tea

Want ways to enhance your turmeric tea? Here are some ideas for add-ins.

  • Add healthy fats to your turmeric tea. Healthy fats can include avocado oil, coconut oil, or ghee. Since the curcumin found in turmeric is not easily absorbed by the body, adding some healthy fats to your turmeric tea may increase your bodyโ€™s uptake.
  • Throw in fresh or dried ginger. Ginger is great for treating nausea and indigestionโ€“perfect to add to turmeric tea after a little indulgence or while recovering from an illness.
  • Stir in a little honey. Not only will honey sweeten your turmeric tea, it also gives it an antioxidant boost. Honey has anti-microbial properties and can help soothe coughing and sore throats too.
  • Drop in a slice of lemon. Lemons are deliciously tangy and chock full of the useful antioxidant vitamin C. If you include the pulp of the lemon, not just the juice, you also get a nice helping of soluble fiber to promote digestive and heart health.

How to make Instant Turmeric Tea Mix

Sometimes you want to make yourself a hot cup of tea without thinking too hard about chopping or measuring. Thatโ€™s where instant turmeric tea mix comes into play! It only takes a few minutes to put together and can last for weeks stored in a cool, dry place. Custom tea blends also make excellent birthday and holiday gifts for your favorite tea lover!

To make the instant turmeric tea, combine dried and powdered turmeric, Indian dried ginger powder, and ground black pepper. If the pepper sounds odd, thereโ€™s a reason for it: the chemical piperine in black pepper increases the bioavailability of curcumin in turmeric.

Donโ€™t be afraid to experiment with ratio amounts to see which blend you like. Once the instant tea is mixed, you can store it in an airtight jar in a cool, dry place. Alternatively, consider portioning it out into disposable tea bags instead.

When you finally decide you want a nourishing cup of turmeric tea, all you need to do is stir some instant mix into boiling water, let it steep, and then strain.

You can even make cold brew turmeric tea with either 4 inches of fresh turmeric or 3 teaspoons of dried powdered turmeric in 4 cups of water. Just let it steep in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then strain and enjoy!

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Recipe Card

turmeric teaturmeric tea

Turmeric Tea Recipe (Golden Tea with No-Brew Option )

5 from 74 votes
This Golden Tea also known as Turmeric Tea has a good dose of antioxidants, vitamins & minerals. I share 2 ways to make this – no brew option and saucepot method
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time2 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time7 minutes
Servings1
AuthorSwasthi
Diet : Gluten Free, Vegan
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
  • ยผ to ยฝ teaspoon turmeric powder (or 1 inch fresh turmeric root chopped/sliced)
  • ยฝ teaspoon (ยฝ inch root) fresh ginger (chopped or ยผ teaspoon dried ginger for no brew option)
  • โ…› teaspoon ground black pepper (3 to 4 whole pepper corn crushed)
  • ยฝ to 1 teaspoon ghee or cold pressed extra virgin oil (avocado/ olive/coconut)
  • 1ยผ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice or ยผ cup warm/slightly hot orange juice or as needed (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon honey or jaggery to taste (optional)


Instructions

How to make Turmeric Tea

  • Option 1 – No brew: Add turmeric powder, ground dried ginger, black pepper, ghee/oil and lemon juice to a cup. Bring 1 cup water to a rolling boil in a pot or in a kettle and pour to the cup.
  • Stir well and cover. Let steep for 2 mins and serve. If you want you may add sweetener.
  • Option 2 in a saucepan: Mix together water, turmeric, ginger and black pepper in a small pot/pan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.
  • Simmer for 4 to 8 mins, depending on how strong you want the drink to be. Stir in the ghee or oil and strain to a cup.
  • You may stir in honey if you prefer but only in warm turmeric tea (not hot). If you want stir in some lemon juice or warm/ slightly hot orange juice. If you feel the tea is too strong for your taste, simply add more hot water (not cold) to dilute.


Notes
  • You can crush 1 cardamom, 1 clove, 1 inch True cinnamon (not cassia), ยผ teaspoon each of cumin, carom seeds and fennel seeds.ย  Add them to the pot and boil for 10 mins. All these spices work on the digestive and respiratory system.ย 
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
Nutrition Facts
Turmeric Tea Recipe (Golden Tea with No-Brew Option )
Amount Per Serving
Calories 27 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 6mg2%
Sodium 15mg1%
Potassium 26mg1%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Fiber 0.2g1%
Sugar 0.2g0%
Protein 0.1g0%
Vitamin A 2IU0%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 12mg1%
Iron 0.2mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

ยฉ Swasthi’s Recipes

Recipe first published in November 2022. Updated and republished in Dec 2024.

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About Swasthi

Iโ€™m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthiโ€™s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me

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5 stars
Excellent recipe. I tried turmeric tea today. It tasted good. Thanks a lot.

5 stars
I tried this turmeric recipe twice with fresh turmeric root and orange juice. Love the flavor of ghee. It tastes delicious and going to make it often

5 stars
Very comprehensive article a must try

5 stars
It ha benefitted my migrane. Great turmeric tea

5 stars
This tumeric tea is excellent! It has become a staple to starting my day. It’s been 2 weeks and I noticed my stomach is not bloating. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you. This is very useful to my family

5 stars
Thank you for this turmeric tea and all the authentic Indian recipes that you share with love and dedication. I prepare my turmeric tea with cardamom seeds, star anise, fennel, fresh ginger, cinnamon and cloves. A squeeze of lemon juice and honey makes it so good to sip off during the winters and spring.

How important is boiling everything?
Iโ€™ve been putting my turmeric powder, black pepper, ghee, and lemon juice into a cup, pouring in boiling water and stirring. Thatโ€™s it. Am I losing out on the benefits of this drink by not boiling everything in a pan for a few minutes before serving??
Thanks in advance for the advice!
HB

5 stars
I make my turmeric tea exactly the same way but add a handful of mint leaves. Thank you for spreading health information and our Indian culture.

5 stars
Thanks for bringing authentic Indian recipes to the internet. I have been trying out and find them wonderful. A friend once handed over a recipe for a fat burning tea and it was similar to this but not the same. That recipe did not have any fats like ghee or oil. Do you think this turmeric tea without fats is really effective? I have already started to drink and feeling good with my inflammation. Why is there a change in the boiling time for different forms of turmeric?

5 stars
Making turmeric tea is actually easier than I thought. I grind my spices in a coffee grinder to use through the week. So convenient to add it when I make the tea. Lemon is a great addition and brings down the heat of the spices. I can’t drink mine without the monk fruit. Thank you for the recipe. I’m hoping to lose some weight.

5 stars
I have been making this for my Mom since 2 weeks. She says her arthritis is better & improving. Everyone must try with spices and consume it hot.

5 stars
Being an Indian I never knew Turmeric tea is an ayurvedic recipe. I have just started to drink a small amount to see the benefits. Thank you Swasthi for the wonderful recipe.

5 stars
Can this be taken without straining the dried powder spices?

I am suffering from hypothyroidism and have body pain and weakness and fatigue.I have started drinking turmeric tea.Thanks for the recipe

It would be great to know the amount of ground spices. I intend to try this for with the optional spices. Is there a substitute for fennel.

5 stars
I didn’t know a lot of things mentioned here like about ghee and other spices. Made my first turmeric tea with just black pepper turmeric and grapeseed oil to treat my migraine. Doesn’t taste bad. I read elsewhere turmeric helps with the blood circulation so helps migraine. Feeling much better after the first serving. Thanks for showing us the authentic way to make turmeric tea.