My Favorite Turmeric Latte Mix (+ How to throw a tad healthier party for kids)

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Turmeric latte is one of the most delicious ways to boost immunity and retain your energy levels. Preparing your own Turmeric Latte Mix guarantees that the flavors match your preferences, and you always have some mix at hand when you fancy a mug of a piping hot golden milk. Needless to say, the mix makes an excellent gift when packed into a beautifully decorated jar.

This is my version of this trendy drink mix. I came up with this recipe when I was running out of the ready Turmeric Latte Mix I have used for long. Like this, I could tweak the recipe as I want and make it match my taste buds. And as I prefer my Turmeric Latte hot and spicy, I also prefer to add a pinch of a secret ingredient for an extra kick and a hint of smokiness.

Personally, I add this Turmeric Latte Mix to my morning coffee with heavy cream — but you can use any low-carb liquid. Read below why this mix is so good for you and how to prepare it.

P.S. Scroll to the end of the post to see how to organize a tad healthier party for kids. Last weekend, we threw a birthday party for our son. All the kids enjoyed the sugar-free and grain-free real food!

How to prepare the Turmeric Latte Mix

For this mix — and also in general when cooking — use preferably fresh, organic, and irradiated spices. Not only because they taste best, but also because they are safer for you.

I don’t recommend storing the ready Turmeric Latte Mix for very long, as it will naturally lose some of its freshness and of its flavor as well. It stores well for one month — though it’s not very likely to last that long as I expect you to use all of it pretty soon after making!

One note: if you are wearing light-colored nail polish, the intense colors of this mix, especially turmeric, tend to stick very effectively to the nail polish and color it orange. I learned this in the hard way as my French tip nails turned permanently orange, and the only way to get rid of the orange color was to remove the nail polish! So, if you are wearing light-colored nail polish or have artificial nails, try not to touch the spices with your hands.

Now, let’s take a look at the individual ingredients and their role in this mix:

Turmeric

As you can expect, turmeric is the king — or queen — of this mix. There have been dozens and dozens of studies proving the health benefits of turmeric. Like many other herbs and spices, also turmeric has been used as medicine already thousands of years. Turmeric is anti-inflammatory (so it damps all kinds of inflammations, especially chronic ones). Turmeric also improves brain function, helps to fight against cancer, heart disease, and depression.

I often recommend turmeric capsules for my nutrition therapy clients if they have pain — especially joint pain. There are some great supplements on the market that contain other pain-relieving ingredients in addition to turmeric (or actually curcumin, the most essential component of turmeric). Those ingredients are boswellia, DL-Phenylalanine, and alpha-lipoic acid. That kind of combo is as effective as a regular pain killer — and so much safer!

Cinnamon

Ceylon cinnamon is a must; don’t ever use regular — i.e., Cassia — cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is the true cinnamon even Cassia cinnamon is the most sold variety in stores (it’s cheap!). Ceylon cinnamon has gentler and subtler taste compared to the more aggressive and bitter taste of Cassia cinnamon.

But the taste is not the only reason why you should prefer Ceylon cinnamon to Cassia cinnamon: Cassia cinnamon is toxic to the liver in large amounts, or when used on a daily basis. In the modern world, your liver is already suffering and working hard to cleanse all those chemicals that you put to your mouth, to your skin, or that you breathe.

Today, you are surrounded by thousands of chemicals that didn’t exist too many years ago. And it’s mainly your liver that has to deal all with these chemicals, so there is no reason to overload it with toxins from food. And that’s also one reason you should eat clean food, without food additives or other artificial stuff, that is.

Cardamom

Cardamom is also an essential part of Turmeric Latte. In the Middle East, cardamom coffee is very popular. I also bought some Lebanese cardamom coffee, Najjar, from an ethnic store here in Finland.

And, in addition to its delicious taste, cardamom also has health benefits. First of all, it has some antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Some studies have also found it to fight against cancer. And last but not least, cardamom may help lower high blood sugar levels — though cinnamon is much more effective in that sense.

