7 Ways to Eat & Drink Turmeric
If you follow the wacky and wonderful world of wellness bloggers and Instagrammers — or even if you’ve been to Starbucks lately — you’ve probably noticed that turmeric is suddenly everywhere. Long a staple in Indian curries and foods like mustard (if provides that golden yellow color!), the spice-rack staple has gone from languishing in the back of the rack, to sitting pretty right up front.
Maybe you’ve been curious and you’ve read up on recent studies indicating its health-promoting and disease-preventing properties? Perhaps you’re curious to incorporate into your diet, but not sure how? As it turns out, there are lots of ways to eat and drink this spice.
Here are seven easy ideas.
1. Add it to scrambles and frittatas.
Use a pinch of turmeric in scrambled eggs, a frittata, or tofu scramble. If you or your family are new to turmeric, this is a great place to start because the color is familiar and the flavor subtle.
Get a Recipe: Southwestern Tofu Scramble
2. Toss it with roasted vegetables.
Turmeric’s slightly warm and peppery flavor works especially well with cauliflower, potatoes, and root vegetables.
Get a Recipe: Cauliflower Steaks with Ginger, Turmeric, and Cumin
3. Add it to rice.
A dash of turmeric brings color and mild flavor to a pot of plain rice or a fancier pilaf.
Get a Recipe: Fragrant Yellow Rice
4. Try it with greens.
Sprinkle turmeric into sautéed or braised greens like kale, collards, and cabbage.
Get a Recipe: Cabbage in Mild Yogurt and Mustard Seed Curry
5. Use it in soups.
A bowl of vegetable or chicken soup feels even more warming when it’s tinged with golden turmeric.
Get a Recipe: Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup
6. Blend it into a smoothie.
While fresh turmeric root is especially great in juices and smoothies, a pinch of ground spice is good, too. The slightly pungent flavor is usually well masked in smoothies.
Get a Recipe: Superpower Morning Smoothie (the recipe doesn’t call for turmeric, but you can definitely add it!)
7. Make tea.
Simmer turmeric with coconut milk and honey to make an earthy and comforting beverage. aka the pervasive and wildly popular “Golden Milk.”
Get a Recipe: Turmeric-Ginger Tea
An Additional Tip: If you’re looking to get the health benefits of turmeric, pair it with pepper. Herbalist Rosalee de la Forêt tells us, “To get the most out of your turmeric add 3% black pepper to the mix. Black pepper improves the bioavailability of turmeric, making smaller doses more effective.” This works out to about 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper to 1/4 cup of turmeric. To make it easy, I simply premix pepper into my jar of turmeric.