Ginger

For me, ginger is a must-have in a Turmeric Latte Mix. I often infuse fresh ginger root in hot water and drink it like tea. For this Turmeric Latte Mix, you naturally have to use ginger powder instead of fresh ginger root.

In addition to turmeric, ginger is also one of the healthiest spices there is. No wonder: ginger is closely related to cinnamon and cardamom, all of them belong to the Zingiberaceae plant family. And all of them have real health benefits. From reducing muscle pain to indigestion problems, ginger has also been found to have some cancer-fighting properties.

It’s also a common knowledge that ginger can help with nausea, also travel sickness, and morning sickness in pregnant women (though here in Finland the official guidelines tell women to avoid ginger while pregnant…)

Ginger can also improve brain function, by the way, so it’s a great substance when fighting against neurodegenerative diseases.

Black pepper

I don’t use black pepper in this mix only because it boosts the effects of turmeric. I use it also because I want to have a kick in my turmeric latte. And that kick is given by black pepper.

Black pepper itself also has lots of health benefits: like other spices, also it has anti-inflammatory properties, and it’s high in antioxidants. This kitchen staple does also good for your blood sugar levels and for your brain — and for your gut as well. Black pepper might help increase the good bacteria in your gut as well as help absorb nutrients. It also might curb your appetite.

Be sure to use freshly ground black pepper. The store-bought ground black pepper is not fresh and has a somewhat dull taste. Only freshly-ground black pepper has the kick that is needed in this Turmeric Latte Mix.

The secret ingredient

Yes, there is an optional sixth ingredient here — that’s why it’s secret! If the kick of the black pepper is not enough for you (like it’s not often for me), I prefer to add a good pinch of chipotle to my Turmeric Latte Mix. I don’t know if chipotle has health benefits — most likely it has — but it undoubtedly lends a fascinating and piquant, slightly smoky note to the Turmeric Latte Mix.

Now, you see that this Turmeric Latte Mix is really boosting your health and immunity. Maybe that is the reason I’ve managed to avoid the flu this year. Who knows, it might even help to fight against the coronavirus epidemic that is currently spreading all over the world.

How to prepare the Turmeric Latte Mix

Well, this is the easiest part: just grab the ingredients together, mix, and transfer into an air-tight glass jar. That’s it!

But, because the search engines require plenty of text and images (screw them!), now will follow a huuuuge amount of images showing step-by-step how to prepare this mix. Just scroll down the page to the actual recipe if you are in a hurry.

Have the ingredients ready. Take a bit larger bowl than you would imagine you need. Like this, it’s easier to mix the ingredients together and to avoid spilling them around your table — though I did spill them anyway despite of having this large bowl!

Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) ground turmeric…

…3 tablespoons ground Ceylon cinnamon (yes, I like my Turmeric Latte cinnamony)…

…1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger…

…2 teaspoons ground cardamom…

…and 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper. The order naturally doesn’t matter.

And, you can add a good pinch (about 1/4 teaspoon or to taste) chipotle for that extra kick.

Mix…

…until well combined.

Transfer into an air-tight jar.

Here we go.

You can even decorate the jar and give it as a gift.

How I came up with this recipe

It was very late when I woke up to the Turmeric Latte craze. To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of the weird taste of turmeric as a spice, though I do love it in curry.

However, I had never tried Turmeric Latte. After buying ready, commercial Turmeric Latte Mix, I was sold: not only I liked the taste, but I also felt the invigorating effect of Turmeric Latte. Since then, I’ve used ready Turmeric Latte Mix in my morning coffee (yes, I add it to coffee with an ample amount of heavy cream. That’s how I start my mornings every single day).

I usually buy a large container of the mix, but of course, it ends at some point. And one morning, I noticed I was running out of the mix and didn’t have any left.

They sell those large containers in a store downtown, but I wasn’t planning to go downtown. Since I insisted on having my regular morning coffee with Turmeric Latte Mix, I had to improvise.

I decided to make a very small batch first to see if I manage to make anything that good-tasting like the ready mix. First, I had to ponder which ingredients I want to use in my Turmeric Latte Mix. Turmeric, for sure, but what else? I love the warm tastes of cinnamon and cardamom, so those were also must-haves. You could call the combo of cinnamon and cardamom as cinnamom or cardamon! (Well, looks too much like typo… so maybe not.)

I love a substantial, spicy kick in my Turmeric Latte. The ready mix contains black pepper for the punch — and black pepper is often used with turmeric to boost the effect of turmeric — so I decided to add plenty of black pepper as well.

And since the ready mix contained ginger, too, I opted for adding some ginger. There is another Turmeric Latte Mix from the same brand that contains vanilla and not that much ginger, but in my opinion, it’s too bland, and I really prefer the gingery version.

That’s it, now I had all five ingredients. Now, I had to ponder about the amounts.

For the first experiment, I took 1 tablespoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Excitedly, I added 1 teaspoon of my mix experiment to my coffee. Well, it was good, yes, but the taste of turmeric was overpowering. I wanted to have more cinnamon — and more kick from the black pepper.

I decided to prepare a bigger batch and adjust the amounts of spices accordingly. For an extra kick, I wanted to try something even stronger and more piquant. After a while, I picked a jar of chipotle from my pantry. I got intrigued how the slightly smoky and very hot flavor goes with my Turmeric Latte Mix.

I added a pinch of chipotle to a small amount of ready coffee with some Turmeric Latte Mix. The taste was fantastic with a proper hot kick and a slight smoky note — just a perfect pick-me-up in the morning!

After some more tweaks, I was ready with my recipe. Now there were enough other flavors to complement and mask the dull taste of turmeric, and there was also enough peppery, fiery flavor that was a must-have for me. I have to admit that after all those experiments, my hand was pretty exhausted after grinding all that black pepper! But it was so worth it!

Here’s the recipe for you to enjoy:

How to vary the recipe

As this is my favorite Turmeric Latte Mix, feel free to tweak it to match your preferences. For example, if you prefer more ginger flavor, feel free to double the amount of ginger.

For a delicious hint of vanilla, you can add 1 teaspoon of vanilla powder. If you want even warmer feeling and taste, feel free to increase the amount of cardamom.

Other spices you might consider adding to the mix are cloves and nutmeg. Just be careful with nutmeg: it works like a bad drug when used in large amounts.

How to prepare Turmeric Latte

In the video, you can see how to prepare the Turmeric Latte drink using this mix. It’s very easy: just pour 1 cup (240 ml) liquid of your choice to a saucepan. Just remember that regular milk is high in carbs, so unsweetened plant-based milk like almond milk or drinkable type coconut milk is a better option. While whisking, add 1 teaspoon Turmeric Latte Mix. Heat over high heat until piping hot. Don’t let boil, though. Sweeten with natural sweetener, like stevia or monk fruit (luo han guo) if you wish. Pour into a mug and enjoy.

My way to prepare Turmeric Latte with coffee

Every morning, I prepare myself Turmeric Latte with about 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) quite strong dark roasted filter coffee, about 3 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 full tablespoon (yes, tablespoon!) of my Turmeric Latte Mix, collagen powder (that also contains MCT powder and guar gum for fiber), and sometimes maca powder.

By the way, The Turmeric Latte Mix is not soluble, so there is always a substantial amount of mix in the bottom of the mug when I finish drinking. I just add a small amount of hot water and then drink the slurry. It doesn’t taste bad — and it does good for you.

General Prattling

Lots of things have happened also this week. I was really busy taking the last photos to my upcoming keto book. I’m going to include some wrap recipes as well as some muffin recipes. Luckily, there is more daylight now — and we’ve finally got some snow — so there is now enough natural light for decent photos. I never use studio lights for food photos as the result is plain flat and unappetizing, even with the best equipment available. Natural light always does the trick!

How to organize a tad healthier party for kids

As I promised last week, I’ll post some photos of the 9th birthday party I organized for my son. He had some friends and schoolmates coming over. The kids had a fun time with disco, playing games — and naturally eating my sugar-free, gluten-free real food offerings.

As my son wished, I made this door decoration to welcome the guests:

My son didn’t want to have a birthday cake, but he insisted on having blueberry muffins and chocolate muffins, so I baked blueberry muffins — but instead of chocolate muffins, I decided to make small serving-sized rectangular chocolate cakes drizzled with dark chocolate. They were a huge hit — the kids emptied the plate in record time. The cakes were based on this recipe, I just added 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. Here’s how they looked:

And here are some more photos of the party food. I’m going to use some of them in my upcoming book about the keto diet for the whole family:

And here are the little guests eating after having some disco and playing games:

Here’s the birthday party menu in more detail:

• homemade meatballs
• food additive-free sausages
• sugar-free stevia-sweetened ketchup
• 2-ingredient crackers (made with almond flour & cream cheese)
• cucumber sticks
• carrot sticks
• cherry tomatoes
• fresh strawberries
• watermelon balls
• homemade strawberry-flavored worm candies (made with 100% strawberry juice)
• homemade cola-flavored gummy bears (using cola stevia)
• blueberry muffins with whipped cream
• individual chocolate cakes

You see, you can serve veggies also on parties. Kids do eat veggies eagerly — even in parties. One of the little guests said: “I love cucumber, I really don’t care about the candy or other sweet stuff. It’s great to find cucumber here.” Also, the fresh strawberries and melon balls disappeared into the hungry mouths in no time. Real food for real kids!

One of the worst birthday parties I’ve ever visited was with a Finnish-Australian couple and their three kids. They had some twenty different dishes on the table — of which nothing fresh. Every single dish was cooked or baked, and filled with food additives, colorings, wheat, sugar — or industrial salt. Well, they did have homemade apple pie, but it was naturally extremely sugary and made with wheat. I felt really sorry for my son, who found nothing edible from the table. He has used to eat real food — not fake, industrial food, or harmful grains and sugar. No wonder the kids in that family misbehave all the time!

Fine-tuning the Ketokamu products and brand

A couple of days ago, I visited Helsinki to meet one of the most famous chefs in Finland, Sami Tallberg. He has recently joined our Ketokamu team. I had prepared some soups for Sami to taste. Sami is renowned about his flavor pairings, so I thought he is just an ideal person to rate and tweak the soups that we are planning to bring to the market. I was sure he can give some splendid ideas on how to improve the taste. He indeed did, and now I’ve finalized the recipes so that the company called Kasvis Galleria in Kuopio can start manufacturing the soups for us.

Here’s Sami tasting one of my soups.

Obviously he liked the soup!

We took a selfie as well.

The very initial version of our Ketokamu website is ready. There is still a lot to do, but at least we now have a web page! We are aiming at retro colors in our brand. The color palette was a bit too lame at first, but our website developer, Oskar, managed to get more contrast, and now the site looks pretty good for a basic version. And as we are a Finnish company and most of our products go (at first) to the Finnish market, we naturally have a Finnish site as well.

Other stuff worth mentioning

I’ve also been busy taking photos for coming blog posts. Namely, after a couple of weeks, I’ll leave to Greece for one week. My primary purpose is to make the final edits to my upcoming book — and hopefully to take a couple of days off as well. Last time, I didn’t manage to visit Acropolis in Athens, so it’s a must-to-visit now. And there seems to be a nice cultural center that offers free outdoor pilates lessons as well as some yoga and tai chi. Pilates is my favorite sport. I’ve done it — more or less regularly — over ten years, so it’s exciting to see what kind of pilates that cultural center is offering!

Oh yes, and naturally, when in Greece, I have to get some good-quality olive oil (even we do have decent olive oils imported here in Finland; for example, this Cretan one we are going to use in our Ketokamu products). But there is specific olive oil I want to have from Greece. From the same store, I bought some really fatty and super-flavorful goat cheese that I definitely have to get more of!

Next Sunday, 15th March, I will be available in Ruohonjuuri Kamppi in Helsinki to answer questions about the keto diet. Feel free to come and say hello!

I visited that shop also this week while in Helsinki. They have both of my current Finnish books.

And last, a little “Which one doesn’t belong” game. So, which one of the following three items in the photo below is not a household appliance?